| 2024 World Series | ||||||||||
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| Dates | October 25–30 | |||||||||
| Venue(s) | Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles) Yankee Stadium (New York) | |||||||||
| MVP | Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles) | |||||||||
| Umpires | Mark Carlson (crew chief),Doug Eddings,Chad Fairchild,Andy Fletcher,Mark Ripperger,Todd Tichenor,Carlos Torres | |||||||||
| Broadcast | ||||||||||
| Television | Fox (United States –English) Fox Deportes (United States –Spanish) Univision (United States – Spanish) (Game 1) MLB International (International) Fuji TV (Japan –Japanese) NHK BS (Japan – Japanese) J Sports (Japan – Japanese) SPOTV (Japan – Japanese) | |||||||||
| TV announcers | Joe Davis,John Smoltz,Ken Rosenthal, andTom Verducci (Fox) Adrián García Márquez,Edgar González, Carlos Álvarez, and Jaime Motta (Fox Deportes) Antonio de Valdés, Enrique Burak,Nelson Cruz, Daniel Nohra, and Luis Alberto Martínez (Univision) Dave Flemming andRyan Spilborghs (MLB International – English) Mitsuhiro Nakamura (Games 1 and 5),Shinichi Tanioka (Game 2), Tatsuki Okawa (Game 3), and Yohei Takeshita (Game 4) (Fuji – Japanese) Ken Ikeno,Kensuke Tanaka, andShigetoshi Hasegawa (Games 3-5) (NHK BS – Japanese) Munenori Kawasaki andYoshio Itoi (SPOTV – Japanese) | |||||||||
| Radio | ESPN (United States – English) TUDN (United States – Spanish) KLAC,KFI (LAD – English) KTNQ (LAD – Spanish) WFAN (NYY – English) WADO (NYY – Spanish) | |||||||||
| Radio announcers | Jon Sciambi,Jessica Mendoza,Eduardo Pérez, andBuster Olney (ESPN) Alberto Ferreiro andLuis Quiñones (TUDN) Stephen Nelson andRick Monday (KLAC) Pepe Yñiguez andJosé Mota (KTNQ) John Sterling andSuzyn Waldman (WFAN) Rickie Ricardo and Francisco Rivera (WADO) | |||||||||
| ALCS | New York Yankees overCleveland Guardians (4–1) | |||||||||
| NLCS | Los Angeles Dodgers overNew York Mets (4–2) | |||||||||
| World Series program | ||||||||||
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The2024 World Series (branded as the2024 World Series presented by Capital One) was thechampionship series ofMajor League Baseball's (MLB)2024 season. The 120th edition of the World Series, it was abest-of-seven playoff between theAmerican League (AL)championNew York Yankees and theNational League (NL)championLos Angeles Dodgers. It was the Yankees' first World Series appearance since2009 and the Dodgers' first World Series appearance since2020. It was the 12th time in theDodgers–Yankees rivalry that the teams met in the World Series, and the first instance since1981. The series began on October 25 and ended on October 30 with the Dodgers defeating the Yankees in five games.[1][2][3]Freddie Freeman was named theMVP of the series, tying a World Series record with 12runs batted in (RBIs) and hittinghome runs in the first four games of the series, including Game 1 when he hit the firstwalk-offgrand slam in World Series history.[4][5]
The Yankees and Dodgers entered the2024 MLB postseason as the topseeds in their respective leagues. The Dodgers hadhome-field advantage in the series due to their better regular seasonwin-loss record. Superstar playersAaron Judge andShohei Ohtani had also made their World Series debuts this Series. Coming into the series, the two teams had played 66 World Series games against each other all-time, the most for any two teams by far,[6] with the Yankees having a 37–29 record over the Dodgers. The Yankees had a 6-1 World Series title edge during theBrooklyn Dodgers/Subway Series era, with the two teams tying 2-2 following the Dodgers' relocation toLos Angeles, making the overall record 8-3.[7][8]
In the 2024 World Series, Freeman's Game 1 walk-off grand slam built momentum for the Dodgers to take a 3-0 series lead, following two subsequent low-scoring wins. This winning streak was halted after the Yankees won Game 4, making the series 3-1. In Game 5, the Yankees quickly took a 5-0 lead heading into the 5th inning. However, Game 5 is most remembered for a series of Yankee errors and misplays that enabled the Dodgers to overcome the 5-run deficit and tie the game in the same inning.[9][10] The Dodgers would eventually retake the lead and clinch the title, ending the series at 4-1 and setting the record for most runs to come from behind in a World Series-clinching game.
