Freddie Freeman’s World Series Game 1 Grand Slam Shocked Baseball Fans on Social Media

Freddie Freeman Dodgers

Game 1 of the 2024 World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers more than lived up to the hype, with the Dodgers winning an extra-innings thriller on the back of a 10th-inning Freddie Freeman walk-off grand slam.

Freeman stepped to the plate with two outs and the Dodgers trailing 3-2, facing off with Yankees lefty Nestor Cortes. Cortes was pitching in his first game in more than a month, having been activated off the injured list earlier Friday. He was initially brought in to face Shohei Ohtani, who he retired immediately after a dramatic catch from Alex Verdugo. The Yankees then opted to walk Mookie Betts to face Freeman, and Aaron Boone’s decision-making was questioned by many.

New York had fallen behind 1-0 early, but Giancarlo Stanton continued his historic October when he hit a two-run moonshot in the top of the sixth inning to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Stanton’s postseason is the strongest of any Yankee since Alex Rodriguez and his heroics in 2009, the last time the Yankees won a World Series.

The Yankees bullpen has been virtually unhittable this postseason, and provided quality relief after Gerrit Cole was pulled in the seventh inning. Changeup specialist Tommy Kahnle came in, and managed to retire the Dodgers.

The Dodgers would tie the game on a sacrifice fly after a misplay by Gleyber Torres on a Shohei Ohtani double. Torres would step to the plate in the ninth inning and hit what appeared to be a go-ahead home run. However, fan interference was called on the play, and he was pushed back to second base. He would fail to score. Many cited this as payback for a famous miscall dating back to 1996.

The game would head to extras, where shortstop Anthony Volpe would give the Yankees the lead on a fielder’s choice after Jazz Chisholm Jr. stole two bases.

But the Yankees would ultimately make the perilous decision to face Freeman, who had been coming off of injury himself the past week. His homer echoed Dodgers great Kirk Gibson’s game-winner in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, a series. the Dodgers would eventually win as underdogs. Joe Davis’ call on the Fox broadcast even echoed the great Vin Scully’s when Gibson walked it off.

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Game 2 of the series is set for Saturday night at 8 ET. The Yankees will send Carlos Rodón to the hill to face Dodgers star Yoshinobo Yamamoto.

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