Plaschke: In a year that’s been so improbable, Freddie Freeman becomes Kirk Gibson
A one-legged hitter.
A walk-off World Series home run.
A Game 1 Dodgers victory swiped from a stunned opponent just one out from defeat.
Did this really happen again?
Did Freddie Freeman just become Kirk Gibson, replaying the franchise’s greatest moment 36 years and endless heartbreaks later?
It sure sounded like it Friday night, the ball blasting off Freeman’s bat in the 10th inning against New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes as if it were a pack of firecrackers.
Freddie Freeman makes history with walk-off home run in Game 1 of World Series
A clash of the Titans. A meeting of Goliaths. An old-fashioned, heavy-weight bout.
In the build up to this year’s World Series, there was no cliché too excessive for the moment. No superlative too grand to oversell the matchup.
Dodgers vs. Yankees. Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge. Baseball’s annual Fall Classic, under a spotlight like few recent others.
And then, in Game 1 on Friday night, it began in the most dramatic way possible.
Freddie Freeman hits a walk-off grand slam in 10th to give Dodgers a 6-3 win
Dodgers 6, Yankees 3 — FINAL
Bottom of the 10th: Facing Yankees reliever Jake Cousins, Will Smith flied out to right field. Gavin Lux drew a walk, prompting a mound visit. Edman singled past Yankees second baseman Oswaldo Cabrera.
Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes, a starter who hadn’t pitched in more than a month because of an elbow injury, took over on the mound and got Shohei Ohtani to fly out. Alex Verdugo made a spectacular catch in foul territory, catching the ball as he tumbled over the shallow wall — and then quickly throwing the ball back to the infield to prevent the Dodgers’ runners from advancing.
With two outs, the Yankees intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load the bases.
Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam on the first pitch he saw to end the game, giving the Dodgers a 6-3 win. The home run was a no-doubter to right field. It was the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s speed helps give Yankees the lead in the 10th
⚾ Yankees 3, Dodgers 2 — 10th inning
Top of the 10th: Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen struck out Giancarlo Stanton before Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled to right. The speedy Chisholm then stole second base. The Dodgers intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo before Chisholm stole third to put runners on the corners.
Anthony Volpe grounded into a force out at second, but it was enough to score Chisholm from third, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Tommy Edman dove to stop the ball and bobbled it before throwing to second, ending any shot at a inning-ending double play. Treinen struck out Austin Wells to end the frame.
Dodgers and Yankees heading to the 10th inning
⚾ Yankees 2, Dodgers 2 — End of the ninth
Top of the ninth: Facing Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech, Austin Wells and Alex Verdugo grounded out. Gleyber Torres followed with a hit that was grabbed by a fan wearing a Dodgers jersey and hat who reached over the wall in left field. Umpires ruled it a double because of fan interference and the call was confirmed upon review.
Kopech then intentionally walked Juan Soto to bring up Aaron Judge. Blake Treinen took the mound and got Judge to pop out to short, leaving two stranded for the Yankees.
Bottom of the ninth: Facing Yankees reliever Luke Weaver, Teoscar Hernández lined out to right field. Max Muncy popped out to second and Yankees center fielder Alex Verdugo made a diving grab on a flare hit by Kiké Hernández to send the game into the 10th inning.
Dodgers tie game 2-2 in eighth after Shohei Ohtani double
⚾ Yankees 2, Dodgers 2 — End of the eighth inning
Top of the eighth: Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr. Anthony Rizzo struck out and Anthony Volpe lined out to center field.
Bottom of the eighth: Facing Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle, Tommy Edman grounded out. Shohei Ohtani then doubled off the wall in right field, but he managed to take third after Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe mishandled the throw, booting it into the infield.
Mookie Betts drove in Ohtani on a sacrifice fly to center field, tying the game 2-2. Freddie Freeman flied out to center field, ending the inning.
