11 improbable moments that defined Dodgers repeat

The street to turning into the first repeat World Series champion in 25 years was not a easy one for the Dodgers, who captured their ninth championship in franchise historical past when they knocked off the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings of a Game 7 for the ages.

After profitable 9 of their first 10 postseason contests, the Dodgers had to slog through a seven-game World Series that included two extra-inning wins — one in 18 innings — and consecutive losses at home that put their season on the brink.

But in the end, the Dodgers emerged with their second consecutive championship and third in six seasons. How did they make it occur? Here are some moments that galvanized the Dodgers’ run to another World Series triumph.

A great escape, with a wheel man

Mookie Betts broached the thought of working the wheel play as the Dodgers tried to cling on for pricey life in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Ballpark. In a tribute to executing the basics, Max Muncy pounced on a bunt and Betts tagged out the lead runner at third base to help the Dodgers survive the ninth inning and grab a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five sequence.

Ohtani’s iconic efficiency

Based on the first inning alone, Shohei Ohtani would’ve produced an unforgettable efficiency in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, hanging out three in a row following a leadoff stroll as the Dodgers’ beginning pitcher and then homering as his workforce’s leadoff batter to stake himself to an early lead. But Ohtani homered twice more — including a 469-foot blast over the right-field pavilion — and went on to strike out 10 in six innings to help the Dodgers secure their second consecutive NL pennant.

Another full recreation by Yamamoto

Yoshinobu Yamamoto had already thrown a full recreation in Game 2 of the NLCS, the first one by a Dodgers pitcher since José Lima in 2004. But Yamamoto went into more rarefied air when he threw another one in Game 2 of the World Series in a 5-1 win over the Blue Jays — turning into the first Dodger to throw consecutive postseason full video games since Orel Hershiser in 1988.

Kershaw’s second

The anguish and heartbreak of Clayton Kershaw‘s postseason history is well known, and the Dodger Stadium crowd braced itself when he entered Game 3 of the World Series with the bases loaded and two outs in the 12th inning. In an eight-pitch battle with the Jays’ Nathan Lukes, Kershaw induced a delicate grounder to second baseman Tommy Edman that he had to charge and scoop over with his glove to first baseman Freddie Freeman to escape the jam.

The Will Klein Game

As Game 3 of the World Series dragged into the fifteenth inning, the Dodgers turned to Will Klein, the last reliever in their bullpen — though Yamamoto was later warming for a potential nineteenth inning. Klein, acquired by the Dodgers in a minor commerce on June 2, threw 72 pitches — the most he’s thrown as a skilled — over 4 scoreless innings to keep the Dodgers in it.

Freeman, the walkoff sequel

In a World Series Game 3 that featured 19 pitchers, 25 place gamers, 609 pitches thrown and 153 journeys to the plate, it was one thing acquainted that received it for the Dodgers in the 18th inning: a Freeman walk-off home run. One yr and two days after his iconic walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series, Freeman smashed a solo shot to heart area to elevate the Dodgers to a 6-5 win and a 2-1 sequence lead.

Kiké Hernández, October hero

Left fielder Kiké Hernández added another chapter to his October legacy in the underside of the ninth inning of Game 6 with the Dodgers making an attempt to cling on to a 3-1 lead and keep their season alive. With runners on second and third and one out, Hernández performed shallow and was in good place to catch a sinking line drive by Andrés Giménez before firing a throw to second baseman (*11*)Miguel Rojas, who caught it on a bounce to double off the runner at second and pressure a Game 7.

Miguel Rojas ninth-inning hero

Rojas turned the ninth-inning point of interest in Game 7 as he got here up to bat with the Dodgers trailing 4-3 and two outs away from shedding the World Series. Rojas, who had one homer since the All-Star break, labored the depend full before hammering a game-tying shot to left. In the underside of the inning, with the bases loaded and the infield in with one out, Rojas fielded a grounder cleanly and got here up firing to pressure the runner out at home and protect the tie.

The Catch

One batter later and with the bases still loaded, it was Andy Pages’ flip to be the defensive hero. Inserted mid-inning at heart area for his strong arm, Pages discovered himself utilizing his legs to cowl a lot of ground on a deep fly ball to left-center that Hernández was making an attempt to catch over his shoulder before colliding with Pages as the middle fielder secured the ball to carry the sport into additional innings.

Will Smith, home run hero

As Game 7 entered the eleventh inning, it was catcher Will Smith who was in the best place at the best time. Smith, who’d labored his method back into the lineup after struggling a hairline fracture in his proper hand in September, turned on a 2-0 slider for his second home run of the sequence to put the Dodgers in entrance for the first time in the sport.

Yamamoto with the exclamation level

Entering Game 7 during that ninth-inning jam that Rojas and Pages helped him escape, Yamamoto retired the Jays in order in the tenth and then labored around a leadoff double in the eleventh, fiedling a sacrifice bunt and then strolling a batter before inducing a double play to seal the Dodgers’ repeat championship. For Yamamoto in the World Series, the ultimate tally was three wins, the last coming in aid after throwing 96 pitches the evening before in Game 6, and the MVP award.