Freeman hits first walk-off slam in World Series history as Dodgers top Yankees in Game 1

LOS ANGELES — A nail-biting night with a Hollywood finish.

Game 1 of Yankees-Dodgers must have delivered.

Freddie Freeman hit the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history with two outs in the 10th inning to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees in a drama-filled opener on Friday.

“Might be the greatest baseball moment I've ever witnessed, and I've witnessed some great ones,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts marveled.

With a badly sprained right ankle, Freeman swung at the first pitch he saw — 92 mph inside Nestor Cortes' fastball — and raised his bat high before beginning his trot as the sellout crowd of 52,394 roared.

“I can't believe what just happened,” Roberts said. “That's what makes the Fall Classic a classic, exactly, because the stars come out and the superstars make the big plays, get the big hits, in the biggest moments. … I'm speechless now.”

It's reminiscent of Kirk Gibson's stunning homer that lifted Los Angeles over the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series at Dodger Stadium — one of the most famous swings in baseball lore.

A leg-injured Gibson came off the bench to line up against Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley.

“I played the whole game, though,” Freeman said with a laugh.

Freeman, an eight-time All-Star who missed three games during the National League playoffs because of his left ankle, hadn't had an extra-base hit this postseason until Friday's leg-out triple in the first inning.

“Felt pretty good, actually,” said Freeman, who will donate his game spikes to Coopertown's Hall of Fame. “The last six days we've treated it really well. I'm feeling pretty good. Just as I ran out to give high-fives to my teammates, I felt pretty good, because I ran for the first time all week. So, ankles are good.”

After the home run, Freeman ran to his father.

“I was just screaming in his face. I'm sorry, Dad,” Freeman said with a laugh. “He has been there since I was a kid, taking me batting practice every day. So it's a moment, it's my father's moment.”

Giancarlo Stanton launched a two-run homer for New York in the third straight World Series opener that went into extra innings in this much-talked-about, star-studded game between two of baseball's most storied and successful franchises.

“You can't sit here and mope. Can't sit here and complain. You shouldn't, kana, willa,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said. “It's time to go to work. We lost this game. learn from it. See where we can improve and go there and win the next one.”

In the top of the 10th, Jazz scored Chisholm Jr. from third after stealing two bases to give New York a 3-2 lead, based on a fielder's choice to shortstop Anthony Volpe.

Quickly Chisholm singled to winning pitcher Blake Treinen and then stole second. After an intentional walk to Anthony Rizzo, Chisholm swiped third base unopposed as Treinen grounded out to third with a slow grounder to Max Muncy.

Tommy Edman made a diving stop to his left on Volpe's grounder, but initially couldn't get it out of his glove. He threw to second to get Rizzo out as Chisholm came home with the go-ahead run.

But the Dodgers weren't done.

Gavin Lux walked losing pitcher Jake Cousins ​​with one out in the bottom of the 10th and moved to second on Edman's infield single. Defensive replacement Oswaldo Cabrera flicked the ball with his glove, but it bounced into the outfield.

It brought in star slugger Shohei Ohtani, a left-handed hitter. Yankees manager Aaron Boone went back to his bullpen for Cortes, a left-handed starter who hadn't pitched since Sept. 18 because of an elbow injury.

After missing the AL playoffs, Cortes was added to the World Series roster on Friday.

“I ran to the (batting) cage and I told the guys in the cage, this game should have been the first baseball game on pay-per-view,” Dodgers center fielder Kike Hernandez said.

Left fielder Alex Verdugo made a running catch in foul territory to retire Ohtani on Cortes' first pitch. Verdugo's momentum sent him crashing over the low wall, advancing both runners by one base as the rules ruled it a dead ball when Verdugo wound up in the stands.

With first base open, New York intentionally walked Mookie Bates to load the bases and set up a lefty-on-lefty matchup of Cortes against Freeman.

“I was on time for the hitter,” Freeman said.

His drive into the right-field pavilion sent Dodgers fans into a frenzy. It was the third walk-off homer in World Series history, following Gibson's shot and Joe Carter's drive for the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series win over Philadelphia.

Nelson Cruz hit the only other game-ending grand slam in postseason history for Texas in the 2011 American League Championship Series against Detroit.

“That's the thing, you're 5 years old right there in the backyard,” Freeman said. “It's a dream come true, but it's only one. We have three more.”

This is the 12th time the Yankees and Dodgers are meeting in the World Series, the most frequent matchup in major league annals, but their previous October clash was 43 years ago.

While the Dodgers are seeking their eighth title and second in five years, the Yankees are in the Fall Classic for the first time since winning No. 27 in 2009.

Judge (58) and Ohtani (54) started the first series with a pair of 50-home run hitters as 2023 AL Cy Young Award winners Gerrit Cole and Jack Flaherty went through four scoreless innings. Judge struck out in his first three at-bats and hit a single off Brusder Greatroll with two outs in the seventh.

Ohtani was 3 for 0 before ripping a double off the right-field wall in the eighth. He advanced to third when second baseman Gleyber Torres mishandled Juan Soto's throw, which proved costly when Ohtani scored on a Bates sacrifice fly that made it 2-all.

With two outs in the ninth, Torres sent a long drive to left-center. A fan in a Dodgers jersey reached over the wall and caught the ball. The umpires ruled fan interference and gave Torres a double, the call upheld on video replay. The fan immediately left the area.

Soto was intentionally walked before Judge popped out against Treinen to end the inning.

The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Hernandez tripled off Soto to right field and scored on Will Smith's sacrifice fly.

The Yankees answered in the sixth. Soto singled leading off Judge before striking out swinging for the third time. Stanton followed with a 412-foot shot to leave Flaherty for his 17th career postseason homer. Stanton grew up in the nearby San Fernando Valley, not far from Flaherty's hometown of Burbank.

Stanton, the ALCS MVP, connected on a fake-curve that hung slightly below the strike zone. His sixth homer in 11 games this postseason came off his bat at 116.6 mph.

After last weekend's pennant-clinching win in Cleveland, Stanton said, “It's not the trophy I want. I want the next one.”

The Yankees then loaded the bases. Chisholm singled from Anthony Banda and stole second. After Rizzo struck out, Volpe was intentionally walked. Austin Wells reached on an infield single that Edman saved a run with a dive before Verdugo struck out swinging against his former teammate.

Fernando Valenzuela, the 1981 NL Cy Young Award winner and Rookie of the Year who died earlier this week at age 63, was honored with a moment of silence before the game.