Postgame
Game 1 is a classic, a walk off repeat of the 1988 World Series Game 1, albeit with a grand slam twist, and a repeat of Jeffrey Maier fan interference call that we saw in the 1996 ALCS – and this time it was reversed. In between, great pitching performances from Cole and Flaherty, another key home run from Stanton, great defense and base running from Jazz Chisholm, a dramatic choice of Nestor Cortes to enter into the game in a huge spot and so ,uch more. The Yankees did almost everything to win this game, and then lost in absolutely bone crushing fashion. And tomorrow they face Yamamoto needing to win and avoid heading to the Bronx in a 2-0 hole.
It left me breathless, that’s what drama filled, high stakes sports can do. Thank you Game 1!
And that’s it from us! Wherever you are, thanks for following along! Good morning, good afternoon and goodnight!
Updated
The first walk-off grand slam in World Series history!
IT'S GONE
— MLB (@MLB) October 26, 2024
IT'S GONE
IT'S GONE
IT'S GONE
FREDDIE FREEMAN #WALKOFF GRAND SLAM pic.twitter.com/LlVU1ZGyGx
It happened in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series and it happened again tonight!
Hearing a hero
“That’s the stuff when your five years old in the back yard, that’s a dream come true.” – Freddie Freeman talking to FOX television in the US after hitting a walk off grand slam to win Game 1 of the World Series! And we didn’t even know if he could play tonight!
GRAND SLAM HOME RUN! Yankees 3-6 Dodgers, FINAL
Freeman takes the first pitch and sends it into the right field stands! He knew it right away, lifting his bat in celebration! It’s a game-winning 10th inning home run for Freeman, doing his best Kirk Gibson impression, winning a World Series game on one foot!
Wow!
Updated
Yankees 3-2 Dodgers, bottom 10th
Ohtani fouls it off to the left side, Verdugo is running hard towards the wall. Does he have room? Yes! He makes the catch and falls into the stands, Jeter style, sort of.
The runners move up because Verdugo fell into the stands but what a catch! Amazing!
So now Betts is intentionally walked, that loads the bases. Freddie Freeman will be tasked with getting a single that can score two Dodgers and win this game for LA!
Yankees 3-2 Dodgers, bottom 10th
Cortes v Ohtani, with the tying run at second base and the winning run at first. One out. Here we go!
Updated
Yankees 3-2 Dodgers, bottom 10th
Cousins is ahead 0-1 after an atrocious call by the home plate umpire on a ball clearly outside. Then a pitch in the inside of the plate is ruled a strike. That was borderline, but probably correct. Now Edman slaps a ball to the right side that Cabreara, who leans over to try and make the stab, but he can’t handle it! Everyone is safe, two one and one out for Shohei Ohtani!
This game keeps giving!
And how about this: Yankees starter, now reliever, Nestor Cortes, who was deemed out for the season, probably, and hasn’t pitched in a month, is coming in to face the baseball god from Oshu with it all on the line! Wow, this is good!
Chris Taylor is in to pinch run for Lux who is at second base.
Updated
Yankees 3-2 Dodgers, bottom 10th
Cousins walks Lux. Walks are never, ever good. They don’t usually end well. How about now?
Edman is heading to the plate to try and move Lux around.
Updated
Yankees 3-2 Dodgers, bottom 10th
OK, Jake Cousins is in for New York to try and close out LA. He faces Will Smith first.
The Dodgers catcher skies to right field for the first out.
Gavin Lux is next.
How the Yankees took the lead in the 10th
Jazz Chisholm Jr. steals two bases and Volpe grounds him in for the lead in the 10th!
— The Yankee Report (@YankeeReport_) October 26, 2024
3 more outs.
pic.twitter.com/iwfaTzN5aq
Will New York hang on?
Yankees 3-2 Dodgers, top 10th
Wells, an automatic out, is automatically out on a strikeout. Inning over, but the Yankees take the lead after Chisholm steals two bases in an electric Yankees 10th!
Can the Dodgers answer?
RUN! Yankees 3-2 Dodgers, top 10th
With the infield in, a sharp hit grounder to short – Edman, who is playing in, making the play that much tougher, rushes because he wants to end the inning with a double play, but he bobbles it! Chisholm comes home to score, Rizzo is out at second base! Volpe is on at first! And then he steals second base!
