by Megan Garcia
Prior to Game 4 of the World Series, manager Dave Roberts was asked about a team made up of stars that do the little things right.
“I think that’s kind of the separator with our ballplayers,” said manager Dave Roberts. “The value of taking a walk if given to you. Our guys can slug, but they can do that. Freddie (Freeman) on one leg to be able to go first to third to create a situational opportunity. Teo (Hernández)to then get better at his defense, those things are huge.
“Mookie (Betts) gets down two strikes and finds a way to cue a ball to right field. Tommy (Edman) gets a great break on the ball to score without a throw. Those are things that are separators for our ball club.”
The Dodgers’ World Series victory had a lot of big things happen — Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam (and his other three homers), impressive outings from starting pitchers, clutch hits in Game 5. But then there were the little things — and in this series, the little things mattered so much.
Here is a look at the “little big” plays from each game that helped the Dodgers become World Series champions.
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Game 1: Tommy Edman’s 10th-inning single
Trailing by one run with one out, the Dodgers were looking for a spark to jumpstart the offense in the 10th. That spark was provided by Tommy Edman, the National League Championship Series MVP.
Edman was one strike away from being the Dodgers’ second out in the inning, pushing them closer to a Game 1 loss. Yankees reliever Jake Cousins threw a slider down and away, but Edman’s bat caught just enough it to drill it up the right side of the infield for a single.
Edman’s single kept the inning alive for three more batters to come up to the plate. Shohei Ohtani flew out for the second out, bringing up Mookie Betts. The Yankees intentionally walked Betts to face Freddie Freeman with the bases loaded.
It set the stage for Freeman’s walk-off grand slam, the first ever in World Series history. It also gave the Dodgers a 1–0 series lead with the 6–3 win.
Game 2: Alex Vesia’s game-ending pitch
The Yankees showed fight in the ninth inning against Blake Treinen. They loaded the bases with two singles and a hit by pitch, after cutting into the Dodgers’ three-run lead with an RBI single from Giancarlo Stanton.
Treinen was pushed to 36 pitches against six batters after he struck out Anthony Volpe for the second out. The Dodgers made the move to Alex Vesia to face pinch-hitter Jose Trevino with the bases loaded.
Vesia needed only one pitch to put out the fire. An inside four-seam fastball to Trevino resulted in a fly out to center, keeping the Dodgers’ Game 2 win intact at 4–2.
Game 3: Three defensive plays save the lead
It took two stellar defensive plays in the outfield to help quiet the Yankees lineup.
Mookie Betts made a diving snag at a sinking line drive by Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fourth inning with the Dodgers leading 3–0. It kept Giancarlo Stanton stationed at second base, setting up the next key play in the outfield.
When Anthony Volpe hit a two-out single to left field, the Yankees gave Stanton the green light to score from second. Instead, Stanton was nailed at home on a 93.9-MPH throw from Teoscar Hernández in right field.
Quick reflexes from Brusdar Graterol and Tommy Edman prevented the Yankees from the putting Juan Soto in scoring position in the sixth. Aaron Judge hit a sharp ground ball to Graterol, who had to play it on a bounce near the mound.
Once he handled it, Graterol fired it at 98.7 MPH to Edman at second base. Edman managed to keep his foot on the bag as he caught the wide throw and got off it just in time to avoid a collision with Soto as he slid into the base.
Without a runner in scoring position and Judge on first, Stanton’s two-out single didn’t manufacture a run for the Yankees. Chisholm Jr. grounded out after Stanton’s hit to end the inning.
Game 4: Landon Knack picks up the ‘pen
In the Dodgers’ bullpen game of the World Series, Landon Knack emerged as the saving grace. The rookie right-hander pitched four innings, holding the Yankees down to two hits and one run. Knack faced 15 batters in Game 4 — the most of any Dodger pitcher.
With Knack taking the bulk of the innings, the Dodgers were able to save six arms for Game 5. It paid dividends as the National League champions called to the bullpen in the second inning in Game 5 after Jack Flaherty pitched 1 1/3 innings, giving up four earned runs on four hits.
Game 5: Lux and Betts hit sacrifice flies to upend the Yankees
After a historic fifth-inning comeback, the Dodgers had to pull off another one following Giancarlo Stanton’s sacrifice fly that gave the Yankees a 6–5 lead in the sixth.
The Dodgers loaded up the bases with two singles and a walk to start the eighth inning. Gavin Lux — with a full count — connected on a fastball from Luke Weaver and hit it 349 feet to center field, giving Kiké Hernández enough time to tag up from third and score on the sacrifice fly to tie the game 6–6.
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The bases were loaded once again after Shohei Ohtani was awarded first base due catcher’s interference. When Mookie Betts approached the plate, he swung at the first pitch from Weaver and drilled it to center field. Judge was underneath it, but Edman had the distance to tag up from third and score the go-ahead run.
The Dodgers took command of a 7–6 lead, and the rest is World Series history.
World Series Champs: The small moments that led to big wins in the Dodgers’ title quest was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.