The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees delivered a thrilling Game 1 of the World Series, with Freddie Freeman capping it off with a walk-off grand slam. On Saturday night in World Series Game 2, home runs were the main attraction on a night that delighted the baseball world. Let’s dive into the winners and losers from Game 2 of the World Series.
Winner: Tommy Edman, OF/IF, Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers went all-in this year, first in the offseason with the additions fo Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and then at the MLB trade deadline. While the Jack Flaherty trade generated the most buzz, it’s Tommy Edman who has been a postseason hero for Los Angeles. Entering World Series Game 2, the former St. Louis Cardinals’ utility weapon had a .847 OPS with 12 RBI in the playoffs. He added to those totals on Friday night, launching a solo shot to take an early 1-0 lead. He also played excellent defense in center field and reached base multiple times. It’s still early, but Edman is having the same effect that other former Cardinals’ bats have had with other teams in October.
Related: MLB free agency predictions
Loser: Carlos Rodón, SP, New York Yankees
Just a miserable night for Carlos Rodon. The command was shaky early, putting base runners on and letting Dodgers’ hitters get ahead in the count. That forced the Yankees’ starter to rely more on his fastball, which Edman, Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman all knocked out for home runs. Forcing the Yankees into an early bullpen game, giving Dodger Stadium more reasons to go crazy and putting New York in a big hole. Not what the Yankees signed up for in that $162 million contract.
Winner: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Dave Roberts and the Los Angeles Dodgers needed Yoshinobu Yamamoto to eat some innings on Saturday night. In Game 1, Jack Flaherty made it just 5.1 innings before getting the hook, forcing Roberts to use five members of the Dodgers bullpen. Yamamoto came through with 6.1 strong innings, allowing just a single hit (Juan Soto home run) with the top half of the Yankees lineup going 1-for-12. Even more impressive, this was Yamamoto’s first career World Series appearance.
Related: Best baseball players ever
Loser: Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
We try not to overreact to postseason stats, as they are the very definition of a small sample size. However, that’s no longer the case with Aaron Judge. Coming into the World Series, he’s posted a .800-plus OPS just once in the postseason and that was back in 2018. Since 2020, Judge doesn’t even have a .700 OPS in the playoffs and he’s posted a sub-.200 batting average in consecutive years. Those numbers got even worse after an abysmal Saturday night that ended with the strikeout hat trick.
Related: Top MLB free agents 2025
Winner: Heart of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup
While we already highlighted Tommy Edman, the heart of the Dodgers lineup above him also deserves credit. Mookie Betts was an n-base machine perfectly setting the table for Teoscar Hernandez. It was Hernandez’s two-run homer, with Betts on, that pushed Los Angeles up to a 3-1 lead. Moments later, Freddie Freeman made it back-to-back home runs in the World Series.
Related: Highest paid MLB players
Loser: Shohei Ohtani’s injury
The night was going perfectly for the Dodgers, leading 4-1 and just a few outs away from taking a 2-0 lead in the World Series. Then, Shohei Ohtani dislocated his shoulder on a slide into second base in the bottom of the 7th inning. It didn’t help that Ohtani was caught stealing to end the inning, but the shoulder dislocation now hangs a cloud of uncertainty over the remainder of the series.
Winner: FOX and MLB
FOX and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred were elated the moment the stage was set for a New York Yankees vs Los Angeles Dodgers matchup in the World Series. It’s TV ratings gold. Game 1 delivered the highest MLB TV ratings in five years (15.2 million), which is huge for a sport that has seen its TV audience drop considerably over the years. The only downside for MLB and FOX, this is starting to look like a World Series that won’t go the distance, even 6 games might be a stretch.