So action everywhere and a Yankees lead!
Updated
Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, top 10th
It’s 2-2 after Volpe checks his swing at a pitch away.
Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, top 10th
Volpe v Treinen. It’s 0-1 and Treinen has a look at Chisholm at second.
Next pitch, Chisholm takes off for third – no throw!
So the go ahead run is at third, a sac fly away!
Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, top 10th
Chisholm steals second, so now he’s in scoring position for Rizzo with one out! And Rizzo is ahead in the count, 3-0. Now they’ll walk him to set up an inning ending double play and multiple force plays
LA pitching coach Mark Prior is out for a chat with Treinen.
Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, top 10th
Stanton hit his 17th career postseason homer earlier this game. Now he faces Treinen to start the inning, and waves at a breaking pitch away! Strike three!
Now Chisholm steps to the plate and promptly slaps a single to right field! Betts makes a great run to keep the ball from going to the wall, hoding Jazz to a single.
Rizzo is next.
Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, bottom 9th
Hernandez hits a ball to shallow left! Verdug runs in, slides and makes a fantastic catch! That ends the inning with a defensive exclamation point for the Yankees!
We have extra innings in Game 1 of the World Series! And there’s no ghost runners in the post-season.
Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, bottom 9th
Well, if you were looking for crisp, tight, well played baseball, with some late, wild antics, you’ve found it!
Muncy is ahead 3-1 on Weaver, but then he skies a change up to second base for the second out.
So it’s up to Hernandez, who does have a flair for the dramatic.
Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, bottom 9th
So here’s Teoscar Hernandez to face Weaver. Oswaldo Hernandez is in to play second base for New York after Jasson Dominguez pinch ran for Torres last inning.
Hernandez pokes a ball to right fielder for the out. Here’s Max Muncy, and he’s had three home runs off Weaver. Gulp!
Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, top 9th
Judge swipes at a high fastball and pops it up to short! Easy for Edman, inning over! and what an inning it was!
Hernandez, Muncy and Hernandez due up for LA’s bottom of the ninth as they try to escape Game 1 with a victory!
Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, top 9th
They walk Soto to face Judge, righty on righty. It seems crazy and also makes perfect sense.
First and second, two outs, tie game, 1-2 to Judge. How will it end?
Not this time!
Revenge on the Yankees for Jeffrey Maier decades later #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/mtFw3WjQSn
— Banter Buddies (@Banter_Buddies) October 26, 2024
Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, top 9th
With Soto on deck and Judge in the hole, Torres gets ahead in the count 2-1.
Then he hits a deep drive and that’s a home run!!! But wait! A fan has reached over and caught the ball!
That’s fan interference! Except unlike the 1996 ALCS, when Jeffrey Maier slapped a Derek Jeter fly ball into the stands at Yankee Stadium for a home run against the Baltimore Orioles, we have instant replay to fix this nonsense. So that means Torres is placed at second base, and Soto comes to the plate.
Roberts is coming to get Kopech, Blake Treinen is coming in to try and keep this game tied!
Wild!
Updated
Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, top 9th
The Yanks weak bottom half is coming up: Wells grounds to second for their first out off new Dodger righty reliever Michael Kopech
Now Verdugo bounces out to third. Two down. It’s up to Torres in the Yankees ninth.
Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, bottom eighth
Freeman flies to center for the third out, but we’re tied at two a piece heading into the ninth inning!
RUN! Yankees 2-2 Dodgers, bottom eighth
Betts hits a scorcher to center – Judge makes the catch, Ohtani tags up to score, tie game! The good news for New York, bases clear, two down. Here’s Freddie Freeman.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom eighth
OK, Ohtani is on third, and the Yankees infield is in. Weaver faces Betts who is behind in the count 1-2 in the biggest of spots here.
Ohtani nearly had his first World Series home run, but he’s still on third base.
Shohei Ohtani hits one off the wall for his first World Series hit 💪 pic.twitter.com/gpIjAnVa9x
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 26, 2024
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom eighth
Ohtani hits a line drive that just falls short of a game tying homer! He’s into second base. But Volpe can’t handle a bounced throw from the right fielder, Soto, so Ohtani heads over to third base!
So now Ohtani is 90 feet away from tying this game, and Boone is out to get Khanle! The Yankees closer, Luke Weaver is heading in to face Mookie Betts with one out!
