How could it end otherwise?

It was the Yankees-Dodgers. It was Freddie Freeman versus Nestor Cortes. There were bases loaded and two outs. It was the 10th inning of Game 1 of the World Series. It was the hitter with an ankle injury against a left-handed hitter who hadn’t pitched in a month.

And it was swinging on the first pitch. A heater that has captured too much of the plate. Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam into right field at Dodger Stadium to snatch victory from defeat on Friday night. The Dodgers won Game 1 6-3.

This came after the Yankees had taken the lead on Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s takeover in the top of the 10th inning. He singled, stole second and third, and then scored the go-ahead run to Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen. But Freeman and the Dodgers had a definitive answer.

Freeman’s swing ended a classic Game 1. Both starters were outstanding. There were big swings in both directions. The Dodgers took the lead, the Yankees charged forward and then went full throttle into the extras.

The Dodgers struggled to get anything going against Yankees starter Gerrit Cole, but three of their four hits went for extra bases. In the fifth, Juan Soto’s awkward route to right field turned a would-be double into a triple for Enrique Hernández, who scored on a sacrifice fly by Will Smith.

Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty rebounded beautifully from a rough start in his final game. He didn’t let Juan Soto or Aaron Judge beat him. But then Giancarlo Stanton did it. In the sixth, Flaherty spun an inside curveball below the zone, and Stanton smoked it into left field to set up a two-run home run. It was Stanton’s sixth home run of the postseason. Crucially, the Yankees left the bases loaded in this inning, with lefty Anthony Banda striking out Alex Verdugo.

The Yankees were perfectly positioned to end the game, with Cole exiting after more than six innings of one-run baseball and the Yankees’ bullpen fully rested. Ohtani thwarted these plans. He doubled high from the centerfield wall and was saved by substitute Tommy Kahnle, and went to third when Soto’s throw brought Gleyber Torres short. Another misplay, another run on a sacrifice fly.

In extras, Chisholm scampered home when Dodgers shortstop Tommy Edman bobbled Anthony Volpe’s grounder on what might have been an inning-ending double-play ball.

The Yankees turned to reliever Jake Cousins. Gavin Lux walked with one out and Tommy Edman hit a grounder that bounced off the glove of second baseman Oswaldo Cabrera. Cortes came in and found Ohtani, who flew left after a fabulous catch from Verdugo and sent him into the stands. The Yankees intentionally tackled Mookie Betts, setting up the left-on-left duel with Freeman.

The team that won Game 1 has won the World Series 24 of the last 30 times. With one powerful strike, Freeman put the Dodgers on the right side of that statistic.