It was the Dodgers' eighth World Series title in franchise history following2020. For the Yankees, it was their 14th World Series loss in franchise history,[11] putting them in a two-way tie for most World Series losses with the Dodgers. In terms of their rivalry, the Dodgers won the series over the Yankees for the fourth time, the record standing at 8-4 following this series. The Dodgers would make the World Series againthe following year, winning in seven games against theToronto Blue Jays and becoming the first back-to-back champions since the2000 Yankees.
This series marked the twelfth World Series meeting between theDodgers and Yankees and the first since1981.[12] It was also the ninth meeting between teams fromNew York City andLos Angeles for amajor professional sports championship. This previously happened in four World Series (1963,1977,1978,1981), threeNBA Finals (1970,1972, and1973) and the2014 Stanley Cup Finals.[13]
Additionally, this World Series was contested between the two eventual winners of themost valuable player (MVP) awards in their respective leagues:Aaron Judge of the Yankees andShohei Ohtani of the Dodgers.[14] This was the first World Series since2012 (whenBuster Posey of theSan Francisco Giants facedMiguel Cabrera of theDetroit Tigers) to feature the two league MVPs from that season. Judge won theAmerican League (AL) MVP Award in 2022, while Ohtani won two AL MVP awards unanimously with theLos Angeles Angels in 2021 and 2023. During the 2024 regular season, Judge hit 58 home runs while Ohtani hit 54 during his50–50 season, meaning that this is the first time in Major League Baseball history that two batters who hit 50 home runs in the same regular season are playing against each other in the World Series.[15] Because of the renewal of the rivalry between the two storied franchises, the low ratings of the previous World Series, and the World Series debuts of both Ohtani and Judge, many regarded the matchup as a "dream" World Series in the lead-up to the event.[16][17][18]
The Dodgers won a three-game series against the Yankees in June in New York, winning the first two games before dropping the finale, thoughJuan Soto did not appear in the series.[19]
This was the first World Series to feature the teams with the best record in each league since the2020 World Series. This was just the fifth time in the Wild Card era (1995–present) where both teams with the best record in each league faced each other in the World Series.[20]
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After missing the postseason in2023, theNew York Yankees traded for star outfielderJuan Soto to help bolster their lineup.[21] The Soto andAaron Judge led Yankees offense finished the American League first in runs and led MLB in home runs.[22] Judge arguably had the finest season of his career, posting a 10.8wins above replacement (this tied a career-high with his 62 home run season in 2022) and a .701 slugging percentage in 704 plate appearances. Soto, in what turned out to be his lone season with the Yankees, rebounded after middling year and a half in San Diego, returning to superstar form by posting a 7.9 wins above replacement himself and hitting a career-high 41 home runs. Joining Soto and Judge asAll-Stars was relief pitcherClay Holmes. The Yankees' closer role initially belonged to Holmes, but after recording an MLB-leading 11blown saves, he lost the position.Luke Weaver took over the role in September and retained it throughout their postseason run. After not appearing in a game until June 19 due a spring training injury, reigning ALCy Young award winnerGerrit Cole headed a deep rotation of starters includingCarlos Rodón, rookieLuis Gil,Nestor Cortes,Marcus Stroman, andClarke Schmidt. At the trade deadline, the team addedJazz Chisholm Jr. andMark Leiter Jr.[23][24]
TheNew York Yankees qualified for the postseason as theAmerican League East division winner and the league's first seed. In theAmerican League Division Series, they defeated theKansas City Royals in four games. In theAmerican League Championship Series, they defeated theCleveland Guardians in five games to win their 41st pennant in franchise history and return to the World Series for the first time since their championship season in2009, putting an end to their 15-year World Seriesappearance drought.[25][26]Giancarlo Stanton won theALCS MVP award with four home runs and seven RBIs.
