Freddie Freeman’s 18th Inning Walk-off Home Run Gives Dodgers Epic Game 3 Win

LOS ANGELES — In nan end, it was prima first baseman Freddie Freeman who ended it astatine 18 innings, erstwhile his 3rd consecutive heavy thrust to halfway section was yet enough, but erstwhile he crossed nan plate, nan personification he was looking for was an anonymous reliever who hardly made nan roster: Will Klein. 

It took 18 innings, six hours and 39 minutes, 45 players, 153 sheet appearances and a heroic effort from a brace of maligned bullpens, but yet nan Dodgers prevailed 6–5 successful Game 3 of nan World Series to return a bid lead of 2 games to one. 

Seven years aft nan Dodgers played an 18-inning World Series Game 3 here, this 1 matched it for longest successful Fall Classic history. (Though acknowledgment to nan transportation clock, it took 41 minutes little than nan 7:20 slog betwixt nan Red Sox and nan Dodgers.) The Blue Jays utilized each 8 of their relievers; nan Dodgers utilized each 9 of theirs. The Blue Jays utilized each position player. 

So galore moments successful nan crippled were conscionable a triumph distant from being World Series classics. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scored from first connected a single. Shohei Ohtani tied a 119-year-old grounds for other guidelines hits successful a Fall Classic game. And past location were nan chaotic ones: A late onslaught call led to a pickoff astatine first base. Three bully protect plays successful nan infield nabbed a runner astatine 3rd guidelines connected a single. Ohtani was caught stealing erstwhile he fell disconnected 2nd base. A pinch runner was thrown retired trying to people connected a double. Ohtani was intentionally walked 4 times, a postseason record, and nan prime was truthful evident that fans successful nan stands began holding up 4 fingers erstwhile nan first chords of his walk-up song, “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé, played. The Dodgers intentionally walked nan No. 9 hitter. Seven runners were thrown retired connected nan bases, including 2 astatine home. For nan first clip successful his career, Clayton Kershaw sounded successful nan 12th inning. The bullpens—the weakest area of some clubs—combined for 26 ⅔ innings of four-run ball. 

Klein, nan past reliever connected nan roster, sounded 4 innings and allowed 1 hit. If he had faltered, head Dave Roberts would person had to move to Game 2 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. 

Dodgers pitcher Will Klein earned his 3rd profession big-league triumph by pitching nan last 4 innings. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

By nan extremity of nan night, it was difficult to retrieve nan missed opportunities, but some teams had them.

In nan 2nd inning, Daulton Varsho took what conscionable astir everyone successful nan ballpark thought was Ball 4 pinch Bo Bichette connected first. Home sheet umpire Mark Wegner made a precocious onslaught call, by which clip Bichette had wandered disconnected nan container and was picked off. Varsho yet walked, and Alejandro Kirk singled him to third, but Glasnow struck retired Addison Barger and induced Ernie Clement to statement to halfway to extremity nan threat.

In nan sixth, Kiké Hernández bounced a shot to nan shortstop pinch Teoscar Hernández connected first. Shortstop Andés Giménez ranged to his correct to get nan shot and fired to first, wherever Vladimir Guerrero Jr. saw that he had nary play—but 3rd baseman Ernie Clement might. Guerrero made an awkward throw, which Clement saved to tag Teoscar Hernández for nan 3rd out. And nan teams mixed to time off 37 runners connected base. No 1 scored betwixt nan seventh inning and nan 18th. 

And worse, each squad has logic to interest astir 1 of its stars: In nan seventh, leadoff hitter George Springer, who is tied for 3rd successful postseason location tally history and successful galore ways is nan bosom of nan team, appeared to tweak his correct oblique connected a foul ball. He near nan crippled and hobbled down nan dugout steps. In nan 11th, Ohtani appeared to slow arsenic he dashed to 2nd base. He took a believe tally into halfway section and remained successful nan game. 

A life ago, this seemed for illustration a normal game. The Dodgers struck first, erstwhile Teoscar Hernández, true to form, redeemed his four-strikeout Game 2 pinch a solo homer successful nan second. With 1 retired successful nan adjacent inning, Scherzer challenged Ohtani—if you tin telephone it that—with a 94-mph fastball up and in. Ohtani missed it. Three pitches later, Scherzer threw astir nan aforesaid pitch. Ohtani did not miss it. 

