How does it feel L.A.?! The Dodgers are world champions after beating the Yankees Wednesday 7-6 in Game 5!
After dropping Game 4 to the Yankees and falling behind in Game 5, Dodger fans began to think the series was heading back to L.A.
But instead… the Dodgers became the “Comeback Kids.” Actually they had to do it twice. The inning where they took the lead — the eighth inning when a sacrifice fly by Mookie Betts brought home Tommy Edman and the Dodgers went up 7-6 and never looked back. Strong late inning pitching by Blake Treinen and Walker Buehler sealed the deal and the Boys in Blue became world champs!
“Who wants a parade?!” Dave Roberts, the Dodgers’ manager, said at the after game ceremony.
In short order, L.A. came through with the requisite fireworks after the last out was had and the Dodgers clinched the series.
In a post on X, the Dodgers said a parade was in store in downtown L.A. on Friday, with more details to come.
Freddie Freeman, who game after game came through with home runs to propel the Dodgers’ momentum, was named MVP of the series.
“From day one you could just tell this group was close… It’s a puzzle,” Freeman said after the win. “We seemed to hit every speed bump along the course of this year. We just kept riding over that speed bump.”
Key inning of Game 5
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman celebrates their World Series win against the New York Yankees.
Ashley Landis
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AP
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The key inning was the fifth when the Dodgers took advantage of two Yankees errors and scored five runs behind a Mookie Betts single, a Freddie Freeman single, and a Teoscar Hernandez double to tie everything up.
How we got here
After 162 games, with hard fought victories over the Padres and the Mets in the National League Division Series and the National League Championship Series, respectively, the Dodgers left no doubt they are the best team in baseball.
One of the big reasons, if not the biggest reason, why the Dodgers made the playoffs and an eventual World Series win: Shohei Ohtani. Let’s face it. When you have the best baseball player on the planet and perhaps the greatest baseball player of all-time, you’re going to be in the conversation no matter what. His magical season of 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases sparked the Dodgers offense and led to numerous wins.
When you have Shohei in your lineup, you are already steps ahead of everyone else.
And oh yeah — this team also has Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman (aka Mr. October), Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman and Kike Hernandez. All of these players came up big during the regular season and the playoffs.
But the road to the playoffs wasn’t easy by any stretch. The injury bug bit the Dodgers throughout the season, decimating the starting pitching rotation. Can you imagine if Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone were healthy and were part of the playoff rotation? During the season, Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone were solid. Together, they combined for 20 wins on the mound. Kershaw didn’t play much as he spent the first half of the season on the injured list, recovering from shoulder surgery. He finished with a 2-2 record and ended up on the injured list again after hurting his toe.
Starting pitching was the difference
But the Dodgers turned what was seen as a weakness into a strength. Their starting pitching in the playoffs was stellar. Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler were dominant, shutting down the Yankees offense. Aaron Judge just plain struggled for the Yankees. Strong pitching in the playoffs and especially the World Series is key. Without it, you just can’t win.
The Dodger legacy
This is the Dodgers’ eighth world championshipc— having won titles in 2024, 2020, 1988, 1981, 1965, 1963, 1959, and 1955. They are now tied for fifth on the all-time World Series titles list with the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers have appeared in 21 World Series, 12 of those since moving to Los Angeles in 1958.
While some non-Dodgers fans out there have claimed the 2020 title was not legitimate because it happened during a shortened-COVID 19 season — there is no doubt the Dodgers jumped through all of the hoops necessary to win this season’s title. No asterisks needed here.
The Dodgers have won 25 National League pennants — 13 in Los Angeles and 12 in Brooklyn. You want legacy? Try this: the Dodgers are currently in a stretch dating back to 2013 where the Boys in Blue have won two World Series titles, four National League pennants, made 12 post-season appearances, and captured 11 National League West titles.
You want more legacy? How about a number of firsts? The most significant first — Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier in 1947 by becoming the first Black player in Major League Baseball’s modern era. The Dodgers were the first team on the West Coast to win the World Series in 1959. And, a cool first — the first team to have numbers on the front of their uniforms in 1952.
That’s legacy, my friends.
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