Dodgers strand two runners in scoring position in the seventh
⚾ Yankees 2, Dodgers 1 — End of the seventh inning
Top of the seventh: Brusdar Graterol made his postseason debut on the mound for the Dodgers — and he made a one-handed grab to throw out Gleyber Torres at first base to lead off the inning. Juan Soto popped out before Aaron Judge singled to center field. Graterol then got Giancarlo Stanton on a called third strike to end the frame.
Bottom of the seventh: Teoscar Hernández led with a single to center field, ending Gerrit Cole’s night. The Yankees pitcher gave up one run and four hits, with four strikeouts and no walks over six innings.
Clay Holmes took over on the mound and hit Max Muncy with a pitch, putting two runners on for the Dodgers with no outs. After a mound visit, Kiké Hernández moved the runners over to second and third on a perfect sacrifice bunt.
Will Smith then popped out to Anthony Volpe at short. Tommy Kahnle relieved Holmes and got Gavin Lux to ground out, stranding two Dodger runners.
Giancarlo Stanton hits a two-run home run to give Yankees the lead
⚾ Yankees 2, Dodgers 1 — End of the sixth inning
Top of the sixth: Juan Soto led off with a single to center off Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty, who then struck out Aaron Judge for a third time.
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton followed with a two-run home run off Flaherty to left field to give New York a 2-1 lead.
After throwing one pitch to Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the next at-bat, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulled Flaherty in favor of Anthony Banda. Chisholm singled to right, Anthony Rizzo struck out and Banda intentionally walked Anthony Volpe.
Austin Wells then followed with a single up the middle, but Dodgers shortstop Tommy Edman managed to make a diving stop to prevent a run from scoring. With the bases loaded, Banda struck out Alex Verdugo to get out of the jam.
Flaherty gave up two runs and five hits, with six strikeouts and a walk over 5⅓ innings.
Bottom of the sixth: Tommy Edman led with a double down the right-field line off Gerrit Cole with the top of the Dodgers’ order coming to the plate.
Shohei Ohtani grounded out up the middle, giving Edman enough time to reach third. Mookie Betts grounded out to third base. Freddie Freeman flied out to right field to leave Edman stranded.
World Series brings brief ‘Carmageddon’ traffic for Dodger fans, but with time to get to seats
It’s 3 p.m and Jack Flaherty is set to take the mound in two hours.
Outside Dodger Stadium, the streets of Elysian Park are at a standstill.
A stretch of Stadium Way has slowed to a crawl. Parts of the 5 and 110 Freeways aren’t much better. There’s desperation in the air, as Dodger fans blare car horns in futile attempts to get traffic moving.
Dodgers take lead after Kiké Hernández triple in fifth
⚾ Dodgers 1, Yankees 0 — End of the fifth inning
Top of the fifth: Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty struck out Anthony Volpe on three pitches and then struck out Austin Wells. Alex Verdugo singled just past Tommy Edman for the Yankees’ third hit tonight. Gleyber Torres grounded out to Max Muncy to third.
Bottom of the fifth: Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole struck out Muncy. Kiké Hernández slapped a high fastball away into the left-field corner. Juan Soto ran past the ball and Hernández got a triple out of it.
Will Smith drove in Hernández on a sacrifice fly to right field to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Hernández just beat Soto’s throw to the plate to score. Gavin Lux flied out to center field to end the inning.
Jack Flaherty and Gerrit Cole engaging in pitchers’ duel
⚾ Yankees 0, Dodgers 0 — End of the fourth inning
Top of the fourth: Jack Flaherty oversees a 1-2-3 innings, with Giancarlo Stanton flying out, Jazz Chisholm Jr. grounding out and Anthony Rizzo flying out as part of an eight-pitch inning. Flaherty has given up two hits, with three strikeouts and one walk over 60 pitches.
Bottom of the fourth: Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo made a running, over-the-shoulder catch on a fly ball hit by Mookie Betts. Freddie Feeeman grounded out. Teoscar Hernández popped out to short.
