NEW YORK – Yankees After losing the first two games of the World Series, they came back from Los Angeles and their confidence remained unshaken.

They firmly believed they could come back, feed off the fans at Yankee Stadium, and get back into the series starting Monday night.

“If there’s any team that can deliver a gut punch, it’s this team here in the clubhouse,” catcher Jose Trevino said a few hours before Game 3. “It’s not over, and everyone knows that. Everyone knows what we can do, and we know what they can do.”

These words were not reflected in the results.

The Yankees were defeated by the Dodgers in Game 3. They didn’t have a run until Alex Verdugo’s two-run homer with two outs and two strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth. The 4-2 loss put the Yankees in an 0-3 World Series deficit that no team in MLB history has ever recovered from.

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RECONSTRUCTING VICTORY

How did the Yankees get here? Here are five reasons why they’re on the verge of being swept away.

Aaron Judge

The skipper has been whittling down the Yankees’ offense all month.

The umpire struck out in the first inning of Game 3, his seventh in 12 postseason games, with a runner on base in the first. Factor in Judge’s 0-for-3 (with a walk) Monday night and he’s 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts in the World Series.

Overall this October, Judge is batting .140 (6-for-43) with a .580 OPS.

general crime

Not just the Judge.

Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton are the only Yankees with an OPS over .750 in this series. Anthony Rizzo is in good condition despite breaking two fingers on his right hand, and Gleyber Torres often steps up to goal, but there is a serious decline at this point.

Frankly, the entire lower end of the range has been a black hole when it comes to production. This made putting together rallies nearly impossible. Considering the Yankees’ inability to cash in on runners in scoring position, it’s no surprise they only scored five runs in this series.

Aaron Boone had to make a change at catcher because Austin Wells’ home runs were so bad. Trevino stepped in and remained hitless in Monday’s loss. Wells pinch-hit and batted out to lower his postseason average to .093.

Starting a sales pitch

The Yankees’ rotation was supposed to be an advantage in this series. The Dodgers have more starters and stability on their roster than they have this month.

Los Angeles’ top three starters have outperformed the Yankees’ top three to this point.

Gerrit Cole did his job in Game 1, giving the Yankees a chance to win the opener, but that success did not carry over to Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt. Both dug their team’s scrimmage offense into an insurmountable hole.

Rodón hit three home runs in Game 2 on Saturday. Homers have been a problem for him all year. Schmidt exuded confidence before making a big start in Game 3, but Freddie Freeman’s home run in the first inning upset the raucous crowd in the Bronx. He allowed three runs on two hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings.

Now, it’s up to rookie Luis Gil, who has the highest walk rate of any pitcher with over 100 strikeouts this season, to close out this roster in Los Angeles and keep the Yankees’ season alive.

Errors

defensive mistakes Largely led to heartbreaking loss to Yankees In Game 1. Definite Controversial shooting decisions It didn’t help either.

On Monday, with the Yankees looking for a spark offensively, third base coach Luis Rojas sent Stanton to score on Anthony Volpe’s two-out single to left. He hit a perfect shot home, but Stanton was hit and the inning ended.

This selection for Rojas ties into the Yankees’ poor offensive performances. When the bottom of the order isn’t doing much, it makes sense for him to push the limits with a slow runner and try to make something happen.

Dodgers showed up

Finally, let’s give some credit to the Dodgers.

Freeman has a great series. He is the favorite to win the MVP award in Los Angeles. The Dodgers’ starters are shutting down the Yankees. Even if superstar Shohei Ohtani has just one hit in this series — he’s batting .091 (1-for-11) — Los Angeles is one win away from a series win.

They’re playing like National League champions. Meanwhile, the Yankees look nothing like a team that won the American League pennant.