LOS ANGELES: Freddie Freeman hit the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history with two outs in the 10th inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees in a dramatic opener Friday night.
Hobbled by a badly sprained ankle, Freeman homered on the first pitch he saw — an inside fastball from Nestor Cortes — and raised his bat high before beginning his trot as the sellout crowd of 52,394 roared.
“I cannot believe what just happened,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “That’s what makes the Fall Classic a classic, right, because the stars come out and superstars make big plays, get big hits, in the biggest of moments. ... I’m speechless right now.”
It was reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s game-ending homer that lifted Los Angeles over the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series at Dodger Stadium — one of the most famous swings in baseball lore.
Gibson, sidelined by leg injuries, came off the bench and connected against Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley.
Freeman, who missed three games during the National League playoffs because of the injury to his right ankle, didn’t have an extra-base hit this postseason until legging out a triple earlier on Friday.
“Actually felt pretty good,” Freeman said. “The last six days we treated it really well. I’ve been feeling pretty good. Right when I ran out to give high-fives to my teammates, I felt pretty good, because that was the first time I ran all week. So, ankle’s good.”
After the home run, Freeman ran over to his father.
“I was just screaming in his face. I’m sorry, dad,” Freeman said, laughing. “He’s been there since I was a little boy, throwing batting practice to me every day. So this is a moment, it’s my dad’s moment.”
In this much-hyped, star-studded World Series between two of baseball’s most storied and successful franchises, Game 1 certainly delivered. It was the third straight Series opener to go extra innings.
“We can’t sit here and mope,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said. “Learn from it, where we can improve, and try to win the next one.”
In the top of the 10th, Anthony Volpe grounded into a fielder’s choice to shortstop, scoring Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third after he stole two bases, to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.
The speedy Chisholm singled off Blake Treinen and then stole second. Following an intentional walk to Anthony Rizzo, Chisholm swiped third base uncontested as Treinen was slow to the plate with Max Muncy playing deep at third.
Tommy Edman made a diving stop to his left on Volpe’s grounder, but couldn’t get it out of his glove at first. He tossed to second to get Rizzo out as Chisholm came flying home with the go-ahead run.
But the Dodgers weren’t done.
Gavin Lux walked against Jake Cousins with one out in the bottom of the 10th and went to second on Edman’s infield single to second. Defensive replacement Oswaldo Cabrera knocked down the ball with his glove but it leaked into the outfield.
That brought up star slugger Shohei Ohtani, a left-handed hitter. Yankees manager Aaron Boone went to his bullpen again for Cortes, a lefty starter who hadn’t pitched since Sept. 18 because of an elbow injury.
After missing the AL playoffs, Cortes was added to the World Series roster Friday.
Left fielder Alex Verdugo made a running catch in foul territory to retire Ohtani. Verdugo’s momentum sent him tumbling over the low retaining wall, advancing both runners one base because by rule it became a dead ball when Verdugo wound up in the stands.
With first base open, New York intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load the bases and set up lefty-on-lefty matchup of Cortes against Freeman.
“I was on time for the heater,” Freeman said.
His drive into the right-field pavilion sent Dodgers fans into a frenzy. It was the third walk-off homer in World Series history for a team that was trailing, following Gibson’s shot and Joe Carter’s drive for the Toronto Blue Jays that won the 1993 World Series against Philadelphia.
“That’s stuff, you’re 5 years old in the backyard right there,” Freeman said. “That’s a dream come true, but it’s only one. We’ve got three more.”
It’s the 12th time the Yankees and Dodgers are meeting in the World Series, the most frequent matchup in major league annals, but their previous October clash was 43 years ago.
While the Dodgers are seeking their eighth title and second in five years, the Yankees are in the Fall Classic for the first time since winning No. 27 in 2009.
The first Series with a pair of 50-home run hitters in Judge (58) and Ohtani (54) opened quietly as Gerrit Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, and Jack Flaherty dueled through four scoreless innings. Judge struck out swinging in his first three at-bats before singling off Brusdar Graterol with two outs in the seventh.
Ohtani was 0 for 3 before ripping a double off the right-field wall in the eighth. He raced to third on the play when second baseman Gleyber Torres mishandled Juan Soto’s throw, which became costly when Ohtani scored on a sacrifice fly by Betts that tied it 2-all.
With two outs in the ninth, Torres sent a long drive to left-center. A fan wearing a Dodgers jersey reached over the wall and caught the ball. Umpires ruled fan interference and gave Torres a double, a call confirmed on video replay. The fan immediately left the area.
Blake Treinen came in and intentionally walked Soto to get to Judge. He popped up to end the inning in a 1-for-5 performance that included three strikeouts.
The Dodgers broke through for a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Kiké Hernández tripled past Soto in right field and scored on Will Smith’s sacrifice fly.
The Yankees answered right back in the sixth. Soto singled leading off before Judge struck out swinging for the third time. Giancarlo Stanton followed with a 412-foot shot to left off Flaherty for his 17th career postseason homer. Stanton grew up in the nearby San Fernando Valley, not far from Flaherty’s hometown of Burbank.
Stanton, the American League Championship Series MVP, connected on a knuckle-curve that hung slightly at the bottom of the strike zone. His sixth homer in 11 games this postseason came off his bat at 116.6 mph.
After last weekend’s pennant-clinching win at Cleveland, Stanton said, “This ain’t the trophy I want. I want the next one.”
The Yankees then loaded the bases. Chisholm singled off Anthony Banda and stole second. After Rizzo struck out, Volpe was intentionally walked. Austin Wells reached on an infield single that Edman smothered with a dive to save a run before Verdugo struck out swinging against his former team.
Game 2 is Saturday evening at Dodger Stadium, with Yankees LHP Carlos Rodon pitching against $325 million rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Rodon is 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA in three starts this postseason, with 22 strikeouts over 14 1/3 innings. Yamamoto is 1-0 in three postseason starts with a 5.11 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.
