Freddie Freeman mashed. Walker Buehler dealt. And the Los Angeles Dodgers are on the verge of the franchise’s eighth World Series championship.
After winning Games 1 and 2 at home, the Dodgers went into Yankee Stadium on Monday and secured a 4-2 victory to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and put the Yankees on the brink of elimination.
At this point, only a historic rally by the Yankees would prevent a Dodgers championship. The Boston Red Sox remain the only MLB team to rally from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series, when they stunned the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS. No team has come back from 3-0 in the World Series.
Freddie Freeman extends home run tear
As he has been all series, Freddie Freeman was the hero Monday, thanks to a two-run home run off Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt in the top of the first inning. The blast to the right-field bleachers scored Shohei Ohtani and sucked the air out of a Yankee Stadium crowd that was hyped by a Fat Joe pregame performance and a first pitch by franchise icon Derek Jeter.
The home run was Freeman’s third in three games in this World Series, including his walk-off grand slam that secured the Dodgers’ Game 1 win in extra innings. Dating to Freeman’s World Series title with the Atlanta Braves in 2021, he has hit a home run in five consecutive World Series games, tying George Springer for the longest such streak in World Series history.
Freeman will look to claim the record as his own in Game 4 on Tuesday. He’s also looking like a shoo-in for the World Series MVP trophy.
Walker Buehler also delivered for the Dodgers on Monday, spinning five nearly flawless innings that produced two Yankees hits, two walks, zero runs and five strikeouts. Buehler repeatedly flustered the loaded Yankees lineup and didn’t allow a base hit until the fourth inning.
The Yankees had a strong chance to score after recording the only two hits they would get off Buehler in the fourth. But on Anthony Volpe’s single, Teoscar Hernández threw Stanton out at home to end the inning.
Buehler returned to pitch a 1-2-3 fifth and appeared ready for the sixth after throwing just 76 pitches. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts opted to go to his bullpen, rather than stress his oft-injured All-Star. The move paid off.
Six Dodgers relievers delivered through the final four innings to secure the win. Mookie Betts (1-for-4) and Kiké Hernández (2-for-4) delivered insurance RBI after Freeman’s second-inning home run. Ohtani was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored while playing with a left shoulder injury sustained in Game 2.
Judge, Yankees bats struggle again
For the Yankees, Aaron Judge continued to struggle. The presumptive AL MVP struck out six times in nine at-bats in Games 1 and 2. He finished Monday 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Soto also finished without a hit on an 0-for-3 effort.
Stanton was New York’s most productive offensive player, going 2-for-4, but the Yankees couldn’t capitalize on any of their scoring chances until Alex Verdugo hit a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. That was all New York would score as the late rally fell short.
Game 4 is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET Tuesday. The Yankees will look to avoid a sweep in front of their home crowd.
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Can the Yankees pull off a miracle?
It’s not likely.
In all best-of-7 postseason series, teams taking a 3-0 lead have gone on to win the series 39 of 40 times (98%), including 31 sweeps
Just 2 teams down 3-0 have forced a Game 7: 2020 Astros, who lost to the Rays in the ALCS, and the 2004 Red Sox, who beat the Yankees in the ALCS
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 29, 2024
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