World Series Recap
By Jose Rodriguez
After a long wait of 15 years, the New York Yankees made a triumphant return to the World Series, eager to capture their 28th championship title, a feat they hadn’t achieved since 2009. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers were also on a mission to secure their second championship in just five seasons. This matchup marked a historic moment, as it was the 12th time in the storied history of both franchises that these two iconic teams faced off in the fall classic.
GAME ONE
In game one of the World Series, Gerrit Cole started for New York while Jack Flaherty pitched for Los Angeles. The first four innings were scoreless for both teams in Dodgers Stadium.
Will Smith scored the first run for the Dodgers in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly that brought in Enrique Hernandez. The Yankees quickly responded when Giancarlo Stanton, the reigning American League Championship MVP, hit a two-run home run to give New York a 2-1.
The Yankees aimed to win game one, but with one out in the eighth, Shohei Ohtani’s double and the throwing error by Juan Soto allowed Ohtani to move to third. Mookie Betts hit a sacrifice fly that scored Ohtani. In the tenth inning, the Yankees took a 3-2 lead. However, with two outs, Freddie Freeman made history by hitting a walk-off World Series grand slam to end the game. The Dodgers won 6-3.
GAME TWO
The Yankees sought to bounce back in game two after a tough loss to the Dodgers in game one. However, Tommy Edman, the National League Championship MVP, opened the scoring in the bottom of the second with a solo home run, giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the third, Juan Soto hit his fourth home run of the season to tie the game at 1-1. The Dodgers responded with a three-run inning, featuring a two-run home run from Teoscar Hernandez and another home run from Freeman, extending their lead to 4-1.
The Yankees added a run in the ninth inning with a Stanton single, but they ultimately lost 4-2. Carlos Rodón struggled, pitching just 3.1 innings and allowing four runs on six hits. In contrast, Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto excelled, allowing only one hit and striking out four over 6.1 innings.
GAME THREE
With the Yankees down 2-0 in the series, they aimed to rally in front of their fans in the Bronx for games three, four, and five.
The Dodgers quickly silenced Yankee Stadium in the first inning when Freeman hit his third home run of the series, putting the Dodgers ahead 2-0. The score stayed the same until the third inning when Betts added a base hit, extending Los Angeles’ lead to 3-0. In the sixth inning, Hernandez also got a base hit, increasing the Dodgers’ lead to 4-0. Though it seemed the Dodgers might achieve a shutout victory, Yankees’ Alex Verdugo hit a two-run home run for his first home run of the postseason, cutting the Dodgers’ lead in half. The Yankees lost the first three games of the series.
Walker Buehler threw five shutout innings, allowing two hits, two walks, and striking out five batters to earn the win. Clark Schmidt took the loss for the Yankees after pitching 2.2 innings, giving up two hits, three runs (all earned), walking four batters, and striking out three.
GAME FOUR
The Yankees aimed to become the first team in Major League history to win the World Series after being down 3-0.
Freeman made history by hitting a home run in his sixth consecutive World Series game, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer. Verdugo grounded out in the bottom of the second inning, bringing the Dodgers’ lead to 2-1. Anthony Volpe hit a grand slam in the top of the third, giving the Yankees a 5-2 lead— their first lead since game one.
The Dodgers quickly answered in the top of the fifth by scoring two runs, highlighted by Will Smith’s third home run of the postseason. Austin Wells hit a home run in the sixth inning, scoring 6-4. In the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees scored five runs, led by Gleyber Torres’ three-run homer. The win allowed the Yankees to force a game five in the Bronx.
Both starting pitchers did not get a decision. Clay Holmes earned the win in relief, pitching 1.1 innings, while Dan Hudson took the loss after pitching one inning in relief.
GAME FIVE
Once again, the New York Yankees found themselves in a high-stakes game with their season on the line against the Los Angeles Dodgers, needing a win to force a game six. Early on, the Yankees gained momentum, scoring in each of the first three innings. Captain Aaron Judge, breaking out of a slump, hit a two-run home run, followed by Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s homer as the Yankees went back to back.
However, the game took a turn in the fifth inning when Judge dropped a routine fly ball, which opened the door for the Dodgers. Los Angeles capitalized, scoring five unanswered runs with two outs, including a critical play when Cole failed to cover first base.
The Yankees briefly regained a 6-5 lead in the sixth, but in the eighth, the Dodgers struck back with sacrifice flies from Gavin Lux and Betts, sealing their victory and claiming the World Series title for the first time since 2020. Freddie Freeman was named the World Series MVP.