(Image via gmanetwork.com) 

Staff Writer: Aidan Danforth

Email: adanforth@umassd.edu 

No longer will today’s Los Angeles Dodgers be regarded as a failure that won a “Mickey Mouse” ring back in 2020. For the first time since 1988, the Dodgers have won the World Series during a full season. 

The 2024 World Series saw lots of action. This five-game series between the Dodgers and New York Yankees will be remembered for plenty of epic moments, including some of the biggest shocks in baseball. 

Freddie Freeman’s Glad Slam 

Game 1 featured a competitive game between both teams, and many believed the series was going to be seven games. 

The Dodgers struck first with a run scored by Kike Hernandez. New York responded with a home run by Giancarlo Stanton, leading to two runs. A Mookie Betts hit followed, which led to a Shoehei Ohtani score. 

Then came overtime. The Yankees began the 10th inning, scoring one run from Jazz Chisholm. But no one came prepared for what came next. 

Bottom of the 10th inning, two outs, batters on all three bases. Freddie Freeman goes to swing and hits the ball to right field, resulting in a grand slam and giving the Dodgers a Game 1victory. 

It is simply a magical moment in sports. Freeman played through an ankle injury he suffered during the playoffs. Some feared the injury may impact his play, but it certainly didn’t. 

This moment is also special for Freddie’s family. They went through a lot in the summer as Freddie’s son Max had to be hospitalized due to having GBS (Guillain Barre Syndrome). Thankfully, Max was able to recover. 

Moments like this are a great example of those feel-good moments in sports. A moment, regardless of the fanbase, one has nothing but positive things to say about it. 

Yankees Game 4 Statement 

Heading into Game 4, The Dodgers had a 3-0 lead over the Yankees. What looked to be a competitive series turned one-sided in three games. Los Angeles looked to have the 22nd-ever World Series sweep. 

In the first inning, it appeared the Dodgers could achieve that. They started with a 2-0 lead after one inning. However, the Yankees quickly responded. By the game’s halfway point, New York took a 5-4 lead. 

Los Angeles needed a solid second half. Instead, the Yankees dominated by scoring six more runs and convincingly won 11-4. 

What appeared to be a lost series became quickly resurrected. Considering how competitive Game 1 was, this series could’ve easily been 2-2.

A 3-0 series is tough to come back from. Only five series in all of sports have seen a team make a comeback. One of them happened in baseball, while the others were in hockey. 

Although a comeback appeared out of reach, Game 4 gave fans a bit of hope. The other highlight from this game was a fan interference that saw two Yankees fans attempting to steal a ball from Mookie Betts’s glove. 

Both fans were ejected and banned from Game 5 of the World Series. 

Dodgers 5-0 Comeback 

At first, Game 5 had many believe this series would be six games. Only three innings in, the Yankees took a 5-0 lead while the Dodgers showed little signs of life. 

Until the fifth inning, thanks to the efforts of Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernandez, Los Angeles tied the game 5-5. 

New York quickly responded thanks to a Juan Soto run that gave them a 6-5 after six innings. The seventh inning saw no scoring as New York kept their slim lead into the final stretch. 

In the eighth inning, the Dodgers made a statement by scoring two runs and taking the lead 7-6. With the World Series in their hands, all Los Angeles had to do was go through one more inning, and they would become champions. 

There were two outs, Alex Verdugo was batting, and three strikes were needed to win. The first pitch was a ball followed by two strikes, then it happened. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series for the eighth time in franchise history. 

Freddie Freeman won the MVP award. It was a well-deserved award as he hit four home runs in the series, including the grand slam that won game one.  

Now, the legacy of today’s Dodgers has changed forever. They will no longer be known as a team that loses in the first round or comes so close yet so far without a title. Instead, they can call themselves true champions with this win after a legitimate MLB season.