The Los Angeles Dodgers had a remarkable moment that helped them gain an early lead in the World Series.
On Friday, the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees 6-3 in Game 1, thanks to Freddie Freeman hitting the first-ever game-ending grand slam in World Series history. His powerful hit against Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes came when the Dodgers were just one out away from losing.
“I just felt good with Freddie at the plate,” said Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts. “And just that swing, you knew it was gone.”
The teams will face off again for Game 2 at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, with the Dodgers hoping to take a 2-0 lead to New York next week.
Los Angeles looks like a team on a mission after Shohei Ohtani had an incredible season, hitting 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases. The team also made it through the National League Division Series and NL Championship Series with only three healthy starting pitchers.
Freeman earned this historic moment after a tough second half of the season. He missed eight games while his young son was seriously ill, and then he played for the past month with a badly sprained right ankle.
“I feel OK right now, so I should be in there (for Game 2),” said Freeman, who missed two of the last three games in the NLCS. “… We’ll see how I wake up, but I think we’re in a really good spot with my ankle. These last six days were huge for me.”
The Dodgers are planning to start Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday. The right-handed pitcher had a record of 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in his first year of a 12-year, $325 million contract, though he missed three months because of a shoulder injury. He has a postseason record of 1-0 with a 5.11 ERA from three starts.
In a game on June 7 against the Yankees in New York, Yamamoto pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out seven batters, helping the Dodgers win.
“I think the experience from June will benefit me a little bit, but this is the World Series, and the lineup might also probably be different from June,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter.
In Friday’s game, the Yankees took the lead with a home run from Giancarlo Stanton in the sixth inning, but the Dodgers tied it 2-2 in the eighth with a sacrifice fly from Mookie Betts. New York regained the lead in the 10th inning with a single from Jazz Chisholm Jr., two stolen bases, and a run-scoring grounder from Anthony Volpe.
“We had our chances,” said Yankees star Aaron Judge. “It was kind of back and forth the whole game. They went … ahead and then (Stanton) responded with a big two-run homer. We had our opportunities to put them away and just couldn’t do it, and they came up with a big clutch hit there in the end.”
The Dodgers are planning to start Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday. The right-handed pitcher had a record of 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in his first year of a 12-year, $325 million contract, though he missed three months because of a shoulder injury. He has a postseason record of 1-0 with a 5.11 ERA from three starts.
In a game on June 7 against the Yankees in New York, Yamamoto pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out seven batters, helping the Dodgers win.
“I think the experience from June will benefit me a little bit, but this is the World Series, and the lineup might also probably be different from June,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter.
In Friday’s game, the Yankees took the lead with a home run from Giancarlo Stanton in the sixth inning, but the Dodgers tied it 2-2 in the eighth with a sacrifice fly from Mookie Betts. New York regained the lead in the 10th inning with a single from Jazz Chisholm Jr., two stolen bases, and a run-scoring grounder from Anthony Volpe.
“We had our chances,” said Yankees star Aaron Judge. “It was kind of back and forth the whole game. They went … ahead and then (Stanton) responded with a big two-run homer. We had our opportunities to put them away and just couldn’t do it, and they came up with a big clutch hit there in the end.”
The Yankees will start left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon in Game 2 after finishing the regular season with a record of 16-9 and a 3.96 ERA in 32 starts.
In the postseason, Rodon has a record of 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA from three starts, including Game 5 of the ALCS where he allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Cleveland Guardians.
Rodon has faced the Dodgers five times in his career, with a record of 1-2 and a 4.50 ERA.
“They can definitely swing it, and they have a good idea what the strike zone is,” Rodon said. “Just trying to stay focused on pitch by pitch. … Keep it under control and just going out there and competing.”
