Bronx, NY
There’s a new champion in town.
On October 30th, 2024, the Los Angeles Dodgers were crowned the World Series champions after 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 second inning with a leadoff double to SS Anthony Volpe down left field 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 second inning.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts motioned to the bullpen, pulling his starting pitcher in the middle of the second inning.
Out from the pen, he brought in LHP Anthony Banda to try to clean up the mess, but he walked two batters, making the bases loaded before getting Jazz Chisholm to ground out to first base to end the inning.
Roberts again motioned 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 third inning, postseason standout Giancarlo Stanton sent a pitch deep into the New York night sky, with Yankees fans roaring from the stands. It’s 5-0, and the game is just getting started.
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole entered the fifth inning only giving up one walk and no hits against a strong Dodgers line-up.
The fifth inning started off with a walk to Dodgers utility man Enrique Hernandez. Then Aaron Judge dropped a routine flyball off the bat of Tommy Edman. Catcher Will Smith grounded to SS Anthony Volpe. Volpe, however, short-hopped the ball trying to get Hernandez out at third base, hitting Hernandez and loading the bases. Cole then struck out 2B Gavin Lux and DH Shohei Ohtani. OF Mookie Betts followed up, hitting a roller to 1B Anthony Rizzo. Cole, thinking Rizzo could beat Betts to the base, didn’t cover first. However, Mookie hit the ball at a weird angle and spin rate making the ball slower, and Rizzo only got two steps towards first base before realizing he didn’t have a shot at getting Betts out at first, making the score 5-1.
Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman had four straight games with a home run before game five. He had a great chance to make it five straight games, 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, tying the game. After that, Cole walks Max Muncy before forcing Enrique Hernandez to ground out to end the nightmarish 5th inning.
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 Soto from third 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. Yankees manager Aaron Boone went on to summon 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, Dodgers. Weaver shuts down Freeman with a strikeout, ending the inning.
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.
