Aaron Judge. Shohei Ohtani.
If you’re looking for subtlety, this wasn’t the night. If you were expecting a slow build, a bit of suspense, maybe a few scoreless innings to ease into this Yankees-Dodgers World Series rematch, you must be new here. In a rematch of last year’s World Series, with Dodger Stadium buzzing and both teams in first place in their respective divisions, baseball’s two reigning MVPs decided to remind everyone why they own the crown.
Aaron Judge, who’s made himself very comfortable in Chavez Ravine, launched a Statcast-certified missile in the top of the first, 113 mph off the bat, 446 feet into orbit. One pitch into the bottom half, Shohei Ohtani returned serve, sending Max Fried’s sinker 417 feet in the other direction. It was the first time in MLB history that both reigning MVPs homered in the first inning of the same game. Of course, it happened here. Of course, it was these two.
Moreover, the Yankees’ lineup boasted three former MVPs in Judge (2022, 2024), Cody Bellinger (2019), and Paul Goldschmidt (2022). If the Dodgers lineup wasn’t missing 2018 MVP Mookie Betts (out with a toe injury) alongside Ohtani (2021, 2023, 2024), and Freddie Freeman (2020), it would be the first time a game featured three former MVPs in each batting order.
From there, the night turned into an offensive fever dream. Six homers, a roaring crowd, MVPs all over the field. Freddie Freeman, last fall’s World Series MVP, doubled twice and went 3-for-4. Ohtani homered again in the sixth, his 22nd of the year. Andy Pages had himself a night, too, driving in three runs as the Dodgers pulled ahead and never looked back.
If you’re a Yankees fan, you know how this story sometimes ends. They had five runs on the board. They had a lead. And then, as was the case in the conveniently removed from memory World Series game 5, it slipped. The Dodgers stormed back behind Ohtani’s second homer of the night, a 22nd-of-the-season solo shot in the sixth. Freddie Freeman doubled twice and went 3-for-4. Andy Pages drove in three. The Dodgers flipped a 5-2 deficit into an 8-5 win with a seven-run burst that sucked the air out of every pinstriped chest in the building.
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A reminder of what was, and a teaser of what might be again in October? Give the scriptwriters credit.
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