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LOS ANGELES – The weekend isn’t over yet, but the Dodgers can still claim their superiority over the Yankees.
And didn’t this series-opening World Series rematch echo back – in some way – to that clinching Game 5?
Instead of handing back a five-run deficit in the fifth, the Yankees lost a four-run lead in the sixth – with the sensational Max Fried failing to retire any of the four Dodgers he faced that inning.
“They won the World Series last year, they know how to win games,’’ said Fried, after the Dodgers’ 8-5 victory on Friday night. “For the most part, I just didn’t do my job.’’
There was a fascinating in-game battle between the reigning league MVPs as Shohei Ohtani clubbed two homers off Fried while Aaron Judge belted one of four Yankees homers against Tony Gonsolin.
After Judge, Austin Wells, Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt went deep by the third inning, maybe he was going, going Gon-solin – but he lasted six innings for the win.
Yankees experience another “playoff atmosphere”
Meanwhile, Fried entered with a 1.29 ERA and took his first loss of the year, on a night when Mookie Betts (bruised toe) was not in the Dodgers’ lineup.
Another former MVP, Freddie Freeman, chased Fried with an RBI double and the Dodgers’ rickety bullpen, weakened by injuries, survived to get the last nine outs.
Now, it’s up to Saturday’s starter, rookie Will Warren, and either Ryan Yarbrough or Carlos Rodon on Sunday (that decision remained undecided Friday) to help carve out a series win.
That would give the AL East-leading Yankees (35-21) some measure over the NL West-leading Dodgers (35-22), but it wouldn’t take down L.A.’s monstrous 2024 world championship flag in center field.
“People are asking (whether this series) is personal, this and that. Every game we play is personal,’’ said Judge. “Every game matters.’’
Judge added that the Yankees are constantly operating in playoff-atmosphere games, but not like this – with a postseason-sized media contingent milling about, and the constant October rematch buzz.
Bad timing for Max Fried’s roughest outing
Yes, for Yankees Universe, this was a rotten time to see Fried have his toughest outing in 12 starts.
“Just a rough inning where some good hitters got to him,’’ Boone said of the sixth-inning trouble that began with Ohtani’s second homer of the night, extending his MLB lead to 22.
The wondrous Ohtani is now 5-for-8 with three homers in his regular season career against Fried, who hadn’t yielded more than two earned runs in a game this year until Friday’s six.
Ohtani launched Fried’s first delivery of the game over the center field wall, answering for Judge’s first-inning solo shot – his 19th of the year.
“Right out of the gate, a couple haymakers there,’’ said Boone. “Some of the stars really shining tonight.’’
Aaron Judge’s take on Shohei Ohtani
The AL frontrunner for another runaway MVP award, Judge naturally tipped a cap toward Ohtani and his performance Friday.
“One of the best players in the game for a reason,’’ said Judge, though the MVP vs. MVP subplot wasn’t a big topic for the Yankees’ captain.
“I’ve got a job to do on the field. I’ve got to make plays, score some runs for the team,’’ said Judge, who also made a tremendous diving catch in right field to rob Teoscar Hernandez of extra bases in the third.
As for Fried, “the guy’s been the best pitcher in the game all year,” said Judge, so it’s not completely unexpected to see his road ERA rise from 0.83 to 2.15 with one tough outing.
Fried regretted the execution of certain pitches left over the plate. Before the sixth ended, Jonahtan Loaisiga yielded a game-tying RBI ground single to Andy Pages (3 RBI) with the infield in, and lefty Tim Hill walked lefty-hitting Michael Conforto to force in the go-ahead run.
It’s late May, not late October. But if the Yankees wanted to instantly make a statement and change the narrative against the Dodgers, well consider these elimination games this weekend.