The Dodgers won their second World Series championship in five years Wednesday evening, overcoming a five-run deficit to defeat the New York Yankees, 7-6, to win the best-of-seven series four games to one.
Freddie Freeman was selected as the Series’ MVP for driving in 12 runs, tying the record set by Bobby Richardson in the Yankees’ seven-game loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960, and becoming the first player to hit home runs in each of the first four games of a Series.
The five-run deficit the Dodgers overcame was the largest in a World Series-clinching victory, breaking the previous record of four by the Pirates in their 9-7 victory over the Washington Senators in Game 7 of the Series in 1925, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Major League Baseball’s official statistician.
The Dodgers combined a leadoff single by Kiké Hernandez with errors by Aaron Judge, New York’s center fielder, and Anthony Volpe, the Yankee shortstop, on balls hit by Tommy Edman and Will Smith to load the bases in the fifth inning.
Gerrit Cole struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani but the Dodgers kept the inning going when Cole failed to cover first base on a ground ball hit by Mookie Betts, who was credited with a single, as Kiké Hernandez scored.
Freeman followed with a single, driving in Edman and Smith. The Dodgers tied the score 5-5 when Teoscar Hernandez doubled in Betts and Freeman.
The Yankees regained the lead in the sixth when Giancarlo Stanton’s sacrifice fly drove in Juan Soto, who led off with a walk, moved to second on a walk to Judge and went to third when Jazz Chisholm Jr. grounded into a force out.
Sacrifice flies by Lux and Betts drove in the tying and go-ahead runs in the eighth.
Blake Treinen (2-0), the seventh of eight Dodger pitchers, was credited with the victory, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, striking out three.
Walker Buehler pitched a perfect ninth inning for the save, striking out Austin Wells and Alex Verdugo to end the game.
Tommy Kahnle (1-1), the third of five New York pitchers, was changed with the loss, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk and failing to retire a batter.
The Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the first inning on back-to-back home runs by Judge and Chisholm. They added a run in the second when Volpe led off with a double, moved to third on Austin Wells’ ground out and scored on Verdugo’s single.
Verdugo’s single prompted Dodger manager Dave Roberts to replace starter Jack Flaherty with Anthony Banda, who struck out Gleyber Torres for the second out, then issued back-to-back walks to Soto and Judge to load the bases.
Banda induced Chisholm to ground out to end the inning.
Ryan Brasier entered the game to start the bottom of the third and allowed a home run to Giancarlo Stanton on the first pitch he threw, increasing the New York’s lead to 5-0 and chances of winning to 93.9%, according to MLB.