A nail-biter all evening with a Hollywood ending.
Sport 1 of Yankees-Dodgers actually delivered.
Freddie Freeman hit the primary walk-off grand slam in World Collection historical past with two outs within the tenth inning to present the Los Angeles Dodgers a 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees in a drama-filled opener Friday.
“Is likely to be the best baseball second I’ve ever witnessed, and I’ve witnessed some nice ones,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts marveled.
Hobbled by a badly sprained proper ankle, Freeman homered on the primary pitch he noticed — a 92 mph inside fastball from Nestor Cortes — and raised his bat excessive earlier than starting his trot because the sellout crowd of 52,394 roared.
“I can’t imagine what simply occurred,” Roberts stated. “That is what makes the Fall Traditional a traditional, proper, as a result of the celebs come out and superstars make massive performs, get massive hits, within the greatest of moments. … I am speechless proper now.”
It was harking back to Kirk Gibson’s gorgeous homer that lifted Los Angeles over the Oakland Athletics in Sport 1 of the 1988 World Collection at Dodger Stadium — probably the most well-known swings in baseball lore.
Gibson, sidelined by leg accidents, got here off the bench and related in opposition to Corridor of Fame nearer Dennis Eckersley.
“I performed the entire recreation, although,” Freeman stated with a smile.
Freeman, who holds Canadian citizenship and represents the nation in worldwide competitors, missed three video games throughout the Nationwide League playoffs due to his bum ankle, did not have an extra-base hit this postseason till legging out a triple within the first inning Friday.
“Really felt fairly good,” stated Freeman, who will donate his recreation spikes to the Corridor of Fame in Cooperstown. “The final six days we handled it rather well. I have been feeling fairly good. Proper once I ran out to present high-fives to my teammates, I felt fairly good, as a result of that was the primary time I ran all week. So, ankle’s good.”
After the house run, Freeman ran over to his father.
“I used to be simply screaming in his face. I am sorry, dad,” Freeman stated, laughing. “He is been there since I used to be a bit of boy, throwing batting follow to me on daily basis. So this can be a second, it is my dad’s second.”
Giancarlo Stanton launched a two-run homer for New York on this much-hyped, star-studded matchup between two of baseball’s most storied and profitable franchises — the third straight World Collection opener to go further innings.
“You possibly can’t sit right here and mope. You possibly can’t sit right here and complain. You possibly can’t shoulda, coulda, woulda,” Yankees slugger Aaron Decide stated. “It is time to go to work. We misplaced this recreation. Study from it. See the place we are able to enhance and go on the market and win the following one.”
Within the high of the tenth, Anthony Volpe grounded right into a fielder’s option to shortstop, scoring Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third after he stole two bases, to present New York a 3-2 lead.
The speedy Chisholm singled off profitable pitcher Blake Treinen after which stole second. Following an intentional stroll to Anthony Rizzo, Chisholm swiped third base uncontested as Treinen was gradual to the plate with Max Muncy enjoying deep at third.
Tommy Edman made a diving cease to his left on Volpe’s grounder, however could not get it out of his glove initially. He tossed to second to get Rizzo out as Chisholm got here flying dwelling with the go-ahead run.
However the Dodgers weren’t carried out.
Gavin Lux walked in opposition to shedding pitcher Jake Cousins with one out within the backside of the tenth and went to second on Edman’s infield single to second. Defensive substitute Oswaldo Cabrera knocked down the ball along with his glove nevertheless it leaked into the outfield.
That introduced up star slugger Shohei Ohtani, a left-handed hitter. Yankees supervisor Aaron Boone went to his bullpen once more for Cortes, a lefty starter who hadn’t pitched since Sept. 18 due to an elbow damage.
After lacking the AL playoffs, Cortes was added to the World Collection roster Friday.
“I bumped into the [batting] cage and I advised the blokes within the cage, this recreation ought to have been the primary baseball recreation ever on pay-per view,” Dodgers heart fielder Kike Hernandez stated.
