Freddie Freeman hit his fourth home run of the World Series to give the Dodgers a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning of Game 4. It was a big momentum boost for the Dodgers that looked to earn their second-ever sweep against the Yankees.
The Dodgers quickly faced a wide deficit after a grand slam from Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, trailing for the first time in the series since Game 1.
Unlike the Dodgers’ Game 1 heroics, the offense became relentless on trying to provide as much run support as possible, and in the end, they became less patient than they had throughout the majority of the playoffs.
The Dodgers had a 2-1 lead in the second inning when Gavin Lux smacked a leadoff double to put the Dodgers in a man in scoring position with nobody out against the rookie Luis Gil. After Will Smith popped out, Tommy Edman came up and on the first pitch he saw, lined out to Anthony Rizzo, quickly doubling up Lux at second to end the top half.
After the Dodgers faced a three run deficit, the Dodgers had two men on base with nobody out after a solo home run from Smith, an Edman walk, and a first pitch single from Tim Hill in the fifth inning.
Freddie Freeman smacked the first pitch he saw from Hill on the ground to second base and narrowly beat out the throw from Volpe to bring home the fourth (and final) run for the Dodgers to make it a one-run game.
The Yankees opted to bring in former closer Clay Holmes to record the final out with the tying run and go-ahead run on base. Teoscar Hernández, who envisions himself of being the one to come up clutch in huge opportunities, swing at the first pitch he saw and flied out to Alex Verdugo to end the threat, and slammed his bat to the ground in frustration.
Although the Yankees would pull away in their final three innings at the plate with six additional runs, the Dodgers had multiple chances to etch their way back into the game, but their lack of patience was their ultimate downfall in a game where they could’ve netted themselves another championship.
The Dodgers were notoriously patient against the New York Mets in the NLCS, walking at least five times in each of the six games, but they walked just three times in Game 4 of the World Series, twice from Edman and once from Max Muncy. None of the those resulted in any runs.
Now for Game 5, the Dodgers will have to once again face against Gerrit Cole, who in Game 1 didn’t walk a single hitter and whose only blemish one his night was a sacrifice fly from Will Smith. The Dodgers before Freddie Freeman’s Game 1 walk-off grand slam were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, and have gone just 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position over their past three games.
For a team looking to capture another title, they have to become more patient at the plate like they were the previous rounds, and against Cole, it will be a tough task against a pitcher who limited their potent offense.
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