Thank you!
That concludes a memorable 2024 baseball season! It doesn’t seem that long ago that teams broke camp, and suddenly, it’s all over and winter awaits! And the best team won, that’s for sure, in five games no less: just like I said (sneaking that in there).
And that’s it for our live World Series coverage. As always, it’s been a pleasure bringing the Fall Classic to you, wherever you are. So thank you for following along with us! And having said all of that, good morning, good afternoon and good night!
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The Dodgers are champs! Read all about it!
Trophy time!
On the wheeled in stage, the owner of the Dodgers, Stan Kasten, gets a taste of the hardware, before the President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman says a few words. Now manager Dave Roberts says “this trophy belongs to everybody”, which isn’t true but a very nice sentiment. And I accept!
“Oh my! World Champions!” – Dave Roberts
Oh, and Freeman formally is awarded the Willie Mays MVP award.
“This is everything…this is it right here. Not this, that one!”
-Freddie Freeman, who drove in 12 runs this series, distinguishing between the MVP trophy and the World Series trophy.
MVP
It’s not official yet, but it’s got to be Freddie, right? I mean, what didn’t he do?
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New York, New York
If you grew up in a house with a Brooklyn Dodgers fan like I did, you understand the significance of a Dodgers team winning a title inside the five boroughs. Baseball’s bible-esque super story of the Yankees, Dodgers, Giants and Mets is central to the sport and lives on as the team from Flatbush celebrate a title in LA.
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How it ended
THE DODGERS ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/uWS6QYfZao
— Barstool Baseball (@StoolBaseball) October 31, 2024
From Brooklyn to Los Angeles, the Dodgers are champions for an eighth time in franchise history. And it’s the fourth time they have beaten New York in doing so.
Can you believe it?
We were in the fifth inning and wondering how Roberts would manage the Dodgers staff to make sure they were fresh for a Game 6 in LA. But there isn’t going to be a Game 6 because the Dodgers have completed the biggest comeback in a World Series clinching victory. And because the Yankees completely fell apart, committing mental error after mental error in a ghastly performance that showed exactly what they are, which is a team that wasn’t true World Series caliber.
But never mind that – LA celebrate a non-shortened season title for the first time since 1988. Yes, they have a loaded roster, but they’re an extraordinary club who deserve to be champs. And also, manager Dave Roberts has come a very long way – he was tremendous pulling the strings for the Dodgers in this series.
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, FINAL
Swing and a miss and it’s all over! The Dodgers have won the World Series!!
THE @DODGERS HAVE CAPTURED THEIR 8TH #WORLDSERIES TITLE! #CHAMPS pic.twitter.com/4qqcyHRZWW
— MLB (@MLB) October 31, 2024
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Key event
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 9th
It’s 1-2 and the Yankees are down to their final strike!
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Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 9th
Wells whiffs at a breaking ball! LA are an out away from a title! And it’s up to Alex Verdugo, which no Yankee fan ever wants to see, ever!
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Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 9th
Low and in – full count!
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 9th
Wells fouls one off and the at-bat continues!
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 9th
It’s 2-2 and very tense at Yankee Stadium right now!
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 9th
Volpe grounds to third – Muncy makes the play, fires to first, in time to get the first out of this inning! Two to go for LA, and here is Austin Wells!
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 9th
Now Buehler, a beautiful pitcher who has been destroyed by injuries, was having an awful year before finding his old self against the Mets in the NLCS. But this is a very different situation and a very tall order.
Volpe is at the plate.
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, top 9th
Leiter gets Smith to ground out to Chisholm who makes a spin-o-rama play at third before making the throw. That’s one heck of a play from a guy who never played the hot corner until recently. Great work.
That said, the Dodgers take the field three outs from a World Series title! And here comes Walker Buehler, a starter, who pitched two days ago, to try and pitch LA into the history books!
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, top 9th
Edman waves at a curveball – strike three! A huge out by Leiter! Can he get out of this jam? Will Smith is next! Two down.
