Dodgers 4, Yankees 2
The 12th time the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers face one another in the World Series has had its drama. From the monstrous go-ahead homer by Giancarlo Stanton in Game One to the spectacular Freddie Freeman no doubt walk-off grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth of Game One to Shohei Ohtani leaving with an injury in Game Two, then returning to the starting lineup in Game Three to the Aaron Judge struggles at the plate throughout the postseason. This has been an exciting series. Game Three was no exception.
Key Plays in Game Three
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There were a number of key plays including Freddie Freeman launching his third home run in as many games. That two-run homer came in the first inning and Freeman now has a home run in each of the first three 2024 World Series games. Gavin Lux attempted to score from third base on a ball picked up by Mark Leiter Jr. and was promptly gunned down at the plate, a play the Dodgers unsuccessfully challenged in the top of the fourth. Stanton rounded third on a single to left by Anthony Volpe in the bottom of the fourth and was thrown out by a perfect throw by Teoscar Hernandez.
In the bottom of the sixth Gavin Lux again attempted to score, rounding third on a single to center by Kike Hernandez. This time, the Yankees were unable to nail Lux as Aaron Judge’s throw was online, but a little late. The drama continued in the bottom of the ninth with two outs when Alex Verdugo smashed a two-run home run.
What Went Right for the Yankees
The bullpen was excellent for the Yankees, picking the game up from the third inning on. After the opening walk to Shohei Ohtani, he finished the game going 0-for-2 with a strikeout. Giancarlo Stanton continued his postseason tear, going two-for-four with a single and a double. Alex Verdugo launched a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to put the Yankees on the board. This made a relatively silent Yankee Stadium come alive.
What Went Wrong for the Yankees
Rough Outing for Schmidt
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Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt couldn’t make it through the third inning, giving up a two-run homer to Freddie Freeman in the first and a bloop RBI single to Mookie Betts in the third. But the real reason Schmidt was having problems is that his command was simply not there on Monday, beginning with a four-pitch walk to Shohei Ohtani to start the game. That set the stage for Freeman’s two-run shot. Schmidt’s final numbers were three runs, all earned, on two hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings while striking out three.
Yankees Batters Stifled
Dodgers pitching stifled the Yankees in Game Three. Shutting down an offensive powerhouse like the Yankees for eight innings of the World Series shows how great Dodgers pitchers were in Game Three. Aaron Judge still could not get going. He’s having a rough postseason after an excellent season, now slashing .083/.154/.083 with an OPS of .237 with one hit, one walk, and seven strikeouts in 12 at-bats in the 2024 World Series. But Judge isn’t the only story here, the first three Yankees in the batting order were a combined 0-for-9 with four walks.
Aaron Boone was asked about the Yankees being 4-for-20 with runners in scoring position. Boone responded, “Just haven’t done that, and we’ve hit a couple balls in the seats probably in the first few, and then Dugy [Alex Verdugo] tonight to finish it there, but we’ve got to find a way right now.”
What Went Right for the Dodgers
Buehler Looked Fantastic
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Walker Buehler was nothing short of excellent. His cutter was really moving and he was able to place it just off the plate to right-handed batters. His breaking ball looked like a lolly pop and was hard for the Yankees to handle. Buehler’s fastball seemed to be un-hittable. The only gripe may be that he only threw 76 pitches (45 strikes) before being replaced by Brusdar Graterol after the fifth inning. Buehler’s final numbers for the night: no runs on two hits and two walks in five innings with five strikeouts.
Buehler discussed his four-seam fastball after the game, “It’s kind of like it used to be a little bit, or a little bit closer obviously. Got a couple of swing and miss early in the game, and that kind of resets you mentally to think, oh, I’ve got a good one going today or whatever. Yeah, it felt good.”