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom eighth
Edman is behind 0-2 to Kahnle, who remains in the game, for now. He gets Edman to bounce out to short. One down, here’s Ohtani looking to tie this game with a single swing!
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, top eighth
Volpe flies out to center, inning over. Ohtani will bat second in LA’s half of the eighth inning. The NLCS MVP Edman, who is all over the place again tonight, leads off.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, top eighth
Volpe is up with two down and nobody on, and the count is even at 2-2. How will it end?
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, top eighth
Now Vesia strikes out Rizzo. Two down.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, top eighth
A lefty, Vesia, added to the LA’s roster today, is in to face Chisholm, who made a key play with his glove a short while ago.
Chisholm is blown away for the first out. Here’s Rizzo.
The line on Cole
What can you say, the man delivered tonight.
6IP 6H 1R 1ER 0BB 4K 0HR
No free passes, that’s the key. You can’t give a lineup like this anything for free, and he didn’t.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom seventh
Lux grounds to second base, Torres shifts to his right, has the ball, throws it to first and the inning is over! The Yankees survive two on and nobody out to hold onto a one-run lead!
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom seventh
Kahnle has been lights out these playoffs: six games, seven innings, no runs. It’s all about his changeup.
What will Lux do v Kahnle?
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom seventh
Hernandez bunts! And successfully! the runners advance as Wells pops out to make the play and get Hernandez at first.
But now Smith pops a sinker to shortstop for an easy second out! Can the Yankees escape this threat?
Boone is coming out to get Holmes! A new pitcher is coming in to face Gavin Lux, who will try to save this inning! that’s Tommy Kahnle.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom seventh
One on and nobody out for Muncy. Holmes nearly hits Muncy as the ball goes to the backstop. Hernandez advances, and now they say Muncy was hit!
That means two on and no outs – the Dodgers are threatening, and Hernandez, Mr Dodgers clutch, steps into the batters box to face Holmes!
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom seventh
Holmes, the one-time closer before being demoted in favor of new closer Luke Weaver has been a bit better in this role of middle man. Now he faces Smith is a big spot against max Muncy.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom seventh
That’s it for Cole! Wow! I thought he was good enough to try one more batter, but Boone thought otherwise. So the Yankees ace is done, and their bullpen will take over.
Clay Holmes enters for the Yankees.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom seventh
Cole has thrown just 82 pitches and is back out to pitch the seventh inning for New York. His first assignment is the dangerous Hernandez, and the count is even at 2-2.
Cole has been in big spots before with the Yankees and hasn’t always been at his best, but that’s not the case so far tonight. He’s been absolutely fantastic.
Now the count is full: here’s the payoff pitch and it’s lined to center for a lead off base hit for LA! Muncy is next and Boone is out to talk to Cole. is that it for the Yankees ace?
Updated
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, top seventh
Stanton goes down swinging and the inning is over! It’s stretch time in LA with the home team down a run.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, top seventh
Signs of life from Judge – a single to center. It’s not sexy, but he’ll take it, and maybe that’s a sign of more things to come from the future AL MVP.
Giancarlo Stanton, who has done the Yankee damage tonight, is now back in the batters box to face the righty.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, top seventh
Brusdar Graterol, who hasn’t seen action in a month, is in to face the Yankees beef.
Torres taps back to the pitcher, Graterol casually bare hands it and throws to first for the first out of the inning. You can’t be any smoother than Graterol on that play, whop looked like he was fielding in a beer league Sunday game.
Now Soto steps in, and he pops up a 3-2 pitch to shortstop for the second out.
Here’s Judge. A fourth strikeout for him would mean a “golden sombrero” on the night.
The line on Jack
The Dodgers hurler did it all, with the exception of one pitch, which Stanton took to the moon.
5.1 IP 5H 2R 2ER 1BB 6K 1HR
Almost jack, almost.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom sixth
Cole is ahead 1-2 on Betts. Now he watches a fastball away – it’s 2-2. Huge moment here!
Betts fouls off a fastball away, then scorches a line drive to third that bounces right in front of Chisholm – he has it, and throws to first in time to get Betts. Wow! What glove from Jazz!
Then Freeman skies to deep right but not deep enough! Soto has it, inning over!
LA can’t get a lead off double in to score as Cole puts the hammer down! Six great innings from the Yankees ace!
