“It's Time for Dodger Baseball!”

Go Dodgers! — They're the Blue Boys, quite simply. And no one could stop them.

On the mound at Yankee Stadium, right-hander Walker Buehler slid a gleaming white ball into his glove, preparing to throw a pitch that could bring glory to the Los Angeles Dodgers in this Fall Classic. Facing Buehler, Alex Verdugo is digging in his spikes and stirring up dirt in the left-handed batter's box. He still has hopes of landing a hit successful enough to keep the Yankees alive.

The Dodgers are leading 7-6.

All attention is on Buehler's next wind-up. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts rubbed his forehead slowly with his right hand. Roberts, who has watched his players thrive in countless arenas all year, knows how much it means to wipe out the Yankees as soon as possible. The ideal time would be here and now. Aaron Boone, on the other side, seems totally composed. It's clear that with one swing, Verdugo could make the Yankees' dreams continue.

On a 1-2 count, Buehler takes control of the situation again. Less than 72 hours ago, he faced 18 Yankees batters and his five scoreless innings were key in the Dodgers' victory in Game 3. Now, he's ready to annihilate the Yankees. Buehler throws his most unpredictable and challenging pitch, a knuckle curve that starts with an arc and breaks quickly, sinking just before crossing the plate.

Verdugo reacts too late, and his swing can't cut through more than a familiar breeze of the kind that usually conditions the October stage of every Fall Classic.

Alex's eyes couldn't even decipher where his lost swing vanished. He stares at Buehler, his 'executioner', in that last second when the Yankees fall into the void and... Swing and miss! Strike three!

Buehler spread his arms and walked a couple of steps looking up to the sky, waiting for his teammate. Catcher Will Smith tagged Verdugo after receiving the glorious knuckle curve and quickly ran to where Buehler was to give him the classic champion hug. The Dodgers are ascending to the throne, and they have just taken over a Yankee Stadium in mourning!

The celebration and the emotions were uncontainable. The players embraced each other. Freddie Freeman threw his glove at first base. Mookie Betts made a wild run from right field to the mound, and threw his glove to the sky to celebrate with his teammates. These are the emotions of baseball coming to the surface, those that give you goosebumps, even if you are a million miles away. It is the most sublime and sensational moment that a baseball player can experience.*

*After some awkward situations at Yankee Stadium, Dodgers fans got their best gift: an epic World Series victory. Our esteemed reader Alexis enjoyed this special moment and sent us a couple of photos from Los Angeles. Fans' emotions were uncontainable. Undoubtedly, this Dodgers title tastes much better than the one they got in 2020, restricted by COVID-19.

So, yes, what always seemed inevitable happened. What was a hunch for Dave Roberts, and the certainty of a group of players whose talent has conquered the hearts of countless fans: The Dodgers are the new champions of baseball!

They have taken Yankee Stadium—the Dodgers are celebrating while Frank Sinatra's song “New York, New York,” traditionally played when the Yankees win, inexplicably plays on the local audio—just as they did 43 years ago with a surprising comeback after starting down 2-0.

From Game 1 of this Fall Classic, this was a predictable moment since the Dodgers traveled to the Bronx with a 2-0 lead in the 2024 World Series. When the lead was extended to 3-0, it was almost taken for granted that this would be a one-way trip. The Yankees responded with a bombshell in Game 4. A classic Yankee victory that their fans waited 15 years for. But on the night of Game 5, the Dodgers showed once again why they have been a superior team.

The Yankees looked unstoppable in the first three innings on Wednesday night in Game 5. From the start, they mercilessly beat up right-hander Jake Flaherty’s offerings. They did it in classic Bronx Bombers fashion: Aaron Judge opened the scoring with a two-run homer into the right field seats. And then Jazz Chisholm Jr. detonated a 105 mph rocket to complete a back-to-back.

Yankees fans, who have been somewhat aggressive toward the Dodgers, were having a great time. The Yankees added a run in the bottom of the second inning and another in the third, on a mega home run by Giancarlo Stanton into the second section of the right field bleachers—it was a 30/30 home run, but it would have been a 100/100 home run anywhere!

