Freddie Freeman launched a leadoff home run in the final half of the eighteenth frame to secure a six-to-five victory for the Dodgers over the visiting team in Game 3 of the World Series on Monday evening, pushing the home team to a two-games-to-one advantage in the seven-game showdown.
Historic Duration and Unforgettable Performances
The six-hour-and-thirty-nine-minute battle at Dodger Stadium matched the lengthiest World Series game ever played by frames and concluded only after each club depleted double-digit hurlers, emptied their dugouts, and watched several potential walk-offs fall short at the outfield fence.
It also came on a night when Shohei Ohtani produced one of the most extraordinary postseason performances in MLB annals.
Ohtani's Record-Setting Performance
The two-way star got on base nine times – the first player to do so in any MLB matchup since the 1940s – with two home runs, two doubles, and five walks, a quartet of them intentional. He emerged as the initial batter in postseason history with four extra-base hits in a World Series contest and the pioneer to be given such a high number of intentional walks.
"The most important thing is that we won," Ohtani stated. "We turn the page and prepare for the following game."
Contest Summary
Los Angeles required each effort from Ohtani. The Dodgers sprinted to a two-run advantage early: Teoscar Hernández hit a home run in the second inning, and their superstar responded with a massive drive just inside the foul pole in the third inning.
Toronto snatched the lead back in the fourth. A fielding error extended the frame, and Alejandro Kirk crushed a hanging curveball over the outfield stands for a three-run blast. The Blue Jays added a sac fly for a 4–2 lead, their offense waking up after going cold in Game 2.
The Dodgers spent the ensuing frames responding to each Blue Jays rally. In the fifth inning, the designated hitter smashed a pitch into the left-center gap for an run-scoring double – his initial to the opposite field extra-base hit in more than a month – and Freddie Freeman followed with a sharp base hit to even the score at four runs apiece.
Late-Inning Drama
The frames that ensued, repeatedly, maintained suspense as much as they avoided a conclusion. The actions on the basepaths alone were nearly unbelievable: six baserunners erased in all, with Tommy Edman eliminating one at third base in the ninth inning and another at the plate in the tenth inning on a perfect relay from Hernández.
There was even a bizarre pickoff in the sixth inning when a Blue Jays infielder strayed toward second base after misinterpreting the umpire’s late call for a walk, only to be thrown out at first base.
Seesaw Battle
The back-and-forth swung once more in the seventh when the Toronto slugger raced to the plate from first on a carom off the side-wall in right field, giving Toronto a 5–4 edge. That lasted for all of one Ohtani at-bat. He hammered a centered pitch over 400 feet to left-center to tie the score for the third time.
What followed was the long freeze.
The Blue Jays declined to let Ohtani beat them again, intentionally walking him in the ninth, 11th, 13th, and 15th innings. In a particular of those innings, the Blue Jays intentionally passed both Ohtani and Mookie Betts to load the bases and still escaped.
Relief Endurance and Strategy
The Toronto manager’s strategy succeeded because the Blue Jays relievers kept finding exits, even as the team dipped into last-resort pitchers. An outfielder left with an injury in the seventh, leading to a succession of emergency pinch-hitters.
The Dodgers countered with bullpen endurance of their own. They used 10 pitchers, a World Series all-time high for a single contest. A veteran pitcher entered in the twelfth inning with the bases loaded and got a groundout to end a major threat. First-year pitcher Will Klein delivered four scoreless innings, the outing the first baseman would later turn into a victory.
Edgardo Henriquez and additional pitchers followed, matching zeroes as the time dragged on. Every pitch could have decided the outcome. Every pitch seemed not to.
Final Action
Freeman nearly won it in the thirteenth inning, but his deep fly ball died just short of the fence. Once more in the fifteenth inning, the fans rose as a blast sailed toward center field, only to sit back down into their places once the catch was completed. As the night neared a seventh extra inning, the home crowd looked nearly shocked by how stubborn the game had grown.
At last, the first batter in the eighteenth inning stepped in. The first baseman fought through a full count against left-hander a reliever, then got a sinker that didn’t drop. He hammered it 406 feet to dead center field and dropped his bat.
The Los Angeles players spilled from the bench. Ohtani ran in from the on-deck circle, gesturing toward his fellow player. It was over. It required the entire evening. It felt like a week.
Looking Ahead
Los Angeles will wake up tired but two victories from the title. The two-way star will take the ball once more, this time not to save the Dodgers but to push them nearer to a historic achievement.