Gerrit Cole strikes out Shohei Ohtani to end third inning
⚾ Yankees 0, Dodgers 0 — End of the third inning
Top of the third: Gleyber Torres hit a first-pitch grounder deep to short for a single despite a sliding stop and speedy throw to first from Tommy Edman. Juan Soto then grounded up the middle into a 6-3 double play that was executed perfectly by Edman. Jack Flaherty struck out Aaron Judge for the second time to cap the frame.
Bottom of the third: Gavin Lux and Tommy Edman popped out and Gerrit Cole struck out Shohei Ohtani on an 84 mph curveball.
Dodgers and Yankees still scoreless heading into third inning
⚾ Yankees 0, Dodgers 0 — End of the second inning
Top of the second: Anthony Rizzo hit a comebacker off the bottom of Jack Flaherty’s right shoe for a lead-off single. Flaherty struck out Anthony Volpe. Austin Wells grounded out to second base and Alex Verdugo grounded out to short.
Bottom of the second: Max Muncy popped out in foul territory near third base. Gerrit Cole struck out Kiké Hernández and Will Smith.
Freddie Freeman hits a triple, but is left stranded
⚾ Yankees 0, Dodgers 0 — End of the first inning
Top of the first: Facing Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, Gleyber Torres lined out to third base. Flaherty walked Juan Soto on four pitches before striking out Aaron Judge on four pitches. Giancarlo Stanton reached first after NLCS MVP Tommy Edman booted a ground ball to short for an error. Jazz Chisholm Jr. grounded out to second base to end the frame.
Bottom of the first inning: Facing Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts flied out.
Freddie Freeman, back in the lineup after missing Game 6 of the NLCS on Sunday because of an ankle sprain, lined a hit down the left-field line for a triple after former Dodger Alex Verdugo misplayed the ball off the wall in foul territory. Teoscar Hernández lined out to shortstop to end the frame.
Dodgers honor life of Fernando Valenzuela before the game
Dodgers greats Orel Hershiser and Steve Yeager paid tribute to Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela by placing a baseball next to Dodgers legend’s number on the mound before the start of Game 1 of the World Series.
Photos: Fans arrive for Game 1 of World Series between Dodgers and Yankees
Whether it was to make sure they didn’t get stuck in traffic or they just wanted to further legitimize potentially paying more than $1,000 for a ticket, fans showed up early at the Dodger Stadium ahead of Game 1 of the World Series between the Dodgers and New York Yankees on Friday.
Plaschke: Fernando Valenzuela was the man who connected L.A. to the Dodgers
Fernando Valenzuela literally roped me into his life.
It was in the spring of 1989, my first full year covering the Dodgers for The Times, and I was still in awe of this legend that I had not yet met.
Valenzuela sensed this, and one day I was carefully navigating around his locker when I felt a rope fasten around my foot. He had corralled me with his trademark toy lasso.
He didn’t say anything, he just smiled and tugged me a few feet before I hopped out of the rope and he silently walked to the field.
We didn’t speak that day, but we didn’t need to speak, he had made his message clear.
Five most iconic moments in Dodgers-Yankees World Series history
With the Dodgers set to face the Yankees in the World Series starting Friday, here are the five most iconic moments in Dodgers-Yankees World Series history.
27 up, 27 down
Don Larsen was a mediocre pitcher at best, going 81-91 with a 3.78 earned-run average in 14 seasons, and he was so bad in his first World Series start in 1956 that he was pulled in the second inning after giving up four runs in a 13-8 Game 2 loss to the Brooklyn Dodgers.
But in Game 5, the right-hander did what no other pitcher has ever done — retire all 27 batters, seven by strikeout, for baseball’s only World Series perfect game.
The lasting image of that afternoon in Yankee Stadium is catcher Yogi Berra leaping into Larsen’s arms and onto the front page of every sports section in the nation after Dale Mitchell struck out to end a 2-0 Yankees victory.
But the perfecto would not have been possible without the stout defense of third baseman Andy Carey, who got enough of his glove on Jackie Robinson’s second-inning smash to deflect the ball to shortstop Gil McDougald, who threw to first for the out, and caught a Gil Hodges low liner to his left about an inch above the ground in the eighth.
