Well, Game 1 of the World Series did not disappoint. Renee and I watched late into the night as the game headed into old school extra innings — the kind that don’t start with a runner on second base. I was surprised, really, that it wrapped in ten. Runs did not come easy in the game, and when the Yankees scored in the top of the 10th, I thought there was a real possibility it was over.

And when Ohtani fouled out with runners on the bags in the bottom of the 10th, well, yeah, I thought for sure it was over.

But then Aaron Boone made a decision that will be second-guessed for years to come. With two outs and runners on second and third, a base hit ties the game while any hit for extra bases wins it. Mookie Betts was up, with Freddie Freeman on deck. Boone decided to intentionally walk Betts, effectively betting on the matchup between his pitcher — Nestor Cortes — and Freeman over the Cortes/Betts matchup.

Boone’s bet was an immediate bust. Freeman wasted no time in his at bat, putting the first pitch from Cortes over the wall in right for the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.

Incredible.

tags: baseball mlb worldseries

postposted by matt in Saturday, October 26, 2024