The battle between Los Angeles and New York has been won by the former.
The Dodgers overcame a five-run deficit in Game 5 of the World Series Wednesday to beat the Yankees 7-6, sealing the 4-1 series win. Freddie Freeman claimed the MVP for his heroics across the five games, including a game-winning grand slam in Game 1 and routine homers.
Yankees star Gerrit Cole won the starting pitching duel after lasting 6 2/3 innings compared to an abysmal start for Jack Flaherty, who was pulled early in the second following New York’s 4-0 lead.
Los Angeles’ stars were retired in order for the first inning, but back-to-back homers from Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. made it 3-0 in the bottom of the first. An Alex Verdugo’s single to right made it 4-0 in the second when Anthony Volpe scored following an earlier double to left.
Giancarlo Stanton added another home run to make it 5-0 in the third, but everything collapsed for New York in the fifth.
After Aaron Judge failed to catch an easy pop fly in the top of the fifth, the Dodgers gradually loaded the bases with no outs as the Yankees kept making errors on routine plays.
Mookie Betts reached safely on a grounder to first after Cole failed to cover the bag, allowing Kike Hernandez to score. With the bases loaded, Freeman then hit a two-run single to cut the Dodgers’ deficit to 5-3. Teoscar Hernandez followed with a game-tying double to deep center to cap a five-run inning for the Dodgers.
Stanton put the Yankees back on top the next inning, though. Soto and Judge were both walked by Brusdar Graterol to start the inning. Chisholm Jr. then hit a grounder to second for a fielder’s choice that left runners at the corners. Stanton then lifted a drive to center field, allowing Soto to score the go-ahead run.
But the Yankees couldn’t prevent more defensive errors, which cost them in the top of the eighth. Tommy Kahnle replaced Clay Holmes in the top of the eighth and didn’t last eight pitches.
Kahnle allowed a Kike Hernandez single to left, a Tommy Edman infield single and a Will Smith walk that loaded the bases with no outs and the Yankees holding a slim 6-5 lead. Luke Weaver came in for Kahnle, making it the third straight day he pitched, the first such stretch of his career.
But Weaver couldn’t get New York out of the jam as Kike Hernandez and Edman capitalized with runs to give L.A. its first lead of the game. A catchers’ interference call against Austin Wells with Shohei Ohtani at the plate loaded the bases, leading to a sac fly by Mookie Betts to give the Dodgers a 7-6 lead.
Mark Leiter Jr. closed the top of the ninth without allowing a run to L.A. following some woes caused by Luke Weaver. But Dodgers star Walker Buehler entered to close it out, recording outs on Volpe, Wells and Alex Verdugo.
The win marks the eighth World Series title for the Dodgers, their last coming in 2020. The Yankees’ drought extended another year as they last won the Fall Classic in 2009.
