If the Yankees and Dodgers can come anywhere close to the drama and excitement of Game 1 again in this World Series, baseball fans will be rejoicing. Freddie Freeman’s epic, walk-off grand slam to lift the Dodgers to a 6-3 win and a 1-0 lead in the series was the first walk-off grand slam in the World Series, and it came on the very first pitch Nestor Cortes threw to him.
While the good news for the Dodgers is that they’re up 1-0 in the World Series, thanks to Freeman’s epic Kirk Gibson impression (h/t Joe Davis for his Vin Scully nod), the good news for the Yankees is that it counts for only one, and New York can still take home-field advantage in the series with a win Saturday.
Carlos Rodón (1-1, 4.40 ERA, 14.1 IP 22 K, 1 BB in 2024 postseason) is starting for the Yankees against Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0, 5.11 ERA, 12.1 IP, 11 K, 4 BB) for the Dodgers.
Time: 8:08 p.m. ET
Location: Dodger Stadium | Los Angeles
TV Channel: Fox
Streaming: Fox Sports App, Fubo
Live54 updates
Banda is left-handed, so we’ll see if Yamamoto gets the full inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr., a switch-hitter, is due up after Stanton, then the left-handed Anthony Rizzo.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is back out there to start the seventh inning, though Anthony Banda is warming.
Tim Hill retires Kiké Hernández and Max Muncy, and that will do it for him after a perfect 1 1/3 innings. Clay Holmes enters to face Will Smith with two outs.
This is looking bad for the Yankees, but here’s the thing: They have crushed a lot of spirits in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings this postseason. You cannot count them out with them down only three runs.
Yamamoto has only allowed one hit — the Juan Soto home run — and three baseunners total while striking out four in six innings. Much was made entering this game about how his best game of the regular season was against the Yankees and, well, he’s replicating that.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto goes 1-2-3 against the top of the Yankees lineup in eight pitches, with another strikeout of Aaron Judge. That was impressive, and the Dodgers will probably keep riding him.
Yamamoto is back out to start the 6th inning.
Last time he threw a pitch in the 6th inning of any game:
Hill strikes Tommy Edman out looking to keep the fifth inning scoreless. And Yoshinobu Yamamoto stays in to face the top of the Yankees order in the top of the sixth.
No one is warming in the Dodgers bullpen.
Freeman hits a soft fly to right field, and swung and missed on a first-pitch inside fastball (the same pitch Nestor Cortes have him).
Yankees fans, discuss.
Teoscar Hernández stays hot with a single off Jake Cousins, and now Aaron Boone is bringing Tim Hill in to face Freddie Freeman. As many Yankees fans wish he’d done last night.
However, the bigger concern for the Yankees might be that the sidearmer will have to face lefty-crusher Tommy Edman unless Freeman hits into a double play.
Another scoreless inning for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is now at 72 pitches through five. The top of the lineup is due up next inning, though, so we’ll see how cautious the Dodgers want to play with the third time through the order.
Cousins gets Ohtani to ground out to end the inning. It’s still 4-1 Dodgers through four.
Stats are still coming in on Freddie Freeman.
Will Smith welcomes Jake Cousins with a double to the center field wall. Big hit there because it means Shohei Ohtani will probably be facing the righty Cousins, though Cousins is good on both sides of the plate.
Rodón’s final line: 3 1/3 innings, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 3 HR, 63 pitches. Just a bad matchup for a solid pitcher.
Rodón strikes out Muncy and that will do it for him. Jake Cousins, who took the loss last night after allowing a hit and a walk in three batters, is taking over.
The Yankees bullpen now has 5 2/3 innings to cover, which probably isn’t what Aaron Boone was envisioning tonight.
The Yankees are indeed keeping Rodón in for the fourth inning. Maybe not a surprise with the back half of the lineup due up, but you could also see them pulling him after the left-handed Max Muncy.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws a scoreless fourth inning, and just as significantly, needs only 10 pitches to do it. He has thrown 62, and the Dodgers would certainly like it if he can go longer than his usual, say, five innings.
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