FILE – Colorado Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings (25) in the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt is introduced prior to an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
By The Associated Press undefined
The Steelers and Browns will renew their rivalry Thursday night sitting at opposite ends of the AFC North. After navigating through some quarterback uncertainty, Pittsburgh is a surprising 8-2 while Cleveland is a dreary and disappointing 2-8. The Steelers are coming off a gritty win at home over the Baltimore Ravens and can’t afford a letdown against the Browns, whose playoff hopes are gone and may be headed for another massive overhaul. Coach Kevin Stefanski could use a big win to alleviate any concern that he has lost his team.
Pittsburgh (8-2) at Cleveland (2-8)
Thursday, 8 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Steelers by 3 1/2.
Against the spread: Steelers 8-2; Browns 3-7.
Series record: Steelers lead 79-62-1.
Last meeting: Browns beat Steelers 13-10 on Nov. 19, 2023, in Cleveland.
Last week: Steelers beat Ravens 18-16; Browns lost to Saints 35-14.
Steelers offense: overall (19), rush (8), pass (28), scoring (14).
Steelers defense: overall (8), rush (4), pass (19), scoring (2).
Browns offense: overall (27), rush (29), pass (20), scoring (31).
Browns defense: overall (19), rush (24), pass (17), scoring (24).
Turnover differential: Steelers plus-11; Browns minus-5.
Steelers player to watch
WR George Pickens. Perhaps no player has benefitted more from QB Russell Wilson’s arrival in the starting lineup than Pickens. The 6-foot-3 third-year wideout has become Wilson’s go-to in almost every situation. Pickens had a season high in targets (12) and receptions (eight) last week against the Ravens and his 48 catches on the season are more than the next four receivers on the depth chart combined (35).
Browns player to watch
RB Nick Chubb. He’ll face the Steelers for the first time since suffering a gruesome knee injury against them last season. Chubb’s inspiring comeback has been one of the only positives this season for the Browns. In his fourth game back, Chubb gained 50 yards last week but was only on the field for 22 plays as the team continues to manage his workload following his second knee reconstruction.
Key matchup
Steelers LB/edge rusher T.J. Watt versus Browns RT Jack Conklin. Watt is having another Watt-like season — 7 1/2 sacks, four forced fumbles, two recoveries and 12 tackles for loss through 10 games. Pittsburgh moves Watt from side to side but he’ll primarily be lined up against Conklin, who will likely need some help to keep QB Jameis Winston upright.
Key injuries
Steelers: OLB Alex Highsmith will miss his second straight game with an ankle injury. Nick Herbig started in Highsmith’s place against Baltimore on Sunday and forced a fumble on the game’s opening series.
Browns: DE Myles Garrett (hip) missed practice on Tuesday but is expected to play. … Starting LT Dawand Jones broke his leg last week and is done for the season. His loss is further complicated by Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee), who sat out last week and will also miss Thursday’s game. Germain Ifedi will start for the Browns.
Series notes
The heated rivalry has been more balanced in recent years after being dominated by the Steelers for most of two decades. … Pittsburgh won 12 straight, 17 of 18 and 25 of 28 from 2000-14. … The Steelers are just 1-4-1 in their past six visits to Cleveland, losing twice on Thursday night. … The Browns have won eight straight home games on Thursdays. … Overall, Cleveland has won six in a row on Thursday night.
