Freeman’s 10th inning grand slam wins Series Game 1

By Pete Zarustica/Orange County Tribune

It was a little bit Kirk Gibson with his limping heroics in the 1988 World Series. And it was a lot like Robert Redford’s Roy Hobbs in “The Natural.” 

Yes, a Hollywood finish does describe what happened Friday night in Chavez Ravine when the Los Angeles Dodgers won the first game of the 2024 World Series over the New York Yankees 6-3 on Freddie Freeman’s walkoff 10th inning grand slam home run.

“It was like I was 5 years old playing ball in the backyard,” said Freeman a few moments after he turned fantasy into history with a swipe of his bat that rocketed a pitch into the right centerfield stands.

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the 10th, the Dodgers were able to set the table for the injury-slowed Freeman (sprained right ankle). With two runners on, Shohei Ohtani fouled out to Alex Verdugo, but his spectacular catch carried him into the stands allowing the base-runners to move up 90 feet.

The Yankees decided – with first base open – to give an intentional pass to Mookie Betts and pitch to Freddie. Then Nestor Torres threw one pitch that Freeman turned into a Hall of Fame moment, as scripted by Branch Rickey.

There’s a Game Two on Saturday and lots of drama still ahead in this series. If it’s anything like Friday’s game, we can’t wait. As they say in Hollywood, “action!”