Dodgers 4, Yankees 2 – 2024 World Series Game 3: Freddie Freeman continues to play hero, as Walker Buehler shows up in another big game

Chad Moriyama 10/28/2024 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

The Dodgers and Yankees went back to New York for Game 3 of the World Series, getting a day off between games, which thankfully didn’t kill the momentum of the Dodgers.

Freddie Freeman set the tone early with a two-run homer and the Dodgers added some insurance the rest of the way despite missing a ton of chances. Thankfully that didn’t matter because Walker Buehler and The Dawgs of the pen did their job until struggling in the final inning again in a 4-2 victory.

On the verge.

LET’S FUCKING GO

======

The 28-year-old Clarke Schmidt had a breakout season in 2024 as a starter, and he’s been fine in his two prior postseason starts. With the crowd pumped up, it was the Dodgers who quieted them early. The game started with Shohei Ohtani drawing a four-pitch walk, not even testing his shoulder, and with one down it was Freddie yet again who came through with a two-run homer to right that made it 2-0 early.

After a clean 2nd, he labored again in the 3rd. Tommy Edman started with a walk, and he was going on an Ohtani groundout to make it to second. Mookie Betts followed by winning a nine-pitch at bat by flaring a ball into shallow right for a single, and Edman’s jump at second led to the run scoring and it being 3-0.

Freddie followed with a walk to put a pair on, but Teoscar Hernandez popped out to short. Max Muncy followed with yet another walk to load the bases, which also spelled the end of Schmidt’s night.

Mark Leiter Jr. entered in a tough situation, and Will Smith got to a 3-1 count. At that point, Leiter threw a ball on a cutter outside, but it was called a strike and then Smith grounded out back to Leiter on a hanging splitter in the zone. Sigh.

They also rallied in the 4th inning against Leiter, as Gavin Lux walked and Enrique Hernandez singled to corner the runners. Edman then made a questionable choice with a safety squeeze, which he bunted back to the pitcher, and Leiter barely got Lux at home (allegedly).

It was … close.

That proved big as Nestor Cortes then entered and got Ohtani to chase a 3-2 pitch for a strikeout and got Mookie to lineout to left to strand another huge chance. Next time up, the Dodgers seemingly got a gift with an error to start the 5th, but Cortes got a lineout and double play to cruise through the minimum.

——

The Dodgers were still leading comfortably thanks to another big game performance from their big game guy.

Buehler was horrendous in 2024, but seemed to get better as the year went on, and his ugly playoff ERA basically comes down to one inning where the Dodgers defense failed him.

He started horrifyingly (for my heart at least), issuing a lead-off walk in front of the terrible trio, but Buehler settled in a bit, getting a flyout, strikeout, and groundout to end a stressful 22-pitch saga. He continued to get behind hitters in the 2nd, but got a clean frame with a pair of strikeouts.

Buehler continued to get whiffs to start the 3rd with a pair of strikeouts, then certainly made a choice by getting cute to Torres and walking him again. Thankfully, Soto grounded a ball to first for the final out.

In the 4th, he gave up a one-out double to Giancarlo Stanton, but then got the second out on a diving catch from Mookie.

Anthony Volpe then singled to left, making it seem like the Yankees were about to get their first run, but Teoscar gunned down Stanton at the plate to keep the Yankees off the board.

Buehler then responded in the 5th by getting a clean inning and ending his outing going exactly twice through the lineup. An almost vintage outing for Buehler: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 76 Pitches.

Back to the other side, Jake Cousins entered for the Yankees in the 6th, getting a lineout to start but then hitting Lux. He promptly stole second and then scored on an Enrique single up the middle to make it 4-0 before a strike ’em out throw ’em out double play ended the frame.

For the Dodgers it was Brusdar Graterol in relief of Buehler, and he started the 6th with a groundout. However, he walked Soto before almost throwing the ball into center on a comebacker to get just one out. Stanton followed with a single back up the box to put a pair on, and that was the end of Graterol’s night.

Alex Vesia relieved him, and got Jazz Chisholm Jr. to groundout to second and end the threat. Surprisingly, that was the end of his night, as Daniel Hudson started the 7th. He went to a 3-2 count to every batter he faced, starting with a strikeout but then gave up a single and got another strikeout to limit the mess.

Dave Roberts then came out and went to Anthony Banda, who walked Alex Verdugo to put a pair on. He then went to 2-2 against Torres, and threw a high pitch that was called a strike to escape.

As all this was going on, the Yankees pen continued to cook.

The 7th was given to Tim Hill, who issued a walk but also got Ohtani and Freeman before exiting. Clay Holmes relieved him, giving up a single to Teoscar to corner the runners before Muncy continued to struggle and struck out to strand another chance. Holmes continued in the 8th, getting the first out before giving way to Tommy Kahnle, who got the final two outs. Kahnle continued in the 9th to get the first out before closer Luke Weaver entered. He hit Ohtani on the toe but Mookie then grounded into a double play to close the book on the Dodger bats.

——

That made it closing time for The Dawgs.

Instead of letting Banda get Soto, it was Ryan Brasier to start the 8th in a shocking move. He rewarded his manager’s confidence, issuing a walk but getting a pair of strikeouts against the heart of the Yankees order in a huge sequence for this team.

The 9th then belonged to Michael Kopech, who got a strikeout before issuing a stressful walk and uncorking a wild pitch. He then got a foul pop for the second out, but Verdugo followed by homering to right to make it 4-2 and upping the tension.

However, he rebounded by getting a groundout to end it.

Man.

One more. Just one more.

——

That’s right.

======

The World Series is now 3-0 and the Dodgers have a stranglehold on this thing. Go for it tomorrow, don’t fuck around.

Same teams, same place, and same time tomorrow at 2:08 PM HT/5:08 PM PT/8:08 PM ET on FOX. It’ll be a pen game for the Dodgers (dunno who starts, honestly) against Luis Gil for the Yankees.

Tags

About Chad Moriyama

Avatar photo
"A highly rational Internet troll." - Los Angeles Times
Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2014-2023 | Dodgers Digest | All Rights Reserved