Stats and stuff
The Steelers have won five straight, the past four with Wilson taking over after missing the first six games with a calf injury. … Pittsburgh is 0-3 on the road on Thursday nights against the Browns, including losses in 2019 and 2022. … The Steelers are 67-39-4 all time against QBs taken No. 1 overall in the draft as Winston was in 2015 by Tampa in 2015. … Pittsburgh needs just one victory or tie in its last eight games to assure the franchise of its 21st straight non-losing season, the past 18 under coach Mike Tomlin. … Watt has thrived against the Browns. Watt has 17 sacks against Cleveland in his career, tied for the most against any Pittsburgh opponent (Baltimore). … Pittsburgh K Chris Boswell is 29 of 30 on the season and provided all of the Steelers’ points in wins over Atlanta and Baltimore, games in which Boswell made all six of his field-goal attempts. Pittsburgh is 2-0 this season when the offense doesn’t score a touchdown. The rest of the NFL is 2-13 in such games. … One of the reason’s Boswell has been so busy is that Pittsburgh’s offense has sputtered in the red zone. The Steelers have turned just 16 of their 36 trips inside the opponent’s 20 into touchdowns, that’s the third-lowest touchdown rate (44.4 percent) in the league. … Pittsburgh’s defense is among the league’s best, particularly after halftime. The Steelers are allowing just 6.4 points in the second half, tops in the NFL. … Cleveland begins a critical stretch with coach Kevin Stefanski’s future in doubt despite winning the AP Coach of the Year honor last season. … Winston is coming off his best game with the Browns, throwing for 395 yards and two TDs in his third start of 2024. … This will be Winston’s first career game against the Steelers, who were the only NFL team he had not faced. … Chubb has 717 yards rushing and three TDs in 10 games against the Steelers. … There’s a rivalry within the rivalry between Watt and Garrett, the reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year and the 2021 winner. When Garrett won the award, Watt felt slighted and posted “Nothing I’m not used to” on social media. Watt had more sacks (19) than Garrett (14) last season. … Browns WR Jerry Jeudy had six catches last week for 142 yards, including an 89-yard TD. … CB Denzel Ward finally got his first interception — and Cleveland’s second all season — last week despite playing hurt. Ward leads the league with 17 passes defensed. …. Normally reliable K Dustin Hopkins missed three field goals against the Saints. He’s just 4 of 8 on kicks of at least 50 yards after making all eight attempts from 50 and beyond last year.
Fantasy tip
While Pickens has developed nice chemistry with Wilson, he’ll likely be matched up against Ward, who is playing as well as any corner in the league. Also, the weather forecast of cold, wind and maybe snow could make passing a challenge. A better play might be to go with Steelers RB Najee Harris, who has run for a career-best 493 yards and four TDs against the Browns.
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(File Photo)
Source for Photo: FILE – Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) Major League Baseball announced on Monday that Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenomenon pitcher Paul Skenes has won the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Award. Skenes has created a buzz in Pittsburgh since he made his first start in May, and in only twenty-three starts, pitched 133 innings with 0.95 WHIP and 1.96 ERA, while holding an 11-3 record. After beating out worthy rookie nominees Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jackson Merill of the San Diego Padres, he becomes the first Pittsburgh Pirate since Jason Bay in 2004 to become the Rookie of the Year in the National League. Skenes is also the first rookie to start the Major League Baseball All Star Game since Hideo Nomo in 1995. The National League Cy Young Award winner will be confirmed on Wednesday, and Skenes is nominated for that as well.
Story by Ryan Gerazounis – Beaver County Radio
(Wexford, Pa)
Only one game stood between the Ellwood City Wolverines football team and a trip to Acrisure Stadium next Saturday for a chance at AA WPIAL Gold. On Friday night the Wolverines faced their toughest challenge of the season when they faced off against the South Park Eagles. Ellwood City came into the game with a perfect record. While South Park only lost one game back in week 1 of the season.
The Wolverines started the game red hot, when Chris Smiley hit Dailonn Currie for an 18 yard touchdown pass. Giving them a 7-0 lead only forty five seconds into the game. On Ellwood City’s second drive Chris Smiley threw an interception to Nathan Walz that was returned all the way down to the Wolverines two yard line. Two plays later Colsen Heynes found the end zone, tying the game at 7-7. Later in the first half South Park’s Eric Doerue found pay dirt scoring on a long run and that gave the Eagles a 14-7 lead at halftime.
South Park’s Sophomore running back Colsen Heynes added to their lead early in the third quarter by taking a handoff and going 28 yards for another Eagles touchdown. Putting his team up 21-7. Ellwood City who haven’t played from behind all season was having no success on offense. The Eagles would add on again later in the third quarter when Eric Doerue found the end zone for his second touchdown of the evening, increasing their lead to 28-7. The clock was no longer on the Wolverines side and desperation started to set in. In the fourth quarter while attempting to comeback Chris Smiley threw another interception, this time to Kenyan Brown. South Park was able to run the clock out and they would take the victory over Ellwood City 28-7.
