Dodgers fans were primed for a World Series sweep entering Game 4 on Tuesday night. But the Yankees overcame the odds and scored an 11-4 victory in their home stadium in the Bronx, finally putting New York on the board.
Still, LA is just one game away from winning with a 3-1 series lead. And that was on the minds of the fans in New York cheering on the Boys in Blue. “Better luck next year,” said one person traveling across the country to support the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium. Many are hoping for a repeat of what happened the last time New York and LA faced each other in the World Series – 43 years ago.
“I’m wearing my ’81 Dodgers jersey, the last time they won at Yankee Stadium,” an L.A. fan told Darren Haynes of KCAL News from Times Square. “We hope for this again tonight.”
KCAL News
Game 4 started off strong for LA as Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer in the first inning, breaking a Major League record as he became the first player to homer in six consecutive World Series games – dating back to when he homered in Atlanta’s final game. two World Series games against Houston in 2021. He is now the second player to homer in four consecutive games in one World Series, ESPN reports.
Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images
But the game also became tense from the start when a fan in Yankees gear ripped the ball out of Mookie Betts’ glove as he reached over a wall to catch it during the first inning. The Yankees said the fan and a man who grabbed Metts’ other hand were both escorted out is no longer allowed in the Bronx Stadium for Game 5.
/Getty images
New York came alive in the eighth inning with Anthony Volpe’s grand slam, giving the team an 11–4 victory while the Dodgers manager retained his top relievers, a decision that has not been without criticism.
It’s a risky strategy. But one that many believe will pay off, as Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke writes: “For the third time this postseason, comfortable with their lead and protecting their high-leverage relievers for later games, punters the Dodgers,” Plaschke wrote. “It sounds crazy. It sounds risky… but guess what? It works. Two punts helped them to a four-game-to-two victory over the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series.”
“Punting has worked for them before, and it will work here too,” he wrote. “The Dodgers are still in control.”