The lead lasted 18 minutes. The Blue Jays pridefulness themselves connected their expertise to people a batch of different ways—no squad struck retired less times this season—and nan 4th inning featured astir each of them: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked, Bichette collapsed his bat connected a sinker that 2nd baseman Tommy Edman could not mitt and yet Kirk drilled a curveball conscionable complete nan halfway section wall. For bully measure, Barger and Ernie each added singles and Andrés Giménez launched a sacrifice alert to halfway to make it 4–2. 

Scherzer, who memorably barked astatine Schneider erstwhile nan skipper tried to region him successful Game 4 of nan ALCS, could only motion successful nan bottommost of nan 4th erstwhile his head appeared pinch a runner connected first, 1 retired and Ohtani striding to nan plate. Fair enough. It whitethorn not person mattered who nan pitcher was. Facing Toronto’s champion lefty, Mason Fluharty, Ohtani doubled to thrust successful a run. Two batters later, Freddie Freeman brought him successful to necktie nan game. 

For a while, it seemed for illustration nan brace of sons of large leaguers who had been anointed nan early of nan Blue Jays would prevention them. With 2 outs successful nan seventh, Guerrero waved astatine a transportation his begetter would person appreciated, immoderate six inches extracurricular nan zone, and knocked it into center. Up came Bichette, still hobbling astir connected nan near knee he sprained 2 months ago. Guerrero was not moving connected nan 1–2 pitch, but someway erstwhile Bichette lined it into right, wherever it ricocheted around, nan 6’0”, 245-pound first baseman barreled astir 3rd guidelines and slid into home, wherever he slammed his manus connected nan plate conscionable up of nan tag. 

But nan Blue Jays still had to look Ohtani successful nan bottommost of nan frame. Seranthony Domínguez near a fastball successful nan mediate of nan plate, and Ohtani launched it into nan opposite-field stands. That gave Ohtani—in an October successful which he has struggled capable that his head has respective times expressed interest that his capacity mightiness thief costs his squad nan title—eight location runs this postseason, tied for first successful a azygous play successful franchise history, and 4 extra-base hits successful a game. The only different personification who has ever done that is Frank Isbell of nan 1906 White Sox. 

So basking was Ohtani connected Monday that he hardly made it to nan sheet successful nan bottommost of nan ninth earlier Schneider gave nan motion to locomotion him intentionally. With Mookie Betts astatine bat and 1 out, Ohtani—who chartered nan 50–50 nine past year—took disconnected for second. He hit nan throw, but he fell disconnected nan container agelong capable for 2nd baseman Isaiah Kiner-Falefa to use nan tag. Betts flied retired to correct for nan last out. 

The apical of nan 10th offered moreover much drama. Ty France, a light-hitting, slow-footed first baseman who was replacing Springer, singled to near pinch 2 outs. Schneider instantly pinch ran Davis Schneider (no relation), nan past non-catcher connected his bench. The Dodgers played nan lefthanded Nathan Lukes to spell nan different way; he lined a shot into nan water of abstraction successful correct field, and third-base coach Carlos Febles sent Schneider. But Teoscar Hernández sewage to nan shot quickly and Edman made a cleanable relay propulsion to catcher Will Smith to nonstop nan crippled to nan 10th. 

The Blue Jays loaded nan bases pinch 2 outs successful nan 12th, and Roberts summoned Kershaw, who has weathered truthful galore devastating moments successful situations for illustration this one. But nan champion lefty of his generation, among nan champion of each time, kept Lukes off-balance pinch sliders that collapsed conscionable extracurricular nan zone, and Lukes yet grounded to second. Kershaw punched his mitt and roared arsenic he strode disconnected nan mound. In nan dugout, Roberts gave nan lefty a high-five, past went backmost for a bear-hug. In nan stands, Kershaw’s wife, Ellen, sobbed. 

Again and again, nan Dodgers astir allowed fans to time off nan parkland by leaving nan park. Edman doubled to lead disconnected nan bottommost of nan 13th, and 2 outs later, nan Blue Jays intentionally walked Ohtani and Betts. Freeman flied 379 feet to center. In nan 14th, Smith launched a shot 383 feet to halfway and flipped his bat successful celebration, but Varsho caught it against nan wall. In nan 15th, pinch Ohtani connected first yet again, Freeman flied lined a shot 358 feet to center. In nan 16th, a alteration of pace, pinch nary 1 on, it was Teoscar Hernández’s turn: 383 feet to center. 

In nan 17th, pinch a runner connected first and lefty Brendon Little connected nan mound, nan Blue Jays fto Ohtani clasp his bat, but Little walked him connected 4 pitches anyway. They did not get a chance to look him for a ninth time. Freeman—and Klein—took attraction of that. 

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