NEW YORK — Mookie Betts lifted a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers overcame a five-run deficit and clinched their eighth World Series title with a 7-6 victory over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night in Game 5.
Six outs away from being forced back to Los Angeles for a sixth game on Friday, the Dodgers won their second title in five seasons and first in a full season since the 1988 team stunned the Oakland Athletics.
Los Angeles also avoided becoming the first team to win the first three games of a best-of-seven Fall Classic and get taken to a sixth game.
The Dodgers trailed 6-5 entering the eighth before Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle (1-1) allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs. Gavin Lux lifted a tying sacrifice fly to center field off Luke Weaver.
Shohei Ohtani then reached base on catcher’s interference when his bat grazed Austin Wells’ glove. Following a brief review, the call was confirmed.
On the next pitch, Betts lifted a fly ball to center fielder Aaron Judge, and Tommy Edman trotted home for a 7-6 lead.
It was the largest comeback ever in a World Series clincher, surpassing the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates overcoming a four-run deficit in Game 7 against the Washington Senators.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth to give the Yankees a 6-5 lead after Los Angeles erased its 5-0 deficit by sending 10 to the plate in fifth. The Dodgers capitalized on physical errors by Judge and Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe along with a mental error by Gerrit Cole, New York’s starting pitcher.
New York held a 5-0 lead and Cole had yet to allow a hit before Enrique Hernandez singled to open the fifth inning.
Edman reached when his fly ball caromed off Judge’s glove, putting runners at first and second. Will Smith followed by hitting a grounder to Volpe, whose throw bounced in front of third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., loading the bases with no outs.
After Cole struck out Lux and Ohtani, Betts hit a soft grounder to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Cole went about halfway off the mound before stopping, and Betts beat Rizzo to the bag allowing the Dodgers’ first run to score.
Cole was one strike away from ending the inning with a 5-1 lead but allowed a two-run single to Freddie Freeman. Teoscar Hernandez also was one strike away from making the final out before lining a two-run double over Judge’s head, tying the game 5-5.
Los Angeles rallied after getting a short start from Jack Flaherty, who was tagged for four runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Blake Treinen (2-0) pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out Anthony Rizzo with two on in the eighth.
Two days after winning Game 3, Walker Buehler pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first major league save, regular season or postseason.
Judge hit a two-run homer in the first and Chisholm followed with a solo shot. Alex Verdugo added an RBI single to chase Flaherty in the second, and Stanton homered in the third off Ryan Brasier.
Cole allowed five unearned runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked four.
–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media