Freddie Freeman Channels Kirk Gibson in World Series Game 1 Shocker
No one could believe what they just saw. Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman etched his name into baseball immortality with the first ever walk-off grand slam in World Series history to stun the New York Yankees 6-3 in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series.
The moment itself felt eerily similar to the home run Kirk Gibson hit to walk-off Game 1 of the 1988 World Series against the Oakland A’s.
Kirk Gibson’s homer was a walk-off homer. Freddie Freeman’s was a walk-off homer.
Both players were hobbled by injury. Gibson had a hamstring problem in 1988; while Freddie Freeman has been bothered by an ankle injury.
Both are left-handed hitters; and Freeman’s home run ball wound up almost exactly in the same location as Gibson’s 36-years earlier.
Talk about de’ja Vu. The Dodgers were the living embodiment of it on Friday night.
For the Yankees, and their fans, this game will be talked about for a long, long time in a much different light. Many fans are already second guessing Aaron Boone’s decision to bring in a rusty Nestor Cortes into the game with the Yankees up 3-2, and needing just two outs to win Game 1.
Cortes came in with the bases loaded. It was a very tricky spot, but Boone shook off any criticism.
Still it was a lost opportunity for New York.
The Yankees got a monster two-run bomb from Giancarlo Stanton in the top of the sixth inning to take a 2-1 lead.
Then in the tenth inning, thanks to some nifty base running by Jazz Chisholm, Antony Volpe hit a ball deep into the hole at short stop that was bobbled by Tommy Edman,allowing Chisholm to score to give the Yanks a 3-2 lead.
The Yankees even got two great plays in the outfield from Alex Verdugo, who went full Jeter-esque with his diving catch in the stands to retire Shohei Ohtani with the first pitch he saw in the tenth inning.
Still the Yankees can circle back to two moments that cost them dearly.
1) Did the Yankees pull Gerrit Cole too early? Cole was cruising through six innings, allowing only a run on four hits. He had only 88 pitches. Even Derek Jeter questioned the move to not leave Cole in the game on the Fox Sports post game.
2) The Gleyber Torres homer that wasn’t. In the top of the ninth with the score tied at two, Torres hit what appeared to be a home run, but review showed that a fan had reached over, caught the ball and pulled it into the stands. The home run was reversed as a ground rule double due to fan interference. The Yankees failed to score in the inning.
That moment turned out to be huge.
NEXT:
The Yankees will send Carlos Rodon to the hill in Game 2 with the hope of getting a split and sending this series back to Yankee Stadium tied. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will go for the Dodgers.
