Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts celebrates after the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the Baseball World Series on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez)
NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Dodgers overcame a five-run deficit with the help of three Yankees fielding errors and fought back with sacrifice flies by Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts in the eighth inning to defeat New York for the second time in five seasons. Won the World Series. Game 5 on Wednesday night is 7-6.
Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, Alex Verdugo hit an RBI hit to chase Jack Flaherty in the second inning, and Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run against Ryan Brazier in the third inning. The Yankees built a 5-0 lead.
But errors by center Judge and shortstop Anthony Volpe, combined with pitcher Gerrit Cole’s failure to first cover Betts’ ground ball, helped Los Angeles score five unearned runs in the fifth inning. .
Stanton’s sacrifice fly gave the Yankees a 6-5 lead in the 6th inning, and the Dodgers loaded the bases in the 8th inning against loser Tommy Kahnle, followed by Luke Weaver’s sacrifice fly.
Judge doubled the winner, Blake Treinen, with one out in the bottom half, and Chisholm elected to walk. Manager Dave Roberts went to the mound with Treinen on 37 pitches.
“I looked him in the eye and said, How are you feeling? How much more did you get?” Roberts recalled. “He said, ‘I want it.’” I trust him. ”
Treinen retired Stanton with a flyout and struck out Anthony Rizzo.
Walker Buehler made his first relief appearance since his rookie season in 2018 and pitched a complete nine innings, earning his first major league save.
“We’re obviously resilient, but there was a lot of love in the clubhouse that won this game today.” Betts said. “That’s what it was. It was love, it was guts. I mean, it was just beautiful. We’re just proud of us and happy for us.”
When Buehler struck out Verdugo to end the game, the Dodgers rushed the field to celebrate between the mound and first base, finishing the season with their best regular season record with 98 wins.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred presented the trophy on a podium quickly erected above second base as thousands of Dodgers fans remained in the nearly empty stadium.
“There are many ways to win a baseball game.” Buehler said. “Obviously, having superstars on our team and discipline, it all kind of adds up.”
Shohei Ohtani, who signed a record-breaking $700 million deal with the Dodgers and became the first player in baseball to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases, had two hits in 19 at bats after separating his shoulder while attempting to steal a base in Game 2. He hit no runs and one single.
Freddie Freeman drove in two runs, tying Bobby Richardson’s 1960 series record of 12 RBIs in seven games and was named Series MVP. With the Dodgers losing Friday’s opener and with one out left, Freeman recalled Kirk Gibson’s home run off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 in 1988 that gave Los Angeles the title. He hit the match-ending grand slam.
It was the Dodgers’ eighth championship, and seventh since moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. It was the first win in a non-shortened season since 1988. After 60 regular season games, they won the 2020 World Series on neutral ground against Tampa Bay, but were unable to win. Parade due to coronavirus pandemic.
These Dodgers of Ohtani, Freeman, and Betts were the Boys of Summer with Duke Snyder and Roy Campanella in 1955, and the Dodgers with Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale who spanned three titles from 1959-65. era, in 1981 and 1988 with groups led by Tommy Lasorda, and then joined Betts. and Clayton Kershaw’s 2020 Champion.
Roberts won his second championship in nine seasons as Dodgers manager, matching Lasorda and second only to Walter Alston’s four. The Dodgers won for the fourth time in 12 series against the Yankees.
New York has been without a title since winning its 27th championship in 2009. The Yankees acquired Juan Soto from San Diego in December knowing he would be eligible for free agency after the 2024 series. The 26-year-old star went 5-for-16 with an RBI heading into a series that will see intense bidding on the open market.
Judge had 4 hits and 3 RBIs in 18 at-bats.
Cole did not allow a hit until Quique Hernandez’s leadoff single in the fifth inning. Judge, who earlier in the inning had made a jumping catch against the wall to prevent Freeman’s extra-base hit, dropped Tommy Edman’s fly ball to center field. Shortstop Anthony Volpe then flipped Will Smith’s grounder to third base, allowing the Dodgers to load the bases with no outs.
Cole struck out Lux and Ohtani, and Betts grounded out to Rizzo. Cole did not cover first and instructed Rizzo to run to the bag as Betts passed the first baseman.
Freeman followed with a two-run homer, and Teoscar Hernandez hit a game-tying two-run double. After Max Muncy issued a walk, Kiké Hernandez grounded out on Cole’s 48th pitch for a force out.
“We just take advantage of every mistake they made in that inning.” Teoscar Hernández said. “We had a good at-bat. We put the ball in play.”
In the sixth inning, Stanton hit a sacrifice fly off Brusdar Graterol to give the Yankees a 6-5 lead, but the Dodgers finally got one back in the eighth inning.
Quique Hernandez scored Tommy Kahnle to take the lead. Edman followed with an infield hit and Smith walked. Lux’s sacrifice fly from Luke Weaver tied the game. Ohtani successfully interfered with the catcher, and Betts followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers the lead.
The Dodgers, acquired by Guggenheim Baseball Management in 2012, hired Andrew Friedman from Tampa Bay as president of baseball operations two years later. He beefed up the front office with a large analytic and performance science staff, funded by ownership.
Los Angeles spent an unprecedented $1.25 billion last offseason signing Ohtani, pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, James Paxton and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. Much of the money is future debt, increasing the Dodgers’ deferred compensation to $915.5 million from 2028 to 2044.
The Dodgers, plagued by injuries, acquired Flaherty, Edman, and reliever Michael Kopech before the trade deadline, all of whom became important cogs in their quest for a title. With this increase, his salary will increase to $266 million, second only to the Mets and Yankees, and he is expected to pay an additional $43 million in luxury taxes.
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Los Angeles begins its spring schedule on February 20th against the Chicago Cubs at Camelback Ranch, and the Yankees begin the following day against Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida.
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