Column: What L.A. can learn from this year’s Dodgers
My cousin from the nice part of the San Fernando Valley. A screenwriter pal who lives near the Sony lot. Academics and mechanics, Filipinos and Armenians and Latinos and plain ol’ white folks. Old and young, rich and working class.
On my social media feeds, all I’m seeing is my L.A. friends proclaiming their loyalty to the Dodgers. A bunch of them uploaded videos from Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, which the Blue Crew won against the New York Mets to secure a spot in the World Series.
A humbled, scandal-plagued New York faces L.A. with less superiority, snark
When the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees last met in the World Series in 1981, there was no question which city was top dog.
The Yankees had beaten the Dodgers in humiliating fashion in 1977 and 1978 and jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1981 Fall Classic .
Beyond baseball, New York still held cultural domination. Despite going broke and struggling with crime, the Big Apple strode atop the world as the city, an electric place where anything could happen.
‘Most satisfying’ year: How Dave Roberts changed narrative, got Dodgers to World Series
Standing atop a makeshift stage on the Dodger Stadium infield Sunday night, Dave Roberts grabbed hold of the mic, lifted his right arm toward the sky and asked the Chavez Ravine crowd a simple, resounding question.
“Hey!” Roberts shouted, his hoarse voice booming through the stadium speakers after the Dodgers’ pennant-clinching win over the New York Mets in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series.
“You guys want a parade in Los Angeles?”
In near-unison, more than 50,000 fans roared in approval.
Dodgers Dugout: Here’s why the Dodgers will beat the Yankees in the World Series
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Will it be a Fall Classic, or a classic fall?
The Dodgers and Yankees are meeting for the 12th time in the World Series. The Yankees have won eight of them, but it’s a 2-2 split since the Dodgers moved to L.A.
Plaschke: ‘He’s gone through hell.’ Charley Steiner’s brutal but winning battle with cancer
He has been in pain for so long, but that pain is slowly subsiding.
He has been silenced for nearly a year, but he finally feels like shouting.
A day after Los Angeles was rejoicing over the arrival of the World Series, a voice of the city was celebrating two different words.
Cancer remission.
On Monday after the Dodgers won the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets to set up a World Series matchup with the New York Yankees, longtime radio announcer Charley Steiner received news worthy of an even bigger champagne celebration.
Dodgers die-hard Ice Cube and Fat Joe, lifelong Yankees fan, will perform at World Series
Ice Cube and Fat Joe will continue to show their love for the L.A. Dodgers and New York Yankees, respectively, by performing at the second and third World Series games.
Hours before Friday’s Game 1 opening pitch, Major League Baseball announced that the hip-hop pioneers will be taking the stage in front of their respective hometown crowds during the Dodgers-Yankees World Series showdown.
Dodgers hope to have Alex Vesia and Miguel Rojas back for World Series
The Dodgers might be getting some reinforcements on the roster for the World Series.
Left-hander Alex Vesia, who missed the National League Championship Series after suffering an intercostal injury in Game 5 of the NL Division Series, said he is “90% sure” he’ll be active for the Fall Classic, having completed bullpen sessions over the last week and a 15-pitch live batting practice session Wednesday.
“I’m very confident that with how I felt [Wednesday] night, I’ll be even better when I go out with some adrenaline in my system facing some Yankees,” Vesia said.
Shortstop Miguel Rojas is also in line to be active for the World Series after missing the NLCS with a nagging adductor injury, one that had sidelined him since Game 3 of the NLDS.
“Everything looks really good,” manager Dave Roberts said of Rojas. “I think there’s a really good possibility he’ll be on the roster.”
Vin Scully’s favorite call? Dodgers. Yankees. World Series.
I wanted to pick up my phone Monday and call Vin Scully.
The Dodgers! The Yankees! The World Series! The stories!
The best broadcaster in baseball history was a historian, delighted to share what he had witnessed over the decades of his decorated career, not as impressed with his accomplishments as he was with the opportunity to illuminate his craft.