This World Series marked the debut ofAaron Judge, Stanton, andGleyber Torres, whileGerrit Cole,Juan Soto, andAnthony Rizzo returned to the World Series for the second time in their careers. Rizzo and Soto were seeking second career World Series championship, having won with theChicago Cubs andWashington Nationals, respectively, while Cole was seeking his first championship after theHouston Astros lost in2019.[27]Aaron Boone, in his seventh season as a manager for the Yankees, was seeking his first World Series win as a manager.[28] The Yankees were looking to win their league-leading 28th World Series championship title.[29]
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After back-to-back upset losses todivision rivals in the postseason in2022 and2023, the Dodgers looked to reshape their roster. In the off-season, they signed superstar two-way playerShohei Ohtani to a record $700 million, 10 year contract.[30] Other big additions were signing outfielderTeoscar Hernández and pitcherYoshinobu Yamamoto (from Japan through theposting system) and trading for starting pitcherTyler Glasnow. During the regular season, the Dodgers had more rough patches compared to previous years due to various pitching injuries, a two-month hand injury toMookie Betts, and a three-month abdominal injury toMax Muncy, failing to win 100 games for the first time in a full season since2018. However, they still achieved the best win-loss record in the majors that year and won theNational League West. They qualified for the postseason for the 12th consecutive season, dating back to2013, the third-longest streak in MLB history.[31]
Although Ohtani could not pitch in 2024 due to elbow surgery, he was tremendously successful as a batter and baserunner. Playing at designated hitter, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to break the50 home runs, 50 stolen bases barrier in a single season. He also surpassedShawn Green's Dodgers single-season home run record with 54 home runs. At theAll-Star Game, the Dodgers sent six players—Ohtani, Betts, Hernández, Glasnow,Freddie Freeman, andWill Smith.[32] At the trade deadline, the Dodgers added starting pitcherJack Flaherty, set-up relieverMichael Kopech, and utility playerTommy Edman;[33] Edman won the NLCS MVP Award after recording 11runs batted in (RBIs) in the series.[34]
In theNational League Division Series, the Dodgers faced a 2–1 deficit to theirdivision rivalSan Diego Padres before rallying to take the series in five games. In theNational League Championship Series, they defeated theNew York Mets in six games to win their 25th pennant in franchise history and return to the World Series for the first time since their championship season in2020, and the fourth time in eight years (2017–2018, 2020, and 2024).[35][36] The Dodgers were just the second team in MLB history to face the two New York baseball teams in a single postseason, following the1999 Braves. The Dodgers were looking to win their eighth World Series title.[37]
For the Dodgers, 2024 marked the World Series debuts of Ohtani, Yamamoto, T. Hernández, and Edman.Freddie Freeman andWill Smith made their second World Series appearances.Max Muncy,Mookie Betts, andWalker Buehler made their third World Series appearances. Freeman, Smith, Muncy, and Buehler were seeking their second World Series championships, with the former having won with theBraves in 2021 and the latter two having won with the Dodgers in 2020, while Betts was seeking his third World Series championship and the second with the Dodgers, having won with theRed Sox in 2018 and with the Dodgers in 2020.Dave Roberts, in his ninth year as a manager for the Dodgers, was seeking his second World Series championship as a manager, and third overall.[38]
The Dodgers also announced plans to use the World Series games at Dodger Stadium to pay tribute to former pitcherFernando Valenzuela, who died shortly before the 2024 World Series and who was vital to the team's1981 championship season.[39][40]
Los Angeles won the series, 4–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 25 | New York Yankees – 3,Los Angeles Dodgers – 6(10) | Dodger Stadium | 3:27 | 52,394[41] |
| 2 | October 26 | New York Yankees – 2,Los Angeles Dodgers – 4 | Dodger Stadium | 2:53 | 52,725[42] |
| 3 | October 28 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 4, New York Yankees – 2 | Yankee Stadium | 3:25 | 49,368[43] |
| 4 | October 29 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 4,New York Yankees – 11 | Yankee Stadium | 3:16 | 49,354[44] |
| 5 | October 30 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 7, New York Yankees – 6 | Yankee Stadium | 3:42 | 49,263[45] |
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| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Blake Treinen (1–0) LP:Jake Cousins (0–1) Home runs: NYY:Giancarlo Stanton (1) LAD:Freddie Freeman (1) Attendance: 52,394 Boxscore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Game 1 featured starting pitchersJack Flaherty for the Dodgers andGerrit Cole for the Yankees. Country singerBrad Paisley performed "The Star-Spangled Banner".[47] In tribute toFernando Valenzuela, his former Dodger teammatesOrel Hershiser andSteve Yeager placed a ball on the blueNo. 34 painted on thepitcher's mound instead of throwing out aceremonial first pitch.[48]
The two starters, Flaherty and Cole, kept the game scoreless through the first four innings. AfterEnrique Hernández hit atriple in the bottom of the fifth inning, he scored the game's firstrun via asacrifice fly byWill Smith. In the top of the sixth,Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-runhome run after aJuan Soto single, giving the Yankees a 2–1 lead and knocking Flaherty out of the game. Cole was removed from the game after giving up a leadoff single toTeoscar Hernández in the seventh. In the bottom of the eighth,Shohei Ohtani hit a ball off the top of the outfield wall and reached second base, but Juan Soto's throw got away from second basemanGleyber Torres, and Ohtani advanced to third base. The next batter,Mookie Betts, hit a sacrifice fly to score Ohtani and tie the game.[49]
