LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers made multiple outs on the bases, several errors and misplays in the field, and couldn’t get five innings from their starting pitcher, a rarity this postseason, in a game that
needed a combined 44 players and 18 innings to decide . After six hours and 49 minutes and several close calls, Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off home run to beat the Blue Jays 6-5 in Game 3 of the World Series.
Will Klein was the 10th Dodgers pitcher of the night, and their last reliever on the roster. He pitched longer than he ever has in five years of professional, throwing four scoreless innings to get the Dodgers through 18 innings, matching their own record for longest-ever game in the World Series.
Klein’s previous career high was three innings, done five times in High-A Quad Cities in 2021 in the Royals system, and once this year on August 30 with Triple-A Oklahoma City. On Monday night, Klein struck out five and worked around two hits and a walk.
Game 2 starter and completer Yoshinobu Yamamoto was warming up to pitch the 19th inning of Game 3, but Freeman made sure it didn’t get that far.
Nine times?
Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs and two doubles, tying a World Series record with four extra-base hits in a game, something previously only accomplished by second baseman Frank Isbell with his four doubles for the “hitless wonders” Chicago White Sox in Game 5 of the 1906 Fall Classic.
Ohtani’s second double drove in a run in the sixth inning and he scored the tying run later that frame. His second home run tied the game again in the seventh.
With eight home runs in 13 games, Ohtani tied the Dodgers record for one postseason. Corey Seager also hit eight in 2020, in 18 games. The major league record for a single postseason is 10 homers, by Randy Arozarena for the 2020 Rays.
Ohtani was having such a good game that Blue Jays manager John Schneider intentionally walked him with one out and nobody on in the ninth inning of a tie game, putting the winning run on base. But in keeping with the theme of the game, Ohtani was thrown out trying to steal second because he came off the bag.
Ohtani was also walked intentionally with two outs and nobody on in the 11th, and with two outs and a runner on third in the 13th, and then worked a walk in the traditional manner in the 17th as well. Ohtani reached base nine times in a World Series game, three more than the previous of six times on base, by Stan Hack in 1945 and Kenny Lofton in 1995.
Early relief
Justin Wrobleski got five outs to get into the seventh inning, then came Blake Treinen for his team-leading eighth appearance in 13 games this postseason. Treinen needed only one out to finish the inning, but allowed three singles beforehand. The middle hit ricocheted off the right field wall in foul territory (including apparently off the leg of a Fox sound person).
Teoscar Hernández, who was thrown out at third base by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a busted play to end the bottom of the sixth inning, couldn’t return the favor in the top of the seventh with terrible throw home, allowing Guerrero to score the go-ahead run.
It was a great relay that kept the game tied in the top of the 10th inning. With pinch-runner Davis Schneider on first base, Nathan Lukes doubled into the right field corner. This time, Hernández got off a very good throw to Tommy Edman, who made an error earlier but this time fired a great relay home to Will Smith to nail Schnieder with room to spare.
Edman also made a glove toss on the run to get the final out of the 12th inning to retire Nathan Lukes, the only batter Clayton Kershaw faced.
In addition to Wrobleski and Klein, Edgardo Henriquez also worked his way up the bullpen trust tree with two scoreless innings of his own, preceding Klein.
Starters for short
Max Scherzer allowed solo home runs to Teoscar Hernández — who had one hit in his previous 16 at-bats with nine strikeouts — and Ohtani for a 2-0 lead by the inning. Freddie Freeman walked and stole second base later in the frame, and had another extra base on his mind when Will Smith singled to right field. Only this time, Addison Barger’s throw home nailed Freeman with plenty of time to spare to end the inning without additional runs.
Tyler Glasnow started the second inning by allowing a single, walk, and single. But after the first single, Bo Bichette wandered off first base after an absurdly-late strike call on what might have been ball four to Daulton Varsho. Will Smith threw down to nail Bichette in no-man’s land, which neutered a potential rally.
Glasnow in the fourth inning was not as fortunate, walking Guerrero to start the inning, then a possible double-play grounder got past Tommy Edman at second base for an error, putting runners at the corners. One out later, Alejandro Kirk unloaded on a first-pitch curveball for a three-run home run to turn a Toronto deficit into a one-run lead. Two more singles and a sacrifice fly made for a four run inning, two of the runs earned.
Manager Dave Roberts tipped his hand during an interview with Tom Verducci on Fox in the bottom of the fourth inning, saying he’d like to get a scuffling Glasnow through Bichette, the third batter due up in the fifth. Glasnow issued his third walk of the night, putting Nathan Lukes off to open the fifth, but Glasnow did get Guerrero and Bichette to end his night.
Anthony Banda was called in, and had a much better time than his two-homer appearance in the sixth inning of Game 1 in Toronto, inducing an infield popout to end the frame.
Scherzer got one out in the fifth but wasn’t allowed to face Ohtani a third time, pulled with one out. Ohtani, who doubled and homered off Scherzer, greeted left-hander Mason Fluharty with another double to score Kiké Hernández, giving the Dodgers three runs off Scherzer for the first time since the 2016 NLDS, 12 starts ago.
Freeman followed with a single inside first base off Fluharty to score Ohtani to even the score, officially turning the game over to the bullpens.
But nobody realized the game still had over four more hours to go.
World Series Game 3 particulars
Home runs: Teoscar Hernández (5), Shohei Ohtani 2 (8), Freddie Freeman (2); Alejandro Kirk (5)
WP — Will Klein (1-0): 4 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts
LP — Brendon Little (0-2): 1+ IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Up next
Shohei Ohtani is on the mound for the Dodgers in Game 4 on Tuesday (5 p.m., Fox), with Shane Bieber pitching for the Blue Jays.
