NEW YORK — Freddie Freeman began the World Series with a historic ending.
Five nights later, Freeman was in the middle of a five-run rally in the fifth inning, and he and the Los Angeles Dodgers later celebrated deep into the night.
Freeman and the Dodgers secured the eighth title in franchise history Wednesday night by overcoming a five-run deficit for a 7-6 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 5.
The decisive run scored on Mookie Betts’ tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, one pitch after Shohei Ohtani reached on catcher’s interference.
Freeman homered in each of the first four games and was unanimously named MVP. He delivered on the biggest stage after he was slowed by a sprained right ankle in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
The first baseman began the series with the first game-ending grand slam in Fall Classic history when he connected off Nestor Cortes in the 10th inning following an intentional walk to Betts.
In his second World Series clincher, Freeman hit a two-run single with two outs in the fifth before Teoscar Hernandez lined a tying two-run double. Both hits came on 1-2 counts.
Freeman batted .300 (6-for-20) in the series with 12 RBIs, tying Bobby Richardson (1960 Yankees) for the most in a single World Series. He helped the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the Fall Classic for the fourth time and third time since moving from Brooklyn following the 1957 season.
“We’re obviously resilient, but there’s so much love in the clubhouse that won this game today,” Betts said. “That’s what it was. It was love, it was grit. I mean, it was just a beautiful thing. I’m just proud of us and I’m happy for us.”
Six outs away from being forced back to Los Angeles for a sixth game on Friday, the Dodgers won their second title in five seasons and first in a full season since the 1988 team stunned the Oakland Athletics.
Los Angeles also avoided becoming the first team to win the first three games of a best-of-seven Fall Classic and get taken to a sixth game.
The Dodgers trailed 5-0, pulled even 5-5, then fell behind 6-5 in the sixth inning.
New York was still up 6-5 entering the eighth before Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle (1-1) allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs. Gavin Lux lifted a tying sacrifice fly to center field off Luke Weaver.
Ohtani then reached base on catcher’s interference when his bat grazed Austin Wells’ glove. Following a brief review, the call was confirmed.
On the next pitch, Betts lifted a fly ball to center fielder Aaron Judge, and Tommy Edman trotted home for a 7-6 lead.
“I think our lineup did a really good job battling and seeing pitches during that big five-run inning,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “Although I was assisted by some errors on the other side, we really did a good job and was able to capitalize on those.”
It was the largest comeback ever in a World Series clincher, surpassing Game 7 in 1925 when the Pittsburgh Pirates overcame a four-run deficit against the Washington Senators.
After Walker Buehler — who started and won Game 3 — secured the final out of a 1-2-3 ninth in Game 5, the Dodgers mobbed each other on the field as several Los Angeles fans in the stands chanted “We’re not leaving” and “Let’s go Dodgers.”
Following a clubhouse celebration that featured Ohtani moving throughout the room and pouring champagne on teammates, the celebration continued onto the field where team personnel and family members lingered.
“There’s 30 guys on this team that would have taken this inning,” Buehler said. “Best feeling in the world.”
Back in the World Series for the first time since 2009, the Yankees lost for the third time in four Fall Classic appearances since winning four in five seasons from 1996 to 2000.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth to give the Yankees a 6-5 lead after Los Angeles erased its 5-0 deficit by sending 10 batters to the plate in the fifth. The Dodgers capitalized on physical errors by Judge and Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe along with a mental error by Gerrit Cole, New York’s starting pitcher.
New York held a 5-0 lead and Cole had yet to allow a hit before Enrique Hernandez singled to open the fifth inning.
Edman reached when his fly ball caromed off Judge’s glove, putting runners at first and second. Will Smith followed by hitting a grounder to Volpe, whose throw bounced in front of third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., loading the bases with no outs.
After Cole struck out Lux and Ohtani, Betts hit a soft grounder to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Cole went about halfway off the mound before stopping, and Betts beat Rizzo to the bag, allowing the Dodgers’ first run to score.
“Gerrit was throwing the ball great,” Freeman said. “He still threw the ball great the whole time. When Mookie came up and hit the squibber and was able to beat it out, you could just feel the excitement. Obviously I was coming up next, and you just want to keep the line moving.”
Cole was one strike away from ending the inning with a 5-1 lead, but he allowed a two-run single to Freddie Freeman. Teoscar Hernandez also was one strike away from making the final out before lining a two-run double over Judge’s head, tying the game 5-5.
“We didn’t take care of the ball well enough in (the fifth) inning,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Against a great team like that, they took advantage.”
Judge said, “We didn’t get the job done. We made some mistakes along the way that hurt us.”
Los Angeles’ rally came after a short start from Jack Flaherty, who was tagged for four runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Blake Treinen (2-0) pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out Anthony Rizzo with two on in the eighth.
Buehler fanned Alex Verdugo to end it, wrapping up his first major league save, regular season or postseason.
Cole allowed five unearned runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked four.
–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media
