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With a heart throbbing World Series concluded, conversation and speculation around the campfire has begun for the 2025 Major League Baseball season. Will a true Los Angeles Dodgers dynasty emerge? How will the New York Yankees rise above their embarrassing game five melt down?
The 2024 Series turned out to be literally something from Hollywood. It began at Dodger Stadium in LA at Chavez Ravine with the first game on October 25 and ended there on November 1, after we saw a massive parade snake through a roaring crowd.
The stage for the Series of course was set by the Yanks four games to one elimination of the Cleveland Guardians. It happened despite those ninth inning, pinch-hit, game-tying, two-out, two-run homer heroics of Dominican Jhonkensy Noel in the bottom of the ninth inning in game three in Cleveland.
Noel came straight out of Central Casting, the personification of Pedro Cerrano, the cigar-smoking voodoo-practicing Cuban refugee slugger portrayed by Dennis Haysbert in the 1989 movie “Major League.” Haysbert is known more recently as the “You’re in good hands with Allstate” insurance spokesperson.
Dodger pitcher Walker Bueler celebrates with catcher Will Smith. PHOTO: MLB/Los Angeles Dodgers
Cerrano hit the climatic home run that led to the Cleveland Indians defeating the Yankees for the American League Pennant on the Big Screen. After Noel’s real-life ball left Progressive Field, followed by David Fry’s tenth inning walk-off home run, they became one of the more memorable MLB Playoff moments.
The Ohio fans went into a frenzy, the likes of which had not been seen since the celebration for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship. LeBron is a native son. That was a so-far unmatched basketball moment for The Forest City.
However, the baseball championship drought in Cleveland has been a long one. Nothing but American League Pennants since the Indians1948 World Series victory over the Boston Braves.
The sword and shield have been passed to the Guardians. They have the hitting. They have the best bullpen in baseball. If their starting pitching rotation can rebound from the injury-plagued season of 2024, they can win it all in 2025.
When the new season starts Cleveland and New York will be American League favorites even after the Yankees fifth game collapse in the World Series. They blew it by making a little-league mistake when the pitcher failed to cover first base on an infield ground ball. The same mistake, committed by Chinese-Taipei, resulted in their August loss to Lake Mary Florida in the Williamsport League Championship game.
World Series MVP Freddie Freeman raises the Willie Mays Trophy. PHOTO: MLB/Los Angeles Dodgers
And now for the Yankees infamous October 30 fifth inning of the fifth game in Yankee stadium, the Dodgers had loaded the bases thanks to fielding errors by Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe. At the beginning of the inning, starting pitcher Garret Cole was cruising with the 5-0 lead and had only given up a hit and a walk while retiring the first 12 Dodgers batters.
Cole was able to strike out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani with Mookie Betts coming to the plate.
Betts bounced a ground ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Because of the spin on the ball Rizzo had to back up and when he went to toss the ball to first for the third out, Cole was not covering the base and Betts, ever the Artful Dodger, legged it out for an infield hit.
The Dodgers had scored their first run of the game and plated four more that inning for a tie. They wrapped up the Series with a sacrifice fly by Mookie in the seventh. The final 7-6 score came after the last two of eight Dodgers pitchers shut out the Yankees for the last three innings and they were eliminated in five games.
For some, it was the ultimate Karma created by typical classless Yankee fans. The first NY batter of game four in Yankee Stadium was called out for fan interference on a foul ball hit to Mookie in right field. After the ball had settled into his glove on his left hand, he was assaulted by two fans seated in the first row. One grabbed Betts right wrist while the other ripped the ball from his glove.
Never had anything similar been committed in a World Series game. Of course, the baseball gods were watching.
The fans, who are season ticket holders, were ejected with their stadium privileges revoked. It is unclear what criminal charges they may face.
Any punishment they face may pale in comparison to the wrath of their fellow fans who blame them for setting in motion the events that lead to the Yankees going home for the winter for the 23rd time this century without a World Series ring. Better luck next year.
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