The South Park Eagles will advance to Acrisure Stadium next weekend for a chance at WPIAL Gold. They will face off with Seton LaSalle for the WPIAL AA Championship. The Ellwood City Wolverines have been eliminated from playoff contention.
FILE – Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
New York Jets wide receiver Mike Williams (18) pulls in a pass against Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott (25) in the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers might be in first place in the AFC North.
They’re hardly coasting.
Pittsburgh added wide receiver Mike Williams and outside linebacker Preston Smith at the trade deadline on Tuesday, giving the club veteran depth at two positions of need as the stretch run looms.
The Steelers sent a fifth-round pick to the New York Jets for Williams and a seventh-round selection to Green Bay for Smith.
Pittsburgh (6-2) is coming off its bye week atop the AFC North, but begins a difficult second half of the season on Sunday at surprising NFC East-leading Washington (7-2).
Acquiring Williams gives the Steelers a proven outside threat to put opposite George Pickens. Pittsburgh is talented but thin at outside linebacker. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are perhaps the best tandem in the league. But backup Nick Herbig has been slowed by a hamstring injury, though coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday there’s a chance Herbig could be available against the Commanders.
The Steelers have been searching for a big target to complement Pickens since trading Diontae Johnson to Carolina last spring. They flirted with but couldn’t land Brandon Aiyuk — who opted to re-sign with San Francisco — over the summer and watched Davante Adams (Jets) and DeAndre Hopkins (Chiefs) go elsewhere in the AFC.
Williams, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract with New York in the offseason as a free agent, had just 12 catches for 166 yards in nine games with the Jets. He had only a 6-yard reception on just two targets in his past two games.
The 6-foot-4 Williams spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Chargers, for whom he caught 309 passes for 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns. He tore the ACL in his right knee in Week 3 last year and missed the rest of the season. The Jets brought Williams along slowly throughout the offseason and in training camp, but he never seemed to click with Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers when he got onto the field.
Williams comes to a team that has seen an uptick in the passing game since Russell Wilson returned from a calf injury that forced him to miss Pittsburgh’s first six games. While Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III have had their moments since Wilson was reinserted into the lineup, Williams’ size gives the Steelers another big body to use in the red zone alongside the 6-3 Pickens and 6-5 tight end Pat Freiermuth.
Tomlin made it a point to praise the work of his wide receiver group as a whole shortly before adding Williams.
“I just feel like we have a group that’s hardworking and capable and can’t wait to show the football world those capabilities,” he said. “And every time we step into a stadium, they get an opportunity to do so. And you (have) seen some examples of it already.”
Just not enough for the Steelers to seek an upgrade as the franchise tries to end a playoff victory drought that stretches to the 2016 AFC championship game.
Pittsburgh has been uncharacteristically aggressive in trying to revamp its offense over the past year, jettisoning quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph while adding Wilson and Justin Fields.
The results have been solid if not always spectacular so far. The Steelers are a respectable 13th in scoring after finishing 28th a year ago.
Still, significant challenges remain. Pittsburgh will play all three of its AFC North rivals twice over the final nine weeks to go with games against Washington, Philadelphia and Kansas City.
Tomlin acknowledged the club was active in the trade market, calling it prudent for a team that wants to be a “world championship outfit.”
Pittsburgh’s defense is among the league’s best — the Steelers are second in points allowed and ninth in yards allowed — but the pass rush isn’t quite as disruptive as it has been in recent years, due in part to opponents making it a point to get the ball out quicker.
Watt has 6 1/2 of Pittsburgh’s 19 sacks, numbers that are a little off the pace for both in recent years, though Highsmith missed three games with a groin injury and Herbig hasn’t played since injuring his hamstring on Oct. 6 against Dallas.
Smith has seen a dip in playing time in his 10th season after the Packers switched to a 4-3 defense. The 31-year-old has 2 1/2 sacks and six tackles for Green Bay, and played just 36% of the snaps against Detroit on Sunday. Smith has been productive throughout his career with the Commanders and the Packers, getting 68 1/2 sacks in 155 games.
