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In one fell swoop, Freddie Freeman ensured that the most anticipated World Series in years would live up to the hype.

With his Los Angeles Dodgers trailing 3-2 until their final out in the bottom of the 10th inning, Freeman hit the first pitch he saw into the right field stands at Dodger Stadium, sending more than 50,000 fans delirious as the Dodgers entered Game 1 of the World Series with a score of 6-3. It was the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.

It was a moment that reflected one of the most famous swings in baseball history – Kirk Gibson’s walk-off home run that won Game 1 of the 1988 World Series at the same stadium. The parallels were striking: Freeman, like Gibson, is suffering from a leg injury that has plagued him throughout the playoffs, and the ball landed in the exact same stands where Gibson’s home run landed 36 years ago.

Freeman yelled “I like this” as his teammates doused him with cold water to celebrate the victory.

“That’s one thing when you’re five years old and sitting in the backyard,” Freeman told the FOX show. “It’s a dream come true, but that’s just one. We’ve got three more.”

It was a magical moment in October that capped a tense affair that couldn’t be resolved in nine innings.

The Dodgers scored the game’s first run in the 5th inning, but Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton quieted the LA crowd with a massive two-run home run in the 6th inning, giving New York a 2-1 lead. The Southern California native stood and watched the moonshot fly deep into the left field stands, a sight made familiar from Stanton’s stellar playoffs.

The Dodgers tied the game in the 8th inning, sparked by a double and some heads-up baserunning from superstar Shohei Ohtani, who advanced to third base on a Yankees error. Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts gave Ohtani a sacrifice fly.

Early in the 9th inning, the Yankees’ Gleyber Torres appeared to hit a home run, but the umpires quickly determined that a fan was reaching over the wall to catch the ball. Torres was sent to second base with a ground-rule double, where he was stranded when Aaron Judge came out to end the inning.

The game went into extra innings in which Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm reached with a single, then stole second and third base before scoring on a fielder’s choice to take the lead early in the 10th inning take over.

But the drama in Chavez Gorge had only just begun.

In the bottom of the 10th inning, Freeman got two outs and the bases were loaded. Freeman, still dealing with a sprained right ankle, turned on the first pitch he saw from Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes and hit a massive grand slam into the Los Angeles night to make it 6-3 victory that gave the home team a stunning victory.

Friday’s appearance was particularly meaningful for Freeman after his three-year-old son Max was diagnosed earlier this year with Guillain-Barré syndrome – a rare neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks nerve cells.

In July, Max suffered complete paralysis and Freeman left the Dodgers team to be with his family in the hospital. Eventually, doctors said his son would recover, and Freeman rejoined the team in August.

Freeman celebrated the emotional moment Friday with his father sitting in front of the crowd, and then the 35-year-old acknowledged the influence his father had on his career.

“He’s been giving me batting practice for as long as I can remember,” the Dodgers star said afterward. “This is largely his moment. … That’s Fred Freeman’s moment right there.”

Freeman also spoke about the importance of etching his name in the history books through his heroics in Game 1.

“When you’re told you’re doing something like this in this game that’s been around for a long time – I love the history of this game, being a part of it, it’s special,” Freeman said. “I’ve been playing this game for a long time and when you show up in these moments, you dream about these moments. Even if you’re 35 and have been in the league for 15 years, you want to be a part of it.”

The 120th World Series features one of the most dazzling matchups in recent memory. With a total of 63 appearances, the Yankees and Dodgers are the most frequent visitors to the Fall Classic. However, the Yankees are well above the Dodgers and the rest of baseball, with 41 appearances and an astounding 27 championships.

These two storied franchises have met in the World Series an astonishing 11 times, most recently in 1981. The Yankees have prevailed in eight of the previous meetings.

The Dodgers are now three wins away from claiming their eighth World Series title, and the two teams will meet again on Saturday in Los Angeles for Game 2 of the best-of-seven series.

This story has been updated with additional information.