LOS ANGELES, CA — The Dodgers secured a thrilling Game 5 victory over the Yankees, winning 7-6 and taking the series four games to one.
This World Series game was a rollercoaster of emotions for fans of both teams.
The Dodgers staged a remarkable comeback from a 5-0 deficit to clinch a heart-pounding win.
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While the game may not have been historic in terms of grand slams or home runs, it was a fitting representation of this team’s spirit—a gritty and opportunistic triumph with contributions from all players.
In the end, the game hinged on the pitching. Star pitcher Walker Buehler entered the ninth inning as the closer, tasked with protecting the Dodgers’ 7-6 advantage. He delivered a flawless inning: three up, three down.
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He first faced Anthony Volpe, who grounded out to first. He then struck out Austin Wells and concluded the game by striking out Alex Verdugo.
Teoscar Hernández led off the top of the ninth inning with a base hit. Max Muncy followed with a fly ball out to right field, and Kiké Hernández then reached base on a walk.
The Dodgers entered the bottom of the eighth with a 7-6 lead, where reliever Blake Trienen faced the challenge of striking out Yankees’ Rizzo with two outs and two runners on base, successfully maintaining the lead.
After the Yankees raced to a 5-0 lead in the first three innings, they seemed on track for a Game 5 win, but an error-prone fifth inning changed everything.
In that inning, the Dodgers showcased their hitting and base-running skills, even with two outs recorded.
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole had been dominant until Kiké Hernández connected for a single to right field. An easy fly ball hit by Tommy Edman fell through the hands of star center fielder Aaron Judge, allowing Hernández to advance to second base. Then, Will Smith managed a single after Anthony Volpe attempted a throw to third that was off target.
As the Yankees’ mistakes mounted, so did the opportunities to score.
With the bases full, Cole struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani. Just when it appeared the Dodgers might leave three stranded, Mookie Betts hit a ground ball to first base that should’ve been an easy out. However, Cole failed to cover first in time, allowing the ground ball to slip by, leading to Hernández scoring.
Freddie Freeman followed with a single up the middle, scoring Edman and Smith. With the score now at 5-3, Teoscar Hernández hit a two-run double to center field, tying the game. Cole then walked Max Muncy before confronting Kiké Hernández again, who hit a grounder to short, resulting in Muncy being out at second and ending the five-run inning.
The eighth inning was pivotal, as it marked the Dodgers’ first lead of the game.
In the top of the eighth, Gavin Lux stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs. Previously, he had struck out in a similar situation during the fifth, but this time he hit a sacrifice fly to center, allowing Kiké Hernández to score and tie the game at 6-6.
With one man on third and another on first, Shohei Ohtani was awarded first base due to catcher’s interference. This brought Mookie Betts to the plate with the bases loaded again, hitting a sacrifice fly to Aaron Judge in center, driving in Tommy Edman for the Dodgers’ first lead of the game.
Freddie Freeman struck out with two outs and two on base, heading into the eighth inning with a 7-6 edge.
The Yankees had seemed unstoppable before the fifth inning.
Aaron Judge broke free from a postseason slump, hitting his first World Series home run—a two-run blast in the first inning that put the Yankees ahead in Game 5 against the Dodgers.
The talented slugger had been struggling, batting just .152 in October and .133 in his debut Series before launching a 403-foot shot to right-center on the first pitch from starter Jack Flaherty.
Juan Soto was on base after drawing a walk with one out.
This marked Judge’s 16th postseason homer and his third this year, just ahead of what many expect to be his second AL MVP award in three years next month. He had not homered in 29 plate appearances since a tying shot at Cleveland late in Game 3 of the AL Championship Series on October 17.
He also homered in Game 2 of the same series.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with another home run off Flaherty, marking the Yankees’ fifth instance of back-to-back homers in a World Series, the first since Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson achieved the feat in Game 5 at Dodger Stadium in 1977.
In the second inning, Alex Verdugo hit a single to right field, driving in Volpe and pushing the lead to 4-0. That effectively ended a rocky night for Dodger starter Jack Flaherty.
In the third inning, Giancarlo Stanton launched a solo home run to right field, extending the lead to 5-0. After the Dodgers tied the game, Stanton later brought in Soto in the sixth on a sacrifice fly, regaining the lead at 6-5.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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