On Wednesday night, The Los Angeles Dodgers secured their second World Series title in five years — putting to rest criticism that their 2020 World Series win didn’t mean as much because of the COVID-shortened season, and exorcising their playoff demons after disappointing early exits the past three postseasons. Dodgers fans celebrated with fireworks and revelry across the city. They’ll again flock to Downtown LA on Friday morning — with a well-deserved victory parade that the pandemic denied them in 2020.
How did the win happen last night? Veteran starting pitcher Walker Buehler pulled off a crucial save to clinch the title — after arguably the worst season of his career, and a not-so-great start to game five for the Boys in Blue.
The LA team was down 5-0 to the New York Yankees halfway through the game. Then in the fifth inning, they tied. A home run from the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton — who was born and raised in LA and grew up as a Dodgers fan — briefly put New York back on top. The Dodgers retook the lead in the eighth inning and never gave it back before Buehler’s final three outs sealed the deal.
But the real hero of this World Series was first baseman Freddie Freeman, whose Dodger heroics began in game one. He pulled off the first game-winning grand slam in World Series history — and still wasn’t done. He hit home run, after home run, after home run. Freeman homered in each of the first four games of this World Series, despite a sprained ankle, and earned MVP honors for his performance.
Today is Halloween though, so it’d be remiss to not mention some of the Series’ scariest moments. Shohei Ohtani injured his shoulder while stealing second base in game two. The most egregious fan interference happened when two Yankees fans, who were sitting along the right field line, wrenched Mookie Betts’s wrist as they tried ripping a foul ball out of his glove.