The LA Dodgers came back from 5-0 down in Game 5 to complete the series victory over the NY Yankees in New York, with Dodgers star Freddie Freeman being named MVP.
The Los Angeles Dodgers produced a stunning comeback to defeat the New York Yankees and win the World Series with a dramatic 7-6 victory at Yankee Stadium.
In a night of spellbinding drama, the Dodgers sealed their second Major League Baseball championship crown in five seasons and eighth overall after rallying from 5-0 down to complete a victory in 4-1 series on Wednesday.
The Yankees, who kept the series alive with an 11-4 upset in Game Four on Tuesday, looked poised to take the series back to Los Angeles for Game Six after home runs by Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm and Giancarlo Stanton.
Yankees starter Gerrit Cole, meanwhile, produced a masterful performance from the mound to hold the Dodgers’ potent offense scoreless through four innings.
But a catastrophic fifth inning by the Yankees, which included a litany of defensive errors, saw the Dodgers rally for five unearned runs to tie the score at 5-5.
Although the Yankees regained the lead on a sacrifice fly by Stanton in the sixth inning, the Dodgers came through in the eighth with home runs from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts to reclaim what turned out to be a game-winning lead. 7-6. .
The Dodgers brought back game three starter Walker Buehler to get the final three outs in the ninth to get the win.
“It Was Love, It Was Misery”
“Obvious [we’re] resilient, but there’s so much love in this clubhouse, care — that care won this game today,” Dodgers star Betts said. “That was it. It was love, it was misery. It was just a beautiful thing and I’m just proud of us and happy for us.”
Buehler, meanwhile, admitted he didn’t expect to play a role in the game.
“I wish I was in a little better shape so my heart could have handled it better,” the Dodgers pitcher said.
Dodgers star Freddie Freeman, who hit four consecutive home runs in the first four games of the series, was named the series’ MVP.
“I think we were all saying the first three innings — ‘let’s get one, just chip, we can do this,'” said Freeman, who drove in two runs in the fifth inning with a single.
“Some mistakes happened, you have to capitalize.”
Ohtani’s hometown of Japan is enjoying the win
The matchup between two marquee franchises was a boon for MLB, with Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani setting a TV ratings record in his native Japan.
Fans flocked to the public screenings and celebrated wildly as the Japanese star’s team sealed victory.
Oshu, a sleepy town of 110,000 in northern Japan known for apples and beef, waited patiently for its favorite son to lift the trophy.
“He’s like someone who lives above the clouds, so it’s a huge source of pride that he comes from Oshu,” Norihisa Sato, 44, told AFP news agency at a public viewing event at the town hall in the beginning of the series.
Ohtani is one of baseball’s biggest stars, joining the Dodgers late last year with the most lucrative contract in US sports history.
The 30-year-old enjoyed a record year, becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, a feat previously thought impossible.
He is an icon in Japan, where baseball is a national obsession. His performances have been headline news since moving to MLB in 2018, but this year marks his first World Series appearance.
Ohtani said he was “honored” to seal his first World Series title.
Although Ohtani had a relatively quiet World Series — he failed to hit a home run and suffered a shoulder injury in game two — he did little to take the shine off his first championship.
“I’m honored to be a part of a season where I’ve played the most and to get to know this team,” Ohtani said following the festivities.
#Baseball #Dodgers #stunning #comeback #Yankees #seals #World #Series