Game 1 of the World Series lived up to the hype of a Los Angeles Dodgers-New York Yankees fall classic, and Freddie Freeman was the hero.
The Dodgers first baseman hit a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning to cap off a dramatic game. The Yankees had taken the lead in the top of the 10th, but Freeman came through with a 423-foot monster of a home run to give his team a 1-0 lead in the World Series.
It was the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.
Freeman has been playing visibly hobbled all postseason after spraining his ankle in the last week of the regular season. He didn’t post a single extra-base hit in the NLDS and NLCS and sat in certain games to rest the ankle, then hit both the grand slam and a triple.
The play was highly reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s walk-off homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. In both cases, a first baseman hobbled by an injury and delivered a homer. Gibson’s still reverberates through Dodgers history, and this one will too if the Dodgers can get it done in the next few games.
There was plenty of drama before the grand slam as well. The Dodgers scored the first run, but the Yankees responded with a titanic homer by Giancarlo Stanton. Both starting pitchers, Gerrit Cole and Jack Flaherty, had good starts, but Flaherty came out in line for the loss.
Shohei Ohtani led the game-tying rally in the eighth inning with a double, taking third on an error and scoring on a Mookie Betts sacrifice fly. The Yankees nearly took the lead in the ninth inning, but a Gleyber Torres fly ball caught by a fan ended up being ruled a double.
Then in the top of the 10th inning, Jazz Chisholm Jr. small-balled the Yankees to the lead. He singled off top Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen, stole second and third then scored on an RBI fielder’s choice from Anthony Volpe. It could have been a huge win for the Yankees, but ended up being history for the Dodgers.
Now, the series will go to Game 2 on Friday with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Carlos Rodón scheduled to start.
Here’s how it all went down at Yahoo Sports:
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Vegas quite likes the Dodgers’ chances to win the World Series now. Losing a good Gerrit Cole start will do that, regardless of how it ended.
Anyway, Game 2 is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. PT on Saturday, with Carlos Rodón and Yoshinobu Yamamoto scheduled to start.
So this game had a Jeffrey Maier and a Kirk Gibson. What more could you want from a Yankees-Dodgers World Series?
Freddie Freeman sprained his ankle in the Dodgers’ penultimate series of the regular season. He was clearly hobbled in the NLDS and NLCS, missing games and not recording an extra-base hit.
And then he comes back and hits a triple and a GRAND SLAM. Baseball.
FREDDIE FREEMAN WINS IT. He cranks the first pitch from Cortes into the right-field stands, and the Dodgers take Game 1 6-3 in a classic.
It’ll be Yoshinobu Yamamoto against Carlos Rodón in Game 2 on Saturday.
Dodgers 6, Yankees 3
WALK-OFF EXTRA-INNING GRAND SLAM
Wow, Ohtani swings on the first pitch and sends into foul territory, where Alex Verdugo runs it down for the second out on an acrobatic play. The Yankees opt to walk Mookie Betts and have the left-handed Nestor Cortes face Freddie Freeman, another player returning from injury. This is some drama.
Tommy Edman puts another runner on with a base hit.
And now: Shohei Ohtani. Two on. One out. Bottom of the 10th. He’ll face Nestor Cortes, a starting pitcher who has been out a month with an elbow injury.
This is why everyone was hyping the 2024 World Series.
Gavin Lux draws a walk against Jake Cousins, which is big. That means, barring a double play, the Dodgers will get Shohei Ohtani to the plate.
Yankees 3, Dodgers 2
Anthony Volpe hits a grounder that Tommy Edman stops, but with no play to home. Jazz Chisholm’s legs are now the difference in extra innings.
Chisholm steals third with no throw from Will Smith. It’ll be infield in for the Dodgers now.
Jazz Chisholm singles then steals second. The Yankees have the go-ahead run in scoring position with one out. Anthony Volpe comes up after the Dodgers fall 3-0 behind Anthony Rizzo and opt to intentionally walk him.
We haven’t had a World Series opener go extra innings since …
Blake Treinen stays in and gets Giancarlo Stanton on a three-pitch strikeout. That’s going to be a very big out for the Dodgers for the rest of the series.
Luke Weaver throws a 1-2-3 9th inning
Enrique Hernandez flies out to left field for the final out of the ninth inning. It looked like the pop-up might drop in for a hit, but a charging Alex Verdugo made a diving catch to end the frame.
We’re going to the 10th inning!
Max Muncy pops out to 2nd base
Luke Weaver threw off Max Muncy’s timing with his changeup. Muncy got a pitch right down the middle, but didn’t get much of it with Weaver taking something off.
Teoscar Hernandez flies out to lead off the bottom of the 9th
Teoscar Hernandez makes the first out of the Dodgers’ 9th inning, flying out to right field. He got two fastballs down the middle from Luke Weaver that he fouled off and probably wishes he could have back.
