LA Dodgers' stunning comeback beats NY Yankees to seal 2024 World Series | Baseball News

The LA Dodgers recovered from a 5-0 deficit in Game 5 to complete the series victory over the NY Yankees in New York, with Dodgers star Freddie Freeman being named MVP.

The Los Angeles Dodgers staged an impressive comeback, defeating the New York Yankees and securing the World Series with a dramatic 7-6 win at Yankee Stadium.

In a night of riveting drama, the Dodgers secured their second Major League Baseball championship in five seasons and eighth overall after rallying from a 5-0 deficit to cruise to a 4-1 series win on Wednesday.

The Yankees, who had kept the series alive with an 11-4 loss in Game 4 on Tuesday, appeared poised to bring the series back to Los Angeles for Game 6 after home runs from Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm and Giancarlo Stanton.

Yankees starter Gerrit Cole, meanwhile, had a masterful performance from the mound, keeping the Dodgers' potent offensive line scoreless through four innings.

But a disastrous fifth inning by the Yankees, which included a litany of defensive errors, led to the Dodgers piling up five unearned runs to tie the score at 5-5.

Although the Yankees regained the lead in the sixth inning on a sacrifice throw by Stanton, the Dodgers struck back in the eighth inning with sack throws of their own by Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts to secure a 7-6 lead.

The Dodgers then brought back Game 3 starter Walker Buehler to get the final three outs of the ninth to secure the win.

“It was love, it was courage”

“Of course we're resilient, but there's so much love in this clubhouse, care – that care won this game today,” Dodgers star Betts said. “That was it. It was love, it was courage. It was just a beautiful thing and I’m just proud of us and happy for us.”

Bühler, meanwhile, admitted that he did not expect to play a role in the game.

“I wish I was in a little better shape so my heart could handle it better,” the Dodgers pitcher said.

Dodgers star Freddie Freeman, who hit four straight home runs in the first four games of the series, was named the series' most valuable player.

“I think we all said in the first three innings, 'Let's just get one, just chip away, we can do it,'” said Freeman, who drove in two runs on a single in the fifth inning.

“A few mistakes happened and you have to take advantage of them.”

Ohtani's Japanese hometown enjoys the victory

The showdown between two major franchises was a boon for the MLB, with Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani generating record TV ratings in his native Japan.

Fans gathered for public displays and celebrated wildly as the Japanese star's team secured victory.

Oshu, a sleepy town of 110,000 in northern Japan known for its apples and beef, waited patiently for its favorite son to lift the trophy.

“He's like someone who lives above the clouds, so it's a great pride that he comes from Oshu,” 44-year-old Norihisa Sato told AFP at a public viewing event at the town hall at the start of the series.

Ohtani is one of baseball's biggest stars and joined the Dodgers late last year with the most lucrative contract in US sports history.

The 30-year-old is coming off a record-breaking year, becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, a feat previously thought impossible.

He is an icon in Japan, where baseball is a national obsession. His performances have made headlines since joining the MLB in 2018, but this year marks his first appearance in the World Series.

Ohtani said he was “honored” to win his first World Series title.

Although Ohtani had a relatively quiet World Series – he didn't hit a home run and suffered a shoulder injury in the second game – it did little to dull the shine of his first championship.

“I am honored to be part of our longest season and to get to know this team,” Ohtani said after the celebrations.