By Allyn Tucker
Boston University News Service
After suffering a large deficit early, the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the New York Yankees 7-6 in game five of the World Series, securing the championship title.
The Yankees began the game strong, with Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hitting back-to-back home runs in the first inning. By the third inning, New York was sitting on a comfortable 5-0 lead.
The fifth inning, however, saw a Yankees breakdown which handed Los Angeles the title on a silver platter. Miscommunication on first base and mistakes at center and shortstop propelled the Dodgers back into the game, leaving the two sides tied at the bottom of the fifth.
The five-run comeback is good for the largest World Series-clinching comeback in Major League Baseball history, capping off a historic World Series run for the Dodgers.
The Yankees regained a run-one lead in the sixth, but the Dodgers overtook New York for good in the eight, following sacrifice flies by Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts to make the score 7-6.
Although the Dodgers’ offense has been the star of the series, Los Angeles clinched victory with the help of seven relievers, including starting pitcher Walker Beuhler, who made his first reliever appearance in six years to pitch the final out.
“I don’t think you would want to be any other organization than us,” Buehler said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. And I think this kind of tops that off.”
Festivities ensued after the final out, as star Freddie Freeman was named World Series MVP. Freeman hit four home runs, including a walk-off grand slam in game one, picked up 12 RBIs and finished the series with a .300 average. His 12 RBIs are the most in Dodgers postseason history, tying for the most in a single World Series in MLB history.
“Sitting here now, I’ve just been blessed to be able to play this game a long time and be in certain situations because of the group of guys, the organization. Just from top to bottom,” Freeman said. “I got asked about the RBIs, and the RBIs are because there were guys on base. That’s my teammates.”
This World Series brought the Dodgers to a total of eight championship titles, last winning the series in 2020, which was a COVID-shortened season. With a roster headlined by Shohei Ohtani, Freeman and Betts, the sky’s the limit for the City of Angels.
“Winning is always the No. 1 goal,” Friedman said. “I’ve always tied that to a [championship] parade.”
