You just don't see that every day. Honestly, if you wrote the script for Game 1 of the 2024 World Series and handed it to a Hollywood producer, they'd probably tell you it was too unrealistic. A hobbled superstar? The most storied rivalry in sports? A literal "once-in-a-century" finish? It's basically the baseball version of a fever dream.
October 25, 2024. Dodger Stadium was vibrating. 52,394 people were packed into the stands, and they weren't just watching a game; they were witnessing a collision of two absolute titans. On one side, you had the New York Yankees, looking to reclaim their throne for the first time since 2009. On the other, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the $700 million Shohei Ohtani era finally hitting the grandest stage.
The Pitching Duel Nobody Remembers
Everyone talks about the ending, but for five innings, this was a pure masterclass in pitching. Gerrit Cole vs. Jack Flaherty. It was tense. Every pitch felt like a chess move. Flaherty was dealing, racking up six strikeouts and keeping the Yankees' big bats—Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton—mostly quiet early on.
Then came the sixth.
Giancarlo Stanton is a scary human being when he's at the plate in October. He crushed a two-run homer off Flaherty that traveled 412 feet. Suddenly, it was 2-1 Yankees. The air kinda went out of the stadium for a bit. You could feel the "here we go again" vibes creeping into the LA crowd. But the Dodgers are a different beast this year.
👉 See also: Eastern Conference Finals 2024: What Most People Get Wrong
That Wild Eighth Inning
Fast forward to the bottom of the eighth. Shohei Ohtani, in his first-ever World Series at-bat earlier in the night, had been relatively quiet. But legends do legend things. He smoked a double off the wall. A throwing error by Juan Soto allowed him to reach third.
Mookie Betts, doing exactly what you pay Mookie Betts to do, stayed patient. He lofted a sacrifice fly to center. Ohtani tagged, slid, and tied it up. 2-2. We were headed for free baseball.
The tenth inning was where things got genuinely weird. Jazz Chisholm Jr. basically decided he was going to win the game with his legs. He singled, then proceeded to steal second and third base like it was a video game. When Anthony Volpe grounded into a force out, Jazz crossed the plate. 3-2 Yankees.
The Grand Slam Heard 'Round The World
Top of the tenth over. Yankees leading. The Dodgers were down to their last three outs.
✨ Don't miss: Texas vs Oklahoma Football Game: Why the Red River Rivalry is Getting Even Weirder
With two outs and the bases loaded, the Yankees made a choice. They brought in Nestor Cortes. He hadn't pitched in over a month due to an elbow injury. His job? Get Freddie Freeman out.
Freeman was playing on one good leg. His right ankle was so swollen it looked like a grapefruit. He’d spent the previous week just trying to walk, let alone swing a bat against 92 mph fastballs.
Cortes threw a first-pitch heater. Inside.
Crack.
🔗 Read more: How to watch vikings game online free without the usual headache
You didn't even need to see where the ball went. The sound was different. It was the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. Not just 2024—ever. Freeman raised his bat, did a slow, limping trot around the bases, and the Dodgers took Game 1 with a 6-3 victory. It was an instant echo of Kirk Gibson in 1988, right down to the stadium and the "impossible" nature of the hit.
Why Game 1 Changed Everything
If the Yankees win that game, the series looks completely different. They had the lead in the 10th. They had the momentum. But that Freeman swing didn't just win a game; it broke the spirit of the New York bullpen for the next few days.
- Freddie Freeman's Stats: 2-for-5, 4 RBIs, 1 HR.
- The Pitch Count: 1. The number of pitches Freeman needed to end it.
- The Streak: This started a run where Freeman homered in four straight games.
Kinda makes you realize how thin the margins are in October. One pitch. One ankle. One swing.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the fallout of this game, you should check out the advanced scouting reports on why the Yankees chose Cortes over a rested Tim Hill in that spot. It’s one of those managerial decisions that will be debated in New York sports bars for the next twenty years. For now, the best thing you can do is go back and watch the replay of that 10th inning—even if you aren't a Dodgers fan, it’s pure, unadulterated sports magic.
Next time you're at the cages, remember: Freddie Freeman couldn't even run, and he still cleared the bases.