Bronx, NY
There’s a new champion in town.
On October 30th, 2024, the Los Angeles Dodgers were crowned the World Series champions in five games against the New York Yankees.
Coming off of a win last game, the Yankees started off hot. Star OF Aaron Judge, who had had a rough World Series to this point, hit his first career World Series home run in the bottom of the first off of Dodgers SP Jack Flaharty, a two run shot that drove in Juan Soto. Then came the new acquisition Jazz Chisholm, who blasted one deep into right field to make it a 3-0 ballgame.
Flaherty wouldn’t last long in the ballgame, as he started off the 2nd inning with a leadoff double to SS Anthony Volpe down the left field line on the first pitch. After Flaherty retired the second batter, former Dodger Alex Verdugo singled into center, bringing in Volpe and making it 4-0 in the 2nd. After that, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts motioned to his bullpen after just 1 and a 1/3rd innings from his starting pitcher.
Out from the pen, he brought in LHP Anthony Banda to try to clean up the mess, but he walked the bases loaded before getting Jazz Chisholm to ground out to first to end the inning. After this, Roberts again opted to his bullpen to bring in RHP Ryan Brasier.
However, Brasier wouldn’t get as lucky as Banda did.
On the first pitch of the 3rd, postseason standout Giancarlo Stanton put a charge into a pitch deep into the New York night sky, making the Yankees fans go ballistic. It’s 5-0, and this game isn’t even a third of the way done.
After inning 4, no hit, one walk innings from Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, he entered the 5th inning cruising.
However, this 5th inning would be one of the worst innings of baseball ever played.
It started off with a walk to Dodgers utility man Enrique Hernandez, and then Aaron Judge dropped a routine flyball off of the bat of Tommy Edman. After that, catcher Will Smith grounded to SS Anthony Volpe. Volpe, however, short-hopped the ball trying to get Hernandez out at 3rd base, hitting Hernandez and loading the bases. Cole then struck out 2B Gavin Lux and DH Shohei Ohtani, then came the next blunder. OF Mookie Betts hit a roller to 1B Anthony Rizzo. Cole, thinking Rizzo could beat Betts to the bag, didn’t go to cover, as a pitcher usually should do. However, Mookie hit the ball at a weird angle and spin rate where the ball was slower, and Rizzo only got two steps towards first base before realizing he didn’t have a shot at Mookie, making it 5-1. Next up was the nightmare that has haunted the Yankees all series, 1B Freddie Freeman. He had homered in four straight before tonight, and with the bases loaded it would be fitting to tie it up in one swing.
However, that didn’t happen.
Freeman golfs a single into center field, bringing in two runs and making it 5-3. After that, OF Teoscar Hernandez hits a towering flyball off of the center field wall, bringing in both Betts and Freeman. This game is tied.
After a walk to Max Muncy and a groundout by Enrique Hernandez (who started this inning), the top of the 5th is over. Speaking of the loss, Cole, who received no decision for his efforts, said “This is as bad as it gets.”
“It’s the worst feeling you can have. It’s just brutal.”
In the bottom of the 6th, Soto and Judge walked off of hard throwing right hander Brusdar Graterol, bringing up Chisholm. Chisholm grounds into a fielder’s choice to Gavin Lux, who throws out Judge at second. After that, Giancarlo Stanton brings in a run on a sacrifice fly, making the Yankees retain the lead. After that, Rizzo walks, and Dave Roberts again motions to his bullpen. This time, he brings in his final high-leverage arm from the pen: RHP Blake Treinen.
Treinen retired Volpe on a roller to Gavin Lux, ending the inning and stopping the bleeding.
Gerrit Cole ends up going 6 2/3rds, watching on from the dugout as Clay Holmes gets out of an inherited bases loaded jam to finish off the top half of the 7th. The next inning, however, is a different story. Again, Holmes goes out for another inning. However, he gives’ up two singles to Hernandez and Edman respectively. Sound familiar, Yankee fans? Then, it was a four pitch walk to Will Smith. After that, Yankees manager Aaron Boone summoned Luke Weaver from the bullpen to try to clean up the bases loaded, however, the opposite happens. Gavin Lux hits a sacrifice fly to center, tying up the ball game. After that, Ohtani gets on base via catcher’s interference. After him? Mookie Betts. Betts puts a charge into the 96 MPH fastball to center field. Not deep enough for the grand slam, but enough for the go ahead run to score. 7-6, LA. After that, Weaver shuts down Freeman with a strikeout to stop the bleeding.
Treinen shuts down the Yankees for the 6th and 7th, but he has a bit of trouble getting through the 8th. Dave Roberts, who had gotten a text from SP Walker Buehler that he was ready to pitch and was warming up in the bullpen along with closer Daniel Hudson, goes out to the hill to summon another arm from the pen, his 8th of the game in 7 2/3rds to this point.
Out of the corner of his eye, however, he sees the team captain, the leader, the heart of his team, motion to him telling him to let Treinen go on.
“I give Freddie (Freeman) credit,” Roberts told ESPN. “Freddie was waving me off. He subtly kind of said ‘Hey, let him stay in.’ So then I trusted the players, and Blake made a pitch.”
That pitch was actually four pitches. With two outs in the bottom of the 8th and Jazz Chisholm on first base, Blake Treinen strikes out Anthony Rizzo with an 85 MPH Sweeper low and in, finishing off his night with 42 pitches.
Weaver goes back out in the top of the 9th and only allows a single and a walk, but the damage has been done. Now, it’s Walker Buehler’s turn. Buehler had come off of Tommy John surgery just a year ago and hadn’t been the same. He was slated to start in Game 7 if necessary, but with the season on the line, Dave Roberts was forced to go to him for a championship.
First up, Anthony Volpe. After a five pitch at bat, he gets Volpe to roll over on a curveball to third base. One out. Next up is the rookie catcher Austin Wells. He had already struck out twice to this point, and after a seven pitch at bat, Buehler made it three. One more out to go, and it’s his former teammate Alex Verdugo. In Buehler’s last save at the professional level, it was in AAA Oklahoma City. That day, Verdugo was in the lineup. Wouldn’t it be fitting for the save to come against the teammate who was alongside you in your first career save a whole seven years ago?
First pitch is a curveball that Verdugo doesn’t bite at. Next one is a swinging strike at a cutter inside. 1-1 count. Two more curveballs do the trick, as Verdugo swings through both to end the game, the series, and the 2024 MLB Season.