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, top 9th
Full count to Edman!
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, top 9th
The Yankees have committed three errors tonight and that doesn’t even come close to telling the story of the shoddiest play I’ve ever seen from a World Series team.
Edman is even in the count 2-2.
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, top 9th
Hernandez walks because Weaver is completely done, as everyone on the planet and Pluto knows.
First and second, one out, Edman coming up, Mark Leiter Jr coming in.
And nothing against Mark Leiter Jr, but I wouldn’t want the season on his shoulders.
That said, hey, you never know, right?
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, top 9th
Weaver throws over to first base for a third time, and he’s not allowed to do that!
That’s a balk! More mental mistakes for the Yankees! Good lord is this real?
So that insurance run is now in scoring position for Hernandez.
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Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, top 9th
Muncy smokes a ball to right but Soto is there for the first out. Here’s Kike Hernandez with one out and one on.
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, top 9th
Hernandez starts off the Dodger ninth with a base hit to left off Weaver! And Weaver must be exhausted, but really, NY have no one left of consequence.
Chris Taylor runs for Hernandez.
If…
…LA win this game it will be because the Yankees threw it away with both hands. And because Treinen and his manager have some serious stones.
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 8th
Rizzo chases a breaking ball in the dirt! And what an absolutely epic performance by Blake Treinen! He throws 40 plus high stress pitches, allowing no runs in 2.1 innings, striking out three to get LA within three outs of an eighth World Series title!
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Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 8th
Treinen is ahead 0-2 on Rizzo!
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 8th
Stanton pops the first pitch he sees into foul grond ion the right side! Betts is there – he makes the catch! Two down!
It’s up to Rizzo in the Yankees eighth! Roberts is sticking with Treinen. It’s big boy time!
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 8th
Ball four almost hits Chisholm. Two on, one out for Stanton.
Roberts is coming to the mound. Treinen has to be gassed, but LA’s skipper is going to stick with him!
I think that’s a mistake. He looks done to me.
Burt we’ll find out who is right soon!
Here we go!
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 8th
A pitch high in the strike zone – Chisholm was on his way to first! But it’s 3-1.
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 8th
3-0 to Chisholm!
Stanton is on deck!
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 8th
Judge cracks a double down the left field line! Muncy came very close to catching that ball at third base – wow!
So life for the Yankees as a hit can tie perhaps this game.
Treinen is over 30 pitches. Ouch!
Chisholm at the plate.
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 8th
Full count!
Foul back.
We'll do it again…
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 8th
Judge fouls one back. It’s even at 2-2.
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 8th
It’s 2-1 to Judge…
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, bottom 8th
OK, so it’s actually Soto leading off, facing Treinen, who has 21 pitches facing some very big bats.
And Soto grounds to first: Freeman has it and tosses to Treinen. One out.
Here’s Judge in the biggest at-bat of his career.
Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, top 8th
Freeman chases a pitch low and away – strike three! So the Yankees get a crucial out and end the inning to stay in touch. It’s still a disaster for new York, who surrender two runs and the lead thanks to a broken bat hit and an interference call of all things. What a mess!
The good news for NY? Soto is leading off.
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Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, top 8th
Two down and runners at the corners for Freddie Freeman, who can give LA some insurance with a knock here.
RUN! Dodgers 7-6 Yankees, top 8th
The call is confirmed! Now Betts comes to the plate!
He skies the very first ball to centerfield and that also is going to be deep enough! Two straight sacrifice flies give LA a late lead!
Can you believe this?
RUN! Dodgers 6-6 Yankees, top 8th
Lux hits a fly ball to center – it’s deep enough to score the tying run! LA have leveled in the eighth!
And now it’s runners at the corners, and it’s guess who – Ohtani!
But wait, hang on! The umpire is calling catchers interference on the first pitch! That puts Ohtani at first! Are you kidding me?!
NY are going to challenge this, but if it stands, its a total disaster for NY.
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Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 8th
Full count! Wow!
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 8th
Check swing. Did he go? Yes he did! It’s 2-2!
