Aaron Judge referred to his dropped catch during Game 5 of the World Series as a moment that will haunt him for the rest of his life, and it won't be forgotten easily by others either. NFL broadcaster Greg Olsen used it as an analogy for a drop by New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara in the closing stages of their game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night.
Although the stakes were not as high, Alvin Kamara could have ensured victory for his team if he had managed to collect the ball.
The Saints were leading the Falcons 20-17 in the fourth quarter with less than two minutes on the clock when the quarterback Derek Carr threw a long pass down the left flank. Kamara was in clear space for a simple catch, yet he inexplicably dropped the ball without anybody guarding him.
Commentator Greg Olsen could not resist bringing up the error from the Yankees captain as a comparison for the fumble by Alvin Kamara, especially since Joe Davis was sitting next to him in the broadcast booth. Davis is the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he was also part of the commentary team for the World Series on Fox Sports.
"That's Aaron Judge dropping the ball in the fifth inning of the World Series," Olsen remarked. "There's really just no explanation [for] one of the best players of this era."
Alvin Kamara has been one of the top performers in the NFL with five Pro Bowl appearances to his name. His drop did not wind up costing the Saints, who held on to beat the Falcons, 20-17.
Aaron Judge's error, loss in World Series "will stay with me until I die"
The dropped catch by Aaron Judge will undoubtedly go down as one of the most notable errors in World Series history. Even though the mistake was not severe on its own, it nevertheless led to a dramatic chain of events that proved to be decisive in the outcome of the Fall Classic.
The New York Yankees were trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by two games, but they had moved into an early 5-0 lead in Game 5. The Dodgers had a runner at first base with no outs when Aaron Judge let a looping flyball to shallow centerfield slip out of his glove.
The Yankees ace Gerrit Cole struck out the next two batters but later failed to cover first base on a ground ball, allowing the opposition to score an easy run. Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez then drove in two more runs apiece to level the game. The Dodgers eventually won the game 6-5 and capped off their World Series triumph.
“I think falling short in the World Series will stay with me until I die," Judge said per USA Today. “Just like every other loss, those things don’t go away. There are battle scars along the way. Hopefully when my career is over there are battle scars, but also a lot of victories along the way.”
Aside from the drop, Judge had a disappointing World Series at the plate as well. He hit just .222 with one home run in the five games against the Dodgers.
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