The Los Angeles Dodgers won the four-game series 4-1 to claim the 2024 World Series through their dramatic comeback over New York Yankees, taking a winning 7-6, late-innings come-back 1-game lead at Yankee Stadium.
Left fielder Teoscar Hernandez said, “We just took advantage of every mistake they made in that inning and scored five runs. The bullpen and the pitching staff gave us the chance to stay in the game. It’s a dream come true.”
This is the Dodgers’ second championship in five years after winning the Covid-shortened 2020 season. The Yankees were facing elimination, which they dominated by going back-to-back home runs with Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the first inning, Alex Verdugo driving in a run in the second, and Giancarlo Stanton’s solo shot in the third to make it 5-0.
The Dodgers capitalized on their opportunity after Judge made a pivotal mistake in center field, and although Yankees starter Gerrit Cole threw four scoreless innings, the Dodgers came back to tie the game at 5-5 on runs by Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Hernandez, who all batted with the bases loaded and no outs.
Stanton tied the score with his fourth sacrifice fly at 2-all, in the sixth inning as the Dodgers were not undone by a 7-6 lead of their own as they had two runs coming in on sacrifice flies in the eighth inning off of the Yankees. It was getting a little shaky on the mound behind the quick exit of the St. Louis pitching rotation for the game to have already entered into Buehler, as Walker shut all three batters from New York out in the top of the ninth.
Ebullient manager Dave Roberts was heard saying, “Who needs a parade?” after referencing the puny celebrations he had when their team last won it all last year.
Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani stole the scene pitching for the Dodgers for the first time in postseason. Several months ago, he underwent elbow surgery, and in the game he played in the Game 2, it marked his second shoulder injury. He batted modestly with two singles in 19 at bats as the designated hitter.
Even though Ohtani was having a bad game, the Dodgers demonstrated their depth, as Freddie Freeman led the offense while nursing an ankle injury and Betts earned his third World Series ring. This was the Dodgers’ first championship since 1988, and it was built on the ability to capitalize on the Yankees’ mistakes and their collective effort amid injuries.