That. Was. Incredible. And I’m not just talking about the World Series win. I’m talking about Freddie Freeman’s homer. Miguel Rojas’ defense. Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s complete games. The whole postseason, from beginning to end.
Each game had a historic moment, a top-10 highlight, and every emotion possible. Here are some favorite moments, win by win.
Game 2: Yamamoto does it again
Yoshinobu Yamamoto started earning his World Series MVP award in Game 2. Even though it took him 23 pitches to get through the first inning, he managed a second
consecutive complete game—the second Dodger to accomplish that in the postseason since Orel Hershiser in 1988—and retired 20 straight in the process.
Oh, and Will Smith and Max Muncy crushed a couple of homers to help the Dodgers take the lead, with Smith driving in three of the team’s five runs.
Game 3: Heroes familiar and new
This 18-inning marathon was a true testament of just how good the Dodgers and Blue Jays were this year. This game’s major highlight is, of course, Freddie Freeman’s walk-off homer, allowing the Dodgers to take the lead in the series. It’s Freeman’s second big homer in a World Series after last year’s Kirk Gibson impression, and this one was just as good.
But we also need to give relief pitcher Will Klein his flowers. Klein was the 10th pitcher of the night, pitched longer than he ever has in pro ball, and kept all four of his relief innings scoreless to propel the Dodgers to victory. His previous career high? Three innings—in High-A.
But wait, there’s more! Shohei Ohtani reached base nine times, breaking the World Series record of six times on base, making some history of his own. Ohtani also:
- tied a World Series record with four extra-base hits in a game, matching Frank Isbell’s record set in 1906.
- provided game-tying runs on his second double and second home runs.
- tied the Dodgers record for home runs in the postseason with eight homers in 13 games (Corey Seager hit eight in 2020, but it took him 18 games).
Then he started on the mound the next day. All in a day’s work!
Game 6: A true team effort
“This is what you live for,” manager Dave Roberts said before Friday’s game. “You want to be a part of this, you want to be in this moment, this game.”
And this was a good one. Tyler Glasnow got the final three outs on three pitches thanks to a beautiful double play courtesy of Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas. Does that all count as one highlight, or two?
All this happened against the backdrop of another gem from Yamamoto, who only allowed 11 runs over 10 starts by the end of the game, and more offensive power from Smith and Mookie Betts, who cashed in two runs in the top of the third.
And this also happened:
Game 7: Where do we even begin?
Yamamoto may have pitched the Dodgers to victory, but Smith played a big role, too. He caught more innings than any catcher in a World Series—all 73 innings of this one, which included two extra-inning games—and blasted the game-winning run in the 11th inning of Game 7. In between, he consistently performed with the bat in his hands and provided key run support when the Dodgers needed it most.
I said before the game that Rojas was due for some big hits, and he had two last night: a single to chase starter Max Scherzer from the game, and a home run that tied it up in the ninth.
I also appreciated Andy Pages running Kiké Hernández over to make a game-saving catch in the ninth—which Hernández didn’t even realize was a game-saver until later.
“I was just down because I thought we lost,” he said.
And of course, there’s Justin Wrobleski. The reliever retired four out of six batters faced with two strikeouts and then tried to join the Joe Kelly Fight Club via an attitude-filled response to Andrés Giménez, who got hit by a pitch after nearly getting hit by the previous one.
There’s also my personal highlight: My family was in town for a visit, and we got to watch Game 7 and scream and yell and jump up and down on the couch together for 11 innings. Just had to put that out there (hi, Dad!).
Ok, give me your highlights in the comments — I know I missed a bunch. With history at every turn, it’s hard to keep track. Lucky us.
