New York Yankees v Los Angeles Dodgers: World Series Game 1 – live | World Series

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 3rd

Flaherty sees the Yankee lineup for the second time now and Torres strikes a pitch to the hole in short – I mean super deep! Edman dives, has it, and nearly nails the Yankees second baseman. What a play!

Third straight inning the Yanks have the leadoff runner on. Can they get him around? Here’s Soto to give it a whirl.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 2nd

As we were saying, Cole is throwing darts: his sixth pitch to Smith is too much for the backstop. Two strikeouts for Cole as we head to the third inning, scoreless.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 2nd

Cole chucks high cheese at Hernandez who just waves. Strike three! For sure, Cole has it so far tonight, which we can’t always say. Two out. Catcher Will Smith is at the plate.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 2nd

Cole is back on the hill as we resume, facing Max Muncy. He pops up into foul ground on the third base side: Chisholm is running hard and m,akes the catch for out number one.

Playoff animal Kike Hernandez is next.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 2nd

A Yankee lead? Nope. Verdugo bounces to second and it’s easy for Lux who has it and throws to first base for the out. Side retired.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 2nd

Wells hits a ball in the hole closer to first base. Lux runs to his right, chases it down and throws in time to the bag for the second out. Rizzo advances to second on the play. That means Alex Verdugo could potentially give New York a lead with a knock here.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 2nd

Flaherty is ahead on Volpe 1-2 before dealing a fastball away that just misses. Even 2-2 count now and Flaherty throws a curveball that Volpe can only whiff at – strike three! One down for LA here in the second.

Austin Wells, a light-hitting catcher heads to the dish.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 2nd

So now we get into the less scary part of the Yankees lineup: Anthony Rizzo is leading off.

Except Rizzo hits it back to and off Jack Flaherty, nailing the bottom of his ankle, and there’s no play. So for the second straight inning New York has the lead runner on. Here’s the 23-uyear-old shortstop, Anthony Volpe.

The reader says…

I don’t know who Karloff is, but could he hit a triple on one leg?

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 1st

Hernandez hits a liner to short and Anthony Volpe handles it for the third out, ending the inning for Cole and the Yankees. So Freeman is left standing at third base and we’re scoreless through one.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 1st

Now Mookie Betta is at the plate and he hits another deep fly ball, this one is to left field! And Dodger Stadium holds it in again – Alex Verdugo makes the catch for a second loud out!

Freddie Freeman is next, and he strikes a shot to left! It takes an odd bounce off the side wall, Verdugo has to chase it! Hobbling Freeman, who hasn’t had an extra base hit is testing that ankle, running past second base and into third! Wow! His ankle passes the test, for now. Can Teoscar Hernandez drive him home?

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, bottom 1st

So here’s Ohtani to face Gerrit Cole, who for a time v New York in the NLCS struggled with nobody on base. First pitch, and it’s a high fly ball, deep to center field! Aaron Judge is on the warning track, has room and makes the catch! Ohtani nearly sent Cole fastball over the fence, but it’s just a loud out.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 1st

Chisholm bounces to second, Gavin Lux has it, fires to first for the out, and that’s the inning. So New York leave two on and here comes Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers in their half of the opening inning.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 1st

Flaherty falls behind Stanton, 3-1 before the slugger let’s a close strike go by. On a full count, Stanton hits a grounder to short that Edman bobbles! No throw to first, and now it’s two runners on and two outs for Jazz Chisholm. LA had a bit of the bobblies v the Mets, and they really can’t afford such haphazard defense.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 1st

A pinpoint fastball and a tight slider has Flaherty up 0-2 v Judge. The next pitch is a breaking ball in the dirt, ball one. Now it’s a slider and Judge is ahead of it, swinging and missing – strike three! Judge continues to struggle in the postseason. Giancarlo Stanton, up next, has been the opposite, winning the ALCS MVP.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 1st

Flaherty walks Soto on four pitches, which is not desirable considering Aaron Judge is walking into the batters box.

Yankees 0-0 Dodgers, top 1st

Torres hits a ball on the screws to third base, but it’s right into the glove of Max Muncy. One outfor Jack Flaherty, who now faces a stiffer test, Juan Soto.

The match-up of the two best players in baseball, Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, is finally underway at Dodger Stadium under sunny skies and perfect weather!

Los Angeles’ own Jack Flaherty delivers a ball to Gleyber Torres! Let’s go!

National Anthem

Country music star and Dodgers superfan is signing the national anthem while strumming his electric guitar. It’s a bit slow and low energy. I’m not really into it this at all. I’m giving it a 6.5/10, and that’s wildly low for me. This is what it sounded like when Mr Paisley performed at the 2017 World Series.

