Yankees must move on after brutal World Series loss: 'This is what defines character'

LOS ANGELES — Juan Soto walked out of the Yankees clubhouse with a scowl. Aaron Boone walked down the hallway with furrowed eyebrows and a look of irritation he couldn't hide. Even Aaron Judge, who likes to throw in a small smile at the end of his responses no matter the day or the outcome of a game, struggled to really get there. The mood was set by their exceptional silence. The only sound made was that of the clubhouse attendants smacking cleats against a table to get all the dirt off.

This one hurt. 

"It's a seven-game series. You're going to lose tough ones," Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "We've lost tough ones in the past. This is what defines character. Yeah, it stings because of the magnitude. But I wouldn't say anyone's more pissed off than any other loss."

The Yankees said all the right things, like that they'd pick their heads up and get back at it on Saturday, but their miffed expressions told a different story after losing 6-3 to the Dodgers in the 10th inning of Game 1 of the World Series. You can't blame them for being shocked or crestfallen; the stage was set for the Yankees to secure a win on the road right up until Freddie Freeman hit the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history off left-hander Nestor Cortes. 

[RELATED: Full coverage of the World Series ]

Despite their defensive blunders and a curious early hook on Gerrit Cole, the Yankees were one out away from a Game 1 victory when Cortes' second pitch in 37 days — a 92 mph fastball, low and inside, right where Freeman likes to barrel the ball — was pummeled halfway up the right-field pavilion at Dodger Stadium. Cortes' first pitch got Shohei Ohtani to fly out in foul territory, where left fielder Alex Verdugo tumbled