The Sportsletter - October's Hollywood Ending 🎬

BY JEFF YODER

OCT. 31, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Halloween 🎃

What's better than Halloween candy? A Hollywood finish to October. The L.A. Dodgers are World Series champs after two comebacks and a gritty bullpen move. Don't miss today's Underdog feature on World Series MVP Freddie Freeman (bottom of today's newsletter). That guy had a year.

Seasonal Shift: We'll wrap up the 2024 MLB season in today's edition, and that means more NBA, NHL and soccer coverage is coming soon. Stay tuned.

Letter Rip!

  WORLD SERIES  

October's Hollywood Ending 🎬

Photo: Elsa / Getty Images

Dodgers Rally From 5-0 Deficit to Win Game 5 (7-6) & Capture 8th World Series Title

Start the party, Los Angeles! The Dodgers are the 2024 MLB World Series champs after an insane fifth-inning rally and another comeback in the eighth to win Game 5 in the Bronx. It’s the franchise’s eighth World Series title, and the second in the last five years (2020). We’ll recap the game’s ebs and flows, notch some numbers in history, and tie a bow on the 2024 MLB season in roughly 60 seconds.

How Game 5 Began

The first four-plus innings of Game 5 looked like a continuation of the Yankees’ bats from Game 4. New York scored runs in each of the first three frames, including home runs from Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Giancarlo Stanton. It was 5-0 Yanks, and Gerrit Cole was dealing a shutout.

How Game 5 Ended

The Dodgers reeled off five unanswered in the fifth inning to tie the game (5-5) thanks to a slew of errors by New York. All five runs came with two outs on the board. Judge dropped a fly ball. Anthony Volpe dusted a throw to third. A communication error at first added to the collapse. The Dodgers fell behind again in the sixth, but two runs in the eighth sprung them into the lead thanks to Mookie Betts’ go-ahead sac-fly. L.A. called on Blake Treinen in the eighth before Walker Buehler slammed the door in the ninth. Buehler gassed Alex Verdugo (swinging) for the final out.

🎬 Cue FOX Sports’ Joe Davis: “Start the party, Los Angeles!” (Final Out)

Fun Fact: Game 5 marked the largest comeback win in a clinching game in World Series history (Dodgers trailed 5-0).

Game 5 Full Highlights: Dodgers Complete Epic Rally to Win Game 5 (7-6) & Capture Franchise’s 8th World Series Title

  WORLD SERIES  

More World Series History 🏆

Photo: Mike Lawrence / Getty Images

World Series MVP: Freddie Freeman

Who else? We talked about it all week. Freddie Freeman hit four home runs in five games, including that epic walk-off grand slam to win Game 1. Freeman finished the Fall Classic 6-for-20 (.300) with 4 HRs and 12 RBIs. And if you remember how the season began, with Freeman’s son fighting for his life in the ICU, you gotta love it for this guy. He also won a World Series with the Braves in 2021. *Check the bottom of today's edition for the Freddie Freeman Underdog

The Dodgers’ October Road to Glory

Not only did L.A. battle through injuries during the season, Shohei Ohtani also couldn’t pitch in 2024. Imagine what that’ll bring next season. Even so, the Dodgers fell behind to the Padres in the NLDS (2-1) before winning two games with their backs against the wall. They fought off the pesky Mets in six games before taking a comanding 3-0 lead in the Fall Classic and finishing the Yankees on the road. That was no easy gauntlet, but L.A. went 10-5 in October to win the big one.

Dave Roberts also became just the third Dodgers manager with multiple World Series titles, joining Walter Alston (4) and Tommy Lasorda (2).

“I just couldn’t be more proud of our players and what they’ve gone through. Even being down five-nil early, we just didn’t waiver and fought back. Now we’re world champions.” — Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts (ESPN)

That’ll do it for our 2024 MLB coverage. Don't miss the Freddie Freeman Underdog at the bottom of today's edition. The MLB hot stove will start cooking shortly.

Read More

SI: High-Priced Dodgers Embrace Underdog Mentality to Win 2024 World Series

Yahoo! Sports: Dodger Woo! LA Storms Back to Stun Yankees & Claim Title

FOX Sports: Inside Walker Buehler’s October Renaissance: ‘No One I’d Want More in a Big Game’

  OTHER HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

🏀 NBA

Pacers def. Celtics (135-132, OT)

Pascal Siakam (29 pts) Sinks GW 3 in OT

Knicks def. Heat (116-107)

Karl-Anthony Towns Goes Off (44 pts)

Thunder def. Spurs (105-93)

Chet Holmgren Shuts Down Wemby (6 pts)

Cavaliers def. Lakers (134-110)

