The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their eighth World Series championship by coming from behind to defeat the New York Yankees in the deciding Game 5 at Yankee Stadium.
It appeared likely that the Fall Classic would be shifting back to Dodger Stadium for a potential Game 6 as the Dodgers trailed the Yankees by five runs after four innings.
However, L.A. found new life in the fifth when they evened the score thanks to several defensive miscues by New York and clutch two-out hitting. The Dodgers then took a decided lead in the eighth and held on for the victory.
During an appearance on “On Base with Mookie Betts,” manager Dave Roberts said he was nervous over the possibility of the World Series returning to L.A.:
“I will tell you this now publicly, I was so afraid to come back to Los Angeles for Game 6. Knowing we still had (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto in our back pocket, but the point being is that if we were to come back, the noise, the pressure, becomes real. Because then, you’re going to start potentially being part of history in the wrong way, a team that gave up a 3-0 (lead). Because it’s never been done in the World Series. And so for me, that was the fear of going back. So, your point, yes, I managed with urgency, even when we were down 5-0 (in Game 5). I didn’t know how we were going to finish this dang game.”
As Roberts noted, he had to get creative to secure the Dodgers’ win in Game 5. That entailed using Blake Treinen for 2.1 innings and Walker Buehler getting the ball in the ninth.
No team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in World Series history, but Roberts was part of the 2004 Boston Red Sox that successfully did so against the Yankees to reach that year’s Fall Classic.
If the Yankees forced a potential Game 6, they would have returned to Dodger Stadium with all the momentum on their side. L.A. still would have been in a good spot with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound, but the pressure they would have felt cannot be overstated.
Dodgers made World Series history
By erasing a five-run deficit en route to capturing the title, the Dodgers set a new World Series record for biggest comeback in a clinching game.
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