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 8th
Ball in the dirt – Lux ahead 2-1.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 8th
Here we go! Weaver v Lux in a season defining spot! Bases full, Yanks up a run, nobody out!
How will it end?
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 8th
OK, Boone comes to get Kahnle, which was a bad selection to begin with. Luke Weaver will come in for the third straight game to do some heavy, heavy lifting. The good news for New York fans? Weaver may be crazy enough to not give a damn about the situation he’s just been dropped in.
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Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 8th
Rizzo creeps in at first base for a bunt that’s not going to happen. No idea what he is thinkng. But it’s 3-1!
And now it’s ball four!
Bases loaded, nobody out!
If Boone doesn’t get Kahnle now he’s crazy.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 8th
Meeting at the mound…it’s quiet in the Bronx. You can see this coming a mile away, and it’s not good for Yankees fans.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 8th
And Hernandez singles to left! Yup! The changeup thing against the Dodgers? I’m a skeptic.
And then Edman has a broken bat infield hit!
See what I’m saying?
Will Smith is up, and again, he is due!!
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 8th
Tommy Kahnle is in for New York, which is scary for me if I’m a Yankees fan. He faces Kike Hernandez.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, bottom 7th
Torres grounds out to third. Inning over. To the eighth!
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, bottom 7th
Verdugo watches a sweeper on the corner – strike three. Two down. Here is Torres.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, bottom 7th
Treinen is back out for the eighth and strikes out Wells. One down for Verdugo.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 7th
Muncy is stunned by the sweeper – strike three! LA leave two runners as the Yankees take a tiny lead into the stretch!
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 7th
Full count! That just missed up and away!
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 7th
Muncy fouls off a pitch – it’s 1-2.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 7th
Five straight balls from Holmes. Then finally a strike. It’s 1-1.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 7th
Hernandez walks. So a pair of two-out runners for Max Muncy in a huge spot right here.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 7th
Now it’s 3-0.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 7th
Hernandez is ahead in the count, 2-0.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 7th
Cole walks Freeman and now here comes Aaron Boone to get Cole, an out short of seven innings. He wanted to stay in but he heads to the dugout and is saluted by the fans. He gave up five runs, though none were earned.
Clay Holmes comes in to try and get Hernandez for the third out.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 7th
Betts hits a come-backer to Cole who makes the stab! He throws to first for the out! Two down, and Freddie Freeman steps to the plate.
Cole on 105 pitches.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, top 7th
Cole is back out for more, which makes sense to me. He’s facing Ohtani, who is definitely not right. He grounds out to second for the first out.
Here’s Mookie Betts.
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, bottom 6th
The count is full to Volpe! The runners on first and second will run with the pitch. Treinen deals, and Volpe grounds to second – Lux has it, makes the throw to first, side retired!
But the Yankees regain the lead!
Updated
Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, bottom 6th
Rizzo walks. That’s Graterol’s third walk so Roberts has had enough of that nonsense and is bringing in his biggest gun to keep this game close. Closer Blake Treinen is on his way to the mound.
NY need to get more runs in an inning where three batters walk, I’m just going to make that extra clear.
RUN! Dodgers 5-6 Yankees, bottom 6th
Stanton hits a fly ball deep enough to center to score Soto, who tags at third to give the Yankees a slim lead. Chisholm aggressively tags up at first and barely makes it to second! So NY have a two out runner at scoring position for Rizzo, who is seeking to extend the Yankees lead.
Updated
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 6th
Chisholm bounces to second – Lux tosses to Edman to get the force, but that’s it. So runners at the corners for Giancarlo Stanton, who bats with everyone in the ballpark on its feet.
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 6th
Chisholm squares to bunt! It’s foul and now he’s down in the count 0-2!
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 6th
Judge walks as Graterol barely misses on the up and outside part of the zone. Two on, nobody out. Here’s Jazz Chisholm, who homered earlier, in a huge spot in this ballgame.
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 6th
It’s 3-2 to Judge.
