LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have used their words to tell one story this weekend and their actions to spin a completely different yarn.
A rousing 18-2 romp over the New York Yankees on Saturday on a season-best 21 hits, the Dodgers look as motivated as they have all season, during a campaign that has been riddled by injuries, especially to the pitching staff.
They felt little pain in the middle game of the three-game series, even with Mookie Betts out for a second consecutive game with a fracture at the tip of a toe on his left foot.
Others were left to kick the Yankees while they were down following their loss to the Dodgers in a five-game World Series in October. Max Muncy hit two home runs while tying a career high with seven RBIs, while Hyeseong Kim hit his own home run, as he started at shortstop for the first time with his new club.
Andy Pages went deep, and rookie Dalton Rushing added his first career home run.
There was little to no sting even with Aaron Judge hitting his own pair of home runs, with three in the series so far.
The Dodgers merely countered with Kim, who moved to center field in the sixth inning and immediately made a mark there when he cut down Judge at second base while trying to extend a single into a double.
Even when delivering a come-from-behind victory Friday, in a game that was eerie in its resemblance to the deciding Game 5 last fall in New York, the Dodgers insisted they weren’t thinking about their life-altering night in the Bronx.
“Not for me. Not really,” Teoscar Hernandez said Friday when asked if he had any flashbacks. “I don’t know for the other guys. For me, the past is in the past.”
Said Freddie Freeman: “Actually, never thought about it. No.”
The Dodgers’ follow-up series win means revenge for New York will have to come differently.
The Dodgers turned the offense loose early against Yankees rookie right-hander Will Warren, getting RBI singles from Will Smith and Muncy in the first inning, while Michael Conforto had a run-scoring sacrifice fly and Tommy Edman had an RBI double.
The second inning included a three-run home run from Muncy that knocked Warren out of the game, leaving him battered with a season-high seven runs allowed in 1⅓ innings. The offense continued on its way with another RBI double from Edman and a two-run homer from Kim.
The Dodgers scored double digits in runs for the eighth time and were one off their season high set May 15 against the Athletics.
Dodgers right-hander Landon Knack (3-2) was not at his best, yet still held the Yankees to one run over six innings. Knack’s lone run allowed was a no-doubt home run from Judge in the fourth inning. He added another in the sixth against Chris Stratton.
While Shohei Ohtani remained on 22 home runs to lead the major leagues, Judge moved closer to the top with his 21st. Ohtani finished May with 15 home runs to tie for the most all-time in a single month in Dodgers history.
Even with Judge’s exploits, Muncy ended up stealing the power show, with a three-run home run off the right-field foul pole in the fifth inning. Muncy now has six home runs on the season with his first multi-homer game this year and the 16th of his career.
Counting the World Series, the Dodgers are now 8-2 against the Yankees over the past two seasons and 4-0 at home.