In 2017, the year after he retired, Scully told me how he might have called Justin Turner’s walkoff home run in the National League championship series.
Robert Vargas began Fernando Valenzuela mural on the day the Dodgers great died. It’s become an altar
Robert Vargas had barely wrapped up his first day of work on a Boyle Heights mural honoring Fernando Valenzuela on Tuesday night when he heard the news that the beloved Dodgers pitcher had died at age 63.
“I still had my harness on,” Vargas said early Wednesday. “I wasn’t very far away [from the mural site]. I was having dinner after leaving there, so I returned to the wall just to feel connected to the space that I’ve already developed the relationship with as I’m about to paint this.
“Now it takes on even a greater meaning. It’s still a celebration of a remarkable life, but it also now becomes an altar.”
The Los Angeles-based artist found that out immediately upon returning to his work site at an apartment building a block west of Mariachi Plaza.
Dodgers equaled a record held by 1965 World Series champs. But that’s where similarities end
Much has been made of the similarities between the performance of the Dodgers in this year’s National League Championship Series and in the 1965 World Series. As the Dodgers head to their fourth World Series in eight years, holding up their accomplishment to that of their brethren 59 years ago provides both a contrast and a comparison.
What’s the same? Lock-down pitching in the victories and lopsided scores throughout. The ’65 Dodgers were the only team in baseball history until the current Dodgers to have the first six games of a postseason series decided by four or more runs.
Back when the postseason consisted only of the World Series, the ’65 Dodgers defeated the Minnesota Twins in seven games. They gave up only two runs in their four victories — including three shutouts — while giving up 18 runs in three one-sided losses.
The current Dodgers notched two shutouts in the four wins over the New York Mets (after shutting out the San Diego Padres in the last two games of the NL Division Series). Yet they surrendered 19 runs in two losses to the Mets.
Shaikin: Yankees versus Dodgers: Can MLB seize this dream marketing moment?
We’ll get to the chunky octopus in a bit, but we want to start with the golden ticket.
Baseball’s golden ticket, that is. Major League Baseball has a once-in-a-lifetime player in the World Series, a once-in-a-generation clash of the titans as the matchup, a blessed chance to reclaim at least some of the verity behind the phrase “national pastime.”
Hernández: Mookie Betts’ season of sacrifices paved the way for the Dodgers’ World Series run
The defining moment of the Dodgers’ season went by almost completely unnoticed.
That’s because the importance of the moment wasn’t measured by what happened. Rather, it was measured by what didn’t happen.
When Mookie Betts returned to right field in mid-August, he didn’t complain. He didn’t brood. He didn’t stop playing like Mookie Betts.
Instead of causing the kinds of problems that have derailed countless other teams with championship aspirations, Betts used his influence to create a culture of sacrifice that has become a trademark of the Dodgers, who will take on the New York Yankees in the World Series starting Friday.
Aaron Judge. Luke Weaver. Anthony Volpe. Clay Holmes. They’re rooting for the Dodgers
Breaking News: Luke Weaver will not be pitching for the New York Yankees during the World Series.
First of all, he’s blind. Second, he’s a lifelong Dodgers fan who remembers going to sleep to the sound of the games on the radio.
Weaver is not to be confused with Yankees closer Luke Weaver, whose star has risen this year as he mows down batters and screams on the mound. This Luke Weaver is just a guy.
Dodgers fans like Weaver with namesakes on the Bronx Bombers are in a bit of a pickle this fall, caught between the team they support and the American League stalwart whose name they share. Fandom seems to win out.
“I hope he gets destroyed in the World Series,” Weaver told The Times. “I wish him well. I wish him a good career. But you know, I hope he has four blown saves in the World Series.”
1981 Dodgers say they never doubted they would beat the Yankees, win the World Series
The Dodgers lost the first two games of a 1981 National League playoff series in Houston, both in walk-off fashion, before storming back to win three straight over the Astros in Los Angeles to win the series, which pitted the first-half and second-half division winners from the strike-interrupted season.
