In a marathon 18-inning contest that lasted 399 minutes and featured 609 pitches, Freddie Freeman delivered the deciding blow. On the 609th pitch of the game, Freeman crushed a full-count sinker into straightaway center field for a walk-off home run, lifting the Dodgers to a 6–5 victory and putting them ahead 2–1 in the best-of-seven series.
The game was full of fireworks. The Blue Jays and Dodgers combined for 10 runs in the first seven innings, after which both bullpens faltered through 10 scoreless frames. The legendary Shohei Ohtani reached base nine times (a postseason record) and turned in four extra-base hits, placing his performance among the most remarkable in World Series history.
Relief-pitcher Will Klein emerged as an unlikely hero: previously unused for lengthy outings, he threw four scoreless innings in the late game, keeping the Blue Jays off the board during the most critical stretch. Meanwhile Freeman’s homer capped a game that the Dodgers manager called “one of the greatest World Series games of all time.”