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AP Pro Football writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in New York and AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby scored his second goal of the game 2:35 into overtime as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 on Thursday night to end a six-game losing streak.
Crosby found himself in alone on Lukas Dostal and hit the brakes before roofing the puck over the Ducks’ goaltender for the 93rd game-winning goal of his career.
Alex Nedeljkovic made 22 saves for Pittsburgh, which outshot Anaheim 46-23. Dostal stopped 44 shots to keep the Ducks in it, but it still wasn’t enough.
Alex Killorn picked up his second goal of the season for the Ducks, who ended a four-game East Coast trip with a 1-2-1 mark.
Anaheim led going into the third period before Crosby tied it with a redirect off a point shot from Matt Grzelcyk 1:47 into the final frame.
Takeaways
Ducks: The 24-year-old Dostal has built off his strong finish to last season. He remained steady while facing near-relentless pressure from the Penguins while finishing with 40+ saves for the third time in six starts.
Penguins: Pittsburgh needed something positive to happen at the end of a miserable October and responded with a win in front of one of the smallest crowds in the history of PPG Paints Arena.
Key moment
Nedeljkovic made three big saves down the stretch. He turned aside Trevor Zegras with the help of defenseman Marcus Pettersson with 4:25 to go, stoned Cutter Gauthier on a breakaway moments later and stopped a redirect by Pavel Mintyukov in the final seconds to force overtime.
Key stat
85-12-5 — Pittsburgh’s record during Crosby’s career when their longtime captain scores at least twice.
Up next
The Ducks begin a six-game homestand on Sunday against the Blackhawks, while the Penguins host the Canadiens on Saturday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin could have played it safe. Could have stuck with Justin Fields. Could have settled for the weekly rock fights that have been the Pittsburgh Steelers ‘ trademark for a half-decade and counting.
The NFL’s longest-tenured coach, however, knew he hadn’t seen enough. Not from Fields or the rest of the offense, either.
So Tomlin pulled Fields aside a few days after a relatively easy 19-point win over Las Vegas on Oct. 13 that boosted Pittsburgh’s record to 4-2 and told Fields it was time to see if Russell Wilson, now fully recovered from a calf injury, could still cook.
Asked if it was a tough discussion considering Fields had accounted for 10 touchdowns against one turnover, Tomlin shrugged.
“I don’t worry about the difficulty of conversations,” he said at the time. “It’s about whether or not they’re necessary. We’re pursuing big business here. Comfort is not a component of what we’re chasing.”
Neither, it seems, is complacency.
The NFL’s most stable franchise is evolving, working with a type of urgency it has perhaps lacked at times during a playoff victory drought that’s at seven years and counting.
It’s why the Steelers blew up the quarterback room during the offseason and why Tomlin turned to Wilson in mid-October and essentially said, “Let’s see what you got.”
Turns out, more gas in the tank than Wilson’s abrupt exit in Denver would have people believe.
The 35-year-old has thrown for 542 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over the New York Jets and New York Giants. The offense topped 400 yards in both games, something the Steelers hadn’t done in consecutive weeks since 2018.
It’s a promising start, though Wilson acknowledged it’s just that — a start.
“We have great confidence (but) we haven’t done everything yet,” Wilson said. “We’re obviously sitting here at 6-2, which is a great thing, but it doesn’t mean anything.”
Reaching the playoffs hasn’t been the issue for Pittsburgh, which has made it to the postseason in three of the last four years. The problem has been that the Steelers often look overmatched once they get there, lacking the firepower to keep up with teams like the Bills and Chiefs.
That may be changing in 2024. Pittsburgh has reached 20 points in five of its last six games, something it hasn’t done since its 11-0 start in 2020, taking some of the pressure off a defense that has spent the last three years well aware that it could ill afford to get into a shootout.
While cornerback Joey Porter Jr. downplayed the idea that the defense has more wiggle room than usual — trotting out a variation of Tomlin’s “the standard is the standard” motto — Pittsburgh’s ability to score more often has allowed defensive coordinator Teryl Austin to be even more aggressive.
