NEW YORK (AP) – It’s been all about the Dodgers since those collections.
Freddie Freeman homered for the third time, and Walker Buehler pitched another World Series gem in a win over Los Angeles. the slumping New York Yankees Went 4-2 on Monday night and went 3-0 in the Fall Classic.
Superstar Shohei Ohtani will play regardless partially dislocated left shoulder, The Dodgers pulled off a stunning sweep in this exciting matchup between traditional powers.
“Another victory. That’s what I’m interested in right now,” Freeman said.
Teoscar Hernandez threw out the runner at home plate with a steeplechase to left. Mookie Betts and Quique Hernandez each delivered RBI singles, and the Dodgers chased Yankees starter Clark Schmidt in the third inning.
Buehler and six relievers combined for five hits for Los Angeles, on the cusp of its second championship in five years and eighth in franchise history.
“Walker Buehler, he’s done it his whole career in big games, in big moments,” Freeman said. “It will step up when you need it.”
Freeman’s three hits on two runs gave him a A home run in five games of the World Series With Atlanta through 2021, matching George Springer’s major league record with Houston.
Freeman, who looked much healthier after spraining his right ankle early in the postseason, connected on the first game-tying grand slam in World Series history to win the dramatic opener in Los Angeles.
Since then, it has been a one-sided fight.
Game 4 is Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. Down to three healthy starters, the Dodgers are slated for a fourth game this postseason. Rookie right-hander Luis Gil is headed to New York.
In the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Yankees, the Boston Red Sox became the only team in major league history to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a major postseason series.
New York manager Aaron Boone said: “We hope to become this amazing event and shock the world.” “But right now it’s about trying to take the lead, try to take over the game and force another play and then go from there. But we have to get one first.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts helped spark a remarkable Red Sox comeback with a stolen base.
“Don’t talk about it. The wrong guy. It is still early,” he said. “I don’t want to reveal any secrets, but on the other hand, I think we have to pay attention, we have to be urgent.”
In the previous 11 World Series meetings between these old pot rivals, the 1963 Dodgers had the lone victory behind Hall of Fame pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
It was the only time the Dodgers took a 3-0 lead in the World Series.
New York hasn’t played in the Fall Classic since the 1976 Cincinnati Reds. But in all five cases they trailed 3-0 in the seven-game postseason series, the Yankees lost Game 4.
Los Angeles has won seven consecutive World Series games against the Yankees, dating back to the 1981 crown.
It was the first series game at Yankee Stadium since New York won its 27th title against Philadelphia in 2009. But the return home didn’t help to discourage Aaron Judge no-hitter Bronx Bombershad four runs and nine hits in the last two games.
New York didn’t score until Alex Verdugo’s two-run homer from Michael Kopech in the ninth inning. Kopech then retired Gleyber Torres to end it.
Buehler allowed two hits in five innings. His lone win this year in an injury-plagued season came on May 18 against Cincinnati.
The two-time All-Star improved to 4-4 in 18 career starts, including a 2-0 record with a 0.50 ERA in three World Series appearances. He allowed one run and seven hits on 22 hits over 18 innings in those assignments — against Boston (2018), Tampa Bay (2020) and Game 3 against the Yankees.
“It’s weird. For me, the playoffs, the big games, I think that’s always the only thing I’m really excited about,” Buehler said. “I’ve been terrible all year. I think once you get to the playoffs, the adrenaline, the fear of my elbow or trying to throw a certain pitch or whatever, it’s all over now, I think it all goes away. It helped me, I think.”
After the Yankees struggled at the plate in two losses in Los Angeles, Boone ruled out any major changes to the lineup.
The New York players held a brief meeting in the afternoon, and a recording by the late Yankees public address announcer Bob Sheppard introduced five-time World Series champion Derek Jeter as he ceremoniously threw out the first pitch. Bronx-born rapper Fat Joe drew a crowd of 49,368 for his pregame performance.
But it was the Dodgers who got off to a fast start.
Schmidt walked Ohtani on four pitches to start the game. One out later, Freeman sent a 355-foot 1-2 cutter into the lower right-field deck for his 13th career postseason homer.
He joined Yankees outfielder Hank Bauer (1958) and Giants slugger Barry Bonds (2002) as the only players to go deep in the first three games of a World Series.
“When you go into a road park, you want to hit early and try to calm the crowd down, and we were able to do that in the first inning,” Freeman said.
Ohtani finished 0-for-3 with the walk and was walked. He grimaced after a few swings and held the collar with his left hand even as he took the lead off the first foot to protect his aching shoulder.
But he passed the game well.
“The pain was gone, so I felt really good about it,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I was told to wear a shoulder warmer. So during the (pregame) ceremony and throughout the game, I wore it as the coaches suggested. “The reason I hold myself up when I run is to make sure I don’t use my left shoulder if I slip.”
No. 9 hitter Tommy Edman drew another four-pitch walk from Schmidt to lead off the third and scored on Betts’ single. Quique Hernandez added an RBI single in the sixth.
Schmidt went over four 2 2/3 innings in his third postseason start. He lost his fifth straight decision coming off a May 16 win in Minnesota.
New York followed with a runner at home when Edman attempted a safety squeeze in the fourth, but the Dodgers made a sensational defense to kill any momentum the Yankees had.
After Giancarlo Stanton singled in the fourth, Betts made a diving catch in right. Teoscar Hernandez then threw out all of his teammates at the plate on Anthony Volpe’s single at 94 mph, cutting Stanton to preserve a 3-0 cushion.
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Gil (15-7, 3.50 ERA) made one postseason start, allowing two runs over four innings in a no-decision in Game 4 of the ALCS at Cleveland.
He struck out seven while giving up three runs in 5 2/3 innings in a 6-4 win against New York before the decision against the Dodgers on June 9 at Yankee Stadium.
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