3 weeks ago
14
The New York Yankees kept their World Series hopes alive, kick-started by Anthony Volpe's third-inning expansive slam astatine Yankee Stadium, to grounds an 11-4 triumph implicit the Los Angeles Dodgers, who pb the best-of-seven bid 3-1.
Despite avoiding a 4-0 sweep, the Yankees indispensable marque past if they are to contradict the Dodgers arsenic nary squad has recovered from 3-0 down to triumph a World Series.
That expanse looked connected the cards successful the archetypal inning when, successful a repetition script from crippled three, the in-form Freddie Freeman - who has homered successful each crippled of this bid - fired different two-run changeable to close field.
The Yankees tried to deed consecutive backmost arsenic Gleyber Torres lifted a alert shot down the right-field foul line. Mookie Betts took a cleanable drawback successful beforehand of the partition but a Yankees protagonist tried to prise the shot retired of Betts' mitt - and Torres was ruled retired connected instrumentality interference.
After a raft of injuries to their starting rotation, the Dodgers opted for a "bullpen game",, external with the pitching workload shared by respective relievers.
And it looked similar the aforesaid aged communicative aboriginal connected for the Yankees, whose batters had antecedently struggled with runners successful scoring positions.
In the 2nd inning, they had men connected 2nd and 3rd with lone 1 out, yet lone managed to manufacture 1 run, driven successful by Alex Verdugo.
However, Volpe lit up the Bronx with his two-out expansive slam implicit near centre tract to springiness the hosts a 5-2 lead.
Back came the Dodgers arsenic Will Smith's solo homer and different tally batted successful by Freeman reduced the shortage to 5-4, but Austin Wells extended the Yankees' pb with a location tally successful the sixth, and the floodgates opened successful the eighth.
Volpe sprinted location connected an infield deed earlier Torres launched a three-run homer, and adjacent the struggling Aaron Judge drove successful a tally to guarantee the sides volition instrumentality to Yankee Stadium for crippled 5 connected Wednesday evening.
A Yankees triumph determination would widen the bid to a sixth crippled backmost successful Los Angeles connected Friday.
Freeman's interaction connected the bid has been phenomenal, fixed that determination were doubts implicit whether helium would beryllium acceptable capable to marque the World Series roster.
After suffering a sprained ankle successful September, the 35-year-old has had intensive treatment, sometimes up to 3 hours a day, to enactment successful contention.
Manager Dave Roberts adjacent near him retired of 3 play-off games successful a bid to negociate the injury.
So erstwhile Freeman's expansive slam won crippled one, it evoked memories of crippled 1 of the 1988 World Series erstwhile the Dodgers sent successful a visibly limping Kirk Gibson to pinch-hit, and watched arsenic helium deed a walk-off homer and hobbled astir the bases to large acclaim.
But that was lone the opening for Freeman, whose location runs successful six successive World Series games (including his past 2 for the Atlanta Braves successful 2021) person present surpassed the erstwhile grounds of 5 held by ex-Houston Astros outfielder George Springer.
Game 1: Dodgers 6-3 Yankees
Game 2: Dodgers 4-2 Yankees
Game 3: Yankees 2-4 Dodgers
Game 4: Yankees 11-4 Dodgers
Game 5 (in New York): Wednesday, 30 October
Game 6* (in LA): Friday, 1 November
Game 7* (in LA): Saturday, 2 November
*If required. Matches commencement 20:08 Eastern Time (early adjacent greeting UK time). Home squad listed first.
English (US)