The Steelers are tied for second in the NFL with 15 takeaways, many of them momentum-changers like T.J. Watt’s strip-sack of Daniel Jones and Beanie Bishop’s clinching interception in the fourth quarter against the Giants, part of what outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin describes as a turnover “culture.”
There’s even T-shirts to match. Coaches will hand them out after Saturday walkthroughs. They come with their own color code. Get one, it’s a white shirt. Get two, it’s a gray shirt. Get three, it’s a black shirt. Watt and Bishop are racking them up with increasing frequency.
Yet all is not perfect. The Giants gashed the Steelers for 157 yards rushing, not the best indicator for a team whose second-half schedule includes four games combined with Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia, three of the most productive running teams in the league.
New York’s productivity on the ground was a sobering and in some ways welcome reminder of the considerable work that lies ahead.
“I think that’s good to be able to win ‘in spite of’ sometimes,” Austin said. “And so I’m real confident in our group coming back and working our tail off to be better when we line up and play next.”
It’s a methodology that trickles from the top down.
Tomlin’s message when he switched quarterbacks was simple: Good is no longer good enough. While Watt and defensive end Cam Heyward — now the longest-tenured defensive player in team history — are building resumes worthy of Hall of Fame consideration, neither has reached a Super Bowl. Watt, in fact, is still waiting for his first playoff victory.
“We can’t get comfortable because we know that we just got to, we got a lot of tough, tough games, a lot of tough ball ahead of us,” outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said. “And so we know our ultimate goal. And so we know we just got to always want to get better and have that championship detail.”
Something Wilson knows a little bit about. He arrived in Pittsburgh in March eager to resurrect his career after two underwhelming seasons with the Broncos. It’s early — very early — but his play so far has validated Tomlin’s decision to shake up the status quo and maybe set Pittsburgh on a path that’s been a slippery slope since reaching the AFC championship in 2016.
“You want to be on the rise as you go,” Wilson said. “I think we’re on that journey right now. We’re on that train of just continuing to grow. I think that’s an exciting thing for this football team, what we’re doing, how we’re doing it.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman celebrates his two-run home run against the New York Yankees during the first inning in Game 3 of the baseball World Series, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — After all that buildup, it’s been all Dodgers so far.
Freddie Freeman homered for the third straight game and Walker Buehler pitched another World Series gem as Los Angeles beat the slumping New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday night for a 3-0 lead in the Fall Classic.
With superstar Shohei Ohtani playing despite a partially dislocated left shoulder, the Dodgers moved within one victory of a surprising sweep in this much-hyped matchup between traditional powers.
“One more win. That’s all I care about right now,” Freeman said.
Teoscar Hernández threw out a runner at home plate with a pinpoint peg from left field. Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernández each delivered an RBI single, and the Dodgers chased Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt in the third inning.
Buehler and six relievers combined on a five-hitter for Los Angeles, on the cusp of its second championship in five years and the eighth in franchise history.
“Walker Buehler, he’s been doing this his whole career in big games, big moments,” Freeman said. “Steps up when you need him.”
Freeman’s two-run shot three batters in gave him a home run in five consecutive World Series games dating to 2021 with Atlanta, matching a major league record set by George Springer with Houston.
Looking much healthier after a sprained right ankle slowed him earlier this postseason, Freeman connected for the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history to win a dramatic opener in Los Angeles.
Since then, it’s been a one-sided fight.
Game 4 is Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. Down to three healthy starters, the Dodgers plan their fourth bullpen game of this postseason. Rookie right-hander Luis Gil goes for New York.
The only team in big league history to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven postseason series was the Boston Red Sox against the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series.
“Hopefully we can go be this amazing story and shock the world,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “But right now it’s about trying to get a lead, trying to grab a game, and force another one, and then on from there. But we’ve got to grab one first.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts helped spark that stunning Red Sox comeback with a pivotal stolen base.
“Don’t talk about that. Wrong guy. Way too early,” he said. “I don’t want to divulge any secrets, but from the other side, I just think that we have got to stay focused, stay urgent.”
