A topsy-turvy game was turned upside down at its halfway point as the Dodgers exploited Yankees fielding errors in the top of the fifth inning to level the scores.
“We just took advantage of every mistake they made in that inning and scored five runs,” left fielder Teoscar Hernandez said.
“The bullpen and the pitching staff gave us the chance to stay in the game. It’s a dream come true.”
It is a second title in five years for the National League champions, who had previously won in the Covid-shortened 2020 season.
Facing elimination, the Yankees came out swinging in the Bronx as back-to-back first-inning home runs by Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr put them 3-0 up.
When Alex Verdugo drove in Anthony Volpe in the second, Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty was hooked, and Giancarlo Stanton’s solo shot made it 5-0 in the third.
Yankees starter Gerrit Cole was flawless for four innings, but the Dodgers rallied after Judge fluffed a routine catch in centre field in the fifth, loading the bases with no outs before Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Hernandez all drove in runs to make it 5-5.
Stanton’s sacrifice fly in the sixth edged the Yankees in front again, but the Dodgers hit back in the eighth with two sacrifice flies of their own to lead 7-6.
Having burned through six relievers after Flaherty’s early exit, the Dodgers turned to game three’s starter Walker Buehler to pitch the ninth with a one-run lead, but he retired all three batters he faced to seal the title.
“Who wants a parade?” yelled manager Dave Roberts, referring to the pandemic that had limited their celebrations in 2020.
The 30-year-old is a rare ‘two-way’ player, able to compete at the highest level as both a hitter and a pitcher, but did not pitch during 2024 after having elbow surgery.
He was further hampered in the World Series after injuring his shoulder sliding into second base in game two, and a series record of two hits from 19 plate appearances as designated hitter was modest by his standards.
But the Dodgers showed their strength in depth as Freeman, carrying an ankle injury, led the offence spectacularly, assisted by Betts who now has three World Series rings to his name.
While the Yankees’ fielding and baserunning was occasionally sloppy, the Dodgers gave no quarter, and this final game exemplified how their injury-hit pitching staff collectively pulled together to help deliver the title.
