Dodgers Win World Series Title 

It was the comeback win that led to the GREAT-8. The Dodgers became the first team to rally from a 5-0 deficit to clinch a World Series, defeating the New York Yankees, 7-6, by staging major comebacks in the fifth and eighth innings. Of the team’s eight World Series wins the DODGERS have beat the YANKEES four times. 

Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer

It was the comeback win that led to the GREAT-8. The Dodgers became the first team to rally from a 5-0 deficit to clinch a World Series, defeating the New York Yankees, 7-6, by staging major comebacks in the fifth and eighth innings. Of the team’s eight World Series wins the DODGERS have beat the YANKEES four times. 

In the fifth inning, it was: Who’s on first? That was a big question in the fifth inning. The bases loaded and no outs, Garret Cole struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts dribbled a ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. The inning should have been over. 

But Cole had stopped running to cover first base and could only watch helplessly as Rizzo, playing back, was too slow to beat the hustling Betts. The Dodgers’ first run scored and the inning went on. 

“After they scored three in the first, every half inning we came in, we were like ‘Just get one. Chip away, chip away,’” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “Obviously we didn’t do that the first couple of innings. In this game, when you’re given extra outs, you’ve got to capitalize. That’s what we were able to do in that fifth inning.” 

Freeman who was ‘hotter than July’ drove in two with a single to center field. His 12 RBIs in five games tied the World Series record (Bobby Richardson of the Yankees in the seven-game 1960 Series) and earned Richardson MVP honors. 

A fiery Teoscar Hernandez stepped up and hit a drive to the wall in center field for a two-run double to tie the score. All five runs in the inning came after there were two outs – and should have been four. 

“We just take advantage of every mistake they made in that inning,” Hernández said. “We put some good at-bats together. We put the ball in play.” 

But Brusdar Graterol walked three in the sixth inning and the Yankees regained the lead on a sacrifice fly. 

But the Dodgers still had some fight in them. A broken-bat single by Kiké Hernandez and an infield single by Tommy Edman started the eighth-inning comeback. Mix in a walk, a catcher’s interference ((with Ohtani at bat) and two sacrifice flies by Mookie and Will Smith and the Dodgers had the lead for the first time in the game. 

Flaherty’s early exit turned Game 5 into yet another bullpen game and Roberts had another night of antacid moments. 

“We’ve got to give Doc his flowers tonight,” Freeman said later. “An inning and a third (from the starter) – he covered that whole game and our bullpen was incredible.” 

Judge doubled off Treinen with one out in the eighth and Chisholm walked. Manager Dave Roberts walked to the mound with Treinen at 37 pitches. 

“I looked in his eyes. I said how you feeling? How much more you got?” Roberts recalled. “He said: ‘I want it.’ I trust him.” 

Treinen retired Stanton on a flyout and his 42nd pitch struck out Anthony Rizzo with two runners on to end the eighth. 

It was a heroic effort – but Roberts. needed another hero to get him three more outs. On came Walker Buehler who according to Dodger audio man David  Vassegh unknowingly headed to the bullpen and warmed up on his

own to be ready in case he was needed. He got the call and retired the side in order in the ninth for his first relief appearance since his rookie season in 2018 and first major league save and the Dodgers celebrated on the field at Yankee Stadium. 

Roberts became the 4th Manager to have fifty postseason wins.