The Los Angeles Dodgers overcame a five-run deficit to eliminate the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series behind an improbable fifth inning.
After being no-hit through four innings, the Dodgers finally got to Gerrit Cole with some timely hitting and a little bit of luck. A series of defensive miscues by the Yankees helped the Dodgers load the bases with no outs.
After Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani struck out in back-to-back at-bats, Mookie Betts put the Dodgers on the scoreboard with an RBI single. Freddie Freeman then delivered a two-run single, and Teoscar Hernández’s double evened the game at five.
Freeman discussed his approach against Cole during an appearance on the “On Base With Mookie Betts” show and explained how he had confidence heading into the at-bat and knew at which moment he’d deliver:
“I was obviously feeling good and the previous two at-bats, I saw him very well. It wasn’t like I was going up there 0-for-2 with two strikeouts and not seeing him. I went up and saw everything really well, so I was feeling pretty good about how I was feeling in that game.
“I went up, and I think the first pitch, fouled off a heater, then he went ball, and then heater up again and I fouled it off. Then he threw the 93 mile-an-hour changeup. That was probably dotted down and away, and I fouled it off. I was like, ‘Got him.’
“That was his best pitch. He executed it to a T and I fouled it off. That’s what we all as hitters are trying. Sometimes it’s not about getting a hit or anything like that, it’s fouling a pitch off to see another one. Because he just made the best pitch he could possibly make, and I beat him. I fouled it off.
“I was like, he’s not going to throw that again and I had just missiled his curveball to dead center at 108 miles an hour my last at-bat, so I’m going to look heater in. And he threw a heater in, and I got to it. I was guessing throughout, playing the chess game and it felt like I was a move ahead at all times. I seemed to be in the right spot and my swing was in the right spot. Confidence is everything in this game, and I was very confident in myself.”
Freeman’s contributions in the fifth inning helped the Dodgers come all the way back for a 7-6 win over the Yankees.
The 35-year-old reached base twice in the clinching Game 5 and was named World Series MVP for his efforts. In five games against the Yankees, he batted .300/.364/1.000 with one triple, four home runs and 12 RBI.
Freddie Freeman tied World Series RBI record
Freeman, who played through a sprained right ankle, set the tone with a walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series. He would go on to set a new MLB record by hitting a home run in six consecutive World Series games.
Freeman also set another World Series record for most RBI (10) through the first four games. His 12 RBI tied Bobby Richardson’s record for most in a single World Series, which was set during the 1960 Fall Classic.
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