Elephant Rumblings: Yankees force World Series Game 5

MLB news roundup

Happy Wednesday, Athletics Nation!

Freddie Freeman is making history in his bid for a second World Series Championship ring. He’s the first to bat in 10 runs through the first four games of a World Series. He’s the only player to hit home runs in six consecutive World Series games (going back to his last Fall Classic with the Braves in 2021) as well as the first to go long in each of four, which he’s done in the current series.

So when Freddie homered in his first at-bat at Yankee Stadium yesterday with the Dodgers looking to sweep the series, all signs seemed to point towards success for Los Angeles. After all, 21 of the 24 previous times a team has had a 3-0 World Series lead, a sweep was completed. No team on the losing end of this scenario has forced a Game 5 since 1970.

The sense of an inevitable sweep didn’t last too long—it evaporated with the second grand slam of the series, coming from Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe in the third inning. The Dodgers stayed close until late in the game, but the Yankees exploded again in the eighth with five runs to take an 11-4 lead, shift the series momentum, and prevail in a win-or-be-swept World Series Game 4 for the first time in 54 years.

The Yankees are still in the unenviable position of needing to win three straight to become the first team ever to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the World Series. But as one famous Yankee once said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”

Freddie’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1 heralded three straight wins for the Dodgers. Could Volpe’s shot have presaged the same for the Yankees? If so, we’re headed for a Game 7 in Los Angeles on Dia de los Muertos, just three days before...you know what.

That’d have me girded, to say the least.

A’s Coverage:

• A’s roster count, minus pending free agents
• Could A’s, St. Louis Cardinals connect on this offseason trade?
• Oakland Ballers receive 68 applications from fan investors to be on team’s board

MLB News & Interest:

• Volpe’s slam awakens Yanks, sets record for an MLB postseason
• 3-0 comebacks: Dave Roberts doesn’t want history to repeat itself
• Yankees fans ejected for prying open Mookie Betts’ glove at World Series: ‘Mookie was swearing’ ($)
• White Sox To Hire Will Venable As Manager
• New U.S.-based women’s professional baseball league set to debut in 2026 ($)
• What’s it like to see the field for the final out of a World Series win? Catchers share memories ($)
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Rook is definitely headed for a job in the booth.

That’s, um, a bit uncool.

Women’s baseball league? Yes, please!