Updated
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 6th
Soto walks. Yikes. Now Judge is coming up. Can he make up for that insane drop in center field in the fifth?
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 6th
Brusdar Graterol is in, so this should be fun. He starts off by throwing in the direction of Juan Soto, who is quickly up in the count 2-0.
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, top 6th
Lux pops out, inning over. Cole is on 87 pitches but bounced back well that inning. I wouldn’t be so quick to take him out. It’s his last start of the season – go batter by batter in the seventh.
Oh, apparently we haven’t had a pitcher throw 100 pitches in the postseason in two years, some 27 games? Did I hear FOX TV in the US right? If so is totally pathetic.
Judge is coming up this inning for NY.
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, top 6th
Cole reaches back and blows a fastball by Smith. Two down.
It’s up to Lux in the Dodger sixth.
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, top 6th
Edman pops out to left. One down. Here’s Smith, who I continue to believe is due.
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 5th
Torres pops out to left. Inning over!
New York can’t take advantage of Vesia, who eventually gets that all-important shut down inning.
What an inning. What does Cole have left?
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 5th
Vesia walks Verdugo, which is like walking a tree. It’s absolutely insane. So from two outs and nobody on to two outs and bases loaded. Will Torres re-energize this crowd?
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 5th
It’s 3-0 to Verdugo. Why? Throw him a strike. He can’t hit it!
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 5th
Wells is hit in the forearm! So he takes first, and this two-out action is not what LA needed. Can Alex Verdugo deliver? He almost always doesn’t.
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 5th
Volpe pokes a ball through the hole between first and second, so NY have a two-out base runner for Austin Wells.
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 5th
Rizzo lifts a fly ball to center – Hernandez is there to make the catch. Two outs. Here’s Volpe.
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, bottom 5th
Vesia is on now to pitch, looking for that all-important shut down inning. He’s off to a good start, getting Stanton to bounce out. One down for Rizzo.
Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, top 5th
Hernandez bounces to short and Volpe makes the play. He tags second for the force play that ends this disaster of an inning for new York.
LA had no hits entering the fifth. They got one, then Judge dropped a routine ball, Volpe threw a ball in the dirt, Cole didn’t cover first, and LA delivered key, clutch hits.
Just wow, wow, wow! Talk about a meltdown.
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Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, top 5th
Muncy walks, and finally there’s a meeting at the mound. Cole, who was rolling heading into this inning, looks totally gassed!
Hernandez, who started this inning, is up for a second try at it this frame.
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RUNS! Dodgers 5-5 Yankees, top 5th
Hernandez hits a ball over the head of Judge! The bases clear! Hernandez has a two-run double! Can you believe this?
The Dodgers have scored five runs in the fifth inning thanks to some of the shoddiest defense I have ever seen in a World Series game!
Absolutely inexplicable. It’s deathly quiet in the Bronx! And no wonder! They can’t believe what they’re seeing!
Nobody visits Cole. Not a pitching coach. Not a fielder. Nothing. They leave him to melt.
Updated
Dodgers 3-5 Yankees, top 5th
Hernandez is in the hole 0-2. Then he lets a slider away pass. It’s 1-2.
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RUNS! Dodgers 3-5 Yankees, top 5th
Freeman put bat on ball and it’s a base hit to center field! Two runs come in to score! The sky is falling in the Bronx! It’s a two-run game! And Cole’s pitch count is soaring!
Runners at the corners with two down for Hernandez!
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Dodgers 1-5 Yankees, top 5th
Nobody can watch at Yankee Stadium after this defensive mess. It’s 1-2 to Freeman.
RUN! Dodgers 1-5 Yankees, top 5th
Betts grounds to first but Cole doesn’t cover first! How does he not cover first? That is absolutely inexcusable and unfathomable! Three huge gaffes in this inning by NY. So far it’s only cost NY a run. Can Freeman cash in more?
Updated
Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, top 5th
Ohtani waves at a breaking ball! That’s strike three! After loading the bases, Cole has come back with two huge K’s!