In the 11 previous World Series meetings between these old October rivals, the lone sweep was by the Dodgers in 1963 behind Hall of Fame pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
That was the only other time the Dodgers had a 3-0 lead in a World Series.
New York hasn’t been swept in a Fall Classic since 1976 by the Cincinnati Reds. But on all five occasions they fell behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series, the Yankees lost Game 4.
Los Angeles has won seven World Series games in a row against the Yankees dating to its 1981 crown.
This one marked the first Series game at Yankee Stadium since New York clinched its 27th title in 2009 against Philadelphia. But a return home didn’t help skidding Aaron Judge and the punchless Bronx Bombers, held to four runs and nine hits in the past two games.
New York didn’t score until Alex Verdugo’s two-run homer off Michael Kopech with two outs in the ninth inning. Kopech then retired Gleyber Torres on a grounder to end it.
Buehler allowed two hits in five innings. His only previous win this year during an injury-interrupted season was May 18 against Cincinnati.
The two-time All-Star improved to 4-4 in 18 career postseason starts, including a 2-0 record with a 0.50 ERA in three World Series outings. He has yielded one run and seven hits with 22 strikeouts over 18 innings in those assignments — Game 3s against Boston (2018), Tampa Bay (2020) and the Yankees.
“It’s weird. For me, I think the playoffs, big games, that’s always been the only thing I really cared about,” Buehler said. “I was kind of awful all year. I think once you get to the playoffs, the adrenaline, I think whatever fear I had about my elbow or trying to throw a certain pitch or whatever goes away, because it’s all now, it’s all go. It’s helped me I think.”
After the Yankees struggled at the plate during two losses in Los Angeles, Boone decided against any major changes to the lineup.
New York players held a short meeting in the afternoon, and a recording from late Yankees public-address announcer Bob Sheppard introduced five-time World Series champion Derek Jeter when he threw out a ceremonial first pitch. Bronx-born rapper Fat Joe revved up the sold-out crowd of 49,368 with a pregame performance on the infield.
But it was the Dodgers who started fast.
Schmidt walked Ohtani on four pitches to begin the game. One out later, Freeman sent a 1-2 cutter 355 feet into the lower deck in right field for his 13th career postseason homer.
He joined Yankees outfielder Hank Bauer (1958) and Giants slugger Barry Bonds (2002) as the only players to go deep in the first three games of a World Series.
“When you come into a road park, you want to try to strike early and quiet the crowd, and we were able to do that in the first inning,” Freeman said.
Ohtani finished 0 for 3 with that walk and was grazed on the foot by a pitch. He grimaced after several swings and clutched his collar with his left hand even when taking a lead off first base to protect his ailing shoulder.
But he got through the game just fine.
“The pain has subsided, so I felt pretty good about it,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I was told to wear a device that keeps my shoulder warm. So during the (pregame) ceremony and throughout the game, I was wearing that per recommended by the trainers. The reason why I was holding onto myself when I was running is to make sure that I wouldn’t use that same shoulder arm if I were to slide.”
No. 9 batter Tommy Edman drew another four-pitch walk from Schmidt leading off the third and scored on Betts’ bloop single. Kiké Hernández added an RBI single in the sixth.
Schmidt walked four over 2 2/3 innings in his third postseason start. He lost his fifth consecutive decision dating to a May 16 win at Minnesota.
New York nailed a runner at home plate when Edman attempted a safety squeeze in the fourth, but the Dodgers flashed some sensational defense to stomp out any Yankees momentum.
Betts made a diving grab in right field after Giancarlo Stanton doubled with one out in the fourth. Teoscar Hernández then fired up all his teammates with a perfect 94 mph throw to the plate on Anthony Volpe’s single, cutting down Stanton to preserve a 3-0 cushion.
UP NEXT
Gil (15-7, 3.50 ERA) has made one postseason start, permitting two runs over four innings for a no-decision in Game 4 of the ALCS at Cleveland.
He won seven straight starts before a no-decision against the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium on June 9, when he gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-4 win by New York.
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