Dodgers Close In On 8th World Series Title After Take 3-0 Lead

Summary:

• The Los Angeles Dodgers now lead the World Series 3-0 following 4-2 win against the New York Yankees in Game 3.
• Freddie Freeman maintained outstanding postseason performance while Walker Buehler excelled on the mound.
• The Yankees are on the brink of elimination.

Freddie Freeman continued his dominant postseason, Walker Buehler delivered on the mound, and now the Los Angeles Dodgers who won the NLCS title are now one win away from their eighth World Series championship.

After winning the first two games at home, the Dodgers marched into Yankee Stadium on Monday and claimed a 4-2 victory, taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and sending the Yankees on the verge of elimination.

Yankees Need Impossible Comeback to Change Fate

For New York to prevent a Dodgers championship, they would need a historic comeback.

Only once has an MLB team rallied from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series—the Boston Red Sox, who famously stunned the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.

However, no team has ever managed to make a comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the World Series Championship.

Freeman, Team Hero

Freddie Freeman was once again the Dodgers’ hero, launching a two-run homer off Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt in the first inning.

The blast to right field scored Shohei Ohtani and deflated the lively Yankee Stadium crowd, already amped from a Fat Joe pregame performance and a ceremonial first pitch by Yankees legend Derek Jeter.

The home run was Freeman’s third in three World Series games, including his walk-off grand slam in Game 1.

Stretching back to his 2021 World Series with the Atlanta Braves, Freeman has now homered in five straight World Series games, tying George Springer for the longest such streak.

He’ll look to claim the record outright in Game 4 on Tuesday and is the favorite for World Series MVP.

Buehler also came through on Monday, delivering five strong innings with just two hits, two walks, no runs, and five strikeouts.
He kept the Yankees’ potent lineup off balance, allowing only one hit through the first four innings.

The Yankees’ best scoring chance came in the fourth when Anthony Volpe singled with two outs, but Teoscar Hernández threw out Giancarlo Stanton at the plate, preserving the Dodgers’ lead.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulled Buehler after 76 pitches, opting not to push his often-injured All-Star further.

The bullpen held firm, with six relievers combining for four scoreless innings. Mookie Betts (1-for-4) and Kiké Hernández (2-for-4) added insurance runs batted in, while Ohtani, playing through a shoulder injury, went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Judge Still Looking for His Rhythm

Meanwhile, the Yankees’ struggles at the plate continued. Aaron Judge, the presumptive AL MVP, has yet to find his rhythm, striking out six times in Games 1 and 2.

Judge ended Monday 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout, while Juan Soto went hitless in three at-bats.

Stanton was the Yankees’ top performer, going 2-for-4, but New York failed to convert on scoring opportunities until Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer in the ninth. The late rally wasn’t enough.

With Game 4 set for 8:08 p.m. ET Tuesday, the Yankees are getting ready to put up a fight and prevent a home-field sweep.