Honestly, it feels like just yesterday. People talk about the Dodgers winning as if it’s this inevitable, corporate machine process, but the actual reality of the last time the LA Dodgers won the World Series was chaotic, stressful, and featured one of the most ridiculous comebacks in baseball history. We aren't just talking about a wealthy team buying a trophy. We’re talking about Game 5 in the Bronx. We’re talking about the Yankees fundamentally falling apart in a single inning while Freddie Freeman played on one good ankle.
It was October 30, 2024.
If you weren't watching, you missed a masterclass in "it ain't over 'til it's over." The Dodgers went into Yankee Stadium up 3-1 in the series. They looked like they were going to cruise, then suddenly, they were down 5-0. Gerrit Cole was dealing. The Bronx was shaking. It looked like the series was headed back to Los Angeles for a nerve-wracking Game 6. Then, the fifth inning happened. It was a comedy of errors from New York—Judge dropped a routine fly, Volpe threw a ball into the dirt, and Cole forgot to cover first base. The Dodgers didn't just capitalize; they tore the door off the hinges.
The night the Dodgers took over New York
The last time the LA Dodgers won the World Series, it wasn't a "clean" win. It was gritty. It was weird. It was exactly what you expect from modern baseball.
Most people focus on the $700 million man, Shohei Ohtani. He’s the face of the franchise. He’s the global icon. But truth be told? Ohtani wasn't the primary reason they won that final game. He was playing through a partially dislocated shoulder. He was gutting it out, sure, but he wasn't the monster we saw during the regular season. The real story was Freddie Freeman. Freeman ended up winning the World Series MVP, and frankly, if he hadn't, there would have been a literal riot in Echo Park. He tied a record with 12 RBIs in a single World Series. He hit home runs in the first four games. He did all of this while dealing with a severely sprained ankle that made people wonder if he could even walk to the dugout, let alone hit a 98-mph fastball into the bleachers.
When people search for the last time the LA Dodgers won the World Series, they often get 2020 and 2024 mixed up in their heads. 2020 was the "Bubble" title in Arlington. Some fans—mostly Giants and Padres fans—like to put an asterisk on that one because of the shortened season. But 2024? There is no asterisk. They beat the best of the American League in a full-throttle, 162-game-season aftermath. They survived an injury crisis that decimated their starting rotation. By the time they reached the Fall Classic, they were essentially duct-taping a pitching staff together.
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Why the 2024 victory was statistically improbable
Let's look at the pitching. Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and a prayer. That was basically the rotation. Tyler Glasnow was out. Clayton Kershaw was watching from the bench with a toe injury and a cooked shoulder. Gavin Stone was gone. You had guys like Anthony Banda and Alex Vesia pitching high-leverage innings that nobody expected them to be in back in April.
The bullpen game became a lifestyle.
In Game 5, Dave Roberts used eight different pitchers. Think about that for a second. In a deciding World Series game, you burn through almost your entire staff. It culminated in Walker Buehler—a guy who had struggled all year coming back from a second Tommy John surgery—coming out of the bullpen on two days' rest to close the door. It was legendary. He looked like the 2018 version of himself, striking out Alex Verdugo to end it. The silence in Yankee Stadium was heavy. You could hear the Dodgers' celebration from the upper deck.
The Freeman Factor
We have to talk about the Game 1 walk-off grand slam. If you’re asking about the last time the Dodgers won, you have to start here. It was the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. It mirrored the Kirk Gibson 1988 moment so perfectly it felt scripted. Bottom of the 10th. Bases loaded. Two outs. Freeman, hobbling, pulls a ball into the right-field seats. That single swing shifted the entire momentum of the series. The Yankees never truly recovered from that emotional blow.
Common misconceptions about the Dodgers' recent titles
A lot of casual fans think the Dodgers just "outspent" everyone to get the 2024 trophy. While the payroll is massive, money doesn't buy you a five-run comeback in an elimination game. It doesn't buy you Mookie Betts sacrifice flies or Tommy Edman’s incredible range at shortstop. Edman was the NLCS MVP, a guy they picked up at the trade deadline from the Cardinals while he was still on the injured list. That was a front-office masterstroke by Andrew Friedman.