But here comes Betts.
Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, top 5th
Huge cut by Lux on a 1-1 pitch and it flies right by him! He was going for it all there!
Now Cole comes back with more cheese – it’s a 99mph fastball. Strike three!
That’s one down, but now Ohtani steps to the plate.
Updated
Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, top 5th
Smith hits a grounder to shortstop – Volpe throws it to third to try and get the lead runner but the ball is in the dirt and Chisholm can’t dig it out! Two errors have helped to load the bases for LA! Wow!
Can Gavin Lux deliver?
Updated
Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, top 5th
The Dodgers have traffic on the bases on the fifth. Kike Hernandez whacks LA’s first single, then Judge drops an Edman routine fly ball in center field! Whoa!
Yankees fans “Aaron Judge it’s the World Series we need you”
— Logan (@Logan706183401) October 31, 2024
Aaron judge:pic.twitter.com/dRyUEUSugt
So suddenly it’s first and second with nobody out! Will Smith comes up in a high stakes at-bat!
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Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, bottom 4th
Chisholm looks at strike three – inning over. The Dodgers finally have a blank frame to their name.
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Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, bottom 4th
Judge just misses a second home run, getting under a Koech pitch a lifting it sky high, short of the fence. A very loud second out!
Here’s Chisholm.
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Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, bottom 4th
Soto takes the first pitch he sees to right field for a hit. So first and second for Judge with just one out.
Ru roh.
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Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, bottom 4th
Michel Kopech comes in for LA and walks Verdugo, which is ridiculous because he could not hit water if he fell out of a boat. Then Torres hits a super high fly ball to short which is easy for Edman. One out, here’s Soto.
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Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, top 4th
Muncy flies out to center: inning over! Cole needs 49 pitches to get through four no-hit innings. Yeah, I said it.
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AMAZING CATCH! Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, top 4th
Freeman drives a ball to one of the deepest parts of Yankee Stadium – Judge is running full speed - he reaches out and makes a fantastic grab before hitting the wall! Judge has a home run and now robs Freeman of a run scoring extra base hit with phenomenal defense!
It’s all coming up Yankees!
Now Hernandez grounds out to short – two down!
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Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, top 4th
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is interviewed by FOX TV in the US, and it’s clear from his comments that he’s thinking about Game 6 as far as the arms he puts out there tonight.
If the Yankees wanted to get really creative, they’d life Cole after five so he’s be ready for bullpen work in Game 7.
Meanwhile, Betts draws a lead off walk. Here comes Freeman.
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Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, bottom 3rd
Wells checks his swing but he went too far. Strike three, inning over. But not before another Yankee blast!
Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, bottom 3rd
Ryan Brasier gets Volpe to fly out to right field. Two down for Wells.
Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, bottom 3rd
Rizzo hits a ball on the screws but Betts makes a fine catch in right field. One out here in the third as the crowd continues to buzz.
HOME RUN! Dodgers 0-5 Yankees, bottom 3rd
Stanton launches a ball over the short right field Yankee Stadium porch! The Bombers lineup is erupting in Game 5!
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The readers write!
Jenna Brown is looking for retribution!
“I am writing about two NY Yankees fans, Austin Capobianco and John Peter, and their assault on a player, Mookie Betts. Their attack on a player was not spontaneous but planned long ago. What they did was assault and battery.
They do not care about the sport or the players.
It is the responsibility of the stadium and the management to provide a safe space for players and guests alike. I applaud the decision to eject the two from the stadium and then ban them from attending Game 5. But the two offenders have generated a lot of publicity. Some of their admirers make light of their assault and some praise them as heroes.
Really??
At the very least, Capobianco and Peter owe baseball an authentic and public apology. If they can’t do that, and until they do, MLB should ban them from all baseball stadiums.”
A ban seems appropriate. You cannot do that.
Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, top 3rd
Ohtani is down in the count quickly: it’s 0-2!
Now he lifts a ball to left field, it’s easy for Verdugo who makes the catch! Inning over! NY survive that walk, which means the worm is turning!
