The Los Angeles Dodgers: Champions.
Los Angeles won their eighth World Series title on Wednesday.
So the adage goes, it ain’t over ‘till it’s over.
After holding off the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 and avoiding being swept in nine innings chock full of controversy, one probably couldn’t fault the New York Yankees for feeling just a little optimistic as they stepped into Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night.
Still with their season in the balance but with a seemingly renewed focus, as they looked to fully turn the competitive tide in their favour and bring the larger baseball contingent back to Southern California in pursuit.
Baseball’s two most iconic teams, duking it out in a series for the ages.
Well, ideally.
As after a trio of instantly-infamous defensive misplays saw their five-run lead evaporate in the fifth inning? New York never recovered.
Only able to watch as Los Angeles wrestled back what little momentum they had previously lost in what became a 7-6 victory, for, as they made clear, the only way they were going back home was with a championship hoisted upon their collective shoulders.
Mission accomplished.
It was though, in totality, the series in a vacuum.
Both teams, the top seeds in their respective leagues and coming off impressive postseason runs but it was only Los Angeles who seemed particularly attuned the moment: their bevy of All-Star and Cooperstown-worthy talent, all coming together in tandem - more so with superstar Shohei Ohtani present but ineffective (by his otherworldly standards) as he battled injury.
Maybe it was Game 1 hero and eventual Series MVP Freddie Freeman, who would set a MLB-record with home runs in six straight World Series contests (dating back to his time with Atlanta) or perhaps it was prized rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto who pitched six, almost-clean innings in Game 2, in giving up just one hit (a solo home run to Juan Soto).
And what of Walker Buehler? Post Tommy John surgery, he had a difficult, wholly forgettable regular season but stepped up when his team needed it most.
After pitching five scoreless innings in LA’s Game 3 win, he came out in relief, on just a day’s rest and promptly recorded, with two strikeouts to boot, the final three outs. Per Sports Illustrated (via MLB’s Sarah Langs), Buehler is just the fourth pitcher since saves became an official statistic in 1969, to accomplish such a feat: a win and a save both, in the World Series.
All in all, it is the exclamation point on this era of Dodgers baseball the team has long been searching for, in their constant quest for sporting immorality. From spending over a billion dollars during last winter’s free agent period or developing a culture that prides itself on excellence across the board.
Consider: while their lineup may be top-heavy with three potential Hall-of-Famers (Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freeman) it is also balanced by strong players in support, which came to define their postseason. From Teoscar Hernández and Enrique Hernández to NLCS MVP Tommy Edman.
One man down, next up.
Sure, they’ve dominated the regular season for nearly a decade now but their only championship during that stretch, during the 2020 season, has been heavily scrutinized and belittled since, by many critics in the always-online space: by way of the shortened season, the argument goes, that title should be voided, inauthentic and unearned (despite the inherent challenges that year brought).
Count on it - while the Dodgers will never be the most beloved outfit outside of their primary orbit, those dissenters (for the moment at least), are pretty quiet now. The bigger question, is if the team can parlay this success into what is clearly their big-picture goal: a proper dynasty - their bingo card of venerable stars, once more, up against baseball’s inherent unpredictability.
Though on that front, only time will tell.
In contrast, while nobody can reasonably accuse the Yankees of lacking strong star power, their often disorganized fundamentals, again-and-again came to sink them.
Aaron Judge, regardless of what irate New York-area radio callers might be suggesting, isn’t going anywhere. But to hear him speak post-game, it was a player knowing his weak performance series-wide, compounded with his blown routine fly in Game 5, will stick with him for a lifetime - that is, if and when, he gets a chance at World Series redemption. Juan Soto though is a different story: the man who is probably baseball’s purest hitter (and in the prime of his career, at 26) refused to commit to any team, including the Yankees, as his free agency looms.
In the Bronx, one way or another, change will come but while New York can’t counterbalance an uncertain off-season in the glow of a championship?
The Dodgers definitely will.
Another season, another chapter written for one of baseball’s most celebrated clubs - expect this one ended a little sweeter.
After all, banners fly forever.
Thanks for the article Ryan! What a game 😮