Bronny James Scores 1st NBA Bucket in Cleveland

Full NBA Scoreboard

🏒 NHL

Jets def. Red Wings (6-2)

Kyle Connor (1G, 2A) Keeps Jets on Top of NHL

Lightning def. Avalanche (5-2)

Nikita Kucherov (1G, 2A) Shines for Bolts

Full NHL Scoreboard

⚽️ Carabao Cup

Liverpool def. Brighton (3-2)

Man. United def. Leicester City (5-2)

Newcastle def. Chelsea (2-0)

Arsenal def. Preston (3-0)

Tottenham def. Man. City (2-1)

⚽️ Women’s Soccer (Friendly)

🇺🇸 USWNT def. 🇦🇷 Argentina (3-0)

Naomi Girma (2G) Scores 1st WNT Goals of Her Career

  NFL PICKS  

The Sportsletter's NFL Pick 'Em

Play The Sportsletter’s NFL Pick ‘Em (Week 9)

Picks Take Approximately 60 Seconds

  NEWS   📰 

⚾️ Rob Gronkowski Was College Friends with Yankees Fan Who Grabbed Mookie Betts: “He’s a Beauty” (CBS Sports)

🏈 Prosecutors Reviewing Arrest Warrant for Lions’ WR Jameson Williams (ESPN)

🏒 Oilers’ Star Connor McDavid to Miss Multiple Weeks With Ankle Injury (B/R)

⚾️ Yankees Fan Offered Ridiculous Reason for Taking Ball From Mookie Betts in Game 4 (SI)

🏀 Duke Freshman Cooper Flagg’s Twin Brother Ace Announces College Commitment (CBS Sports)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️

Tonight's Must-Watch List

🏈 NFL (Thursday Night Football)

Texans at Jets (8:15 pm ET, PRIME)

🏀 NBA

Bucks at Grizzlies (8:00 pm ET, NBATV)

Suns at Clippers (10:30 pm ET, NBATV)

🏒 NHL

Bruins at Hurricanes (7:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

Oilers at Predators (8:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

  THE UNDERDOG  

A Swing of Faith in 100 Days

Photo: Daniel Shirey / Getty Images

How Freddie Freeman Went From His Son’s Hospital Scare to World Series Hero in 100 Days

Freddie Freeman has had quite the career. He’s had quite the season. He’s had quite the last 100 days. Most recently, Freddie Freeman had quite an unforgettable performance in the 2024 World Series.

We usually reserve The Underdog for an athlete who rises against the odds. Freddie did all that. He was drafted 78th overall in 2007. He didn’t play a major league game until 2010. He didn’t start until 2011. And even then, few really saw Freddie Freeman as the type of player who could do what he's done over the last decade — 8x All-Star, 2x MVP, 2x World Series champion, and 1x World Series MVP.

But alas, that’s not what this story is about. This story is about Freeman’s last 100-plus days of faith, family, and baseball.

In July of this year, just over three months ago, the Dodgers were about to play the first game in a road series against Houston when Freeman received a call from his wife, Chelsea. Their 3-year-old son Maximus came down with an infection during All-Star weekend, and he had just been rushed to the hospital back home in L.A. He couldn’t walk or talk. Max was later diagnosed with a severe case of Guillain-Barré syndrome — a rare autoimmune disease that’s especially rare in children. Chelsea posted often about their son on social media, asking for prayers every step of the way. 

As a result, Freeman missed eight games in July-August to be with his son at a pediatric ICU. He later went to Mayo Clinic where he continued his treatment. The Dodgers wore #MaxStrong shirts during pregame batting practice, and other past teammates across the baseball world did, too.

Freeman rejoined his teammates in mid-August. Fans stayed engaged with Maximus’ recovery through Chelsea and Freddie’s frequent posts. The Dodgers made the playoffs and kept winning. Then, this happened. This refers to what you witnessed in the World Series. This was something bigger than baseball.

In Game 1, it was Freeman who hit the first-ever walk-off grand slam in a World Series game. Absolute madness! In Game 2, he hit another home run. In Game 3, a moonshot. In Game 4, see ya later. And by the end of Game 5, Freddie Freeman (6-for-20, 4 HRs, 12 RBIs) became the undisputed ‘Father of the Year’ in sports (sorry, LeBron) and the World Series MVP.

“I wish I never had to go through what we did, as a family. Ultimately, Maximus is doing really well right now. He’s a special boy. But it’s been a grind for the last three months… I’ll never compare (him) to baseball, but with him doing really well now, (the World Series) does mean a little bit extra.” — Freddie Freeman

Look at the photo above one more time. 100 days from tears to cheers. Congrats, Freddie. You’re that guy.

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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