How will this year’s World Series play out? Using the Dynasty League Baseball online simulation, USA TODAY Sports’ Steve Gardner and DLB designer Mike Cieslinski will pre-play each game to provide some insight into the key matchups and strategy fans can expect to see in the Fall Classic.
Get ready for a World Series slugfest.
Freddie Freeman hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning and Will Smith added his second homer of the game two batters later to propel the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 13-9 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of USA TODAY Sports’ annual Simulated World Series.
BOX SCORE: Dodgers 13, Yankees 9
FULL PLAY-BY-PLAY: Dodgers take Game 1 with pair of late homers
World Series Game 1 simulation
The game featured a total of six home runs, three of them in the first inning, as the Yankees got out to an early lead on Giancarlo Stanton’s two-run blast off Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty.
But in the bottom of the frame, L.A. struck back with six runs before Yankees starter Gerrit Cole had even recorded an out. Mookie Betts plated a pair with a homer to left and Will Smith capped the scoring with a grand slam to left off a bewildered Cole to put the Dodgers up 6-2.
However, the Yankees kept the pressure on and managed to chip away at the lead. Aaron Judge went deep in the sixth to plate three runs and bring the Yankees to within one. Then with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, Judge singled in two to put New York ahead 9-8.
The Dodgers staged their own rally in the bottom of the eighth against Yanks reliever Jake Cousins. Shohei Ohtani doubled to right with one out, stole third and came home to tie the game on Betts’ RBI single.
After Betts stole second, Freeman unloaded with a monster 447-foot blast to right field to put the Dodgers on top to stay.
What to watch in (the real) Game 1
Cole play. The biggest advantage the Yankees have in this series is in their starting pitching. Ace Gerrit Cole has pitched in many big games before so he shouldn’t have any trouble meeting the moment. However, the Dodgers jumped on him immediately in the Sim Series opener with six runs in the first inning. That obviously can’t happen if the Yankees hope to win a championship. Cole will need to set the tone immediately when he takes the mound in the first against the Dodgers’ best hitters.
Stars come out at night. While the Yankees did dig themselves a big hole early, they have some pretty powerful sluggers of their own. Juan Soto reached base four times and scored twice. And of course, Judge played like an MVP, going 4-for-4 with five RBI to lead the comeback.
For the Dodgers, Ohtani, Betts, Freeman and Max Muncy all had three hits, while Smith ended up with six RBI. This is a team that scored a record 46 runs in six games against the Mets in the NLCS. The offensive juggernaut should continue to roll no matter who the Yankees send out to the mound.
Yankees deficient on defense. Several plays in Sim Series Game 1 came down to Yankees infielders (specifically Gleyber Torres) being unable to get to ground balls that an average fielder would. Torres’ Dynasty League Baseball range rating is a D, which cost him on several plays, starting with the first batter of the game when Shohei Ohtani beat out a high chopper — and Betts followed with a home run. Later in that inning, Freeman hit a grounder in the hole that Torres was unable to field and he later scored on Smith’s grand slam.
In addition, the Yankees starting outfielders all have average to below-average range. Aaron Judge in center and Juan Soto in right both have D ranges, while Alex Verdugo is a C in left field. In Sim Series Game 1, the Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez took advantage of Judge’s poor range for a double.
Simulate your own World Series. Get a FREE one-month subscription to Dynasty League Baseball online by going to DynastyLeagueBaseball.com, selecting the monthly option and entering code USA2 at checkout.