That earned them a spot in the best-of-five NL Championship Series, where the Dodgers erased a two-games-to-one deficit by winning twice in frigid Montreal, including a 2-1 Game 5 thriller in which Rick Monday hit a game-winning two-out homer in the ninth inning of what Expos fans still refer to as “Blue Monday.”
So when the Dodgers lost the first two games of the 1981 World Series in Yankee Stadium, there was no panic, no sense of dread, on the five-hour flight from New York to Los Angeles for Games 3, 4 and 5.
“We were actually feeling pretty confident,” said Ron Cey, now 76 and the third baseman on that 1981 team. “It was like, OK, our backs are against the wall … again … and we need to respond.”
Dodgers and Yankees will meet for the 12th time in World Series. How did the first 11 go?
When the two teams take the field Friday in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series, the Dodgers will be playing the New York Yankees for the 12th time in the Fall Classic. It hasn’t worked out too well for the Dodgers in the past, with the Yankees winning eight of the first 11 matchups. This will be the first postseason meeting of the teams since 1981. A look at them all:
1941: New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 1
at Yankees 3, Dodgers 2
Dodgers to wear jersey patch honoring Fernando Valenzuela during World Series
The Dodgers announced Thursday they will wear a jersey patch in the World Series commemorating Fernando Valenzuela, the beloved former pitcher who died at age 63 on Tuesday.
The black and blue patch will read “Fernando,” with his No. 34 below. It will be on the sleeve of each player’s jersey.
That touch is expected to be one of several ways Valenzuela, the 1981 World Series champion and Cy Young and rookie of the year award winner, will be remembered during the World Series.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said earlier this week the league “will honor Fernando’s memory” during Fall Classic games at Dodger Stadium.
L.A. faces pre-Olympics security test with World Series and mega lineup of sports events
Los Angeles is expecting a heightened security atmosphere Friday as the city plays host to several high-profile sporting events, with simultaneous football, basketball and baseball games presenting something of a dry run for the upcoming World Cup and Olympic Games.
Large crowds are expected for the Lakers’ second home game of the season at Crypto.com Arena, as well as at the Memorial Coliseum, where USC football will take on Rutgers.
Friday will also see the annual East L.A. Classic between Garfield and Roosevelt high schools, with a halftime concert by the Black Eyed Peas. Announced ticket sales for the game at SoFi Stadium have nearly reached 13,000, which would be the largest crowd for a high school football game in California this year.
But the most attention will be paid to Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Speaking to reporters at a Thursday morning news conference, Mayor Karen Bass said that she activated the city’s emergency response center to ensure a coordinated effort.
Shaikin: From Sherman Oaks Little League to Game 1: Jack Flaherty’s local ties shine bright
The weathered white banner is attached to a fence. The batting cage is behind the fence. The snack shack is a few feet away.
The banner honors a 2005 championship team — called the Dodgers, no less — at Sherman Oaks Little League. The banner lists the 12 players on the team, including Jack Flaherty.
For the thousands of kids who play youth baseball at Sherman Oaks and elsewhere every year, the actual Dodgers are the aspiration, the dream, the goal.
For the first time in 58 years, a pitcher who grew up in Los Angeles will start a World Series game for the Dodgers. Flaherty is the Dodgers’ Game 1 starter Friday at Dodger Stadium, about 17 miles from Sherman Oaks Little League.
Plaschke: Welcome back, World Series! Dodgers return to Fall Classic for monumental duel with Yankees
Home, at last.
Home, after three rocky Octobers and two embarrassing collapses and deep blue scads of doubt.
Home, where Jackie Robinson is still stealing home and Sandy Koufax is still throwing shutouts and Kirk Gibson is still pumping that fist.
Home, to the World Series.
On a rollicking Sunday night at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers silenced the critics, embraced their birthright and returned to their personal promised land with a 10-5 victory over the New York Mets that gave them a four-games-to-two triumph in the National League Championship Series.