Cole gets through three innings with just 36 pitches.
Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, top 3rd
Cole comes back with a fastball for a strike, so now the count is full. Fans on their feet in the Bronx as they look for three perfect innings from Cole.
But Lux walks! That’s the first base runner for LA, and you just can’t walk a guy like Lux with Ohtani on deck. As good as Cole has been, that’s criminal.
Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, top 3rd
Cole falls behind Lux 3-1, which we haven’t seen much of so far.
Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, top 3rd
Smith pops out to first base. Two down. It’s up to Lux to keep this inning going.
Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, top 3rd
Edman at the plate, down 0-2 in the count. Then he wastes a few pitches, which is what LA need to do: take any opportunity to tax Cole with extra pitches.
Then he strikes out – one down. Here’s Smith.
Tweeting in…
@LengelDavid - with Phillips on the IL and both Hudson and Honeywell struggling, can the remaining Dodgers bullpen contain the Yankees for the rest of this game?
— carl taylor (@punkytype) October 31, 2024
That’s the question. Dave Roberts doesn’t want to tax his bullpen too much if he’s going home for a Game 6, so we could be in gar-bage time early if New York get a few more.
Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, bottom 2nd
Chisholm bounces to first base – Freeman tosses to Banda who is late in covering but just gets the diving runner. So that will do it – the Yankees strand three but add a run. It could have been a lot more: remember that missed opportunity if LA get back in this game later.
Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, bottom 2nd
Ball four – bases loaded for Jazz Chisholm with two outs. This could be the game.
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Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, bottom 2nd
Judge is ahead in the count, 3-1. Dangerous pitch right here.
Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, bottom 2nd
It’s 1-1 to Judge! How will it end?
Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, bottom 2nd
Ball four! Soto is on, and Judge is coming to the plate with two men on base. He can really open this game up right here.
Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, bottom 2nd
Full count to Soto. The fans are up on their feet, looking for more Yankee runs!
Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, bottom 2nd
Ball in the dirt and Verdugo takes off! He reaches second without a throw on the wild pitch. It’s 2-1 to Soto who has a runner in scoring position.
Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, bottom 2nd
One on and one out for Torres against Banda, who has allowed just one run in 7.1 innings pitched this postseason.
Three pitches and Torres is gone, strike three. Two outs. Soto is next.
RUN! Dodgers 0-4 Yankees, bottom 2nd
Verdugo lifts a Flaherty pitch over Lux who was playing in. That’s an RBI base hit!
The Yankees tack on here in their second inning, and after just nine batters, Jack Flaherty is done for the night! Here comes the high leverage arms of the Dodgers pen, a lot early than they would have liked. Anthony Banda is on his way into the game.
He’ll face the top of the lineup starting with Torres.
Dodgers 0-3 Yankees, bottom 2nd
Anthony Volpe, who had the dramatic grand slam in Game 4 is up and delivers a line shot down the left field line! That’s extra bases for Volpe who lands at second base with a leaf off double! Wells, who had his first multi-hit game in 50 days on Tuesday is up now, but he bounces out to first.
The good news? Volpe moves to third on the play. One down and the infield moves in now guarding against a fourth Yankee run as Versugo steps in.
Dodgers 0-3 Yankees, top 2nd
Cole fires a strike low in the zone that Muncy watches go by. Strike three.
Now Hernandez pops out to right field. That’s six straight retired by Cole to start this game, and he needed just 19 pitches to do it.
Dodgers fans swallow hard.
Dodgers 0-3 Yankees, top 2nd
Teoscar Hernandez can’t touch the Cole slider away. He’s got it tonight, at least so far. One down. Here’s Muncy.
Dodgers 0-3 Yankees, bottom 1st
Rizzo strikes out, but what a start for new York here in Game 5. Now Cole must deliver a shut down inning to keep this momentum going.
