About Last Night: Yankees 11, Dodgers 4

By Derek McAdam

October 30, 2024

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On the edge of their season ending on the biggest stage, the New York Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers by a score of 11-4 to force a Game 5 of the World Series. Here’s a quick recap of last night’s game.

Quick Stats:

W: Clay Holmes: 1.1 IP, 2 K

L: Daniel Hudson: 1 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Home runs:

LAD: Freddie Freeman (4), Will Smith (1)

NYY: Anthony Volpe (1), Austin Wells (1), Gleyber Torres (1)

The Big Story:

The Yankees were looking to avoid a sweep in the World Series, and it was up to Luis Gil to lead the way. But a scoreless game was not scoreless for long…

In the 1st, following a Mookie Betts double, Freddie Freeman sent a two-run home run into the right field seats to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. The home run was his 6th consecutive home run in a World Series game, which is a new league record.

The Yankees then had an opportunity in the bottom of the inning with two on and one out, but two groundouts in a row ended the inning.

However, the Yankees were able to strike in the 2nd inning. With Anthony Volpe on third, Alex Verdugo grounded out to score a run, cutting the Yankee deficit in half at 2-1.

The Yankees would load the bases in the 3rd with one out, when Anthony Rizzo popped out to shortstop, stranding all three runners. Volpe then came up and hit the Yankees’ first grand slam in the World Series since Tino Martinez’s Game 1 home run in 1998. This home run, a huge grand slam, gave the Yankees a 5-2 lead.

In the 5th, Will Smith hit a solo home run into the right field seats to make the new score 5-3 Yankees. After Gil walked Tommy Edman, he was pulled from the game as the lineup turned over. With runners on the corners, Freddie Freeman grounded out to score another run, making the new score 5-4.

However, in the 6th, Austin Wells hit a no-doubt home run into the second deck in right field to extend the Yankee lead to 6-4.

In the 7th, Mark Leiter Jr. walked Tommy Edman with one out to bring up Shohei Ohtani. Leiter was able to strike him out. Luke Weaver then came on to face Mookie Betts, who struck out to end the inning.

In the 8th, the Yankees were able to add on some insurance. With runners on second and third, Alex Verdugo, following a lengthy at-bat, hit into a fielder’s choice to score Volpe, making the new score 7-4. And then, Gleyber Torres came alive with a three-run home run to bust the game open, with a new score of 10-4. But the scoring wasn’t done yet. Following a Juan Soto double, Aaron Judge drove him in with an RBI single to make the new score 11-4 Yankees.

Tim Mayza would come into the game to get the final three outs of the game, and the Yankees avoided the sweep and kept their season alive.

Player of the Game:

Anthony Volpe’s grand slam was the deciding factor in this game for the Yankees. Not only did he have the grand slam, but he added two stolen bases. He also made a couple of nice plays in the field as well.

Notable Performances:

The bullpen held it down for the Yankees after Gil surrendered four runs in 4+ innings of work. The two notable performances go to Holmes and Luke Weaver, both of whom recorded four outs. Torres’ home run busted the game wide open, which ultimately led to Aaron Boone bringing in Mayza and saving Tommy Kahnle for tonight,

Better to Forget:

Hudson wishes he could have that pitch back that Volpe sent into the left field seats for a go-ahead grand slam. He simply didn’t have it last night.

My Take:

What an emotional rollercoaster last night’s game was! When Freddie Freeman hit that home run in the 1st, my first instinct was exactly the same from Monday’s similar scenario: It’s game over. However, I quickly told myself that the Dodgers were using their bullpen for the entirety of the game, so maybe Dave Roberts would mess up somewhere along the line.

And while the Yankees had an opportunity in the 1st and failed, they at least took advantage of the next one in the 2nd. The momentum was starting to change, since Yankee fans had nothing to cheer for Monday night.

But fast forward to the 3rd. When Rizzo popped up for the second out, I once again had this bad feeling that if the Yankees didn’t score in that inning, it would be game over. And yet again, my instinct was wrong and Volpe gave the Yankees a HUGE hit. I don’t think I can emphasize the word “huge” enough.

Luis Gil did not have his best stuff, but the Yankee bullpen was there to cover for him, and they could not have done much better.

Overall, I’m glad to see that the Yankees still had some fight left in them. At this point, it’s one game at a time, and the only game that matters right now is the one we will see tonight: Game 5 at Yankee Stadium.

What’s Next?:

As mentioned above, the Yankees will play Game 5 tonight, with hopes of sending the series back to Los Angeles. Jack Flaherty will start for the Dodgers, while Gerrit Cole will start for the Yankees, in a rematch of Game 1. First pitch is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. EST and will be aired on Fox.

As Jack Buck, and son Joe, famously said, “We will see you tomorrow night!” Except, we will see you TONIGHT!