After three consecutive Octobers filled with classic falls, the Dodgers have returned to the Fall Classic for the fourth time in eight seasons, the 13th time in Los Angeles history and 22nd time overall.
Ticket prices for Dodgers vs. Yankees World Series are dropping, but by how much?
On Monday, the day after the Dodgers clinched their World Series spot against the New York Yankees, tickets were sold out on the Dodgers’ website. On StubHub, the cheapest price for a Game 1 ticket was $1,326.
On Friday morning, on the day of Game 1, the cheapest price for a Game 1 ticket was $823 — a 38% drop from Monday. The Dodgers’ website had scattered tickets available, at a minimum of $945.
Evan Phillips is off Dodgers World Series roster, Freddie Freeman in starting lineup
Evan Phillips tried to play it coy Thursday, during World Series media day on the eve of the Fall Classic.
When asked if he had suffered an injury in Game 6 of the NLCS, when he only pitched one inning of relief in a situation that would have made sense to pitch two, Phillips tried to deflect.
“I wouldn’t say that,” he claimed. “It was just some overall arm fatigue setting in. Something we all kind of deal with late in the year.”
Then, Phillips proclaimed he had “no worries” about his availability for the World Series.
On Friday morning, however, the right-handed veteran was not on the Dodgers’ roster.
While the Dodgers did activate injured left-hander Alex Vesia (who missed the NLCS with an intercostal injury) and injured right-hander Brusdar Graterol (out since late September with a shoulder injury), Phillips’ unspecified injury forced the Dodgers to leave him off the roster, serving as major blow to the club’s all-important relief corps
“Evan came out of the game Sunday and just wasn’t rebounding the way that he was hoping,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “He had tightened up some after that inning and said, ‘Hey, I can go back out.’ But [manager Dave Roberts] and [pitching coach] Mark Prior in that moment said this doesn’t make sense right now.”
“Each day has gotten better,” Friedman added. “But not to the point where — first and foremost, we’re not going to put him in harm’s way. And where there’s an ambiguity around it, it’s not clear … So just balancing and weighing all of that, this is the decision we came to.”
The Dodgers had another factor to consider with Phillips, who had pitched 6 ⅔ scoreless innings in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Because his injury dated to a previous round, Friedman said, MLB postseason roster rules would have prevented the Dodgers from replacing him with another player if he was unable to contribute.
And since the Dodgers wouldn’t know exactly how healthy Phillips was until “he really ramps it up in any kind of intensity,” Friedman said, the team decided the risk was too great — finally dropping the smoke screen that had surrounded his availability in recent days.
“At the end of the day, the chances of that resulting in either him compromising himself health-wise and actually creating a much bigger issue, or not being very effective or all of those things [were too great],” Friedman said, adding that while Phillips won’t be shut down for now — leaving open the possibility he could be activated in the event of another injury this week — the severity of his injury remains unclear.
“Obviously losing Evan was a blow,” Roberts echoed. “But getting two nice additions is big.”
Indeed, the Dodgers will need to rely on Vesia, their top left-hander, and Graterol, a hard-throwing right-hander with a track record of October success, to navigate the New York Yankees’ star-studded lineup.
“I think it just adds a little bit of variance,” Roberts said. “We don’t have to lean on the same guys. Now we have two lefties in the pen versus the one. Brusdar has a different repertoire than, let’s say, [Ryan] Brasier. So I think that just being able to give these guys different looks is important.”
The Dodgers also announced another roster addition for the World Series, getting back shortstop Miguel Rojas after he missed the NLCS with an adductor injury.
Rojas was not in the starting lineup for Game 1 — NLCS most valuable player Tommy Edman continued to man shortstop, while postseason hero Kiké Hernández remained in center field — but was available to pinch-hit and was expected to start at shortstop in Game 2.
To make room on the World Series roster for Rojas, the Dodgers left off veteran center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who had only been used a late-innings defensive replacement in the NLCS.
“He’s in a good spot,” Roberts said of Rojas. “And we’re going to need him.”
