LIVE: Dodgers-Yankees World Series Game 5 (FOX)
NEW YORK -- Even before his Yankees won Game 4 of the World Series to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers, staff ace Gerrit Cole expressed optimism that he’d get the ball again.
“Obviously, we're in a tough position,” Cole had said prior to the 11-4 victory at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night, “but there's a lot of baseball left to be played and anything can happen. We're excited to get back out there. Hey, we're still in the World Series. Hey, we're in the Bronx. We've still got a shot at this thing.”
Cole was right.
The Yankees avoided becoming the first team to get swept in the World Series since the 2012 Tigers and the first Yanks team to do so since 1976. They have forced a Game 5 on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium -- a game that has proven a pickle for some past clubs that lost the first three games of a postseason series but, in this case, is a big, big deal for a team able to trot out a pitcher of Cole’s ilk.
If he’s anything like the Gerrit Cole we saw in Game 1, when he held the Dodgers to one run on four hits over six-plus innings at Dodger Stadium, then the Yankees pulse that was revived in Game 4 could quicken in Game 5.
“No one's done what we're trying to accomplish [in the World Series],” said catcher Austin Wells, “so I think if you put too much pressure on it at this point, you're going to fail yourself, and you're not going to enjoy the journey. I think seeing what happens and having fun is where we're at.”
As for the Dodgers, the four innings Landon Knack ate in a bullpen game in Game 4 loom large for Game 5. Because now, behind starter Jack Flaherty, they can call upon any of their high-leverage relief arms in this one.
So while they didn’t finish the job Tuesday night and have their hands full with Cole, there’s no denying the Dodgers are still in the driver’s seat as they try to win the World Series for the second time in five seasons and the first time in a full season since 1988.
“I feel great, I feel great,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It's about the guys that you have available. They're all rested. So we have guys that can do up/down. So where we're at [Wednesday], knowing there's an off-day [Thursday, should the Series go to a Game 6], we're in a great spot with leverage relievers.”
The Yankees are trying to become just the second team ever -- joining the 2004 Red Sox in the ALCS -- to win a postseason series after trailing 3-0. They’ve already become the first World Series team in 10 tries to fall behind 3-0 and force a Game 5 (the most recent had been the 1970 Reds).
They’ve got life. They’ve got Cole. Now let’s see what they do with it.
When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 5 of the World Series is airing now on FOX, live from Yankee Stadium in New York.
All games are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV (authentication to a participating Pay TV provider is required). Live games are also available in select countries outside the U.S. For full details, click here.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Dodgers: RHP Jack Flaherty (13-7, 3.17 ERA during regular season)
Flaherty pitched well in Game 1 of the World Series, allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings, and he will now get a chance to close out the Fall Classic for his hometown team. The right-hander struggled on regular rest against the Mets, allowing eight runs over three innings in Game 5 of the NLCS. But outside of that, Flaherty has been solid for the Dodgers this postseason.
Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole (8-5, 3.41 ERA during regular season)
Cole limited the Dodgers to one run on four hits over six-plus innings in Game 1 at Los Angeles, striking out four without a walk. This postseason, he is 1-0 with a 2.82 ERA in four starts, though he has not exceeded 89 pitches in any of those outings.
What are the starting lineups?
Dodgers
Against Cole, the Dodgers will roll out the same nine players they did in Game 1 and have throughout most of the World Series. The only change for Game 5 is in the bottom third of the lineup, where Tommy Edman has been bumped up to seventh and is followed by Will Smith and Gavin Lux.
- Shohei Ohtani, DH
- Mookie Betts, RF
- Freddie Freeman, 1B
- Teoscar Hernández, LF
- Max Muncy, 3B
- Kiké Hernández, CF
- Tommy Edman, SS
- Will Smith, C
- Gavin Lux, 2B
Yankees
Instead of using the same lineup they employed against Flaherty in Game 1, the Yankees will go with their Game 4 lineup, which produced 11 runs and featured Jazz Chisholm Jr. at cleanup, one spot ahead of Giancarlo Stanton.
- Gleyber Torres, 2B
- Juan Soto, RF
- Aaron Judge, CF
- Jazz Chisholm Jr., 3B
- Giancarlo Stanton, DH
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Anthony Volpe, SS
- Austin Wells, C
- Alex Verdugo, LF
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Dodgers: After using Ben Casparius and Landon Knack for the majority of Game 4, the Dodgers are now in position to use just about everyone in the bullpen on Wednesday night. Blake Treinen hasn’t pitched in a couple of days now and will be available for two innings. Outside of Daniel Hudson, who struggled in Game 4, the Dodgers should have plenty of coverage.
Yankees: The eighth-inning rally in Game 4 was significant because it saved Luke Weaver (21 pitches) from having to return to the mound for the ninth, keeping him available for Game 5. Other relievers to appear in Game 4 were Tim Hill (five pitches), Clay Holmes (13 pitches), Mark Leiter Jr. (18 pitches) and Tim Mayza (15 pitches).
Any injuries of note?
Dodgers: Ohtani (left shoulder) and Freeman (right ankle) continue to play through their respective injuries and are fully expected to start in Game 5.
Yankees: Rizzo is playing through two fractured fingers on his right hand, which is a pain tolerance issue, as the fractures won’t heal until the offseason.
Who is hot and who is not?
Dodgers: Freeman continues his dominant World Series run, hitting a homer in all four games against the Yankees. The star first baseman has now hit a homer in six consecutive games in the Fall Classic, a new record. He also has 10 RBIs in the four games. If the Dodgers wrap it up, Freeman will likely be taking home his first World Series MVP trophy.
Yankees: Soto reached base twice in Game 4, working a walk and knocking a double, and he leads the Yankees with a 1.015 OPS during the World Series. Rizzo has a .412 on-base percentage in this Fall Classic, with two hits, three walks and two hit-by-pitches. Perhaps Judge's eighth-inning RBI single, his first World Series RBI, sparks the captain's bat. He's 2-for-15 in the Series.
Anything else fans might want to know?
• There's a lot to know just about Game 4! Catch up on all the amazing factoids here, and look back at all the fun facts from Game 1, Game 2 and Game 3.
• The Yankees have won eight of the previous 11 World Series meetings between the clubs (1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1977, 1978). The Dodgers were victorious three times (1955, 1963, 1981).
• The Dodgers and Yankees had a World Series preview June 7-9 at Yankee Stadium, with Los Angeles winning two of the three games. Teoscar Hernández had a go-ahead, two-run double in the 11th inning of the first game, a 2-1 Dodgers win, then hit two homers in an 11-3 rout the next night. The Yanks salvaged the finale with a 6-4 win, powered by Trent Grisham's three-run homer off Tyler Glasnow.