World Series: Dodgers punt Game 4 but they remain in control

Columnist

Oct. 29, 2024 9:31 PM PT

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees have awakened.

A little late.

The Yankees mauled and mashed and manhandled the Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, staving off a sweep with an 11-4 victory.

Not much to see here.

On a night when two Yankees fans literally tore a foul ball out of Mookie Betts’ glove, the Yankees were desperate.

On a night when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts used Ben Casparius to start and Landon Knack to cover four innings and Brent Honeywell to finish, the Dodgers were cautious.

“At the end of the day, we’re still in a pretty good spot, and we feel good,” Roberts said.

On a night when Anthony Volpe set the tone by running into a hanging slider by Daniel Hudson in the third inning and depositing it into the left-field bleachers for a grand slam, the Yankees were inspired.

On a night when Freddie Freeman’s wildly celebrated two-run homer in the first inning didn’t come close to holding up, the Dodgers were mostly meh.

“We were very high, we were excited, those guys unfortunately answered back,” Roberts said. “It was a good ballgame until it wasn’t.”

From the moment Aaron Judge sent the raucous crowd into a game-long tizzy when he angrily reacted to being hit in the hand by a third-inning Hudson pitch, the Yankees attacked.

From the moment it was obvious that their mound was going to be filled with the back of their bullpen, the Dodgers mostly watched and waited.

“We’ve got no choice right now, like just play pitch by pitch,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Compete, leave it all out there. And we did that really well today.”

This loss is no big Dodgers deal because they purposely didn’t leave it all out there. For the third time this postseason, comfortable with their lead and protecting their high-leverage relievers for later games, the Dodgers punted.

That’s right, the Dodgers punted.

It sounds crazy. It sounds risky. It sounds like the Dodgers are equating the fourth game of the World Series to a spring training tussle, but guess what? It works. Two punts helped them navigate to a four-games-to-two victory over the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series.

When you don’t have a decent fourth starting pitching option, you don’t have a choice but to run a bullpen game. And when you have a three-games-to-none series lead, it is understandable, even reasonable, to protect your best relievers if that bullpen game suddenly goes south.

Yankees catcher Austin Wells watches his solo home run off a pitch by Dodger Landon Knack during the World Series

Punting has worked for them before, and it will work here too. The Dodgers still are firmly in control.

“We knew it was a bullpen game,” Roberts said. “As far as outcomes, to have six guys in your ‘pen that are feeling good, rested, I feel good about that. And being up 3-1, yeah.”

Roberts was absolutely glowing about having relievers like Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech, Alex Vesia and Anthony Banda ready for Wednesday’s Game 5.

“I feel great, I feel great,” he said. “It’s about the guys that you have available. Some of those guys are — they’re all rested. So we have guys that can do up-down.”

It’s still all up for the Dodgers, who still lead the Series as Roberts referenced while the history of their previous lead hasn’t changed — no team has come back from a three-games-to-none deficit to win a World Series.

Also, while most teams crumble under the weight of three-to-none — the previous nine poor souls were swept — a different sort of history is also on the Dodgers’ side.

No team trailing three games to none has even forced a Game 6.

So this shebang lives to fight another day, Wednesday night here, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole against Dodgers ace Jack Flaherty. They’ve faced each other before in this Series, and it was basically a draw, and should be again.

Flaherty, the Dodgers’ late-season savior, held the Yankees to two runs in 5⅓ innings in the opener while Cole held the Dodgers to one run in six innings.

But the Dodgers will have the advantage for two main reasons.

First, the Yankees’ best relievers will be working on no rest — they were all understandably used Tuesday by their flailing manager — while the Dodgers’ best relievers will be ready to roll.

Second, for all the Yankees’ bluster Tuesday — they pounded out nine hits with three home runs — their best slugger still isn’t slugging. Judge went one for three to give him two hits in 15 at-bats in the Series. And if he can’t rake, the Yankees can’t recover.