LOS ANGELES– Freddie Freeman hit the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history with two outs in the 10th inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees in a game of spectacular opening Friday evening.
Hobbled by a severely sprained ankle, Freeman homered on the first pitch he saw – an inside fastball from Nestor Cortes – and raised his bat high before starting his trot as the sold-out crowd of 52,394 people roared.
“I can’t believe what just happened,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “That’s what makes the Fall Classic a classic, right, because the stars come out and the superstars make big plays, get big hits, in the biggest moments. …I’m speechless right now.
It’s reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s game-ending home run that lifted Los Angeles against the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series at Dodger Stadium – one of the most famous swings of the baseball history.
Gibson, sidelined with leg injuries, came off the bench and connected against Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley.
Freeman, who missed three games in the National League playoffs with a right ankle injury, didn’t have an extra-base hit in the postseason until hitting a triple earlier Friday.
“I actually felt pretty good,” Freeman said. “The last six days we treated him very well. I feel pretty good. Just as I ran out to greet my teammates, I was feeling pretty good, since it was my first time running all week. So the ankle is fine.
After the home run, Freeman ran to his father.
“I was just screaming in his face. I’m sorry, Dad,” Freeman said with a laugh. “He’s been there since I was a little boy, giving me batting practice every day. So this is a moment, this is my father’s moment.
In this high-profile, star-studded World Series between two of baseball’s most famous and successful franchises, Game 1 certainly delivered on its promise. It was the third consecutive series opener to go into extra innings.
“We can’t sit here and mope,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said. “Learn from it, where we can improve and try to win the next one.”
In the top of the 10th, Anthony Volpe crashed into a fielder’s choice at shortstop, scoring Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third after stealing two bases, to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.
The speedy Chisholm beat Blake Treinen then stole second place. After an intentional walk to Anthony Rizzo, Chisholm slipped third base uncontested as Treinen was slow at the plate with Max Muncy playing deep at third.
Tommy Edman made a diving stop to his left on Volpe’s grounder, but couldn’t get it out of his glove at first. He advanced to second to get Rizzo out as Chisholm headed home with the go-ahead run.
But the Dodgers weren’t done.
Gavin Lux walked Jake Cousins with one out in the bottom of the 10th and advanced to second on Edman’s infield single at second. Defensive replacement Oswaldo Cabrera knocked the ball away with his glove but it leaked into the outfield.
That brought in star slugger Shohei Ohtani, a left-handed hitter. Yankees manager Aaron Boone went to his bullpen again for Cortes, a left-handed starter who hadn’t pitched since Sept. 18 because of an elbow injury.
After missing the AL playoffs, Cortes was added to the World Series roster on Friday.
Left fielder Alex Verdugo made a running catch in foul territory to retire Ohtani. Verdugo’s momentum knocked him over the low retaining wall, advancing both runners one base because, by rule, it became a dead ball when Verdugo ended up in the stands .
With first base open, New York intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load the bases and set up a left-to-left matchup of Cortes against Freeman.
“I was on time for the heat,” Freeman said.
His entrance into the right field pavilion sent Dodgers fans into a frenzy. It was the third home run in World Series history for a trailing team, following Gibson’s homer and Joe Carter’s homer for the Toronto Blue Jays who won the 1993 World Series against Philadelphia.
“That’s it, you’re 5 in the backyard right there,” Freeman said. “It’s a dream come true, but it’s just one. We have three more.
This is the 12th time the Yankees and Dodgers have met in the World Series, the most frequent matchup in major league annals, but their previous clash in October was 43 years ago.
With the Dodgers seeking their eighth title and second in five years, the Yankees are in the Fall Classic for the first time since winning the 27th seed in 2009.
The first series featuring a pair of 50-homer hitters, Judge (58) and Ohtani (54), opened quietly as 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole and Jack Flaherty battled through four scoreless innings. aim. Judge struck out his swing in his first three at-bats before striking out Brusdar Graterol with two outs in the seventh.
Ohtani was 0 for 3 before ripping a double off the right field wall in the eighth. He raced to third on the play when second baseman Gleyber Torres mishandled Juan Soto’s throw, which became costly when Ohtani scored on a Betts sacrifice fly that tied the score at 2.
With two outs in the ninth, Torres sent a long drive to left center. A fan wearing a Dodgers jersey reached over the wall and caught the ball. The referees ruled fan interference and awarded Torres a double, a call confirmed on video replay. The fan immediately left the scene.
Blake Treinen came in and intentionally walked Soto to get to the judge. He appeared to finish the inning with a 1-for-5 performance that included three strikeouts.
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Kiké Hernández tripled off Soto to right field and scored on Will Smith’s sacrifice fly.
The Yankees responded in the sixth. Soto singled in the leadoff before Judge pulled his swing for the third time. Giancarlo Stanton followed with a 412-foot shot to stop Flaherty for his 17th career postseason home run. Stanton grew up in the nearby San Fernando Valley, not far from Flaherty’s hometown of Burbank.
Stanton, the American League Championship Series MVP, connected on a knuckle curve that hung slightly at the bottom of the strike zone. His sixth home run in 11 postseason games was launched at 116.6 mph.
After last weekend’s decisive victory in Cleveland, Stanton said, “That’s not the trophy I want.” I want the next one.
The Yankees then loaded the bases. Chisholm knocked out Anthony Banda and stole second. After Rizzo retired, Volpe was intentionally walked. Austin Wells had an infield single that Edman smothered with a diving catch to save a run before Verdugo struck out against his former team.
FOLLOWING
Game 2 is Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, with Yankees LHP Carlos Rodón taking on $325 million rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Rodón is 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA in three postseason starts, with 22 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings. Yamamoto is 1-0 in three postseason starts with a 5.11 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
