Freeman Hits Walk-off Grand Slam To Win Game 1 Of The World Series

LOS ANGELES, CA — Orange County native Freddie Freeman hit the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history with two outs in the bottom of the 10th, giving the Dodgers a 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.

Dodger Stadium went ballistic as Freeman, who was born in Fountain Valley and grew up in Orange, rounded the bases.

Hobbled by a badly sprained ankle, Freeman homered on the first pitch he saw — an inside fastball from Nestor Cortes — and then dropped his bat before beginning a trot while greeted with a roar from the sellout crowd of 52,394. The ball soared 423 feet over the right field fence. It took 696 World Series games for any player to hit a walk-off grandslam.

"I was just trying to be on time for the heater," Freeman told Fox Sports after teammates Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández dumped a cooler full of ice water on him. "I was on time for the heater."

Freeman, who lost his mother to melanoma as a young child, shared the victory with his father.

"He's been there since I was a little boy, doing batting practice with me every day," Freeman said. "So this isn't my moment. It's my dad's moment."

The Dodgers saw the tied game seeming to slip away in the top of the 10th when Anthony Volpe grounded into a fielder's choice to shortstop, scoring Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third after he stole two bases, to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.

It was the third straight World Series opener to go extra innings.

The speedy Chisholm singled off Blake Treinen and then stole second and third for a Yankees team not known for speed.

The Yankees just needed to hold off the Dodgers for the bottom of the inning.

Cortes was making his first appearance since Sept. 18 after suffering a left elbow flexor strain.

Cortes relieved Jake Cousins (0-1) after Tommy Edman's infield single gave the Dodgers runners on first and second with one out.

Shohei Ohtani, the first batter to face Cortes, fouled out to left fielder Alex Verdugo, whose momentum carried him over the short fence and into the stands. Because he left the field of play, Chris Taylor, a pinch-runner for Gavin Lux, who walked, advanced to third and Edman to second.
Mookie Betts was intentionally walked to load the bases.

The Dodgers were hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position before Freeman's grand slam.

"It's a dream come true," Freeman admitted. "But it's only one. We have three more to go."

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.