Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven World Series, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 in an epic game lasting more than six-and-a-half hours.
It was the joint longest postseason game in Major League Baseball history in terms of innings, with no runs scored between the seventh and 18th innings.
Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani also hit two home runs, but the night belonged to first baseman Freeman, who won the Most Valuable Player award as the Dodgers won last year’s World Series.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had apologised earlier on Monday, external after complaining about travel delays while returning from the opening two games in Canada, but was finally able to enjoy home comforts as his side won the first of three games at Dodger Stadium.
MLB’s longest postseason games (all 18 innings)
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2005 NL Division Series – Houston Astros 7-6 Atlanta Braves
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2014 NL Division Series – Washington Nationals 1-2 San Francisco Giants
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2018 World Series – LA Dodgers 3-2 Boston Red Sox
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2022 AL Division Series – Seattle Mariners 0-1 Houston Astros
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2025: World Series – LA Dodgers 6-5 Toronto Blue Jays
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*home team listed first
How the epic game unfolded
Teoscar Hernandez, who had struck out in all four of his at-bats in game two, opened the scoring for the Dodgers with a home run in the second inning.
Ohtani doubled the lead with a solo shot of his own in the third, before the Blue Jays’ bats woke up in the top of the fourth inning.
A fielding error by second baseman Tommy Edman allowed the Canadians to put two men on base, Alejandro Kirk lifted his second homer of the series over the centre-field fence for a 3-2 lead, before Andres Gimenez’s sacrifice fly made it 4-2.
Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer became the first man to pitch for four different teams in the World Series, but he departed in the fifth inning and that was the cue for the Dodgers to level the scores.
Ohtani’s third hit of the night scored Enrique Hernandez, before Freeman drove in Ohtani from second base for 4-4.
The pendulum swung back towards Toronto in the seventh when Bo Bichette’s line drive to the right field corner allowed Vladimir Guerrero Jr to score from first base, but Ohtani’s second homer of the night tied the scores again at 5-5, and the game remained deadlocked after that.
Both sides stranded multiple baserunners on several occasions, and neither was able to conjure a run with the bases loaded.
Ohtani was intentionally walked, external four times and was caught stealing second base, while Toronto pinch-runner Davis Schneider was thrown out at home plate in the 10th, and veteran Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw made a cameo appearance from the bullpen in his final series before retirement.
Eventually, with both sides running out of bench players, Freeman lifted reliever Brendon Little over centre field to win it.
The series continues with game four on Tuesday, again at Dodger Stadium, when Ohtani will be the starting pitcher.
World Series schedule, reports & results
Game 1:Â Blue Jays 11-4 Dodgers
Game 2:Â Blue Jays 1-5 Dodgers
Game 3:Â Dodgers 6-5 Blue Jays
Game 4Â (in LA): Tuesday, 28 October
Game 5Â (in LA): Wednesday, 29 October
Game 6*Â (in Toronto): Friday, 31 October
Game 7*Â (in Toronto): Saturday, 1 November
*if required. Matches start 20:00 Eastern Time (early next morning UK time), Home team listed first