The Los Angeles Dodgers are one win away from their second World Series title in four years and turn to their bullpen for what they hope is a final time this season.
Odds are stacked against the New York Yankees as no team has ever come back from being down 3-0 in World Series history. The 2004 Boston Red Sox are the only team in MLB postseason history to complete such a comeback in any series.
They of course were sparked by Dave Roberts pulling off a pivotal stolen base in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Yankees franchise that he’s now managing against with the Dodgers.
“I don’t want to divulge any secrets, but from the other side, I just think that we have got to stay focused, stay urgent,” Roberts said after the Dodgers’ pushed the Yankees to the brink of elimination.
“I think offensively, to be quite honest, we left a lot of runs out there tonight. Still found a way to win a ballgame. There’s just got to be urgency. I just don’t want to let these guys up for air.”
In all best-of-seven matchups in MLB playoff history, teams taking a 3-0 lead have gone on to win the series 39 of 40 times (98%), including 31 sweeps. In addition to the 2004 Red Sox, only the 2020 Houston Astros have even forced a Game 7 after falling into a 3-0 series deficit.
Tuesday is the fourth time the Dodgers have deployed a bullpen game this October, with two wins in three tries so far. They last used one in the clincher of the NL Championship Series against the New York Mets.
The Dodgers used six different relief pitchers after Buehler in Game 3, but they did not fully call on all their high-leverage options.
Ben Casparius makes his first Major League start and fourth overall postseason appearance. Casparius pitched in just three games during the regular season.
He’s logged 4.1 scoreless innings in October thus far. While Casparius is a proverbial opener, he is a traditional starter and potentially could provide the Dodgers with multiple innings to begin the game.
The Yankees are sending out rookie Luis Gil to hopefully extend their season. Gil had brief stints in the Majors the past two season, but impressed in his first full year in 2024. He was named the American League Pitcher of the Month in May after winning all six of his starts.
Gil has made one start so far this October, allowing two runs in four innings in the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians.
Shohei Ohtani was able to play the entirety of the Dodgers’ 4-2 win, but was obviously impacted by the partially dislocated left shoulder he sustained in Game 2. Ohtani went 0-for-3, but his presence was still felt in the batter’s box with a walk and hit by pitch.
Ohtani is back in the lineup for Game 4, which Roberts expected to be the case despite some discomfort with the shoulder injury.
Dodgers lineup
DH: Shohei Ohtani
RF: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
LF: Teoscar Hernández
3B: Max Muncy
CF: Kiké Hernández
2B: Gavin Lux
C: Will Smith
SS: Tommy Edman
Yankees lineup
2B: Gleyber Torres
RF: Juan Soto
CF: Aaron Judge
3B: Jazz Chisholm Jr.
DH: Giancarlo Stanton
1B: Anthony Rizzo
SS: Anthony Volpe
C: Austin Wells
LF: Alex Verdugo
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