Yankees 5, Dodgers 0… With Gerrit Cole on the mound, throwing all his weapons and overwhelming their opponents. The Yankees looked unstoppable: seven of the first 13 batters reached base. Flaherty barely induced swings and misses. The Yankees were showing signs of life. The Dodgers bullpen began to open the floodgates too early.

It was the Yankees’ night, especially since they were playing like the Yankees who dominated the American League in the regular season. And then they held off the Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Browns in the postseason. The Yankees of Gerrit Cole, of Aaron Judge, of the great Juan Soto, of the merciless swing of Giancarlo Stanton, of the Jazz hitting bombs and stealing bases.

The Yankees who have a consistent Gleyber Torres as their lead off, the underrated Anthony Volpe—who became a postseason record-breaker in Game 4—and the surprising rookie Austin Wells. The Yankees who can afford to have Anthony Rizzo and Alex Verdugo bolstering the bottom of the lineup… The Yankees with an impeccable bullpen, who went into Game 5 of the World Series pitching a 2.29 ERA. But those Yankees idolized by their fans suddenly vanished. And the Dodgers began their epic comeback with a five-run rally in the top of the fifth inning.

The Yankees scored just one run in the final six innings. Their defense collapsed. And, finally, the bullpen blew up.

There is nothing less predictable than a baseball game. You never know what will happen with the next pitch. That much is undeniable. However, when you face one of the most powerful teams in the game, the challenge is very different. The Dodgers have been the heavy favorites throughout this season. Really, they have been many times. But this year, even overcoming multiple injuries and key player losses, they still feel like the big team to beat.

So, the epic comebacks the Dodgers staged in Game 5 just add another chapter of greatness. Look, there's a stat from the amazing Sarah Langs that I love:

• —Teams that score runs first are 26-16.

• —Teams that out-homer their opponents are 23-7 (25-4 in the 2023 postseason).

• —47.6% of runs were scored via HR (it was 40.7% in this year's regular season, and 49.1% in the 2023 postseason).

Last night in Game 5, the Yankees fulfilled all of those odds:

• 1) They scored first—in fact, they took a 5-0 lead in the first four innings.

• 2) They hit three home runs. The Dodgers didn't hit one in 44 plate appearances while seeing 186 pitches.

• 3) They scored four of six runs on homers, throwing a whopping 67%.

The Dodgers won without hitting a home run. Without their starter getting more than four outs and watching the Yankees get on base 18 times in nine innings.

How could it be? You know, and I feel like we shouldn't downplay this at all: the Dodgers took advantage of three Yankee errors. They ran the bases like they know how to do. And, of course, their top hitters hit in clutch situations. Let's go back to the moment when all this unfolded.

Let's start by remembering how the chaos began: Cole pitched four near-perfect innings. He faced 15 batters, and the Dodgers went 0-for-12. Only two runners reached base, both on walks: Gavin Lux in the top of the second inning with two outs. And then Mookie Betts, leading off the top of the fourth. Cole threw 49 pitches, and 36 of them were strikes.

While he dominated Shohei Ohtani twice, who was extremely aggressive, Cole was careful against Betts and Freddie Freeman. He kept Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy in check, striking out one, respectively. But, to be honest, neither of them was figuring out his mix at least in the first two encounters of the game.

For the Yankees, everything was going according to plan. But then came the disconcerting start to the fifth inning. Kiké Hernandez led off the inning with a single, hitting a 97 mph fastball in the upper third of the strike zone. It was the Dodgers' first hit after 51 pitches from Cole, a nice piece of Kiké-like hitting. And then came the deluge of Yankee errors. Aaron Judge dropped a line drive to center off Tommy Edman (the count was 0-2).

The ball looked like it was going into Judge's glove, just like any other routine play. But Judge fumbled it. He got overconfident the second he looked toward first base, as Kiké had already stepped out to second in case the ball bounced.

Yeah, it was such a weird mistake that I had to do some research on it. I'm sure you'll be surprised like I was: Judge hasn't made any mistakes playing center field in his career during the regular season. His Range Factor is 2.47 as a center fielder, a bit below the league average (2.56), which isn't surprising. But in 225 games, 1835 ⅔ innings on defense and 504 chances, he's never dropped a fly ball.