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The upbeat Dodgers missed several scoring opportunities in Game 4
Michigan

The upbeat Dodgers missed several scoring opportunities in Game 4

Freddie Freeman hit his fourth home run of the World Series to give the Dodgers a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning of Game 4. It was a big swing for the Dodgers, who were looking to secure their second-ever win against the Yankees.

After a grand slam from Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, the Dodgers quickly fell behind and trailed for the first time in the series since Game 1.

In contrast to the Dodgers’ heroics in Game 1, the offense tried tirelessly to provide as much run support as possible, and in the end they were less patient than in most playoffs.

The Dodgers had a 2-1 lead in the second inning when Gavin Lux hit a leadoff double, putting the Dodgers in position to have a man in scoring position with no one out against rookie Luis Gil. With Will Smith out, Tommy Edman came on and struck out Anthony Rizzo on the first pitch he saw, quickly doubling Lux in the second to end the top half.

After facing a three-run deficit, a solo home run by Smith, an Edman walk and a first-pitch single by Tim Hill in the fifth inning left the Dodgers with two men on base with no one out was outside.

Freddie Freeman hit the first pitch he saw from Hill on the ground to second base and narrowly beat Volpe’s throw to score the fourth (and final) run for the Dodgers and make it a one-run game .

The Yankees opted to sign former closer Clay Holmes to record the tying finale with the go-ahead run on base. Teoscar Hernández, who fancies himself the one to take advantage of big opportunities, swung at the first pitch he saw and flew to Alex Verdugo to end the threat, slamming his racket to the ground in frustration.

Although the Yankees pulled away with six extra runs in their final three innings at the plate, the Dodgers had several chances to claw their way back into the game, but their lack of patience was their ultimate downfall in a game where they could have managed to win another championship.

The Dodgers were notoriously patient against the New York Mets in the NLCS, walking at least five times in each of the six games, but in Game 4 of the World Series they walked just three times, twice by Edman and once by Max Muncy. None of these resulted in any runs.

In Game 5, the Dodgers will now have to face Gerrit Cole again, who didn’t walk a batter in Game 1 and whose only blemish on the night was a sacrifice fly by Will Smith. The Dodgers were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position before Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1 and have gone just 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position in the last three games.

As in previous rounds, a team looking to win another title will need to be more patient at the plate, and against Cole it will be a difficult task against a pitcher who has limited his potent offense.

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