Freddie Freeman homered for a record-tying third consecutive game and the Los Angeles Dodgers reached the brink of a World Series title by beating the New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday.
Freeman, who smashed a walk-off grand slam to win the opener in Los Angeles, crushed a two-run homer in the first inning and Walker Buehler threw five shutout innings allowing only two hits to spark a victory that leaves the Dodgers 3-0 up in the best-of-seven series.
“When you come into a road park you want to try and strike early and quiet the crowd down and we were able to do that in the first inning,” Freeman said.
The Dodgers can capture their first crown since 2020 by winning game four on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will head into that game knowing that no team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win the World Series.
Freeman matched Hank Bauer in 1958 and Barry Bonds in 2002 as the only players to homer in the first three games of a World Series.
The Dodgers first baseman also matched George Springer’s record of homers in five consecutive World Series contests.
Freeman though was uninterested in personal milestones after the win.
“When it’s all said and done I can look at that but the most important thing is one more win,” Freeman said. “That’s all I care about right now. I don’t care how it happens. I just want to get one more win.”
The Yankees have not been swept in a World Series since Cincinnati did it in 1976. The most recent World Series sweep was by San Francisco over Detroit in 2012.
The Dodgers seek their eighth World Series title while the Yankees, with a record 27 crowns, chase their first World Series title since 2009.
– Ohtani better than most –
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani suffered a partially dislocated left shoulder in Saturday’s game-two triumph but was back in the leadoff role as designated hitter to start game three.
The 30-year-old Japanese superstar walked on four pitches from Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt to open the game. Freeman followed with a one-out blast into the right-field stands for a 2-0 lead.
“They made some mistakes with the heater and he made them pay, took a really good swing,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Ohtani hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases this season, the first player in MLB history with 50 in each category in the same campaign.
“He’s not feeling his best but whatever percent of Shohei is better than most people,” Roberts said.
In the third, Tommy Edman walked, took second on an Ohtani ground out and scored on a Mookie Betts single for a 3-0 Dodgers lead.
Betts advanced when Freeman and Max Muncy walked but Yankee reliever Mark Leiter entered and ended the Dodgers threat.
Buehler, who has twice undergone “Tommy John” elbow ligament surgery, struck out five of the first nine Yankee batters over three no-hit innings to start, Roberts saying the 30-year-old right-hander showed his best form of the season.
“This is as confident as I’ve seen him,” Roberts said. “This is as good as I think his stuff has been.”
New York’s Giancarlo Stanton doubled in the fourth to end the no-hit bid but was later thrown out at home plate by Teoscar Hernandez to end the inning.
The Dodgers took a 4-0 lead in the sixth when Gavin Lux was hit by a pitch, stole second base and scored on an Enrique Hernandez single.
New York advanced runners into scoring position in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings but couldn’t get a key hit off six Dodger relievers until Alex Verdugo’s two-out, two-strike homer in the ninth produced the only Yankee runs.
“Our bullpen did a great job,” said Freeman. “You’ve got to pitch in October and we’ve been doing that.”
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