Freddie Freeman hit a grand slam in the 10th inning, leaving the New York Yankees on the field and giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a 6-3 victory on Friday in Game 1 of the World Series. 

Freeman, who has been playing with ankle discomfort, sparked jubilation among the 52,394 fans at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. 

Tribute to Valenzuela

Before the start of the game, the Dodgers paid tribute to the memory of legendary Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, wearing the number 34 on their uniforms. A minute of silence was held, while former teammates Orel Hershiser and Steve Yeager placed the ceremonial first pitch ball near the number 34 painted on the mound. 

The Dodgers opened the scoring in the fifth inning when Will Smith hit a sacrifice fly to right field. Puerto Rican Kiké Hernández avoided the throw to the plate from Dominican Juan Soto, scoring the game’s first run.

The Yankees quickly responded in the sixth inning. Giancarlo Stanton, the Championship Series MVP, hit a home run to left field off Jack Flaherty, putting the Yankees ahead 2-1. This was Stanton’s fourth consecutive home run in this postseason, bringing his total to six.

The Dodgers tied the game in the eighth inning with a double from Shohei Ohtani that, thanks to an error by Venezuelan Gleyber Torres, advanced him to third base. He then scored on a sacrifice liner from Mookie Betts to center field.

In the 10th inning, with runners on first and third, Anthony Volpe hit a grounder that shortstop Tommy Edman fielded, but he was only able to get the force out at second, allowing Jazz Chisholm Jr. to score the go-ahead run for the Yankees.

However, in the bottom of the 10th with two outs, Freeman stepped up with the bases loaded and connected on Néstor Cortés’s first pitch, sending it over the right-field wall to clinch the win for the Dodgers.

Flaherty, who started for the Dodgers, pitched 5.1 innings with six strikeouts, leaving the game after Stanton’s two-run homer. Gerrit Cole did his job for the Yankees, pitching six innings, allowing four hits and one run, with four strikeouts. 

Blake Treinen (1-0) took the win after pitching 1.1 innings and allowing just one run, while the loss went to Jake Cousins (0-1), who gave up two runs in one-third of an inning.