As expected, first baseman Freddie Freeman (sprained ankle) and second baseman Gavin Lux (hip flexor) were also in the starting lineup for Game 1, despite being hampered by injuries in the NLCS.
Freeman’s health could be particularly vital in the World Series, with the veteran slugger entering the Fall Classic in a one-for-15 slump in which his ankle injury had started to impact his swing.
“I do know that he’s kind of in the position he was when he started the DS, [when he got] the time before that series,” Roberts said, hopeful that the four off-days leading into the World Series had helped Freeman’s ankle progress.
“So I’m just hoping — we’re all just sort of hoping — that we’ve got out of the woods and we can kind of maintain where he’s at now,” Roberts said. “Because what happened as the [NLCS] progressed, prolonged, then it went south.”
Here is the full World Series roster:
How do you pitch to Shohei Ohtani? Scouts break down Dodgers-Yankees World Series
On paper, there isn’t much that separates the Dodgers and New York Yankees.
Both teams had the best records in their leagues. Both are led by the consensus favorites for most valuable player. Both have superstar casts bolstered by important depth pieces. And both enter the World Series feeling optimistic about their chances.
Beyond the brand-name franchises and big-name players taking the field, that’s the dynamic that should make this matchup most interesting.
So, to decipher the strengths and weaknesses of both clubs, as well as the factors that could determine the best-of-seven series, The Times spoke with two rival major league scouts with extensive knowledge of each team who spoke under condition of anonymity in order to speak freely.
Dodgers hope to have Alex Vesia and Miguel Rojas back for World Series
The Dodgers might be getting some reinforcements on the roster for the World Series.
Left-hander Alex Vesia, who missed the National League Championship Series after suffering an intercostal injury in Game 5 of the NL Division Series, said he is “90% sure” he’ll be active for the Fall Classic, having completed bullpen sessions over the last week and a 15-pitch live batting practice session Wednesday.
“I’m very confident that with how I felt [Wednesday] night, I’ll be even better when I go out with some adrenaline in my system facing some Yankees,” Vesia said.
Shortstop Miguel Rojas is also in line to be active for the World Series after missing the NLCS with a nagging adductor injury, one that had sidelined him since Game 3 of the NLDS.
How to avoid carmageddon as sports fans head to the World Series and other games Friday
Los Angeles officials are preparing to host the trifecta of sporting events on Friday night as fans are expected to jam the 110 Freeway to get to Dodger Stadium, L.A. Memorial Coliseum and Crypto.com arena to cheer on their teams.
“As everyone already is aware, traffic can be a formidable challenge on a typical Friday afternoon,” said Laura Rubio-Cornejo, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
Officials aren’t going as far as calling this the next carmageddon, but Rubio-Cornejo said they are expecting citywide and regional traffic to be worse than normal.
Still, this isn’t your typical Friday night for sports fanatics.
The events kick off at 2 p.m. when the Coliseum will open its gates for tailgaters ahead of a USC-Rutgers college football game.
Dodgers vs. Yankees: How to watch and betting odds for Game 1
The Dodgers continue the postseason Friday when they face the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 5:08 p.m. PDT and will air on Fox and Fox Deportes. Radio broadcasts of the game will be on 570 AM and 1020 AM (Español) in the Los Angeles area.
Here’s the TV schedule for the remaining games in the best-of-seven series (all times Pacific):
- Game 2: Saturday, 5:08 p.m. at Dodger Stadium | Fox, Fox Deportes
- Game 3: Monday, 5:08 p.m. at New York | Fox, Fox Deportes
- Game 4: Tuesday, 5:08 p.m. at New York | Fox, Fox Deportes
- Game 5*: Wednesday, 5:08 p.m. at New York | Fox, Fox Deportes
- Game 6*: Friday, Nov. 1, 5:08 p.m. at Dodger Stadium | Fox, Fox Deportes
- Game 7*: Saturday, Nov. 2, 5:08 p.m. at Dodger Stadium | Fox, Fox Deportes
* — if necessary
