NEW YORK (AP) — Just as it appeared Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees came right back this World Series, They all handed out the cup.

An epic meltdown of defensive miscues that began with Hakim’s embarrassing mistake in center field helped the Los Angeles Dodgers rally to tie the score at 5 in the five-run fifth inning.

Young shortstop Anthony Volpe and ace pitcher Gerrit Cole also made costly mistakes. New York’s bullpen squandered a one-run lead in the eighth inning and the Dodgers clinched their eighth championship and second in five years with a 7-6 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

The Yankees, who eventually returned to their first World Series since 2009, were unable to last long.

It was the latest fall setback for the team that had October as baseball’s most successful team.

Not anymore. At least not lately. And in the Yankees universe, 15 years is a long time between championships.

On deck is an offseason of uncertainty as New York tries to retain free-agent slugger Juan Soto, who has a host of eager suitors and is expected to sign a big contract.

After losing their first three games to Los Angeles, the Yankees prevented a sweep by winning Game 4 behind Volpe, 11-4. That left them looking to become the first of 25 teams in the World Series to fall behind 3-0 and force a Game 6 at Dodger Stadium.

And they got off to a great start with back-to-back goals from Hakim and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the first inning. Giancarlo Stanton homered in the third and the Bronx Bombers took a 5-0 lead.

Cole pitched four no-hit innings and drew a leadoff walk in the fourth, aided by a notable catch by Hakim as he hit the left-center fence hard.

California, here we come, right?

Wrong.

Kiké Hernández opened the fifth with a single, then Judge left Tommy Edman’s easy fly out to center to put runners on first and second with no one out. Judge apparently took his eye off the ball and attempted to catch it with just his gloved hand.

Will Smith followed with a grounder to right off Volpe, who threw it cleanly into the hole and attempted to catch the leadoff runner at third base. But he made a rash throw that checked Chisholm’s glove for another mistake and loaded the bases.

Following his visit to the mound, Cole leaned in and struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani as the sellout crowd of 49,263 at Yankee Stadium roared.

And Cole appeared to snap out of it when Mookie Betts responded with a slow sob to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. But Rizzo waited because the ball was turned too much. Cole initially broke to cover first base, then stopped. Rizzo was nowhere near Cole when he received the ball.

Cole pointed first, but by then Rizzo had no chance of outpacing the speedy Betts. He was credited with an infield single that cut New York’s lead to 5-1.

Series MVP Freddie Freeman He followed with a two-run single that matched the Fall Classic record with 12 RBIs, and Teoscar Hernández tied it with a two-run double over Judge’s head in left-center.

With the five-run advantage suddenly gone, the end was all but inevitable.

Stanton gave the Yankees a 6-5 lead with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, but reliever Tommy Kahnle loaded the bases with two singles and a four-pitch walk in the eighth to lead the Yankees to a 6-5 lead.

The catcher’s interference call on Austin Wells also stung, as Lux and Betts struck out Luke Weaver to give the Dodgers a 7-6 lead that right-handers Blake Treinen and Walker Buehler refused to relinquish.