Freeman Walk-Off HR: Dodgers Win Game 3 in 18, Lead 2-1
In what can only be described as an instant classic, the Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays in a marathon 18-inning battle, securing a 6-5 victory on Freddie Freeman's walk-off home run to take a 2-1 lead in the 2025 World Series.
The game, played at Dodger Stadium before a raucous crowd of 52,654, tied the record for the longest in World Series history and showcased baseball at its most grueling and exhilarating.
The contest, which spanned a staggering 6 hours and 39 minutes, featured dramatic comebacks, defensive gems, and a historic performance from Shohei Ohtani that nearly overshadowed Freeman's heroics.
With the series now shifting in favor of the Dodgers, all eyes turn to Game 4, where Ohtani is slated to take the mound despite his exhausting night at the plate.
A Game of Momentum Swings
The Dodgers struck first against Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer, building a 2-0 lead in the early innings on solo home runs from Teoscar Hernández and Shohei Ohtani.
But Toronto roared back in the fourth, capitalizing on a Tommy Edman error that loaded the bases.
Catcher Alejandro Kirk delivered the blow, launching a three-run homer over the left-center-field wall to flip the script and give the Blue Jays a 3-2 advantage.
They tacked on another run later in the inning, pushing the lead to 4-2.
Los Angeles responded swiftly in the fifth. With a runner on base, Blue Jays manager John Schneider pulled Scherzer in favor of lefty Mason Fluharty to face the left-handed Ohtani.
The strategy backfired as Ohtani ripped an RBI double to left-center, narrowing the gap to 4-3.
Freeman followed with a ground-ball single through the right side, scoring Ohtani to knot the game at 4-4.
The seventh inning brought more fireworks. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hustled from first base on a ground ball that caromed off the side wall, scoring to put Toronto ahead 5-4.
But Ohtani wasn't done, crushing a solo home run off reliever Seranthony Domínguez to tie it once more at 5-5.
Domínguez later admitted, “You know, we’re trying to pitch around him.
You trust Seranthony to make pitches to do that. Sometimes for pitchers it’s hard to do that when you’re kind of trying to throw a ball and didn’t put it where you want to put it.”
From there, the game devolved into a war of attrition.
Extra innings saw both teams' bullpens stretched to their limits, with the Dodgers using a World Series-record 10 pitchers and the Blue Jays deploying nine.
Key defensive plays kept the scoreboard frozen: In the 10th, Teoscar Hernández's relay throw nailed Davis Schneider in a rundown.
Clayton Kershaw, in what could be one of his final appearances before retirement, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 12th with an eight-pitch groundout from Nathan Lukes.
Reliever Will Klein, called up after Alex Vesia's absence, emerged as an unlikely hero for the Dodgers, tossing four scoreless innings in extras—his longest outing ever.
“I was sitting at home in Arizona the last month, you know?
I never thought this would happen, so I just stayed in it mentally and good things happened,” Klein said postgame.
The breakthrough finally came in the bottom of the 18th.
Facing lefty Brendon Little, Freeman worked a full count before unloading on a pitch, sending it soaring over the center-field wall for the walk-off winner.
It marked Freeman's second career World Series walk-off homer, following his grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 series against the Yankees.
“To have it happen again a year later, to hit another walk-off, it’s kind of amazing, crazy,” Freeman reflected.
“I’m just glad we won and we’re up 2-1, and we got our Shohei on the mound [Tuesday].”
Ohtani's Unprecedented Night
While Freeman delivered the decisive blow, Shohei Ohtani's performance stole the show.
The two-way superstar reached base a staggering nine times—a postseason first—including four extra-base hits (two homers and two doubles) and four intentional walks, another record.
He became only the second player in World Series history with four extra-base hits in a game, joining Frank Isbell from 1906.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called it “one of the greatest World Series games of all time,” while Freeman humbly deferred: “Shohei’s game.
I hope we don’t lose sight … our starting pitcher tomorrow got on base nine times tonight. Just incredible.”
Ohtani, ever focused, added, “What I accomplished today is in the context of this game, and what matters the most is we flip the page and play the next game.”
Blue Jays skipper John Schneider hinted at future adjustments: “After [Ohtani’s seventh-inning homer], you just kind of take the bat out of his hands.”
Other standouts included Guerrero Jr.'s hustle play and Kirk's timely homer for Toronto, while Edman redeemed his error with two exceptional throws from the outfield.
However, the Blue Jays suffered a potential blow when veteran George Springer exited in the seventh with right side discomfort; an MRI could sideline him for the remainder of the series, forcing lineup tweaks amid Bo Bichette's ongoing knee issues.
Pitching Breakdown and Bullpen Strain
Tyler Glasnow started for the Dodgers but took a no-decision after surrendering Kirk's three-run shot.
The bullpen carried the load, with Kershaw and Klein providing critical shutdown innings.
On the Toronto side, Scherzer lasted into the fifth before the parade of relievers began, culminating in Little's fateful matchup with Freeman.
The game highlighted aggressive base running, with six players thrown out on the bases, including Addison Barger's record-setting throw tracked by Statcast.
Both teams' relievers threw 13 1/3 innings, taxing resources ahead of a compressed schedule—three games in three nights.
Looking Ahead: Implications for the Series
With the Dodgers now holding a 2-1 edge, Game 4 looms large.
Ohtani's start adds intrigue, though his heavy workload raises questions about fatigue.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who threw a complete game in Game 2, was even warming up for a potential 19th inning, signaling his availability for later games.
For Toronto, the loss stings, but the series is far from over.
They'll need to regroup quickly, especially if Springer's absence weakens their lineup.
As Roberts put it, this epic clash has set the stage for what could be a memorable Fall Classic.
The Dodgers and Blue Jays will face off again tonight at Dodger Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 8:08 p.m.
ET. Baseball fans worldwide will be watching to see if Toronto can even the series or if Los Angeles pulls further ahead in their quest for back-to-back titles.