Dodgers Wild Comeback Wills Them to Eighth Franchise Championship
Just a few days ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers held a 2-0 lead heading into rival territory in the Bronx. Los Angeles took Game Three by a score of 4-2, and the New York Yankees had an offensive spark in Game Four, propelling to an 11-4 victory. Game Five meant a lot; if the Yankees won, they extend the series back to Los Angeles with the hope of trying to come back from a 3-0 series deficit. If the Dodgers won, well, their World Series champions once again for the first time since 2020. During this Game Five matchup, New York held a 5-0 lead. An absolutely wild top of the fifth by the Yankee’s defense, which was composed of much miscommunication, led to the Dodger tying the game up at five runs apiece. The Yankees showed a glimmer of hope by scoring again and taking the lead, yet another excruciating inning for New York’s bullpen led to Los Angeles overcoming the deficit again and becoming your 2024 World Series champions, their eighth World Series championship in their franchise’s history.
During the bottom of the first, Aaron Judge hit his first home run of the World Series, a two-run shot to right field. Just a batter later, Jazz Chisholm Jr. popped a solo homer to right field. New York became the first team in World Series history to hit multiple home runs in the first inning while facing elimination. The Yankees would continue to bring the heat, as in the bottom of the second, Alex Verdugo ripped an RBI single to right-center field. An inning later, Giancarlo Stanton mashed a solo shot to right field, making it a 5-0 game for the Yankees. With this home run, Stanton tied Micky Mantle for the third-most postseason home runs by a Yankee with 18. Los Angeles would get their first run on the board during the fifth when Mookie Betts hit an RBI infield single. Both Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole and first baseman Anthony Rizzo lacked clear-cut Little League communication to allow this single to occur. The next batter, Freddie Freeman, clipped a two-run single into center field. Freeman’s 12 World Series RBIs ties Bobby Richardson for most in a World Series. Just a batter later, Teoscar Hernández belted a two-run double into center field, tying the game up at five runs apiece.
In the bottom of the sixth, Stanton hit a sacrifice fly to give the Yankees the lead once again. During the top half of the eighth, Gavin Lux hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at six. Two batters later, Betts would hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 7-6 lead. Walker Buehler got the game’s final out for the Dodgers by striking out Verdugo. Betts, Freeman, and Hernández finished this game with two RBIs a piece. Both Stanton and Judge had two RBIs. Cole pitched six and two-thirds for the Yankees, allowing five runs on four hits and four walks while striking out six. Freeman earned World Series MVP after a historic run at the plate. After spending a billion dollars in the offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers have finally climbed to the mountaintop once more.