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom sixth
Ohtani bounces a ball up the middle – it’s going to be close! Ohtani is steaming down the line but the throw by Volpe is a bullet! One down, but now the tying run is 90 feet away, standing at third base for Mookie Betts.
The Yankees move the infield in.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, bottom sixth
Edman is everywhere! The NLCS MVP hits a double down the right field line, and now Ohtani is coming up with traffic on the bases. First big test here for Cole in a big spot.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, top sixth
Verdugo strikes out! Inning over, but not before a crushed two-run blast from Stanton! Advantage new York!
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, top sixth
Will Wells make LA pay? Wells hits a ball to the right of the second base bag – Edman, the shortstop runs and dives to his left and stops the ball! There’s no play at first, but the play keeps Chisholm from scoring a third Yankees run. Spectacular run-saving defense from LA!
So that means it’s now up to Alex Verdugo to deliver a two out RBI.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, top sixth
Rizzo waves at a pitch away and Banda has a strikeout. Two down for Volpe, but Dave Roberts is going to put him on intentionally so Banda, a lefty, can face Wells, a switch hitter who will bat from the left side.
Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, top sixth
So now it’s the Dodgers bullpen that’s under the microscope after Flaherty is chased. FOX TV tells us that the damaged Dodgers rotation has pitched just 40% of postseason innings thus far. The leaned on bullpen has mostly pitched well, but here the lefty Banda is greeted rudely with a single to right field by Jazz Chisholm.
Now Chisholm steals second base – the Yankees are cooking in the sixth! Can Rizzo keep the line moving?
This one is not coming back!
GIANCARLO STANTON
— MLB (@MLB) October 26, 2024
DOES IT AGAIN
FOUR STRAIGHT GAMES
ARE YOU KIDDING?! pic.twitter.com/sSVXe5QMW3
I think it’s safe to say that if Stanton continues to do this these playoffs, all his disappointing, high priced, injury-riddled regular seasons will be forgiven by Yankees fans.
HOME RUN! Yankees 2-1 Dodgers, top sixth
Giancarlo Stanton launches a mammoth 412 foot shot to right field! And Flaherty’s lone mistake is deposited into the seats and gives New York the lead! Dave Roberts is out to get his man: Anthony Banda will pitch in relief!
Yankees 0-1 Dodgers, top sixth
Wow! Judge, swing and a miss and he’s down for the third time on strikes! Will Stanton pick and continue his monster postseason?
Flaherty is ahead 0-2!
Yankees 0-1 Dodgers, top sixth
Can the Yankees answer? Flaherty is now facing the Yanks beef for the third time, and Soto leads off with a single! And here comes Judge!
Yankees 0-1 Dodgers, bottom fifth
Anthony Rizzo heads over to Cole to have a chat with the hurler in case he needs a bit of a pick-me-up after surrendering the first run of the 120th World Series.
Two outs, nobody on base for the eight spot, and that’s Lux. He pops out to center field, Judge puts it away and that’s the inning. But we have a run!
RUN! Yankees 0-1 Dodgers, bottom fifth
Will Smith pops to shallow right, Hernandez is tagging at third. Soto guns it home – this is going to be close! Smith is in to score! The Dodgers are on the board and have a lead!
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom fifth
Cole is ahead yet again, o-2 against Hernandez. But then Hernandez pokes a high fastball into the opposite field right field corner! Soto can’t get to it in time! Kike is running for third and he’s in there! It’s a one-out triple and the Dodgers are a fly ball away for a lead. Here’s Will Smith!
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom fifth
You know Cole has it if Max Muncy is bunting, which happened, and he slaps it foul. That’s shows you how much trouble Cole has been for Dodger hitters, and Muncy swings through a fastball for another Cole K! One down!
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top fifth
Top of the Yanks lineup means Torres is at the plate. He bounces to third, Muncy charges, picks a tricky hop and fires to first – in time! Inning over! Flaherty is through five innings, confident and wildly effective! He’s 74 pitches in! Could he get through seven?
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top fifth
Look at this! A base hit! Verdugo singles to center with two outs! Is this a trend? Stay tuned to find out.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top fifth
Now Flaherty has five strikeouts. Wells is totally defenseless, which is normal for Wells. How did he stay in the Yankees four hole for so long? (Cashman)
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top fifth
Anthony Volpe is quickly behind 0-2. Now he’s on the bench, having fallen victim to a fourth Flaherty K. Can Wells do any better?