Double trouble: Judge, then Chisholm
AARON JUDGE GETS #WORLDSERIES GAME 5 STARTED! pic.twitter.com/HHRJ9Uo4KA
— MLB (@MLB) October 31, 2024
JAZZ CHISHOLM JR. GOES BACK-TO-BACK! #WORLDSERIES pic.twitter.com/FUuRUcdbGn
— MLB (@MLB) October 31, 2024
Dodgers 0-3 Yankees, bottom 1st
Flaherty needs to settle down and get some outs, because another bullpen game is not ideal for the Dodgers moving forward.
Stanton hits a rope to center field – Hernandez slips, but gathers himself and makes the catch for the second out.
Rizzo is next.
HOME RUN! Dodgers 0-3 Yankees, bottom 1st
So that will settle some stomachs in the Bronx. And so will this! A huge blast by Chisholm into the right field seats! Back-to-back home runs for the Yankees!
And just like Flaherty was battered in Game 5 of the NLCS v the Mets after a great Game 1, the Yankees are battering the Dodger hurler here in the fifth game of the World Series!
HOME RUN! Dodgers 0-2 Yankees, bottom 1st
First pitch, Judge swings and he’s all over it. It’s an opposite field, two run blast that sends Yankee Stadium into a frenzy! Their MVP has delivered and given New York an early lead!
Yeah, Flaherty didn’t want to walk Soto there.
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Dodgers 0-0 Yankees, bottom 1st
Flaherty falls behind the slugger – it’s 3-0 to Soto before the righty sends in a strike.
Then Soto lays off a pitch low and away – that’s ball four! One on for Aaron Judge. Half a city expects!
Dodgers 0-0 Yankees, bottom 1st
OK, Cole did his thing, how about Flaherty?
He’s ahead on Torres 0-2 before planting a ball in the dirt. The 1-2 slider is bounced to second base – that’s routine for Lux who fires to first for the first out.
Now Juan Soto, in what could be his last game as a New York Yankee, steps into the batters box.
Dodgers 0-0 Yankees, top 1st
Freeman hits an opposite field fly ball that’s well short of the fence. Catch is made, side retired!
It’s a 1-2-3 inning with no high stress pitches for Cole. It’s exactly what he needed to come out and do.
Now here come the Yankees!
Dodgers 0-0 Yankees, top 1st
Betts hits a little roller up the first base line. Rizzo scoops it up, steps on first base, and that’s the second out.
Freddie Feeman is up with nobody on, which is best practice for New York.
First pitch!
On an unseasonably warm evening in the Bronx, Game 5 is underway!
Gerrit Cole crouches down and has a few thoughts before climbing the hill and facing Shohei Ohtani.
The fastball is hit high in the air to center field – Aaron Judge makes an easy catch for the first out of the game.
Mookie Betts steps up to the plate.
Prediction time
For those of you keeping score at home, I picked the Dodgers in five games. As this is Game 5, this is my moment! Tonight, my pick comes true: the champs and the game total – nice! The score? 6-4, of course.
National Anthem
Tonight it’s Babyface! And he’s very shiny in his black jacket – I like the look. Very soothing and solid performance: I’ll give him a score of 8/10, which I think puts him towards the top of the 2024 World Series national anthem standings.
This is what he sounded like at the NBA All-Star Game, but tonight, there was no guitar.
Tweeting in…
@LengelDavid Another FF HR FTW.
— Dan Aitch (@aitch_dan) October 30, 2024
FF = Freddie Freeman, who has hit a home run in six consecutive World Series games. Lucky seven for FF tonight?
The readers say…
David Athya writes:
“It’s unthinkable that the Dodgers don’t win the big prize but tonight, at least, is harder to call and if the Yankees can even just take it back to Los Angeles then it keeps the drama going! Looks a straight up duel between Cole and Flaherty; whatever man is standing the longest the better chance his team have of winning. Yankees should have had a morale boost with the batting output last night. Everyone is expecting Judge to produce eventually but I think Stanton is the man to watch.”
