Chaos. That is the only word to describe what went down at Yankee Stadium. If you turned the TV off in the third inning because you thought the Yankees had it in the bag, you missed one of the most absurd, heartbreaking, and exhilarating collapses in baseball history. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series last night, clinching the title in a Game 5 that felt like three different movies shoved into one four-hour marathon. It wasn't pretty. Actually, for about two hours, it was downright ugly for LA fans. But by the time the champagne started flowing in the visitor's clubhouse, nobody cared about the early-inning jitters.
The final score was 7-6. That doesn't even begin to tell the story of how we got there.
Gerrit Cole was cruising. He looked like the Cy Young version of himself, carving through a Dodgers lineup that had looked invincible just days prior. Aaron Judge finally woke up and smashed a two-run homer. Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed him up. It was 5-0. The Bronx was screaming. It felt like we were headed back to Los Angeles for a Game 6, and honestly, the momentum was swinging so hard toward New York that a comeback felt impossible. Then, the fifth inning happened.
Why the Dodgers won the World Series in a single inning
Baseball is a game of inches, but last night, it was a game of dropped balls and missed bags. The fifth inning will be studied in New York for decades as a masterclass in "how to lose a lead." It started with an Aaron Judge error—a routine fly ball that just clanked off his glove. Then a throwing error by Anthony Volpe. Then, the weirdest one: Gerrit Cole didn't cover first base on a grounder by Mookie Betts.
You cannot give this Dodgers lineup extra outs. You just can't.
Freddie Freeman, who played this entire series on one good ankle and a dream, stepped up and did what he's been doing all week. He poked a two-run single. Teoscar Hernández followed with a double that cleared the bases. Just like that, a 5-0 lead evaporated. It was 5-5 before the Yankees even knew what hit them. The crowd went from deafening to a library-like silence in the span of about fifteen minutes.
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It's tempting to say the Dodgers "stole" this game, but that discredits the way they stayed composed. While the Yankees were unraveling defensively, Dave Roberts was pulling strings with a bullpen that looked exhausted but refused to break.
The Freddie Freeman Factor
Let's talk about Freddie for a second. We’ve seen some historic World Series performances, but what Freeman did in 2024 is up there with Kirk Gibson or Orel Hershiser. He finished the series with 12 RBIs, tying a record. He hit a home run in each of the first four games. Last night, he didn't go deep, but his presence in the box basically forced the Yankees into high-pressure mistakes.
He's the heart of that team. Shohei Ohtani is the superstar, the global icon, the guy everyone pays to see. But Freeman? He's the guy who wins you the ring when your shoulder is hanging by a thread and you're limping to first base.
The Bullpen Game that Saved LA
Blake Treinen is a warrior. There’s no other way to put it. He came into the game and threw over 40 pitches—way more than he’s used to—to navigate the heart of that Yankees order. When the Yankees took a 6-5 lead later in the game, it felt like LA might finally run out of gas. But Walker Buehler, pitching on basically zero rest after starting Game 3, came out for the ninth inning.
Think about that. A starting pitcher coming in to close out the World Series on short rest. It was reminiscent of Randy Johnson in 2001. Buehler looked nasty. He retired the side in order, punching out Alex Verdugo to end it.
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What the Yankees got wrong last night
If you're a Yankees fan, this one is going to sting for a lifetime. This wasn't a case of being out-talented; it was a case of being out-executed. You have to play clean baseball to beat a team that won 98 games in the regular season.
- Defensive Lapses: Three errors in one inning is a death sentence.
- Baserunning: There were moments where New York was aggressive in the wrong spots and conservative when they should have pushed.
- Pitching Management: Aaron Boone is going to get roasted for how he handled the middle innings, though in fairness, your ace giving you a "zero earned run" performance through five shouldn't result in a tie game.
The Yankees had every opportunity to extend this series. They had the lead. They had the home crowd. They had Gerrit Cole pitching the game of his life. But when the pressure mounted, the fundamentals crumbled.
The Ohtani Era officially begins
Shohei Ohtani didn't have a massive statistical night. He's been dealing with a partially dislocated shoulder since Game 2, and you could tell he wasn't swinging at 100%. He was a bit of a decoy for the latter half of the series. But does it matter? He came to the Dodgers for one reason: to win.
In his first-ever MLB postseason, he walks away with a ring. The narrative around him has changed forever. He’s no longer just the "unicorn" who puts up stats on a losing team in Anaheim. He's the focal point of a championship dynasty. The scary part for the rest of the league? He didn't even pitch this year. Next year, he'll be back on the mound.
Real-world takeaways from the Dodgers victory
Watching the Dodgers win the World Series provides a few lessons that apply way beyond the diamond. Whether you're a casual fan or a die-hard, here is what we can actually learn from Game 5.
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1. Resilience is better than momentum.
The Yankees had all the momentum early. They were up 5-0. Most teams would have folded and started thinking about Game 6. The Dodgers stayed in the dugout, stayed vocal, and waited for the crack in the door. When it opened, they kicked it down.
2. Depth wins championships.
The Dodgers lost their starting rotation basically one by one throughout the season. Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, Clayton Kershaw—all out. They won a World Series with a makeshift rotation and a "dawg-mentality" bullpen. It shows that having a "Next Man Up" culture isn't just a cliché; it's a requirement for success over a long season.
3. Fundamentals under pressure.
This game was a reminder that even the best athletes in the world can forget the basics when the lights are brightest. Cover the bag. Catch the ball. Hit the cutoff man. The Dodgers did the little things; the Yankees didn't.
What to do next
Now that the parade is being planned for Los Angeles, the offseason officially starts. If you want to keep following the fallout of this win, focus on these three things:
- Watch the Opt-Outs: Keep an eye on the Dodgers' roster. Several key players have opt-out clauses or are entering free agency. The front office will have to move fast to keep this core together.
- Soto Watch: Juan Soto is now officially a free agent. Last night was likely his last game in Pinstripes unless the Yankees shell out $500 million plus. Every big-market team will be calling his agent this morning.
- Injury Reports: Watch for news on Shohei Ohtani’s shoulder surgery. If he needs a procedure, it could impact his timeline for returning to the mound in 2025.
The Dodgers are champions. The Yankees are left wondering "what if." And baseball fans get to catch their breath after one of the most chaotic clinching games in recent memory.