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom fourth
Here’s Hernandez, my pick for series MVP, and the count is even, 2-2. A cutter low and away makes the count full. Now Hernandez pops another cutter to short where Edman has it as the fourth inning comes to a close. Just 51 pitches for Cole!
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom fourth
Cole breaks Freeman’s bat, twice in two pitches. It’s a ground ball to first that Rizzo will take himself for the second out. Cole has thrown just 45 pitches thus far, super economical.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom fourth
It’s Cole v Betts to start the bottom of the fourth, and the Yankees hurler gets ahead 0-2. Betts evens the count at two before Betts hits a ball to no mans land to shallow right field – it’s the first baseman Rizzo who is chasing and he makes a fantastic over the shoulder catch! He robbed Betts of a bloop hit! One down!
Here’s Freeman, who had a triple in his first at-bat.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top fourth
Nasty knuckle curve ball to Rizzo for a swinging strike two before the Yanks first baseman pokes a ball to shallow left field. It’s easy for Teoscar Hernandez who makes an easy catch to retire the side. It’s Flaherty’s first 1-2-3 inning of the night, which has taken just 60 pitches.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top fourth
Moving right along, Stanton flies out to right, Chisholm bounces to second, and two quick outs for Flaherty, who has now navigated through the beef of the Yankees lineup twice and lives to tell the tale!
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 3rd
Just looking at Ohtani, it’s hard to imagine anyone getting him out. The count is 2-2, with Ohtani just missing a fastball, fouling it back. Now Cole shows Ohtani Uncle Charlie and the slugger swings and misses! It’s Cole’s third strikeout, and like Flaherty, has been superb.
It seems we have a duel of the pitchers.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 3rd
Dodger manager Dave Roberts, speaking to FOX TV in the US thinks Flaherty’s “spin is good and the fastball is playing up” – he’s happy with his hurler and why not, he’s been tremendous.
Meanwhile, bottom of the Dodger lineup is heading to the plate, starting with Lux, who lines out to right.
Now Edman is up and promptly pops into foul territory on the right side of the infield. Rizzo is in to make the catch, and so it’s two down for Ohtani, which is good news for Cole and the Yankees, because nobody is on base.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 3rd
Judge struck out last at-bat and now he’s behind 0-2 to Flaherty. Judge fouls off a pitch, looks at a ball in the dirt, and that waves at a curve ball low. Swing and a miss! So 52 pitches from Flaherty has him unscathed through three innings with three k’s to boot. You can’t ask for anything more from Flaherty, who was beaten up badly by the Mets in his last start.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 3rd
It’s 2-2 and Flaherty throws a curve ball in the dirt to even the count. The payoff pitch is hit up the middle – Edman is behind the second base bag, scoops it up, runs to second to get one out, then fires over to first, in time to get Soto! Double play!
So now Judge is up with nobody on, which is what Dodgers fans want exactly.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 3rd
Flaherty sees the Yankee lineup for the second time now and Torres strikes a pitch to the hole in short – I mean super deep! Edman dives, has it, and nearly nails the Yankees second baseman. What a play!
Third straight inning the Yanks have the leadoff runner on. Can they get him around? Here’s Soto to give it a whirl.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 2nd
As we were saying, Cole is throwing darts: his sixth pitch to Smith is too much for the backstop. Two strikeouts for Cole as we head to the third inning, scoreless.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 2nd
Cole chucks high cheese at Hernandez who just waves. Strike three! For sure, Cole has it so far tonight, which we can’t always say. Two out. Catcher Will Smith is at the plate.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 2nd
Cole is back on the hill as we resume, facing Max Muncy. He pops up into foul ground on the third base side: Chisholm is running hard and m,akes the catch for out number one.
Playoff animal Kike Hernandez is next.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 2nd
A Yankee lead? Nope. Verdugo bounces to second and it’s easy for Lux who has it and throws to first base for the out. Side retired.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 2nd
Wells hits a ball in the hole closer to first base. Lux runs to his right, chases it down and throws in time to the bag for the second out. Rizzo advances to second on the play. That means Alex Verdugo could potentially give New York a lead with a knock here.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 2nd
Flaherty is ahead on Volpe 1-2 before dealing a fastball away that just misses. Even 2-2 count now and Flaherty throws a curveball that Volpe can only whiff at – strike three! One down for LA here in the second.