Left fielder Alex Verdugo made a operating catch in foul territory to retire Ohtani on Cortes’ first pitch. Verdugo’s momentum despatched him tumbling over the low retaining wall, advancing each runners one base as a result of by rule it turned a lifeless ball when Verdugo wound up within the stands.
With first base open, New York deliberately walked Mookie Betts to load the bases and arrange a lefty-on-lefty matchup of Cortes in opposition to Freeman.
“I used to be on time for the heater,” Freeman stated.
His drive into the right-field pavilion despatched Dodgers followers right into a frenzy. It was the third walk-off homer in World Collection historical past for a workforce that was trailing, following Gibson’s shot and Joe Carter’s drive for the Toronto Blue Jays that gained the 1993 World Collection in opposition to Philadelphia.
Nelson Cruz hit the one different game-ending grand slam in postseason historical past, for Texas within the 2011 American League Championship Collection in opposition to Detroit.
“That is stuff, you are 5 years previous within the yard proper there,” Freeman stated. “That is a dream come true, nevertheless it’s just one. We have got three extra.”
That is the twelfth time the Yankees and Dodgers are assembly within the World Collection, essentially the most frequent matchup in main league annals, however their earlier October conflict was 43 years in the past.
Whereas the Dodgers are looking for their eighth title and second in 5 years, the Yankees are within the Fall Traditional for the primary time since profitable No. 27 in 2009.
The primary Collection with a pair of 50-home run hitters in Decide (58) and Ohtani (54) opened quietly as Gerrit Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Younger Award winner, and Jack Flaherty dueled by means of 4 scoreless innings. Decide struck out swinging in his first three at-bats earlier than hitting a single off Brusdar Graterol with two outs within the seventh.
Ohtani was 0 for 3 earlier than ripping a double off the right-field wall within the eighth. He raced to 3rd on the play when second baseman Gleyber Torres mishandled Juan Soto’s throw, which turned expensive when Ohtani scored on a sacrifice fly by Betts that tied it 2-all.
With two outs within the ninth, Torres despatched an extended drive to left-center. A fan sporting a Dodgers jersey reached over the wall and caught the ball. Umpires dominated fan interference and gave Torres a double, a name confirmed on video replay. The fan instantly left the world.
Soto was deliberately walked earlier than Decide popped out in opposition to Treinen to finish the inning.
The Dodgers broke by means of for a 1-0 lead within the fifth when Hernandez tripled previous Soto in proper subject and scored on Will Smith’s sacrifice fly.
The Yankees answered proper again within the sixth. Soto singled main off earlier than Decide struck out swinging for the third time. Stanton adopted with a 412-foot shot to left off Flaherty for his seventeenth profession postseason homer. Stanton grew up within the close by San Fernando Valley, not removed from Flaherty’s hometown of Burbank.
Stanton, the ALCS MVP, related on a knuckle-curve that hung barely on the backside of the strike zone. His sixth homer in 11 video games this postseason got here off his bat at 116.6 mph.
After final weekend’s pennant-clinching win at Cleveland, Stanton stated, “This ain’t the trophy I need. I need the following one.”
The Yankees then loaded the bases. Chisholm singled off Anthony Banda and stole second. After Rizzo struck out, Volpe was deliberately walked. Austin Wells reached on an infield single that Edman smothered with a dive to avoid wasting a run earlier than Verdugo struck out swinging in opposition to his former workforce.
Fernando Valenzuela, the 1981 NL Cy Younger Award winner and Rookie of the 12 months who died earlier this week at age 63, was honored with a second of silence earlier than the sport.
Sport 2 is Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, with Yankees LHP Carlos Rodon pitching in opposition to $325 million US rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Rodon is 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA in three begins this postseason, with 22 strikeouts over 14 1/3 innings. Yamamoto is 1-0 in three postseason begins with a 5.11 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.
