NEW YORK — Walker Buehler pitched five scoreless innings, Freddie Freeman belted a two-run homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers continued to act like the deeper, better, more sound team in this World Series, beating the New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday night to take a commanding three-games-to-none lead.
Now, to somehow win it all, the Yankees will have to become the second team ever — after the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 American League Championship Series — to win four consecutive games with their season on the line in a best-of-seven series.
The Dodgers applied the pressure immediately. Shohei Ohtani, playing through a slightly dislocated left shoulder, drew a four-pitch walk to start the game.
Two batters later, Freeman, playing through his own set of injuries throughout October, lined a two-run homer into the short porch in right field.