The Los Angeles Dodgers took a 2-0 stranglehold on the World Series after defeating the New York Yankees on Saturday but a worrying injury to Japanese star Shohei Ohtani took the shine off the 4-2 victory.
Home runs from Tommy Edman, Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman and a clinical pitching performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto laid the foundations for the win at Dodger Stadium which leaves the Dodgers in a commanding position heading into game three of the best-of-seven series on Monday.
But the post-game celebrations were muted by the injury suffered by Ohtani in the seventh inning as he attempted to steal second base.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani had suffered a “little left shoulder subluxation” — defined by the US National Institutes of Health as a partial or incomplete dislocation — and said Ohtani would undergo an MRI scan to determine the severity of the injury.
“We’re going to get some tests at some point tonight, tomorrow, and then we’ll know more in the next couple days,” Roberts said.
However Roberts said team medical staff were “encouraged” by Ohtani’s range of motion and strength, and said he expected the Japanese leadoff hitter to feature again in the series.
“I’m expecting him to be there. I’m expecting him to be in the lineup,” Roberts replied when asked if the Dodgers were equipped to play without Ohtani.
Any serious injury to Ohtani would be a devastating blow for the Dodgers, who signed the two-way star from the Los Angeles Angels last December on a record $700-million-dollar, 10-year deal.
“He’s the best player in the game, and to see him on the ground in pain, it’s not a good feeling for sure,” Dodgers utility man Edman said. “But we’re hopeful he recovers quickly.”
The Dodgers had followed up Friday’s extra-innings thriller with a controlled performance to subdue the Yankees.
Dodgers starter Yamamoto dominated the Yankees’ vaunted batting line-up, allowing just one hit through 6.1 innings.
The victory means the Dodgers will travel to New York with both momentum and history on their side.
In the history of Major League Baseball, teams that win the first two games of a best-of-seven postseason series have prevailed 77 times out of the 92 times it has occurred.
“No one said it’s going to be easy,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s a long series, and we need to make it a long series now. We won’t flinch. We’ve just got to keep at it.”
Unlike Friday’s nerve-shredding extra-innings thriller, when the Dodgers rallied from 3-2 down in the 10th to win after Freeman’s historic walk-off grand slam, Saturday’s win was mostly comfortable — before a bases-loaded scare in the ninth inning.
Edman got the offensive ball rolling for the Dodgers in the bottom of the second inning, sweeping a towering 355-feet home run to left field off Yankees starter Carlos Rodon to make it 1-0.
Yankees star Juan Soto brought it back to 1-1 in the top of the third, creaming a solo home run to deep right field off Yamamoto.
But that was as good as it got for the Yankees as a line-up featuring home run leader Aaron Judge and power-hitter Giancarlo Stanton struggled to get to grips with Yamamoto’s variety of pitches.
The game was broken wide open in the bottom of the third as the Dodgers bats jumped on Rodon.
After Rodon removed Miguel Rojas and Ohtani, Mookie Betts singled with hard drive into left field.
Hernandez homers
Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez then crushed a 98mph fastball 392 feet into right center field for a two-run shot to make it 3-1.
With the Dodgers sensing an opportunity, and with roars of “Freddie Freddie” once again reverberating around the famous old stadium, Freeman took advantage.
On a 3-2 count the veteran first-baseman jumped on a four-seam fastball to smash his second home-run of the series to make it 4-1.
That effectively signalled the end of Rodon’s night, with the starter being pulled by Boone after getting the first out of the fourth inning.
The Yankees gave the Dodgers a nervous finale after Stanton singled in the top of the ninth to score Soto off closer Blake Treinen.
The Yankees then loaded the bases but reliever Alex Vesia snuffed out the comeback by claiming the final out.
