Freddie Freeman hit a game-ending home run in the 18th inning, Shohei Ohtani hit two homers and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday in Game 3 of the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series.
Teoscar Hernandez also hit a home run, while Ohtani added two doubles and reached base a postseason-record nine times with five walks (four intentional) as the Dodgers pulled in front 2-1 in the best-of-seven series after losing Game 1 at Toronto.
The 18-inning game matched the longest in World Series history, also at Los Angeles in 2018 against the Boston Red Sox. Monday’s contest lasted 6 hours, 39 minutes – the second-longest World Series game by time.
Game 4 is on Tuesday in Los Angeles, with Ohtani opposing Toronto right-hander Shane Bieber.
Freeman’s leadoff home run in the 18th came against left-hander Brendon Little (0-2) and made a winner of Los Angeles right-hander Will Klein (1-0), who gave up one hit with five strikeouts over four scoreless innings.
Ohtani hit home runs in the third and seventh innings and has five home runs over his last two home playoff games. Seldom-used right-handers Edgardo Henriquez and Klein combined to pitch six scoreless innings as Los Angeles used a World Series-record 10 pitchers, including left-hander Clayton Kershaw for one out to escape a bases-loaded jam in the 12th.
Alejandro Kirk hit a home run for the Blue Jays, who have lost consecutive games after scoring 11 runs in their Game 1 victory at home. Toronto used nine pitchers, with left-hander Eric Lauer pitching 4 2/3 scoreless innings in relief.
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the second on Hernandez’s home run, his fifth of the postseason. Ohtani gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead with a home run down the right field line in the third.
The Blue Jays took the lead with a four-run fourth that included a three-run home run from Kirk and a sacrifice fly from Andres Gimenez for a 4-2 advantage.
The Dodgers got even at 4-4 in the fifth on a one-out RBI double from Ohtani and a two-out RBI single just inside of first base by Freeman.
After Toronto’s George Springer departed with an injury to lead off the seventh, the Blue Jays pushed ahead 5-4 in the inning on a two-out single from Guerrero off right-hander Blake Treinen and an RBI single from Bichette to score Guerrero from first base.
Ohtani’s fifth home run in his last two playoff games at Los Angeles, this one off right-hander Seranthony Dominguez, tied the score 5-5 in the seventh. It was Ohtani’s eighth of the postseason and third of the World Series.
Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman threw out Isiah Kiner-Falefa trying to advance to third base in the ninth and threw Davis Schneider out at home to end the top of the 10th on a relay from Hernandez in right field.
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