Austin Wells, a light-hitting catcher heads to the dish.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 2nd
So now we get into the less scary part of the Yankees lineup: Anthony Rizzo is leading off.
Except Rizzo hits it back to and off Jack Flaherty, nailing the bottom of his ankle, and there’s no play. So for the second straight inning New York has the lead runner on. Here’s the 23-uyear-old shortstop, Anthony Volpe.
The reader says…
@LengelDavid seriously, why is Freeman playing? He looks like Boris Karloff’s Mummy out there.
— Barbara Murray (@cardiffbabs) October 26, 2024
I don’t know who Karloff is, but could he hit a triple on one leg?
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 1st
Hernandez hits a liner to short and Anthony Volpe handles it for the third out, ending the inning for Cole and the Yankees. So Freeman is left standing at third base and we’re scoreless through one.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 1st
Now Mookie Betta is at the plate and he hits another deep fly ball, this one is to left field! And Dodger Stadium holds it in again – Alex Verdugo makes the catch for a second loud out!
Freddie Freeman is next, and he strikes a shot to left! It takes an odd bounce off the side wall, Verdugo has to chase it! Hobbling Freeman, who hasn’t had an extra base hit is testing that ankle, running past second base and into third! Wow! His ankle passes the test, for now. Can Teoscar Hernandez drive him home?
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 1st
So here’s Ohtani to face Gerrit Cole, who for a time v New York in the NLCS struggled with nobody on base. First pitch, and it’s a high fly ball, deep to center field! Aaron Judge is on the warning track, has room and makes the catch! Ohtani nearly sent Cole fastball over the fence, but it’s just a loud out.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 1st
Chisholm bounces to second, Gavin Lux has it, fires to first for the out, and that’s the inning. So New York leave two on and here comes Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers in their half of the opening inning.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 1st
Flaherty falls behind Stanton, 3-1 before the slugger let’s a close strike go by. On a full count, Stanton hits a grounder to short that Edman bobbles! No throw to first, and now it’s two runners on and two outs for Jazz Chisholm. LA had a bit of the bobblies v the Mets, and they really can’t afford such haphazard defense.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 1st
A pinpoint fastball and a tight slider has Flaherty up 0-2 v Judge. The next pitch is a breaking ball in the dirt, ball one. Now it’s a slider and Judge is ahead of it, swinging and missing – strike three! Judge continues to struggle in the postseason. Giancarlo Stanton, up next, has been the opposite, winning the ALCS MVP.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 1st
Flaherty walks Soto on four pitches, which is not desirable considering Aaron Judge is walking into the batters box.
Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 1st
Torres hits a ball on the screws to third base, but it’s right into the glove of Max Muncy. One outfor Jack Flaherty, who now faces a stiffer test, Juan Soto.
First pitch!
The match-up of the two best players in baseball, Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, is finally underway at Dodger Stadium under sunny skies and perfect weather!
Los Angeles’ own Jack Flaherty delivers a ball to Gleyber Torres! Let’s go!
Updated
National Anthem
Country music star and Dodgers superfan is signing the national anthem while strumming his electric guitar. It’s a bit slow and low energy. I’m not really into it this at all. I’m giving it a 6.5/10, and that’s wildly low for me. This is what it sounded like when Mr Paisley performed at the 2017 World Series.
First pitch is coming soon. Please stand by!
First pitch
Steve Yeager, a catcher who played on the 1981 Dodger champions, and Orel Hershiser who pitched for the 1988 Dodger title winners are out to throw the ceremonial first pitches. But to honor the passing of the legendary, trailblazing Mexican hurler Fernando Valenzuela, who died this week, the ball was not thrown, but placed next to his no34 etched on the mound.
Lineups
The players are being introduced at Dodger Stadium. Hard to hear who is getting the loudest boos and cheers over the music, which used to be fun. Oh well. Here’s the starting lineups, which for LA include former MVP Freddie Freeman playing first base. Freeman takes over four hours to get game ready. He’s so hobbled, he’s yet to register an extra base hit during these playoffs, very un-Freeman to say the least!