First pitch is coming soon. Please stand by!

First pitch

Steve Yeager, a catcher who played on the 1981 Dodger champions, and Orel Hershiser who pitched for the 1988 Dodger title winners are out to throw the ceremonial first pitches. But to honor the passing of the legendary, trailblazing Mexican hurler Fernando Valenzuela, who died this week, the ball was not thrown, but placed next to his no34 etched on the mound.

Lineups

The players are being introduced at Dodger Stadium. Hard to hear who is getting the loudest boos and cheers over the music, which used to be fun. Oh well. Here’s the starting lineups, which for LA include former MVP Freddie Freeman playing first base. Freeman takes over four hours to get game ready. He’s so hobbled, he’s yet to register an extra base hit during these playoffs, very un-Freeman to say the least!

The rosters

The 26-man rosters featured some changes to both teams. Infielder John Berti was left off the Yankees roster after getting some time at first base this postseason. In his place is Nestor Cortes, an all-star staring pitcher who has been sidelined since September 25th with a elbow injury thought to be season ending. Should it go wrong for the 29-year-old, he could find himself sidelined next season, but he’s “all in for the chip.” Cortes will be a valuable lefty in the bullpen, having gone through rehab and passed a fitness test of a 29-pitch simulated game. New York will have 13 pitchers and 13 position players on their roster.

LA also have the 13-13 split. they’ve lost a reliable bullpen arm in Evan Phillips, a righty that may have been used v Aaron Judge in late-inning play. Instead the Dodgers added another right handed reliever, Brusdar Graterol, and lefty fireman Alex Vesia. Kevin Kiermaier will sit.

Yesterday and today

There’s been piles of pixels dedicated to the Fall Classic history between these two teams, the first one to take place without iconic baseball broadcaster, Vin Scully, who retired in 2016 after 67 seasons as the voice of the Dodgers. This is what the intro to Game 1 back in 1963 when the two teams played their first series since the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to LA following the 1957 season.

The Umps

As you can imagine, with the World Series being MLB’s crown jewel event, the league has made sure only the highest ranked umpires would be making the calls. Except, according to Umpire Auditor on “X”, this is not the case at all. Quite the contrary!

Well you know what they say: you can’t argue with logic!

Good evening, morning and afternoon to you and welcome to our live coverage of Game 1 of Major League Baseball’s 120th World Series. In case you haven’t heard, it’s the Dodgers and the Yankees bidding for the oversized heavy and expensive jewellery, something they’ve done 11 times prior: seven times via Bronx/Brooklyn NYC subway and four times via continental jet. It’s the first time since they’ve met in the Fall Classic since the Dodgers beat the Yanks in 1981.

Both clubs are under enormous pressure to win a World Series title. The Dodgers won in the Covid-19 season of 2020 which, let’s be honest, few take seriously. The Yankees are in their first World Series since 2009, the longest such gap in appearances since the franchise’s founding in 1903. Babe Ruth helped the New York Americans into their first Fall Classic in 1921 v the Giants – a series played in Manhattan’s Polo Grounds, not in the yet to be built big ballpark in the Bronx.

Who has more pressure to win? Personally, I think since Yankees ownership has morphed into accountants under Hal Steinbrenner, son of the less patient George, it’s the Dodgers that need to win this series more. New York just seem happy to be there, which is un-Yankee like to say the least.

Both of these teams are loaded with star sluggers and strong bullpens, but the high-profile, overpowering starting pitcher that teams fear facing are notably absent.

Gerrit Cole, the solid but not currently spectacular Yankees ace has been inconsistent in a season shortened by elbow inflammation experienced this spring. He’ll start for New York tonight in Game 1. The Dodgers best arm, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has also had his issues, but can hardly complain about his first season in MLB after arriving from Japan this spring. He’ll pitch in Game 2 tomorrow. Tonight LA sends Jack Flaherty to the hill. Acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline, he’s been a reliable arm for the Dodgers, although the Mets roughed him up in Game 5 of the NLCS, after he shut New York down in Game 1.

There’s some pomp and circumstance before first pitch, which is scheduled for 17:08 LA time. Team introductions and the my traditional national anthem are yet to come. So sit back, relax pop some corn and grab a bevy. Oh, and if you want to see your name (or handle) in the paper, you can get me via tweet @LengelDavid or via email. Do it: I’ll make you famous.

More to come: stick with us!

David will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look at the Guardian’s predictions for this year’s Fall Classic.