Pennant fever is sweeping across Southern California. This should have been a joyous night as the Dodgers and Yankees opened the World Series at Dodger Stadium on Friday evening. But the night was tinged with sadness with the passing of Dodger icon Fernando Valenzuela. The Dodgers honored Fernando by wearing a patch on their uniforms of his number 34. His family was in attendance on the field and Orel Hershiser and Steve Yeager threw out the ceremonial first pitch by placing the ball on Fernando’s number 34 which was painted on the Dodger Stadium mound. No words I can type can describe what Fernando meant to the Dodgers and the city of Los Angeles. His pitching and humanitarianism transcended sports. Fernando was a hero for all people, and we’ll miss him terribly.
The beginning of the night may have started with grief and remembrance, but ended with elation. The Dodgers won game 1 of the World Series 6-3 on a walk-off grand slam home run from Freddie Freeman in the bottom of the tenth inning. The opening game was as exciting as they come, and the Dodgers pulled it out in historic fashion. If anyone deserved the moment, it was Freddie.
Before that the game was a tight pitching duel between New York ace Gerrit Cole and Dodger’s starter Jack Flaherty. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when Enrique Hernandez tripled, and scored on a Will Smith Sacrifice fly. Great slide from Kike to avoid the tag at the plate.
The Yankees would respond with two runs in the top of the sixth. Juan Soto singled to center. Flaherty struck out Aaron Judge, but Giancarlo Stanton mashed a two-run home run just inside the left field foul pole to put the Yankees up 2-1.
Jack is cruising. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/ktWuY7YW7B
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 26, 2024
Kiké showing off the wheels! #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/6jl1tRscKX
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 26, 2024
Anthony Banda replaced Flaherty and immediately allowed a single to Jazz Chisholm Jr. He steals second and Banda Strikes out Anthony Rizzo. But Anthony Volpe is intentionally walked and rookie catcher Austin Wells reaches on an infield single to Short. Tommy Edman dives to keep the ball in the infield, but the bases are loaded. Who says baseball isn’t a game of inches. However the Dodgers are in trouble. Thankfully Banda digs deep and strikes out former Dodger Alex Verdugo, to get the Dodgers out of the inning.
The Dodgers threatened in the bottom of the sixth when Edman doubled, but two ground outs and a fly out stranded him. The Dodgers put two runners on but couldn’t get once across. Teoscar Hernandez, singled to center. The Yankees hooked Cole and bring in Clay Holmes. Max Muncy is hit by a pitch to put the Dodgers in a good position to tie the game. Then the Dodgers have Kike sacrifice the runners to second and third. But Will Smith pops out and the Yankees bring in former Dodger Tommy Kahnle. Gavin Lux grounds out to end the rally.
Move to the bottom of the eighth. The Dodgers threaten again. With one out, Shohei Ohtani (in his first World Series game) doubles off the top of the wall in right field. Soto’s throw is errant allowing Ohtani to reach third. Luke Weaver now on the mound gives up a sacrifice fly to Mookie Betts, and the Dodgers tie the game 2-2.
The Yankees come close to scoring in the top of the ninth. With Micheal Kopech on the mound and two outs, Gleyber Torres hits a long drive to left, which saw a Dodger fan reach over the wall and catch the ball. Replays confirm that the ball would have hit off the top of the wall and the umpires call fan interference. The Dodgers caught a huge break, (the fan caught one too) and after an intentional walk to Soto, Blake Treinen gets Judge to pop out to short. The Dodgers go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth with Verdugo making one of several great plays in left field.
Mookie ties it! #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/7WUp745bIc
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 26, 2024
The Yankees take the lead in the top of the tenth. A one-out single from Chisholm puts speed on the bases. Chisholm steals second before Rizzo is intentionally walked. With Volpe at the plate, Chisholm steals third. The Yanks have first and third. Then a force out at second from Volpe scores Chisholm to put the Yankees up 3-2. Volpe steals second to give the Yankees three stolen bases in the inning. Thankfully Treinen whiffs Wells to end the frame.
The bottom of the tenth was one of the most exciting innings of Dodger baseball we’ve seen in recent memory. With Jake Cousins on the mound for New York, Smith harmlessly flies to right. But Edman walks and Lux’s ground ball to second goes under Oswaldo Cabrera’s glove to put two on with one out for the Dodgers. With Ohtani looming, the Yankees bring in Nestor Cortes who has not pitched in a month. Ohtani hits a high foul pop to left, Verdugo makes a great catch on the run while falling over the wall into the stands. Because Verdugo fell into the stands with the ball, both runners are allowed to advance to second and third, but the Dodgers are down to their last out.
The Yankees intentionally walk Mookie and here comes Freddie Freeman with the bases loaded. Freeman golfs the first pitch halfway up the right field pavilion to win it for the Dodgers. That was the first walk-off grand slam home run in World Series history, at least that I know of. Dodger Stadium goes into pandemonium as this special season continues.
FREDDIE FREEMAN WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM. #WORLDSERIES pic.twitter.com/5MIY5CaX6a
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 26, 2024
While Freddie is definitely the player of the game, the real MVP is my wife Yedda. Before the tenth inning we both rubbed her Mom’s ashes (thank you Kyle) for good luck and manifested a win. She’s been through every postseason run with me over the last decade. She’s my rock. She’s lifted me up when I’ve been down and cheered with me when the Dodgers have won. She’s put up with me every October so she deserves an award. The World Series continues on Saturday night with Carlos Rodon countering Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Move over Gibson.
Unfortunately, it won’t mean squat if we don’t win the WS.