Freddie Freeman returned for the third straight game and Walker Buehler pitched another World Series as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday to take a 3-0 lead in the World Series.
Con Star Shohei Ohtani is playing with a partially displaced left shoulderThe Dodgers are on the verge of a sweep that didn’t appear in the projections in this battle between teams that led their respective leagues this season.
Buehler and six relievers combined for the Dodgers, who are on the brink of their second championship in five years and eighth in franchise history.
Freeman hit a two-run home run in the first inning. Mookie Betts and Puerto Rican Kike Hernandez contributed RBI singles. Dominican left fielder Teoscar Hernandez’s arm knocked out a runner.
The Yankees avoided a shutout thanks to Alex Vertugo’s two-run home run in the ninth inning.
Freeman tied George Springer’s record for hitting a home run in the fifth consecutive game in the World Series with his hit in the first inning against the Wild Clark Schmidt.
Freeman became the third player to hit a home run in the first three games of the Fall Classic. Others include Hank Bauer (1958) and Barry Bonds (2002).
The fourth game is on Tuesday. Using their three healthy starters, the Dodgers will have their fourth bullpen game this postseason. Dominican rookie Luis Gil will start for the Yankees.
No one has been able to sweep a World Series since the 2012 edition when the San Francisco Giants dispatched the Detroit Tigers, chasing a 28th championship and on the verge of being swept in the World Series for the fourth time.