Dodgers hold off Yankees for 2-0 World Series lead, but lose Ohtani to injury

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series 2-0 on Saturday night after defeating the New York Yankees 4-2.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed one hit over 6 1/3 innings, Freddie Freeman homered for the second straight night and Los Angeles hit three early long balls off Yankees starter Carlos Rodon.

But Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani slightly dislocated his left shoulder during the seventh inning while trying to steal second base.

Ohtani’s status for Monday’s Game 3 in New York is unclear. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani had “a little left shoulder sprain” and would get an imaging test Saturday night or Sunday.

Ohtani clutched his left arm after being tagged out by shortstop Anthony Volpe on the last play of the inning with a first slide. He lay next to the bag for a few minutes before being attended to by trainers and off the field.

“We’ll know more in the next few days,” Roberts said. “The energy was great. The movement is good, so we’re encouraged. But obviously I can’t speculate because I haven’t got the scans yet. So once we get the scans, we’ll know more.”

Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez also went deep for the Dodgers.

After the Yankees pulled to within 4-2 on Giancarlo Stanton’s RBI single in the ninth against Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia relieved with the bases loaded and retired first baseman Jose Trevino for the save.

Yamamoto allowed a home run to Juan Soto in the third inning, then retired his last 11 batters and 15 of his last 16.

Soto singled again in the ninth and scored on Stanton with one out from the bag at third. Jazz Chisholm Jr. single and Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Treinen then struck out Anthony Volpe before Vesia was relieved.

Past World Series history on the Dodgers side

45 of the 56 teams that have taken a 2-0 World Series lead have gone on to win the title.

New York’s Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 with a triple and is hitting .150 with six RBIs and 19 hits in 40 postseason at-bats.

Soto’s tying homer on an inside fastball was the only run Yamamoto allowed in two and 13 1/3 innings against the Yankees this year. The rookie left a standing ovation and gave his fans a small tip of the cap as he made his way to the dugout.

Yamamoto joined the Dodgers last December with a $325 million, 12-year contract, a record for pitchers, who partnered with Ohtani to create a record interest in Major League Baseball back in Japan.

Yamamoto was sidelined from June 15 to September 10 with a strained rotator cuff and this was his best start since the injury.

In his longest outing since starting in the Bronx, Yamamoto struck out four and walked two with five pitches that included curveballs, splitters, sliders and cutters. He went 2-0 in the first four games of the postseason.

He threw his best game of the regular season at Yankee Stadium in June when he allowed three hits in seven shutout innings. Hernandez had three homers and nine RBIs in the three-game series.

The night after Freeman hit the first walk-off grand slam in Series history to turn a 3-2 deficit with a double in the 10th inning into a 6-3 victory, Edman put the Dodgers ahead with a solo shot in the second.

After Soto tied the score, Mookie Betts singled with two outs in the bottom half and Hernandez, on a 3-for-27 slide, returned to right-center field.

Freeman, who prior to Friday had not pitched since Sept. 16, received a standing ovation before each plate appearance. He worked the full count and returned to the right.

Playing on a sprained right ankle, Freeman has hit four straight games dating back to Atlanta’s last two games against Houston in 2021. That’s one shy of the record held by the Astros’ George Springer.

All three of the Dodgers’ home runs came on fastballs from Rodon, whose 31 long balls allowed in the regular season were tied for second in the major leagues. Los Angeles had back-to-back Series homers for the second time, after Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager homered off Yankees lefty Ron Guidry in a 2-1 Game 5 win in 1981.

Rodon allowed four runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Los Angeles took a 2-0 Series lead for the first time since 1988, when Kirk Gibson homered off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley to win the opening game and Orel Hershiser followed with a three-hit shutout. The Yankees are 0-2 for the first time since 2001, when they lost three games at home and lost Games 6 and 7 in Arizona.