After an offseason highlighted by the acquisition of Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers have won the World Series 4-1 over the New York Yankees.
The Dodgers dominated, trailing just three times in the series. They trailed early in Game 1, almost all of Game 4, and for a majority of Game 5. The Dodgers overcame a 5-0 deficit in Game 5 to secure the title. The Dodgers showed up in every facet of the game. Offense, defense, and pitching all delivered gutsy performances.
After a 2-0 series lead, the Dodgers headed to New York with uncertainty surrounding Ohtani. Ohtani hurt his shoulder, attempting to steal second base late in Game 2. However, he would not be sat down after reaching the World Series for the first time in his career. He played Game 3 in a shoulder brace.
Despite sharing a lineup with Mookie Betts and Ohtani, Freddie Freeman was the best hitter on the Dodgers for five games. He homered in four of the five World Series games. He homered in six straight World Series games dating back to 2021. In Game 5, he cut the Yankees 5-0 lead down to two runs as part of a five-run inning. Freeman locked up World Series Most Valuable Player, but had the series gone on any longer, he had a real chance to break the all-time World Series record for home runs.
Perhaps the Dodgers pitching was the biggest talking point leading up to the series. Well, they did nothing but come through over and over again. Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were excellent in their starts, but that was expected of them. Walker Buehler essentially put the Dodgers in the driver’s seat. He went five shutout innings when the Dodgers needed him most. The only sour spot for the pitching staff came in Game 4 when the bullpen allowed double-digit runs.
In Game 5, Jack Flaherty was chased after just 1 1/3 innings of work. He gave up four earned runs. However, the Dodgers never gave up. They tagged Gerrit Cole for a five-run fifth inning to tie the game. The Yankees took the lead back in the sixth inning. A pair of bases-loaded sacrifice flys in the seventh inning gave Los Angeles the lead. Betts’ sacrifice fly was the one that put the Dodgers ahead. Buehler came on for the save in the ninth inning and delivered in what could be his last game for the Dodgers.
For the casual fans who saw the Dodgers’ offseason shopping spree, they are not surprised in the slightest. However, real baseball fans know that this game is anything but predictable. The Dodgers won their first World Series since 2020 and their eighth in franchise history.
On the other hand, the New York Yankees finally found themselves back in the Fall Classic but ended the season the same way they have every year since 2009: without their 28th World Series title in franchise history.
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