The Dodgers, who had a rough season this year with few key players being injured, advanced to the World Series, facing the Yankees. After a week-long series, the Dodgers defeated the Yankees 4-1.
Game 1
In the early innings of the first game of the 2024 World Series, both teams remained scoreless, with the score at 0-0 after the first four innings. In the fifth inning, the Dodgers took the lead by scoring the game’s first run.
However, in the sixth inning, the Yankees answered back with a solid hit from Giancarlo Stanton, who hit a two-run home run, putting the Yankees ahead 2-1. Later, in the eighth inning, the Dodgers tied the game at 2-2.
As the game entered the tenth inning, it was still tied. Then, Freddie Freeman made history by hitting a walk-off grand slam. This impressive hit allowed all four runners on base to score, marking the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.
Game 2
During this game, the Dodgers held its lead for the entirety of the game. In the fourth inning, the Dodgers led the game by 4-1. During the seventh inning, as Shohei Ohtani was sliding to 2nd base, he dislocated his left shoulder. He was quickly pulled out of the game, and after the Dodgers’ victory, the coach, Dave Roberts, said, “We’re going to get some tests at some point tonight, tomorrow, and then we’ll know more in the next couple of days.” He said they would take action to care for their player and check on the injury.
Game 3
Although Ohtani did not play in the series’ third game, the Dodgers celebrated as Freeman kicked things off with a beautiful hit—a home run in the first inning. This allowed the team to score 2 runs by the end of that inning. Fans were excited about celebrating Freeman’s fifth consecutive World Series game home run. The overall game leaned towards the Dodgers securing a good position and score, ending the game with a 4-2 win.
Game 4
Game four was a rough game for the Dodgers fan. The first inning for the Dodgers started with a solid two home scores with the Yankees with 0, leaving the score 2-0. After the first inning, the atmosphere changed. The Yankees returned with an incredible comeback in the second and third innings, 5-2, against the Dodgers. The Yankees maintained their lead and achieved a victory over the Dodgers with a final score of 11-4, fulfilling a desired outcome for many New York fans.
Game 5
In the early three-inning games, I was speechless. During game five, I was in the library checking up on the game, and when I saw the score 5-0, the Yankees having this much lead, I felt hopeless. But in those moments, I have experienced those moments where the superstars brightened their performance and created an upset that drove fans with a truckload of dopamine. In the fifth inning, the Dodgers scored a five, making a comeback to 5-5, and this constant back-to-back ended in the Dodgers’ victory against the Yankees 7-6.
Dodgers and Yankees This was the 12th time they had met in a World Series, and with this new victory, Dodgers gained their fourth win against the Yankees.
Heejae Jung is a junior majoring in international relations and honors humanities. He is known for being a big Dodgers fan. I asked him for his insight into the World Series.
“This World Series has so much to discuss, starting with the compelling narrative story of Freddie Freeman. His MVP title and outstanding performance have added excitement for fans, especially with the Dodgers achieving their eighth victory and landing the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.”
During my talk with Jung, he explained in detail why Freeman’s story was so compelling and why he deserved the MVP title.
Freeman is a former MVP player in the baseball community. Something very unfortunate that caught my attention was the rough season he was facing during this season. Many things happened to him, such as the sudden serious illness his son was facing, in which his son was paralyzed. Freeman couldn’t participate in the few games because he was checking out his son’s health, which burdened his heart.
Also, just before the post-game season, he had an ankle injury, and during the division season, all the things that were happening caused Freeman to underperform in his games.
A saying that caught my attention during my talk with Jung is that Freeman’s achievement of the MVP title has a significant reason behind it.
Like all superhero stories, sometimes superheroes aren’t sufficient to face those hardships, but they recover and face the evil in those moments. Superstars aren’t given the title superstars; they are those who brighten up in those darkest moments to lead the team to victory, for this was Freeman.
Although Freeman was not in perfect condition to compete, he still played in the game and sacrificed for his team to support them. By constantly supporting the team, he ultimately proved himself a superstar and deserved to be titled MVP. During this World Series, Freeman had set a new record by becoming the first player to perform six consecutive home runs at the World Series and also the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.
Jung says, “I believe Freeman deserved the MVP. He’s the best player who performed even in those hard situations.”