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Dodgers take 2-0 World Series lead but Ohtani leaves with injury

L.A. hangs on for 4-2 victory over New York Yankees
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Los Angeles DodgersÏ㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥™ Tommy Edman celebrates a home run against the New York Yankees during the second inning in Game 2 of the baseball World Series, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed one hit over 6 1/3 innings, Freddie Freeman homered for the second straight night and the Los Angeles Dodgers hit three early longballs off Carlos Rodón to beat the visiting New York Yankees 4-2 on Saturday to take a 2-0 World Series lead.

Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández also went deep for the Dodgers, who watched star slugger Shohei Ohtani walk off the field with a left arm injury at the end of the seventh inning.

After the Yankees closed to 4-2 on Giancarlo StantonÏ㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥™s RBI single in the ninth against Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia relieved with the bases loaded and retired pinch-hitter Jose Trevino on a first-pitch flyout for the save.

Yamamoto allowed Juan SotoÏ㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥™s third-inning homer, then retired his last 11 batters and 15 of his final 16.

Soto also singled in the ninth and scored on StantonÏ㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥™s one-out hit off the third-base bag. Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Treinen then struck out Anthony Volpe before Vesia relieved.

Ohtani hurt his left arm on a feet-first slide when he was caught stealing second base to end the seventh.

Game 3 is Monday night at Yankee Stadium. Forty-five of 56 teams holding 2-0 World Series leads have gone on to win the title.

New YorkÏ㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥™s Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and is hitting .150 with six RBIs and 19 strikeouts in 40 post-season at-bats.

SotoÏ㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥™s tying homer on an inside fastball was the only run Yamamoto allowed in two starts and 13 1/3 innings against the Yankees this year. The rookie left to a large ovation and gave the very slightest tip of his cap to fans when he walked to the dugout.

Yamamoto joined the Dodgers last December for a $325 million, 12-year contract, a record for pitchers, teaming with Ohtani to create record interest in Major League Baseball back in Japan.

Yamamoto was sidelined from June 15 to Sept. 10 because of a strained rotator cuff and this was his finest start since the injury.

In his longest outing since his start in the Bronx, Yamamoto struck out four and walked two with a five-pitch array that included curveballs, splitters, sliders and cutters. He improved to 2-0 in four post-season starts.

He threw his best regular-season game at Yankee Stadium in June when he allowed three hits over seven shutout innings. Hernández had three homers and nine RBIs over that three-game series.

A night after Freeman hit the first walk-off grand slam in Series history to transform a 3-2 deficit with two outs in the 10th inning into a 6-3 win, Edman put the Dodgers ahead with a solo shot in the second.

After Soto tied the score, Mookie Betts singled with two outs in the bottom half and Hernández, in a 3-for-27 slide, homered into the right-centre pavilion.

Freeman, who before Friday hadnÏ㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥™t gone deep since Sept. 16, was greeted with huge cheers before each plate appearance. He worked the count full and also homered to right-centre.

Playing on a sprained right ankle, Freeman has homered in four straight Series games dating to AtlantaÏ㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥™s last two games against Houston in 2021. That is one shy of the record held by the AstrosÏ㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥™ George Springer.

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All three Dodgers homers came on fastballs from Rodón, whose 31 longballs allowed during the regular season tied for second-most in the major leagues. Los Angeles had back-to-back Series homers for just the second time, after Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager connected against Yankees lefty Ron Guidry for a 2-1 win in Game 5 in 1981.

Rodón allowed four runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Los Angeles took a 2-0 Series lead for the first time since 1988, when Kirk GibsonÏ㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥™s walk-off homer against OaklandÏ㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥™s Dennis Eckersley won the opener and Orel Hershiser followed with a three-hit shutout. The Yankees are 0-2 for the first time since 2001, when they rebounded to win three straight at home and lost Games 6 and 7 at Arizona.

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Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt and Dodgers RHP Walker Buehler start on Monday. Schmidt has a 3.86 ERA in a pair of post-season starts, no-decisions in Game 3s against Kansas City and Cleveland. Buehler also has started a pair of Game 3s, allowing six runs over five innings in a 6-5 loss to San Diego and pitching four innings in an 8-0 win at the New York Mets.

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AP MLB:

Ronald Blum, The Associated Press





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