Dodgers Tried to Fly Yoshinobu Yamamoto Back to LA During World Series-Clinching Game
The Los Angeles Dodgers did not need six games to etch their name in the history books as 2024 World Series champions; five would do. But that final game was a serious battle, and an improbable victory for the Dodgers.
At one point, the New York Yankees had a 96% win probability. And around that point, the Los Angeles front office was turning its attention to the rest-of-series strategy. First up? Their starting pitcher in Game 6.
Projected to be Yoshinobu Yamamoto if the Yankees won Game 5 and forced a return to Los Angeles for Game 6, Dodgers president Andrew Friedman reportedly started to sketch out whether it would be logistically feasible to get Yamamoto on a separate plane from the rest of the team in a lay-flat seat, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The advantage would be some extra rest for Yamamoto in a Game 6.
Yamamoto was a Yankee killer in Game 2, where he pitched a one-hit, six-inning start to earn the win.
But as quickly as series and game momentum palpably swung in the Yankees’ direction, New York handed it back over like a hot potato. A multi-error fifth inning saw their lead go from five to zero. Taking an eighth-inning lead, Los Angeles got back to aggressively trying to close the game out instead of contingency-planning a return home.
And the rest is history. Instead of a solo cross-country flight, Yamamoto spent his night celebrating with his Dodger teammates.
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Shohei Ohtani’s Strong 6-Word Message After Dodgers World Series Victory
Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers officially won the 2024 World Series on Wednesday, rallying from a five-run deficit to eventually prevail over the New York Yankees by a final score of 7-6 in Game 5. It was a trying series for Ohtani, who went just 2-for-19 in the five-game series against the Yankees, while also picking up a shoulder injury in Game 2 that he had to gut out for the final three contests. Still, Ohtani played a crucial role in helping Los Angeles win this championship, and after experiencing so much losing early in his career with the Los Angeles Angels, it seems like this is a feeling he could get used to. Immediately after the Dodgers hoisted the trophy, Ohtani had already turned his attention towards winning more titles. “The Dodgers had been the class of the sport for a decade but had just one World Series championship in 2020 to show for it…On
Wednesday, as one championship became two, Ohtani had a message for Friedman. ‘All right,’ he said, ‘nine more, nine more.’ The ‘nine,’ in this case, was World Series championships, which corresponded with the nine seasons that Ohtani has remaining on his Dodgers contract.” – Rustin Dodd, The Athletic Ohtani has already established himself as one of the greatest players of all-time with his ability to excel both as a hitter at the plate and as a pitcher on the mound. Having won just about everything he can individually, though, he wants to chase titles now, and it’s safe to say that winning just one isn’t enough for him.
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