LOS ANGELES — What should have been a celebration of baseball at its finest turned into a moment of shame for Los Angeles fans Monday night at Chavez Ravine.
Freddie Freeman’s walk-off home run in the 18th inning gave the Dodgers a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the World Series, tying the record for the longest Fall Classic game ever played. But the historic 6-hour, 39-minute marathon was marred by a troubling incident that drew sharp criticism from the Dodgers’ own broadcast team.
A game for the ages overshadowed
AP Photo/Brynn Anderson
Despite the ugly moment, Game 3 delivered baseball drama at its highest level. The 18-inning affair matched the record set in 2018 when the Dodgers defeated the Boston Red Sox at the same venue. That game lasted 7 hours and 20 minutes, making Monday’s contest slightly shorter but equally exhausting.
Freeman’s blast against reliever Brendon Little brought back memories of his walk-off grand slam that clinched Game 1 of last year’s World Series against the New York Yankees.
“Just pure excitement,” Freeman said of his latest game-ending heroics.
The victory gave the Dodgers a 2-1 series lead and moved them within two wins of becoming baseball’s first repeat champion since the Yankees captured three straight titles from 1998 to 2000.
Ohtani makes history while chasing history
Shohei Ohtani delivered a performance that will be studied for generations. The two-way superstar reached base nine times, becoming the first player in postseason history to accomplish the feat. He blasted two home runs, doubled twice and drew five walks, four of them intentional.
Ohtani’s eight home runs this postseason tied Corey Seager’s franchise record set in 2020. He also became just the second player in Major League history with four extra-base hits in a World Series game, joining Frank Isbell from 1906.
The Blue Jays tried everything to stop him. After Ohtani went 4-for-4, Toronto started walking him intentionally. Even when they did pitch to him, nothing worked.
Ohtani’s game-tying homer in the seventh inning came after Toronto had just taken a 5-4 lead. Reliever Seranthony Dominguez made the mistake of throwing a fastball over the heart of the plate, and Ohtani sent it sailing into the left-field seats.
The performance marked the first World Series matchup between a three-time MVP winner and a three-time Cy Young Award winner since 2009. Both rounds went to Ohtani, as he took Max Scherzer deep and doubled off the veteran right-hander.
A battle of attrition
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The Dodgers used 10 pitchers. The Blue Jays countered with nine. Will Klein, Los Angeles’ final reliever, threw four scoreless innings to earn the win.
Clayton Kershaw made his first postseason appearance, entering with two outs and the bases loaded in the 12th inning. The future Hall of Famer got Nathan Lukes to ground out, keeping the game tied at 5-5.
The two teams combined for 31 hits and left 37 runners on base. Four runners were thrown out on the basepaths, including three after the ninth inning.
In the 10th inning, Toronto’s Davis Schneider was thrown out at the plate to end the frame on a perfect relay from the outfield.
Freeman nearly ended the game in the 13th inning, coming up with the bases loaded and two outs. His drive to center field died at the warning track.
Hernandez joins the party
Teoscar Hernandez provided crucial support for Ohtani, collecting four hits including a solo homer in the second inning that opened the scoring. The two combined for half of the Dodgers’ 16 hits.
Alejandro Kirk’s three-run homer in the fourth gave Toronto a 3-2 lead before the Blue Jays added another run to go ahead 4-2.
The Dodgers battled back to tie it at 4-4 in the fifth before Bo Bichette’s RBI single put Toronto ahead 5-4 in the seventh. Ohtani’s second homer tied it moments later, setting up 11 more innings of baseball.
When Springer went down, the cheers went up
The controversy erupted in the seventh inning when Blue Jays star George Springer stepped out of the batter’s box mid-at-bat, clutching his side after fouling off a pitch. As Springer’s injury became apparent, fans at Dodger Stadium broke into cheers.
The reaction prompted an immediate rebuke from Fox broadcaster Joe Davis, who also serves as the lead play-by-play announcer for Dodger television broadcasts.
“That shouldn’t be cheered, ever, under any circumstances, no matter the history,” Davis said during the broadcast.
Springer, who was forced to leave the game and head to the clubhouse, has been a target of Los Angeles fans since his days with the Houston Astros. He was a key member of the 2017 Astros team that defeated the Dodgers in the World Series, a championship later tainted by the sign-stealing scandal.
The injury came at a crucial moment for Toronto. Springer had been a powerhouse throughout the postseason, posting a .932 OPS with four home runs. The Blue Jays played the final 11 innings without their designated hitter.
The price of victory
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had addressed the potential for hostile treatment of Springer before the game.
“Heck of a player, having a great postseason,” Roberts told reporters. “Dodger fans have a long memory, and that’s what makes them great. I’m just going to manage the game, and I’m not in the stands, so they can do whatever they feel is going to help the club win.”
The win came at a cost to the team’s reputation. While the Dodgers celebrated taking command of the series, the cheers that greeted Springer’s injury served as a reminder that passion can cross the line into poor sportsmanship.
Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday with Ohtani taking the mound as the Dodgers’ starting pitcher. Toronto will counter with Shane Bieber.
The marathon ended just after midnight on the East Coast. For fans at Dodger Stadium who cheered an opponent’s injury, it ended with a stain on what should have been a pure celebration of baseball excellence.