Well, I don’t know about unthinkable. You can imagine a scenario in which Cole delivers tonight sending everyone back to Los Angeles. Then LA would completely destroy Carlos Rodon while Yoshinobu Yamamoto keeps the Yankees bats at bay in Game 6.
If Judge is going to produce in this series, he’s running out of time.
Lineups!
#WorldSeries Game 5 lineups have dropped ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/9MPG3qcNpq
— MLB (@MLB) October 30, 2024
I’m surprised the Yankees haven’t put Stanton back where he belongs, which is right behind Judge. Tommy Edman moves up the lineup for LA, which makes sense because he’s the NLCS MVP.
Bronx Zoo update
By now you may be familiar with the Austin Capobianco and his friend who basically assaulted Mookie Betts as he chased down a foul ball near the stands in right filed Tuesday. Well, they’re banned from Game 5, which makes sense. In fact, ESPN reported that the offenders were told that if they even tried to get inside Yankee Stadium for Game 5, they’d be arrested. What’s amazing, is that initially, the duo were told they could actually come back and watch World Series baseball. At some point, somebody from somewhere told the Yankees to lock these gentlemen out.
Oh, and it turns out that Capobianco was friends with Rob Gronkowski in college, and spoke about his buddy glowingly on Wednesday.
OF COURSE Gronk was college friends with the #Yankees fan who interfered with Mookie Betts glove last night 😭🔊
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) October 30, 2024
"He's a beauty. I just wanna say congratulations for SHINING when your moment came."@RobGronkowski @heykayadams @Yankees pic.twitter.com/dqRPpI1job
Only in America!
Hello!
Welcome to our live coverage of Game 5 of the 120th World Series! The Dodgers are in the Bronx looking to make sure they don’t leave for Los Angeles without the trophy, and to do that they’ll have to beat New York at Yankee Stadium, one last time.
How did we get here? Well, in Game 4 the Yankees finally put some big runs on the board while picking themselves up off the floor, beating Los Angeles 11-4 in a contest that was close until New York broke out with five runs in the eighth inning. Do the Yankees and their fans feel better about themselves now that they haven’t been swept by LA? Oh yeah, definitely. Some of their bats woke up: Anthony Volpe hit a dramatic grand slam and Austin Wells crushed a shot off the fence before launching an eighth inning home run. Even Aaron Judge showed some signs of exiting his elongated slump.
The problem is that LA threw out the dregs of their bullpen in a game that was designed to make sure their best relievers didn’t have to pitch to ensure they’re fresh for Game 5. So even if the Yankees hit double digits on Tuesday, it wasn’t against LA’s top talent, and they likely won’t see arms that are that vulnerable for the rest of the series.
Now if the Yanks can hit some real Dodger pitching and win this Game 5, this series will get serious in earnest. It’ll mean an unsettled Dodgers team schlepping west, not for a parade but for a crucial Game 6.
Whether that happens or not is mostly in the hands of their ace Gerrit Cole, who was handed a nine-year $324m contract in 2020 for precisely this moment. Cole must carry New York deep into this ballgame, and he needs to be way more than above average: he needs to dominate. This is the game that will define him going forward, and in a big spot like this, with an arm that perhaps isn’t the healthiest, I am not sure I believe in a Cole that has been hit or miss this season. A power flash from Judge would also be useful.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are looking to their starter Jack Flaherty for a big night. The former Tiger, acquired by LA at the trade deadline, was great in Game 1 and pitched into the sixth inning before making one bad pitch to Giancarlo Stanton. Are we going to get the good Flaherty, who dominated the Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS and was strong against the Yankees on Friday, or will we see the hurler who was absolutely thrashed by the Mets in Game 5, when the Dodgers were in the same exact situation: looking to win and avoid traveling home for more baseball.
There’s lots of questions that need answering. And perhaps you have some questions, comments, thoughts or feelings you’d like to get into our live coverage. If so, feel free to tweet or email me and I’ll do my best to make you famous.
They’ll be more live World Series coverage to come - stick with us!
David will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look back at Tuesday night’s Game 4, where the Yankees staved off elimination.