In the top of the ninth,Michael Kopech was sent in by Roberts to close out the ninth inning. He got the first two batters he faced to ground out but then gave up a hit to Torres that was caught at the wall by a fan. Instead of a home run, he was awarded second base on a fan interference call, and the game remained tied at 2–2. After a review, the call was upheld. After intentionally walkingJuan Soto, Kopech was removed from the game and replaced byBlake Treinen, who gotAaron Judge to pop out, ending the inning. Yankees closerLuke Weaver pitched a perfect inning in the bottom of the ninth, sending the game into extra innings. In the top of the tenth, Treinen gave up a one-out single toJazz Chisholm Jr. who then stole second base.Anthony Rizzo was intentionally walked, and Chisholm Jr. stole third. The next batter,Anthony Volpe, hit an RBI force-out that was bobbled byTommy Edman, allowing Chisholm Jr. to score the go-ahead run, giving the Yankees a 3–2 lead.[49]
With the Yankees leading by a run, relieverJake Cousins was sent in to pitch the last three outs. He got Smith to fly out, then walkedGavin Lux. Edman followed with an infield single to put runners on first and second with one out. Cousins was then removed from the game and replaced withNestor Cortés Jr., who hadn't pitched since September 18. Cortés Jr. first faced Ohtani, who hit a ball into foul territory that was caught by a leapingAlex Verdugo, who toppled into the front row of the stands. Because Verdugo went out of play with the ball, the runners were awarded one base, advancing them to second and third. With the Dodgers down to their final out, the Yankeesintentionally walked Betts, thus loading the bases and bringingFreddie Freeman to the plate. On the first pitch, Freeman hit awalk-offgrand slam over the right field wall, winning Game 1 for Los Angeles. This was the third consecutive World Series Game 1 to be decided in extra innings, after it previously occurred in2022 and2023.[50]
Freeman's home run was the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history as well as the third Series walk-off home run of any kind for a team that was trailing, followingJoe Carter'sWorld Series-winning home run for theToronto Blue Jays in1993 andKirk Gibson'sGame 1-winning home run for the Dodgers in1988.[51] In particular, Freeman's home run was widely compared to Gibson's off the Athletics'Dennis Eckersley, as both players were playing through injuries at the time and the Dodgers were down by a run and down to their last out in Game 1 of the World Series.[52]Fox broadcasterJoe Davis' call of "...she is gone!" echoed that of legendary Dodgers and then-NBC broadcasterVin Scully for Gibson's home run, as well; and Davis also added, "Gibby, meet Freddie!".[53] After his colleague Smoltz expressed his disbelief over the final at-bat, Davis also referencedJack Buck's well-known call of the Gibson home run by asking Smoltz, "Would you say you don't believe what you just saw?".
Game 1 has been widely referred to as one of the greatest World Series games of all time.[54][55][56]
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| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Los Angeles | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 4 | 8 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1–0) LP:Carlos Rodón (0–1) Sv:Alex Vesia (1) Home runs: NYY:Juan Soto (1) LAD:Tommy Edman (1),Teoscar Hernández (1),Freddie Freeman (2) Attendance: 52,725 Boxscore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
American rapper and Los Angeles nativeIce Cube performed "Bow Down" and "It Was a Good Day" before Game 2.[57] Pearle Peterson, a 19-year-old, sang the national anthem, accompanied by organistDieter Ruehle. Game 2 featured starting pitchersYoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers andCarlos Rodón for the Yankees.[58]Matt Kemp andAndre Ethier threw out the ceremonial first pitch.[59]
In the bottom of the second inning,Tommy Edman hit a solohome run off Rodón as the Dodgers took a 1–0 lead.Juan Soto hit a solo home run off Yamamoto in the top of the third inning to tie the game. In the bottom of the inning,Mookie Betts hit asingle followed by aTeoscar Hernández two-run home run and a solo home run byFreddie Freeman to give the Dodgers a 4–1 lead. Yamamoto allowed only one hit in6+1⁄3 innings in his start. In the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs,Shohei Ohtani had aleft shoulder subluxation when he slid in his steal attempt at second base, as he wascaught stealing to end the seventh inning; he lay at second base in pain until his trainer tended him to leave the field.[60] With the Dodgers leading by three runs,Blake Treinen was sent in to close out the game in the top of the ninth. He gave up a leadoff single to Soto, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. AfterAaron Judge struck out,Giancarlo Stanton hit a ground ball that bounced off the third base bag and into the outfield, scoring Soto. The Yankees then loaded the bases with anAnthony Rizzo hit-by-pitch andJazz Chisholm Jr. single, but Volpe struck out for the second out. After the Volpe at-bat, Treinen was replaced withAlex Vesia, who got pinch-hitterJose Trevino to fly out on the first pitch, ending the game and giving Los Angeles a 2–0 series lead.[61]
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| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Walker Buehler (1–0) LP:Clarke Schmidt (0–1) Home runs: LAD:Freddie Freeman (3) NYY:Alex Verdugo (1) Attendance: 49,368 Boxscore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fat Joe performed "New York" and "All the Way Up" prior to Game 3.[57] Joe's performance was mostly panned by fans on social media.[63] New York nativeLeslie Odom Jr. sang the national anthem andDerek Jeter threw the ceremonial first pitch.[64]Aaron Tveit sang "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch.Clarke Schmidt was the starting pitcher for the Yankees[65] andWalker Buehler for the Dodgers.[66]
In the top of the first inning, afterShohei Ohtani's leadoff walk,Freddie Freeman hit a two-run home run, tying a record by homering in his fifth straight World Series game going back to the2021 World Series, where he appeared as a member of theAtlanta Braves.[67] In the top of the third inning,Tommy Edman led off with a walk, advanced on a groundout and then scored on a single byMookie Betts. The Dodgers threatened again in the fourth with runners at first and third and no outs, but the rally was thwarted when Gavin Lux was tagged out on a close play at home on an attemptedsqueeze bunt by Edman. In the bottom half of the inning,Giancarlo Stanton doubled and tried to score onAnthony Volpe's single, but he was also cut down at the plate via an accurate throw by left fielderTeoscar Hernandez to keep the Yankees off the board.
