After all that buildup, it’s been all Dodgers so far.
Freddie Freeman hit a home run for the third game in a row, and Walker Buehler pitched another amazing game as Los Angeles defeated the struggling New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday night. This gives the Dodgers a 3-0 lead in the World Series.
With star Shohei Ohtani playing despite a partially dislocated left shoulder, the Dodgers are one win away from a surprising sweep in this highly talked-about matchup between two famous teams.
“One more win. That’s all I care about right now,” Freeman said.
Teoscar Hernández made a great throw from left field to get a runner out at home plate. Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernández each had an RBI single, and the Dodgers chased Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt out of the game in the third inning.
Buehler and six relievers combined to allow only five hits for Los Angeles, as they are close to winning their second championship in five years and the eighth in their history.
“Walker Buehler, he’s been doing this his whole career in big games, big moments,” Freeman said. “Steps up when you need him.”
Freeman’s two-run homer early in the game gave him a home run in five straight World Series games, dating back to 2021 with Atlanta, which ties a major league record set by George Springer with Houston.
Instead of closing in on their 28th title, the Yankees are on the brink of being swept in the World Series for the fourth time.
Looking much healthier after a sprained right ankle slowed him earlier this postseason, Freeman had the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history to win a dramatic opener in Los Angeles.
Since then, it’s been one-sided.
Game 4 is on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. With only three healthy starters left, the Dodgers are preparing for their fourth bullpen game of this postseason. Rookie right-hander Luis Gil will pitch for New York.
The only team in major league history to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven postseason series was the Boston Red Sox against the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series.
“Hopefully we can go be this amazing story and shock the world,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “But right now it’s about trying to get a lead, trying to grab a game, and force another one, and then on from there. But we’ve got to grab one first.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was part of that surprising Red Sox comeback with an important stolen base.
“Don’t talk about that. Wrong guy. Way too early,” he said. “I don’t want to divulge any secrets, but from the other side, I just think that we have got to stay focused, stay urgent.”
In the 11 previous World Series meetings between these old October rivals, the only sweep was by the Dodgers in 1963, led by Hall of Fame pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
That was the only other time the Dodgers had a 3-0 lead in a World Series.
New York hasn’t been swept in a World Series since 1976 by the Cincinnati Reds. But in all five times they fell behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series, the Yankees lost Game 4.
Los Angeles has won seven World Series games in a row against the Yankees since their 1981 title.
This game marked the first Series game at Yankee Stadium since New York won its 27th title in 2009 against Philadelphia. But returning home didn’t help struggling Aaron Judge and the struggling Bronx Bombers, who have scored only four runs and gotten nine hits in the last two games.
New York didn’t score until Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer off Michael Kopech with two outs in the ninth inning. Kopech then got Gleyber Torres to ground out to end the game.
Buehler allowed two hits in five innings. His only win this year, during a season affected by injuries, was on May 18 against Cincinnati.
The two-time All-Star improved his record to 4-4 in 18 career postseason starts, with a 2-0 record and a 0.50 ERA in three World Series games. He has given up one run and seven hits, with 22 strikeouts over 18 innings in those games — Game 3s against Boston (2018), Tampa Bay (2020), and the Yankees.
“It’s weird. For me, I think the playoffs, big games, that’s always been the only thing I really cared about,” Buehler said. “I was kind of awful all year. I think once you get to the playoffs, the adrenaline, I think whatever fear I had about my elbow or trying to throw a certain pitch or whatever goes away, because it’s all now, it’s all go. It’s helped me I think.”
After the Yankees had a tough time hitting during two losses in Los Angeles, Boone decided not to make any major changes to the lineup.
New York players had a brief meeting in the afternoon, and a recording from late Yankees public-address announcer Bob Sheppard introduced five-time World Series champion Derek Jeter when he threw out a ceremonial first pitch. Bronx-born rapper Fat Joe energized the sold-out crowd of 49,368 with a pregame performance on the infield.
But it was the Dodgers who started strong.
Schmidt walked Ohtani on four pitches to begin the game. One out later, Freeman hit a 1-2 cutter 355 feet into the lower deck in right field for his 13th career postseason homer.
He joined Yankees outfielder Hank Bauer (1958) and Giants slugger Barry Bonds (2002) as the only players to hit home runs in the first three games of a World Series.
“When you come into a road park, you want to try to strike early and quiet the crowd, and we were able to do that in the first inning,” Freeman said.
Ohtani went 0 for 3 with a walk and got hit on the foot by a pitch. He grimaced after some swings and held his collar with his left hand even while leading off first base to protect his hurt shoulder.
But he got through the game just fine. “The pain has subsided, so I felt pretty good about it,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I was told to wear a device that keeps my shoulder warm.
So during the (pregame) ceremony and throughout the game, I was wearing that per recommendation by the trainers. The reason why I was holding onto myself when I was running is to make sure that I wouldn’t use that same shoulder arm if I were to slide.”
No. 9 batter Tommy Edman got another four-pitch walk from Schmidt to start the third inning and scored on Betts’ bloop single. Kiké Hernández added an RBI single in the sixth.
Schmidt walked four batters in 2 2/3 innings during his third postseason start. He lost his fifth straight decision since winning on May 16 against Minnesota.
New York got a runner out at home plate when Edman tried a safety squeeze in the fourth, but the Dodgers showed impressive defense to stop any Yankees momentum.
Betts made a diving catch in right field after Giancarlo Stanton doubled with one out in the fourth. Teoscar Hernández then fired up all his teammates with a perfect 94 mph throw to home plate on Anthony Volpe’s single, getting Stanton out and keeping the Dodgers ahead 3-0.
