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How do you describe 18 innings worth of World Series baseball crammed into one game?
Timely hitting. Back and forth runs. Gritty pitching from future Hall of Famers Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw. A blown call leading to a crucial out. Early fielding miscues redeemed by exceptional defensive plays. Bullpens, which were supposed to be concerns for both teams, pitching 10 scoreless innings each.
An epic marathon that tied for the most innings in World Series history.
There was no shortage of drama in Game 3 before Freddie Freeman, the active leader in walk-off hits, finally ended it on a solo home run in the 18th inning. The Dodgers took a 2-1 series lead in what will forever be remembered as one of the most incredible games in World Series history.
Here are my takeaways:
1. History for Ohtani, Again and Again
We don’t always see this much emotion from Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. But after crushing two home runs and getting on base nine times — with four hits representing extra base hits and getting walked on five occasions — how can he not run around the bases screaming his head off?
Ohtani is ridiculous. His first home run of the night padded the Dodgers’ lead to 2-0 in the third inning. His second home run of the game brought the Dodgers back in, tying the game at 5-5 in the seventh inning. One day before he’s set to take the mound to pitch Game 4, Ohtani brought up his postseason home-run total to eight. He added two doubles to become only the second player in baseball history with four extra-base hits in a World Series game. The other? Frank Isbell, who had four doubles for the Chicago White Sox against the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 in 1906.
‘What matters the most is we won’ 💙 Shohei Ohtani on historic performance in Dodgers’ Game 3 win
As far as reaching base safely nine times, Ohtani tied the MLB record (regular season and playoffs) and set the postseason record. The other three players who did it in the regular season — Max Carey (1922), Johnny Burnett (1932), Stab Hack (1942).
Magic like what Ohtani is doing only happens once in a lifetime.
2. A legacy game for Klein
Will Klein, a 25-year-old reliever who earned three stints with the Dodgers in the regular season, pitched the most important innings of their season late Monday night when he was called upon in the 14th inning of Game 3. He threw four scoreless innings from the bullpen, despite only having completed three innings once in his career — in late August for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets in the Pacific Coast League. He was exceptional, striking out five and only allowing one hit.
Klein was added to the World Series roster after Alex Vesia was removed due to a personal family matter and he rose up to the moment. Klein was the last man out of the Dodgers’ bullpen before manager Dave Roberts would’ve been forced to go to Game 2’s starter, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, had this game gone any longer. But Klein wasn’t going to come out of the game unless it was with the win. He earned it.
3. Kirk, Guerrero Shined for Blue Jays
The Blue Jays didn’t score in 11 of the game’s innings, with their last run coming in the top 7th inning. But in those early hours, two of their pivotal sluggers provided some top moments.
Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk flies under the radar in a lineup full of stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and George Springer. But Kirk has sneakily been Toronto’s best hitter in the Fall Classic. He’s the reason the Blue Jays offense has been able to test (and sometimes, best) the Dodgers pitching staff. After Guerrero drew a leadoff walk off Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow in the fourth, and Bichette reached base on a fielding error, Kirk pummeled Glasnow’s curveball — which was slightly down in spin and velocity from his yearly average — that landed 394 feet away in left center field. In a blink, the Blue Jays took a 3-2 lead. It was his second dinger of the World Series and his fifth home run of the postseason.
(Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Guerrero was equally electric as he showed off the leather and his wheels. His big defensive play came in the bottom of the sixth, when Kiké Hernández hit a groundball to short. Blue Jays shortstop Andres Gimenez threw it to Guerrero at first, but it wasn’t in time. Instantly, Guerrero fired a dart to third base to cut down Teoscar Hernéndez for the final out of the inning, keeping the game tied at 4-4. Right away in the top of the seventh, Guerrero scored for what would be his team’s last run on the night. He hustled all the way from first to home on Bo Bichette’s single to right. In terms of sprint speed, Guerrero is ranked 380th out of 579 qualified major-leaguers. But that doesn’t measure Vladdy’s heart and hustle.
3. Hernández gets Dodgers on the board
Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez had himself a notable game, starting with his towering home run off Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer in the second inning, and you would be forgiven for being shocked that it was his fifth home run of the postseason. Hernández had been invisible at the plate since his NLCS Game 2 home run against the Brewers. The outfielder was 2 for his last 18 before crushing that solo shot off Scherzer, including two games where he didn’t reach base once, not even drawing a walk.
Teoscar Hernández crushes solo home run, giving Dodgers lead over Blue Jays
Hernandez has the reputation of being a streaky hitter, so perhaps his home run on Monday night is a sign of better things to come. He did get cut down by Guerrero trying to reach third in one play, but he then had himself a defensive gem in the 10th inning to stop Blue Jays pinch runner Davis Schneider from scoring what could have a potential game winner. Hernández threw a rocket to second baseman Tommy Edman, who relayed it to catcher Will Smith. Schneider had no chance as he was tagged out at the plate.
4 ½. What’s next?
Aside from getting to see how Ohtani fares on the mound in his first World Series start, the Blue Jays will be wondering about George Springer’s injury. The Blue Jays designated hitter left the game in the seventh after a rough swing at the plate. Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced afterward that Springer had side discomfort and were waiting on results from an MRI. If he injured his oblique, it’s possible we won’t see Springer again this year. That makes the mountain much more difficult to climb for Toronto, particularly when considering a red-hot Ohtani will be on the mound. For the Blue Jays, it’ll be Shane Bieber taking the hill. Needless to say, the pitching matchup favors the Dodgers.
Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
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