Freddie Freeman Appears Unstoppable
Freeman’s numbers are off the charts for the 2024 World Series. It’s not simply a walk-off grand slam in Game One. It’s not simply a home run in each of the first three games. Freeman is raking. After a storyline of Freeman’s health prior to the World Series, he is slashing .333/.385/.1.250 with an OPS of 1.635, three home runs, one triple, seven RBI, one walk, and zero strikeouts.
The Small Things
The Dodgers did a lot of small things that added up to a lot in Game Three. Great fielding was part of the story in this game for the Dodgers. Teoscar’s throw to gun Stanton out at the plate was amazing. Will Smith barely needed to move his glove to tag Stanton out on the chest about a foot in front of the plate. Mookie Betts appeared to take incorrect paths to the ball multiple times in right field but was ultimately able to recover and record each out. One of them was a diving catch that kept the runner on second base.
Asked about Teoscar Hernandez’s throw, Dave Roberts said: “The Teo throw was huge. It obviously killed the momentum.”
What Went Wrong for the Dodgers
Very Few Mistakes
The Dodgers made some small mistakes. Gavin Lux being thrown out at the plate was one of those mistakes in the top of the fourth. Mookie Betts seemed to take weird paths to batted balls but made each play nonetheless. The Dodgers bullpen allowed baserunners, but the Yankees were unable to capitalize on them. The one flaw for the Dodgers bullpen was Michael Kopech giving up a two-run homer to Alex Verdugo in the bottom of the ninth.
Quick Hits
Move Over Kirk Gibson, Freddie Freeman has Arrived
Kirk Gibson saw his walk-off homer in the 1988 World Series over and over again, but he became frustrated with being remembered as a Dodger hero while a member of or manager of another team. Gibson played for 17 seasons, but only three were with the Dodgers. He was the NL MVP and won the Silver Slugger Award in 1988 when he slashed .290/.377/.483 with an OPS of .860 (148 OPS+), 25 homers, 76 RBI, and 31 stolen bases. But Gibson was only able to play in 160 games combined over the next two seasons for the Dodgers. During those two seasons, his combined numbers were .239/.330/.386 with an OPS of .716 (102 OPS+), 17 home runs, 66 RBI, and 38 stolen bases. Nonetheless, his heroic effort in Game One of the 1988 World Series will always be remembered as a story of true grit and ultimate resilience.
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Freddie Freeman’s Dodgers story is a bit different. While he has not yet earned an MVP with the Dodgers, he has been an all-star all three seasons and led the league in multiple statistics as a Dodger. In 2022, Freeman led the NL in plate appearances (708), runs (117), hits (199), doubles (47), and on-base percentage (.407). In 2023, Freeman again led the NL in doubles (59) and this time also led the league in intentional walks (12). His current combined stats as a Dodger are .314/.399/.520 with an OPS of .919 (155 OPS+), 72 home runs (averaging 24 per season), 291 RBI (averaging 97 per season), 141 doubles (averaging 47 per season), and 45 stolen bases (averaging 15 per season).
Looking Ahead
Buehler earned the win while Schmidt took the loss in Game Three.
Game Four of the 2024 World Series takes place Tuesday at 8:08 pm EDT. Once again, the game is at Yankee Stadium in New York. Coverage of the game is on Fox.
Luis Gil takes the hill for the Yankees in Game Four. This postseason, he has one start. He allowed two runs on three hits and three walks in four innings with three strikeouts. That amounts to an ERA of 4.50. The Dodgers have yet to announce their starter and expect to have a bullpen game.
After the game, someone asked Aaron Boone whether a Dodgers bullpen game helps the Yankees. Boone responded: “Yeah, hopefully that helps us a little bit. Again, you hope — you pull little things — Rizz [Anthony Rizzo] having some good at-bats to get on base, set the table a little bit there, Dugy [Alex Verdugo] getting into one.
If nothing else, I think we extended their guys quite a bit. Like most of their bullpen guys came in and threw a lot of pitches. Hopefully that little bit of familiarity serves us well going into Tuesday. It’s going to be a challenge with all their arms. Again, we’ve got to get after it.”
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