The Dodgers moved within one victory of their second World Series championship in five years as Walker Buehler pitched five scoreless innings in a 4-2 Game 3 victory over the New York Yankees Monday night at Yankee Stadium.
Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer in the first inning as the Dodgers increased their lead in the best-of-seven series to three games to none.
No team has overcome a three games to none deficit in the World Series.
Game 4 will be played Tuesday, also at Yankee Stadium.
Buehler (1-1) allowed two hits over five innings, struck out five and walked two becoming the first pitcher with three or more World Series outings of five innings or more with four or fewer baserunners allowed, according to Sarah Langs, a Major League Baseball researcher.
Buehler accomplished the feat in his first three World Series appearances.
Freeman hit a 1-2 cutter from Yankee starter Clarke Schmidt 355 feet over the right field fence for his third home of the Series. It was the fifth consecutive Series game Freeman has homered, dating back to the 2021 Series with the Atlanta Braves, tying the record set by George Springer of the Houston Astros in the 2019.
The home run drove in Shohei Ohtani who drew a four-pitch leadoff walk, two days after suffering what manager Dave Roberts called a “little left shoulder subluxation.”
Ohtani also reached base in the ninth when he was hit by a pitch. He was hitless in three at-bats with a strike out.
The Dodgers added to their lead with RBI singles by Mookie Betts in the third and Kiké Hernandez in the sixth.
New York ended the Dodgers’ bid for a shutout with two outs in the ninth when former Dodger Alex Verdugo hit a two-run home run off Michael Kopech, the last of seven Dodger pitchers.
Schmidt (0-1), the first of eight Yankee pitchers was charged with the loss, allowing three runs on two hits in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked four before a crowd announced at 49,368.
Ohtani suffered the injury attempting to steal second base in the seventh inning of Saturday’s 4-2 Game 2 victory. A shoulder subluxation is a partial dislocation of the shoulder joint.