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- The 2020 vs. 2024 debate: 2020 was about relief and validation; 2024 was about dominance and overcoming a narrative of "playoff choking."
- The Ohtani impact: His presence changed how pitchers approached the entire lineup, even when he wasn't 100% healthy.
- The Yankee collapse: It wasn't just luck. The Dodgers' aggressive baserunning forced the Yankees into those errors in the fifth inning of Game 5.
The Dodgers have now solidified themselves as a dynasty, regardless of what the haters say. Winning two titles in five years, with multiple World Series appearances in between, puts them in a rarefied air.
How the roster was built
It wasn't just free agency. It was a mix. You had home-grown talent like Will Smith at catcher. You had trade acquisitions like Mookie Betts. Then you had the "reclamation projects" like Teoscar Hernández, who signed a one-year "prove it" deal and ended up being the heartbeat of the clubhouse. Teoscar’s double in the fifth inning of Game 4 and his consistent energy were massive. He chose the Dodgers because he wanted to win, and he was arguably the best value-for-money signing of the entire 2024 offseason.
The narrative often ignores the defense. Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández played almost every position on the diamond. That flexibility allowed Dave Roberts to pinch-hit and swap players in a way that Aaron Boone just couldn't match for the Yankees.
What to remember about the 2024 World Series run
If you're looking for the specific details of that final clinching moment, it happened at 11:52 PM ET. The final score was 7-6. The Dodgers trailed in the game, took the lead, lost it, and took it back again. It was a stressful, messy, beautiful game of baseball.
Blake Treinen was the unsung hero of that night. He threw 37 pitches over 2.1 innings. In the modern game, relievers rarely go that long or throw that many pitches in a single outing, especially in the postseason. He was running on fumes, but he got the outs when it mattered most.
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Key Players in the 2024 Championship:
- Freddie Freeman: The obvious MVP. Four HRs, 12 RBIs.
- Mookie Betts: The steady hand. Huge defensive plays and consistent hitting.
- Walker Buehler: The closer. He reinvented himself in real-time to save the season.
- Max Muncy: His ability to draw walks and see pitches wore down the Yankee starters.
- Tommy Edman: The utility man who became a superstar in October.
The last time the LA Dodgers won the World Series, they proved that talent is the floor, but grit is the ceiling. They played a brand of "small ball" when they needed to, but they still had the "big fly" power to change a game in one swing.
Actionable takeaways for Dodgers fans and collectors
If you're looking to commemorate the most recent win or just want to stay up to speed on the team's trajectory, here is what you should be looking at right now.
Check the memorabilia market carefully. The value of 2024 World Series signed balls, especially Freddie Freeman's, spiked immediately. However, wait for the "gold-trimmed" jersey releases that usually happen the following season; they tend to hold more value for long-term collectors.
Watch the "Backstage Dodgers" documentary series. The 2024 season was documented heavily. Watching the behind-the-scenes footage of the Ohtani signing and the Freeman injury recovery gives you a much deeper appreciation for what happened than just looking at a box score.
Analyze the farm system. The Dodgers won in 2024 despite a decimated pitching staff because their depth was incredible. Keep an eye on the Oklahoma City (AAA) roster. The "next man up" philosophy is why the Dodgers stay in the hunt every single year.
Re-watch Game 5, specifically the 5th inning. If you want to understand how championship teams win, it’s not always about the home runs. It’s about putting the ball in play and forcing the other team to make a mistake. The Dodgers’ "pressure" style of play is exactly why the Yankees cracked.
The 2024 title wasn't just a win; it was a statement. It closed the book on the "can't win in a full season" talk and cemented this era of Dodgers baseball as one of the greatest in the history of the sport. They'll be chasing another one soon, but the 2024 run will go down as one of the most resilient performances in the franchise's storied history.