The starting lineups for #WorldSeries Game 1 👀 pic.twitter.com/Es9moBWZde
— MLB (@MLB) October 25, 2024
The rosters
The 26-man rosters featured some changes to both teams. Infielder John Berti was left off the Yankees roster after getting some time at first base this postseason. In his place is Nestor Cortes, an all-star staring pitcher who has been sidelined since September 25th with a elbow injury thought to be season ending. Should it go wrong for the 29-year-old, he could find himself sidelined next season, but he’s “all in for the chip.” Cortes will be a valuable lefty in the bullpen, having gone through rehab and passed a fitness test of a 29-pitch simulated game. New York will have 13 pitchers and 13 position players on their roster.
LA also have the 13-13 split. they’ve lost a reliable bullpen arm in Evan Phillips, a righty that may have been used v Aaron Judge in late-inning play. Instead the Dodgers added another right handed reliever, Brusdar Graterol, and lefty fireman Alex Vesia. Kevin Kiermaier will sit.
Yesterday and today
There’s been piles of pixels dedicated to the Fall Classic history between these two teams, the first one to take place without iconic baseball broadcaster, Vin Scully, who retired in 2016 after 67 seasons as the voice of the Dodgers. This is what the intro to Game 1 back in 1963 when the two teams played their first series since the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to LA following the 1957 season.
1963 World Series Film intro
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) October 25, 2024
The #Yankees and #Dodgers' eighth meeting in the Fall Classic, but the first "New York vs. Los Angeles" encounter
Vin Scully narrates pic.twitter.com/mlILd9ErxE
The Umps
As you can imagine, with the World Series being MLB’s crown jewel event, the league has made sure only the highest ranked umpires would be making the calls. Except, according to Umpire Auditor on “X”, this is not the case at all. Quite the contrary!
World Series Umpires Announced:
— Umpire Auditor (@UmpireAuditor) October 24, 2024
Game 1: Carlos Torres (ranked 32nd of 90, 1st WS)
Game 2: Andy Fletcher (73rd, 1st WS)
Game 3: Mark Carlson (49th)
Game 4: Doug Eddings (60th)
Game 5: Mark Ripperger (18th, 1st WS)
Game 6: Chad Fairchild (37th)
Game 7: Todd Tichenor (24th)
Well you know what they say: you can’t argue with logic!
Hello!
Good evening, morning and afternoon to you and welcome to our live coverage of Game 1 of Major League Baseball’s 120th World Series. In case you haven’t heard, it’s the Dodgers and the Yankees bidding for the oversized heavy and expensive jewellery, something they’ve done 11 times prior: seven times via Bronx/Brooklyn NYC subway and four times via continental jet. It’s the first time since they’ve met in the Fall Classic since the Dodgers beat the Yanks in 1981.
Both clubs are under enormous pressure to win a World Series title. The Dodgers won in the Covid-19 season of 2020 which, let’s be honest, few take seriously. The Yankees are in their first World Series since 2009, the longest such gap in appearances since the franchise’s founding in 1903. Babe Ruth helped the New York Americans into their first Fall Classic in 1921 v the Giants – a series played in Manhattan’s Polo Grounds, not in the yet to be built big ballpark in the Bronx.
Who has more pressure to win? Personally, I think since Yankees ownership has morphed into accountants under Hal Steinbrenner, son of the less patient George, it’s the Dodgers that need to win this series more. New York just seem happy to be there, which is un-Yankee like to say the least.
Both of these teams are loaded with star sluggers and strong bullpens, but the high-profile, overpowering starting pitcher that teams fear facing are notably absent.
Gerrit Cole, the solid but not currently spectacular Yankees ace has been inconsistent in a season shortened by elbow inflammation experienced this spring. He’ll start for New York tonight in Game 1. The Dodgers best arm, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has also had his issues, but can hardly complain about his first season in MLB after arriving from Japan this spring. He’ll pitch in Game 2 tomorrow. Tonight LA sends Jack Flaherty to the hill. Acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline, he’s been a reliable arm for the Dodgers, although the Mets roughed him up in Game 5 of the NLCS, after he shut New York down in Game 1.
There’s some pomp and circumstance before first pitch, which is scheduled for 17:08 LA time. Team introductions and the my traditional national anthem are yet to come. So sit back, relax pop some corn and grab a bevy. Oh, and if you want to see your name (or handle) in the paper, you can get me via tweet @LengelDavid or via email. Do it: I’ll make you famous.
More to come: stick with us!
David will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look at the Guardian’s predictions for this year’s Fall Classic.
