Steve Webb
World Series Game 5, 10/30/2024: Dodgers 7, Yankees 6
BRONX, NY — The knock on the Dodgers over the last few seasons has been that they are “soft”–they play great during the regular season and then they fold like a lawn chair when October comes. Well, ladies and gentlemen, your 2024 Dodgers are NOT soft. Finishing one of the grittiest postseason runs in recent memory, the Dodgers, beaten, battered, but undaunted, have come from five runs down to beat the Yankees 7-6 to take the World Series and set up LA for its first parade since 1988. Unbelievable.
This game could have gotten off to a better start to be quite honest. In the first inning, after Gerrit Cole had a quick and efficient 1-23 inning, Juan Soto got on base for the Bronx Bombers with a walk on some not-so-competitive pitches from Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty. Then, the big blow. Aaron Judge, who has been sleepwalking through the postseason, took a Flaherty center-cut fastball deep to right field for a two-run homer to get the Yanks on the board. This was followed up a handful of pitches later by Jazz Chisholm Jr. going yard on another tasty fastball from Flaherty. Suddenly, it was 3-0 Yankees, and a lot of fans hadn’t even found their seats yet. So yeah, sub-optimal.
In the second inning, the Yankees added another run on an Anthony Volpe double followed by a run scoring single from Alex Verdugo. That ended the very short night (and perhaps the Dodger career) for Jack Flaherty. Once again, as he had done in the NLCS, he came into New York with the chance to clinch it for his hometown team. And once again, he came up short. His line for the night: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. His final ERA for the postseason: 7.36. Not exactly what you want from your Number One. We’ll see what his future holds, but for now that looks like it’s it.
The hits kept on coming for the Yankees in the 3rd, as Giancarlo Stanton got in on the act and took Anthony Banda deep for a solo shot to make it 5-0. With Cole dealing on the mound, it was looking more and more like a trip back to Los Angeles was in the Yankees’ travel plans.
The Dodgers tried to get something going in the fourth, but Aaron Judge make a great catch and robbed Freddie Freeman of an extra base hit, snagging a ball that was at least a double.
However, in the fifth, it was a completely different story, and it was Aaron Judge again whose defense was key. After Kiké Hernandez led off with a single, Judge let a completely routine flyball from Tommy Edman clank off his glove for an error. That was followed up by a very bone-headed decision by Anthony Volpe to try to get the lead runner on a Will Smith groundball to short. His throw bounced at Jazz Chisholm’s feet and everybody was safe. Suddenly, this yawner of a game was very interesting again. Bases loaded, nobody out. However, Cole got both Lux and Ohtani to strike out, and it looked like the Yanks might get out of the inning unscathed.
But you put the ball in play, good stuff happens. Mookie Betts hit a lazy grounder to first that looked like it would get Cole out of the inning. But Cole COMPLETELY gave up on the play instead of busting it to first to cover. By the time first baseman Anthony Rizzo realized what was happening, Betts had beaten the both of them to the bag, and Kike crossed the plate with the Dodgers first VERY unearned run. Then things got even better. Freddie Freeman padded his World Series MVP credential with a clutch single into center to score two more. Then, Teoscar Hernandez, in the biggest at-bat of his life, ripped a double off the center field wall to clear the bases. The Yankee Stadium crowd was stunned. It was 5-5. A brand new ballgame. Wow.
In the bottom of the fifth, Alex Vesia had trouble finding the strike zone, and loaded up the bases with two outs and the top of the order coming up. But in the end, he got a flyout to right that sent Mookie Betts to the warning track to end the threat and send the Dodgers back to the bat rack for the sixth inning.
After the Dodgers had a quiet top of the sixth, the Yanks were able to break the tie in the bottom of the inning, thanks to some “small ball.” Brusdar Graterol had trouble finding the strike zone and walked both Juan Soto and Aaron Judge to lead off the inning. Then, after an infield out put runners on the corners, Giancarlo Stanton did his hometown team dirty once again with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-5 New York. After Graterol walked Anthony Rizzo, Dave Roberts went to the pen again, bringing in Blake Treinen in a somewhat surprising move this early in the game. Treinen induced an inning ending groundout from Anthony Volpe, so the game went into the late innings with the Dodgers chasing a run.
Gerrit Cole was finally chased in the top of the seventh. After he recorded two quick outs on Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, he surrendered a walk to Freddie Freeman and his night was over. That brought former closer Clay Holmes into the game to face Teoscar Hernandez and he promptly gave up a four-pitch walk. That put the tying run in scoring position for Max Muncy. Muncy worked the count full, but the the end, his legendary eye betrayed him. He stood like a proverbial house by the side of the road as Holmes got the call on a borderline pitch on the outside corner. Strike three. Inning over.
Treinen pitched a scoreless seventh, but used a few more bullets than he would have liked. But that gave the Dodgers a chance in the eighth against former Dodger and changeup artist Tommy Kahnle. Kiké Hernandez led off with a single, and Tommy Edman broke his bat, but pushed a ball into the hole between short and third for an infield hit. Kahnle then walked Will Smith and his night was over. Closer Luke Weaver came into the game, looking for six outs to send the game back to Los Angeles. Gavin Lux, having just a horrid series, battled hard and on a full count, he lofted a ball into center field just deep enough to score Kiké from third and move Edman over to take his place.
That turned over the lineup for Shohei Ohtani. On the first pitch Ohtani hit what looked to be a harmless foul, but in fact catcher Austin Wells‘s mitt caught Ohtani’s bat ever so slightly and catcher’s interference was called, once again loading up the bases for Mookie Betts. Betts manned up himself and hit another flyball in to center, and with yet another sacrifice fly the Dodgers were somehow on top in this game.
The only trick was getting to the end of the game. With bullpen arms burned up way earlier than expected, it fell to Blake Treinen to navigate 2.1 innings of relief. And, I’ll be damned if he didn’t do it. He gave up a double to Aaron Judge and a walk to Jazz Chisholm in the eigth, but he hunkered down and got Giancarlo Stanton to pop out, and then Blake struck out Anthony Rizzo on some Treinen filth to end the threat.
With Treinen gassed, Dave Roberts was fresh out of high leverage relievers to finish the game. So, in the ninth inning, he did what would have seemed like crazy talk six weeks ago: he gave the ball to Walker Buehler. Let me rephrase that. He gave the ball to Walker F’N Buehler. And Buetane did not disappoint. Facing the bottom of the Yankee lineup, Buehler leaned heavily on the breaking stuff to shut down the Yankees. First, a ground out from Anthony Volpe. Then a strikeout of Austin Wells. And finally, Buehler took Alex Verdugo and put him in a blender, striking him out with four straight breaking pitches outside the zone. Game Over. Dodgers World Series Champs.
Oh, there will be so much more to say. But for now, let’s just enjoy it. It is the sweetest of nights. I LOVE LA!
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