Game 1 of the World Series lived up to the hype of the 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 led 3-2 in the top of the 10th, but Freeman hit a 423-foot monster home run to give his team a 6-3 victory and a 1-0 lead in the World Series. .
It was the first Grand Slam in World Series history.
Freeman has played all postseason after spraining his ankle in the final week of the regular season. He didn’t record an extra-base hit in the NLDS or NLCS, and he sat out a few games to rest his ankle, then hit a grand slam and triple on Friday.
The play was very reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s walk-off homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series against the Oakland A’s. In both cases, the injured first baseman delivered a game-winning homer. Gibson still reverberates through Dodgers history, and this will be the case if the Dodgers can get it done in the next few games.
There was a lot of drama even before the Grand Slam. The Dodgers scored the first run, but the Yankees answered with Giancarlo Stanton’s titanic homer. Starters Gerrit Cole and Jack Flaherty both got off to good starts, but Flaherty went out in the lineup for the loss.
Shohei Ohtani led the game-tying rally in the eighth inning, hitting a double, going to third on an error and scoring on a Mookie Betts sacrifice fly. The Yankees nearly took the lead in the top of the ninth, but a Kleiber Torres fly ball caught by a fan was ruled a double.
In the top of the 10th inning, Josh Chisholm Jr. gave the Yankees the lead on short ball. He singled off top Dodgers reliever Blake Drennan, stole second and third, then scored on an RBI fielder’s choice from Anthony Volpe. It might have been a big win for the Yankees, but it ended up being history for the Dodgers.
The streak continues with Game 2 on Saturday, with Los Angeles’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto and New York’s Carlos Roden slated to start.
Here’s how it played out on Yahoo Sports:
Live coverage is over110 updates
Kirk Gibson’s 1988 WS G1 walk-off home run by Vin Scully vs Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam by Joe Davis:
High fly ball to right field, she’s gone!
She’s gone! GB, meet Freddy! Game One of the World Series!
Now Vegas likes the Dodgers’ chances of winning the World Series. Losing a good Gerrit goal start would do regardless of how it ended.
Anyway, Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday at 5:08pm PT, with Carlos Rodon and Yoshinobu Yamamoto slated to start.
So there was Jeffrey Mayer and Kirk Gibson in this game. What more could you want from a Yankees-Dodgers World Series?
Freddie Freeman sprained his ankle in the Dodgers’ final series of the regular season. He clearly stuttered in the NLDS and NLCS, missing games and not recording an extra-base hit.
Then he came back and hit a triple and a grand slam. Baseball.
Freddie Freeman wins. He drove the first pitch from Cortez into the right-field stands and the Dodgers took Game 1 6-3 in classic fashion.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will play against Carlos Rodon in Game 2 on Saturday.
Dodgers 6, Yankees 3
Walk-off extra-inning grand slam
Alas, Ohtani swung at the first pitch and sent it into foul territory, where Alex Vertugo made an acrobatic play to run it out at second. The Yankees want to walk Mookie Betts and face left-hander Nestor Cortez against another player returning from injury, Freddie Freeman. This is some drama.
Tommy Edman gets another runner to score a base hit.
Now: Shohei Ohtani. Two that day. One out. Below the 10th. He faces starter Nestor Cortes, who has been out for a month with an elbow injury.
This is why everyone was hyping the 2024 World Series.
Gavin Lucks draws a walk against Jake Cousins, which is huge. That means, barring a double play, the Dodgers will have Shohei Ohtani at the plate.
Yankees 3, Dodgers 2
Anthony Volpe hit a grounder that was fielded by Tommy Edman but didn’t play home. Jazz Chisholm’s legs are now the difference in extra innings.
Chisholm took Will Smith to third without throwing. It will now be the infield for the Dodgers.
Jazz Chisholm singles, then steals second. The Yankees advance in scoring position with one out. Anthony Volpe came on after the Dodgers fell behind 3-0 to Anthony Rizzo and chose to walk him intentionally.
No World Series opener has gone into extra innings.
Blake Drienen grounds out and gets Giancarlo Stanton on a three-pitch strikeout. It would be a big outing for the Dodgers for the rest of the series.
Luke Weaver pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning
Enrique Hernandez flies out to left field for the final out of the ninth inning. It looked like it might be a pop-up hit, but a charging Alex Verdugo made a diving catch to end the frame.
We’re going into the 10th inning!
Max Muncy grounds out to 2nd base
Luke Weaver threw away Max Muncy’s timing change. Muncie got a pitch up the middle but didn’t get much as Weaver took something.