The Dodgers added another run in the sixth inning whenGavin Lux was hit by aJake Cousins pitch, stole second base, and scored on a single byEnrique Hernández. The Yankees left five runners on base over the next three innings beforeAlex Verdugo followed anAnthony Rizzo single with a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to cut the Los Angeles lead in half at 4–2. However, the next batter,Gleyber Torres, grounded out to end the game and give the Dodgers a 3–0 series lead. Buehler pitched five scoreless innings in the game for the Dodgers to receive the win.[62]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| New York | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | X | 11 | 9 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Clay Holmes (1–0) LP:Daniel Hudson (0–1) Home runs: LAD:Freddie Freeman (4),Will Smith (1) NYY:Anthony Volpe (1),Austin Wells (1),Gleyber Torres (1) Attendance: 49,354 Boxscore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
R&B singer and New York nativeAshanti performed the national anthem before Game 4 andPaul O'Neill threw the ceremonial first pitch toA. J. Burnett.[64][69]Shoshana Bean sang "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch.Luis Gil was the starting pitcher in Game 4 for the Yankees.[70] The Dodgers employed a bullpen game withBen Casparius as theopener.[71]
In the top of the first inning,Freddie Freeman hit a two-run home run, breaking the record he had tied in the previous game with the sixth consecutive World Series game he had homered in.[72] In the bottom of the first inning,Gleyber Torres flied out to right fielderMookie Betts in foul territory for the first out of the inning. As he leapt to make the catch against the wall, Betts was accosted by two Yankees fans who attempted to strip the ball from his glove. The fans were ejected from the stadium and banned indefinitely from all MLB stadiums.[73][74] The Yankees scored a run in the bottom of the second inning afterAnthony Volpe drew a walk,Austin Wells hit adouble, andAlex Verdugo hit an RBI groundout. In the bottom of the third inning, Volpe hit a two-outgrand slam off ofDaniel Hudson to give the Yankees a 5–2 lead.Will Smith hit a home run for the Dodgers in the fifth inning to cut the lead to two runs. Later that inning,Tommy Edman scored when Freeman beat out afielder's choice to first base after the Dodgers won areview challenge on what had originally been called an inning-endingdouble play. Wells hit a solo home run for the Yankees in the sixth inning to increase the lead to two. The Yankees scored five more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning off Dodger reliever Brent Honeywell Jr. on an RBI fielder's choice by Verdugo, a three-run home run byGleyber Torres, and an RBI single byAaron Judge, extending the lead to 11–4.Tim Mayza closed out Game 4[75] to make the Yankees the first team since theCincinnati Reds in1970 to force a fifth game and avoid being swept after having lost the first three games in a World Series.[76]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| New York | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Blake Treinen (2–0) LP:Tommy Kahnle (0–1) Sv:Walker Buehler (1) Home runs: LAD: None NYY:Aaron Judge (1),Jazz Chisholm Jr. (1),Giancarlo Stanton (2) Attendance: 49,263 Boxscore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
R&B singerBabyface sang the national anthem before Game 5 andHideki Matsui threw the ceremonial first pitch toJose Trevino.[78][79]Kelli O'Hara sang "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch. The game featured a pitching rematch of Game 1 betweenGerrit Cole for the Yankees andJack Flaherty for the Dodgers.[80]
After being limited by Flaherty in Game 1, the Yankees' offense started very quickly in Game 5, scoring the first runs for the first time in the series. In the bottom of the first inning,Juan Soto drew a walk, which was followed by a first-pitch two-run home run byAaron Judge and a solo home run byJazz Chisholm Jr. to give the Yankees an early 3–0 advantage. In the bottom of the second,Anthony Volpe hit a double and scored on an RBI single byAlex Verdugo, extending the Yankees' lead to 4–0, and chasing Flaherty from the game after just four outs.Giancarlo Stanton led off the third inning with a first-pitch solo home run offRyan Brasier, pushing the Yankees' lead to 5–0.[81] Through four innings, Cole held the Dodgers hitless and allowed just two walks.
