As Gerrit Cole took the mound at Dodger Stadium to kick off the Yankees’ World Series campaign, the reception was mixed. Yankees fans applauded their ace, eager to see him start Game 1, while Dodgers fans made their feelings clear with resounding boos. Cole, however, remained unfazed, pushing forward with his signature intensity in this high-stakes matchup.
Gerrit Cole’s strong start
In the early innings, Gerrit Cole was all business, retiring 10 consecutive batters and 12 of 13 on just 51 pitches, setting a scoreless tone against the Dodgers’ heavy-hitting lineup in his World Series debut. Through six innings, Cole allowed just four hits, a lone earned run, zero walks, and struck out four.
Dodgers countered with recent trade acquisition Jack Flaherty, giving the Yankees no easy task as they aimed to start the series on a high note. Despite a rocky start with Freddie Freeman’s first-inning triple, Gerrit Cole locked in, retiring 11 straight before Kike Hernandez broke the streak in the fifth with a triple to right. Will Smith’s sac fly put the Dodgers on the board, but it wasn’t enough to shake Cole’s stride.
Then came the moment Yankees fans craved—a towering two-run blast by Giancarlo Stanton in the sixth to give New York the lead. Cole navigated a leadoff double from Hernandez in the sixth with help from third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., whose defensive play kept the Yankees ahead.
In a bold move, manager Aaron Boone turned to Clay Holmes in the seventh after Gerrit Cole gave up a single to Teoscar Hernandez. Holmes, with some help from Tommy Kahnle, managed to keep the Dodgers at bay through the seventh. However, the Yankees’ offense failed to extend their slim lead, leaving the door open.
With the Yankees clinging to a 3-2 lead in the tenth, Freeman sent a walk-off homer soaring to seal a crushing 6-3 Dodgers victory in Game 1. It was a bitter end to an otherwise gutsy performance from Gerrit Cole, who showed up big, even as the Yankees stumbled in the final frames.
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