As Yankees reliever Jake Cousins walked onto the mound in the bottom of the 10th inning, he faced a straightforward yet critical task: get three outs from the bottom of the Dodgers lineup without letting anyone on base. Success would mean the Yankees taking Game 1 of the World Series, while failure could bring Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman to the plate, a scenario no Yankees fan wanted to see.
Nestor Cortes Jr. started on the mound for the Yankees and initially held the Dodgers at bay. However, as the game progressed into the later innings, the Dodgers managed to push back, turning what was a pitching duel into a more contentious affair. By the time the ninth inning rolled around, the game was tied, setting the stage for an intense conclusion.
Just six days earlier, Cousins had shown his mettle in a pivotal ALCS Game 5, striking out four in a high-stress tie game, helping the Yankees eventually secure the American League pennant. This performance and others had slowly built manager Aaron Boone’s confidence in him, making Cousins, despite having only one career save, the chosen one to seal the deal in this crucial game.
With just three more outs to go, the Yankees were on the brink of a narrow victory in a game where Gerrit Cole delivered a stellar six innings of one-run ball, and Giancarlo Stanton crushed a clutch home run in the sixth inning to give New York the lead. Jazz Chisholm Jr., after a quiet ALCS, stepped up in extra innings with a leadoff single and some aggressive baserunning to score in the 10th, putting the Yankees ahead. Despite Cole and Stanton’s heroics, the game had been far from perfect for New York. They struggled with runners in scoring position, and Gleyber Torres’ defensive error didn’t help. But with three outs left, none of that seemed to matter.
The Yankees got off to a good start in the bottom of the 10th, with Smith flying out to right for the first out. However, things took a turn when Lux worked a five-pitch walk. As dependable as reliever Jake Cousins had been for New York, his tendency to lose command, especially against left-handed hitters, resurfaced at the worst possible time. Suddenly, with Ohtani looming in the lineup, the Yankees found themselves in a jam. Edman’s hard grounder up the middle turned into a disaster when Oswaldo Cabrera couldn’t turn it into outs. Now, with just one out and Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman waiting, the pressure was on.
The biggest question of the night now hung in the air: who would face Ohtani? Manager Aaron Boone had two lefty options—Nestor Cortes Jr. and Tim Hill. Hill, a crafty reliever, had been solid in his postseason appearances, but Cortes, a former All-Star, was a fan favorite. Despite Cortes not pitching since September due to a sprained elbow, Boone chose him, believing in his ability to neutralize left-handed hitters like Ohtani and Freeman. “I liked the matchup,” Boone said after the game. “Nestor’s been throwing well in recent weeks, and I felt confident with him against Ohtani and Freeman.”
As Cortes warmed up, the energy at Dodger Stadium skyrocketed. The crowd of over 52,000 roared, anticipating a walk-off moment from Ohtani. But the excitement was cut short when Ohtani fouled off the first pitch, sending it down the left-field line, where Alex Verdugo made a stunning catch in foul territory. The tension only grew as the runners advanced to second and third, and Boone intentionally walked Betts to load the bases for a left-on-left matchup against Freeman.
It didn’t take long for Freeman to seize the moment. Cortes’ first pitch, intended to be high and inside, drifted right into Freeman’s wheelhouse. With one mighty swing, Freeman sent the ball sailing into the right-field pavilion for the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. Just like that, in a matter of minutes, the Yankees’ hopes of a Game 1 win were shattered.
While the Yankees’ bullpen had been dominant in the ALDS, cracks had begun to show in the ALCS. The Dodgers, however, were an entirely different challenge, and New York’s relievers simply couldn’t get the outs they needed. Despite having a fully rested bullpen and Cortes back in the mix, the Yankees fell short in Los Angeles, and now they face an uphill battle in the series.