In the fifth, the Yankees committed a series of errors and defensive mistakes that allowed the Dodgers to tie the score. After a leadoff single byKiké Hernandez, Judge committed his first error of the season, dropping a routine fly ball off the bat ofTommy Edman that put runners on first and second. Anthony Volpe then committed a throwing error while trying to throw out Hernandez at third onWill Smith's ground ball, which loaded the bases with no outs. Cole responded by striking outGavin Lux andShohei Ohtani, but a slow ground ball fromMookie Betts resulted in an RBI infield single when first basemanAnthony Rizzo did not charge the bag after fielding the ball and Cole did not cover first base; had this play been made, the inning would have ended with no runs scored. With the Dodgers' deficit now 5–1 and the bases still loaded,Freddie Freeman then hit a two-run single andTeoscar Hernández a two-run double, tying the game at 5–5, with all five runsunearned.
The Yankees continued to put traffic on, forcing the Dodgers to burn through relievers. In the bottom of the fifth,Alex Vesia escaped a two-out bases-loaded jam to keep the game tied at 5–5. In the bottom of the sixth,Brusdar Graterol allowed the first two Yankees to reach on walks, with the lead runner Soto scoring two batters later on a Stanton sacrifice fly to give the Yankees the lead again at 6–5.Blake Treinen, the Dodgers' closer, entered to record the final out of the sixth and retire the side in the seventh. On the other side, Cole remained in for the Yankees for another1+2⁄3 innings to help the Yankees reach the eighth inning with the lead.
In the top of the eighth, the Yankees sent in relieverTommy Kahnle, who had not allowed an earned run in eight postseason games. Hernandez once again led off with a single, Edman followed with a broken-bat infield single, and Will Smith followed with a four-pitch walk. With the bases loaded, Kahnle was relieved byLuke Weaver, pitching in his third straight game. Weaver allowed aGavin Lux sacrifice fly that scored Hernández, tying the game at 6–6, which moved Edman to third.Shohei Ohtani next reached on acatcher's interference, once again loading the bases. On the first pitch of his at-bat, Betts hit a sacrifice fly to score Edman, giving the Dodgers a 7–6 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Treinen allowed a one-out double to Judge and a walk, but induced a flyout to Stanton and struck out Rizzo to complete2+1⁄3 scoreless innings of relief in his longest outing of the season. With the Dodgers still maintaining a one-run lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, and with very few remaining bullpen options available,Dave Roberts called on Game 3 starterWalker Buehler to close out the game and season. Buehler, on one day's rest, pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking outAustin Wells andAlex Verdugo for the final two outs and clinching the title for Los Angeles.[82]
With the win, the Dodgers won their eighth World Series championship in franchise history,[81] tying theirlongtime rivals theSan Francisco Giants for the second-most among National League clubs and the fifth-most overall. The Dodgers joined their2020 team, the2018 Red Sox,2016 Cubs,2013 Red Sox,2009 Yankees,2007 Red Sox, and1998 Yankees as teams to win a World Series after having the best regular-season record in MLB in thewild card era.[83] The Dodgers also set the record for most runs to come from behind from in a clinching game.[84] TheWorld Series MVP Award went to Freeman, the first player to homer in the first four games and hit a walk-off grand slam in the World Series. His 12 RBIs tied the World Series record set in1960 byBobby Richardson.[85][86] Freeman became the 12th player to win regular seasonMVP and World Series MVP in a career, having previously won a regular season MVP in 2020.[87]
2024 World Series (4–1):Los Angeles Dodgers beatNew York Yankees.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 36 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 25 | 33 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Home runs: NYY:Giancarlo Stanton (2),Jazz Chisholm Jr. (1),Aaron Judge (1),Juan Soto (1),Gleyber Torres (1),Alex Verdugo (1),Anthony Volpe (1),Austin Wells (1) LAD:Freddie Freeman (4),Tommy Edman (1),Teoscar Hernández (1),Will Smith (1) Total attendance: 253,104 Average attendance: 50,620 Winning player's share: $477,441 Losing player's share: $354,572 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For the 25th consecutive year, the World Series was televised in the United States byFox.Play-by-play announcerJoe Davis (who was the Dodgers' lead television announcer onSpectrum SportsNet LA during the regular season) called the games, along with Baseball Hall of FamerJohn Smoltz ascolor analyst andKen Rosenthal andTom Verducci asfield reporters.Kevin Burkhardt hosted the pregame and postgame shows, joined by analystsDerek Jeter,Alex Rodriguez, andDavid Ortiz.Fox Deportes aired the Spanish-language telecasts, with play-by-play announcerAdrian Garcia Marquez, analystEdgar Gonzalez, and reporters Carlos Alvarez and Jaime Motta.[88]
MLB International provided television coverage outside of the United States, using feeds remotely produced byMLB Network.Dave Flemming (play-by-play) andRyan Spilborghs (color commentator) were the English-language commentators.Univision aired Game 1 in Spanish for its first World Series telecast, after its sister networkUniMás carried both theALDS andALCS in their entirety.[89]
The 2024 World Series is the only World Series that was televised by Fuji TV in Japan, with Fuji commentatorsMitsuhiro Nakamura hosting Games 1 and 5,Shinichi Tanioka hosting Game 2, Tatsuki Okawa hosting Game 3, and Yohei Takeshita hosting Game 4. Ken Ikeno andKensuke Tanaka commentated all five NHK coverages, withShigetoshi Hasegawa joining in the last three games.[90]
Following the country's successful coverage of the series, Fuji TV immediately faced consequences for conflicting with theNippon Professional Baseball Organization during that year'sJapan Series, which aired on other major Japanese networks, because of the World Series being played around the same time as the Japan Series.[91] Because of Fuji TV'santi-monopoly law violation by unjustly interfering with its transaction with Major League Baseball, both the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization and theFair Trade Commission canceled Fuji TV's press credentials for the Japan Series, and the network was immediately banned from covering the Japan Series as a "punishment".[92]
Fuji Television President Koichi Minato released in a statement following its termination, that the evening digest broadcast was for viewers who were unable to watch the morning live broadcast of the World Series, while NPB Secretary General Atsushi Ihara criticized it as undermining the four-way cooperative relationship between television stations, sponsoring companies, all NPB teams and its organization, while NPB confiscated that the Japan Series press credentials from Fuji and further refused to issue press credentials to the network, saying that "the relationship of trust is damaged".[93]
Fox announced that the World Series delivered a combined average domestic viewership (on Fox,Fox Deportes, and streaming) of 15.8 million, a 67% increase from the previous year. The figures included a 53 share in Los Angeles, a 41 share in New York, and a 41 share in San Diego. The 2024 World Series was the most watched World Series since2017.[94]
Through the first two games, Japan, which aired the series on four networks (Fuji TV,NHK BS,J Sports, andSPOTV), averaged about 15 million viewers per game (with Game 2 averaging the most with 15.33 million viewers), exceeding the United States.[95] Game 1 averaged 8.246 million Fuji viewers and 5.691 million NHK viewers, and Game 2 averaged 9.291 million Fuji viewers and 6.039 million NHK viewers. Interest was driven by Ohtani, who won his first World Series in his first MLB playoff appearance after six playoff-less seasons with theLos Angeles Angels.[96] Japanese ratings fell during Games 3-5, with Game 3 averaging 5.226 million Fuji viewers and 4.762 million NHK viewers, and Games 4 and 5 averaging 5.575 million Fuji viewers and 4.297 million NHK viewers, but the World Series still drew an average of 12.9 million Japanese viewers.[94]
The U.S. viewership numbers in the game-by-game table below do not include Fox Deportes.
| Game | Ratings (households) | U.S. English audience (in millions) | U.S. Spanish audience (in millions) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.62 | 14.163 | 1.290 | [97][98] |
| 2 | 6.16 | 13.713 | .385 | [99] |
| 3 | 6.58 | 13.208 | .429 | [100] |
| 4 | 8.18 | 16.275 | .419 | [101] |
| 5 | 9.02 | 18.152 | .447 | [102] |
For the 27th consecutive year,ESPN Radio broadcast the series in the United States.Jon Sciambi did play-by-play, whileJessica Mendoza (who was part of the Dodgers' television crew onSpectrum SportsNet LA during the regular season) andEduardo Pérez provided color commentary andBuster Olney reported from the field.[103]TUDN Radio broadcast the series in Spanish.[104]
The flagship radio stations for both teams also produced local broadcasts of each game. In Los Angeles,KLAC andKTNQ broadcast in English and Spanish respectively, while in New York,WFAN (in English) andWADO (in Spanish) aired the games. The series marked the last broadcasts for longtime Yankees radio play-by-play announcerJohn Sterling of WFAN, as he had announced his retirement in April 2024.[105][106]
The 2024 World Series was sponsored byCapital One, as part of a five-year, reported $125 million deal that included advertising in the stadium and commercials during Fox's telecasts of the games.[107]
Instead of issuing its customary World Series video recap on Blu-Ray and DVD, MLB commissioned a three-part streaming docuseries fromApple TV+,[108] which was produced byDerek Jeter's Cap 2 Productions,Ron Howard's andBrian Grazer'sImagine Documentaries, andR.J. Cutler's This Machine Filmworks.[109][110]Fight For Glory: 2024 World Series was released onApple TV+ in March, around the start of the2025 season.[111]
One month later, another Los Angeles area team defeated a New York City area team for a league championship: theLA Galaxy over theNew York Red Bulls in theMLS Cup 2024, 2–1.[112]
On January 10, 2025, MLB announced that the punishment for the two Yankees fans ejected for their Game 4 interference—Austin Capobianco and John "Peter" Hansen—had been increased to a permanent ban from every Major League Baseball facility and stadium.[113]
With the win, the Dodgers broke a tie with the Cardinals (1926,1942) to become the only visiting franchise to clinch three World Series championships (1955,1981, 2024) on the Yankees'home field. They also joined theHouston Astros in beating the Yankees in four postseasons.[114] As they also defeated theNew York Mets in theNLCS, the Dodgers became the first team in history to eliminate two teams from the same city in one postseason.
In the hours after the Game 5 win, there were isolated incidents in Los Angeles, such as fans spray-painting graffiti on an occupiedMetro bus and then lighting it on fire, and others looting a Nike store inDowntown Los Angeles.[115]Los Angeles Police called a tactical alert.[116] A fan sustained a serious injury to his hand lighting a firework.[117] On November 1, 2024, the Dodgers held a parade fromLos Angeles City Hall to L.A.Central Public Library alongGrand Avenue, then a celebration at Dodger Stadium. The celebrations also included fan tributes to former Dodgers star pitcherFernando Valenzuela,[118][119] who would have turned 64 years old on the day of the parade.[120][121]
In December 2024, Freeman’s walk-off grand slam ball would sell for $1.56 million, the third-highest price of any baseball at the time of the sale, behind onlyShohei Ohtani’s 50-50 home run ball from September andMark McGwire’s70th home run ball from1998.[122]
The Dodgers would successfully defend their World Series title in2025, defeating theToronto Blue Jays in seven games. They were the first back-to-back champions since theYankees three-peat from 1998-2000.[123]
"I think falling short in the World Series will stick with me until I die"[124]
Despite losing in five games, the Yankees had more hits, more home runs, more stolen bases, and more walks over the course of the series. On the pitching side, they allowed far fewer base runners and held a lower ERA than the Dodgers. New York even outscored Los Angeles through nine innings throughout the five games, largely due to the fact that Game 4 was a lopsided win for the Yankees as Dodgers decided to go with a bullpen game, and effectively conceded the game late.[125]
The Yankees, however, also played poor defense throughout the series compared to the Dodgers, which was highlighted by the five-run fifth inning in Game 5 that saw New York not convert three routine plays into outs.[126] New York baseball sportswriterBill Madden would call the Yankees 2024 World Series loss one of the worst in franchise history, while fellow New York sportswriterJoel Sherman referred to the series as a dark cloud over theAaron Boone andAaron Judge era, who fell to 1-7 to non-AL Central teams in the postseason since2017.[127][128]
In the lead-up to the series, Dodgers' scouts told their players to put the ball in play and make the Yankees execute (this in reference to New York's sloppy defense throughout the season).[129] Summarizing it,Jeff Passan ofESPN noted that although the Dodgers "scored 25 runs to the Yankees' 24 ... the Dodgers won the World Series in convincing fashion, over five games, because they were better in close contests and more fundamentally sound."[94]
In addition, Boone specifically was criticized heavily for his Game 1 bullpen usage, in particular to go toNestor Cortes in a save situation with the bases loaded againstFreddie Freeman in extra innings instead ofTim Hill; Cortes had been injured since the end of the regular season and had not pitched in the postseason prior to this moment.[130][131]
Game 5 turned out to be Yankees' aceGerrit Cole's last start for at least a year and a half, as he underwentTommy John Surgery in spring training thefollowing season.[132] Despite Cole's unavailability and losing co-starJuan Soto to theNew York Mets in free agency,[133] the Yankees were AL favorites to return to the World Series thefollowing season, thanks to spreading the money meant for Soto around to fill up other needs (trading for closerDevin Williams and outfielderCody Bellinger, and signing ace pitcherMax Fried). However, they experienced a summer slump, which theNY Post would call it the "Boone Swoon", referring to the Yankees' slumps in recent years in June and July under manager Aaron Boone.[134] This slump, coupled with a hot streak from theToronto Blue Jays, ultimately cost them theAmerican League East title, as they finished tied with the division-winning Blue Jays, but played poorly against them in the summer, which allowed Toronto to win the tie-breaker. They defeated theirrival, theBoston Red Sox, in theWild Card Series, but lost to the Blue Jays thenext round in four games.
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