World Champs! Dodgers win World Series with epic comeback over Yankees in Game 5
NEW YORK (KABC) -- The Dodgers are world champions for the 8th time!
They fell into a 5-0 hole to the Yankees early in Game 5, but slugged out an epic comeback to take the 7-6 win in New York on Wednesday.
Dodger fans throughout Southern California - and plenty in New York City - erupted at the end, as Walker Buehler came back on just two days' rest to close out the ninth inning.
"Being down 5-0, hostile environment, Yankee Stadium ... we kept fighting," manager Dave Roberts told ABC7's Rob Fukuazki as champagne sprayed everywhere in the locker room. "We persevered. Now we're World Series champions!"
RELATED: Everything you need to know about Dodgers parade in downtown LA
Game 5 featured a rematch of the starters from the series opener, Jack Flaherty for Los Angeles and Gerrit Cole for the Yankees. Both are Southern California natives.
The Yankees feasted early on Flaherty, who gave up four runs - including back-to-back home runs - before Dave Roberts yanked him in the second inning and sent in Anthony Banda.
Aaron Judge, who had been fairly quiet this series, blasted one to right center with Juan Soto on first. The next batter was Jazz Chisholm Jr. who also took Flaherty deep for a solo shot to right center.
It wasn't looking good for the Dodgers heading into the fifth inning down 5-0.
But then they finally figured out Cole. A long series of singles and doubles, helped by a pair of Yankee fielding errors, helped them bat around the order and even it up at 5-5 heading into the sixth.
By the top of the eighth, the scored was tied at 6 apiece.
RELATED: Fireworks, street takeovers pop up across Los Angeles after Dodgers win World Series
With bases loaded, Mookie Betts hit a deep pop fly to center and Tommy Edman tagged up to make it 7-6. That brought out Freddie Freeman with two men on, and the chance to once again be the hero of the game. But Freeman struck out swinging, sending the Yankees back to the plate.
Freeman, who hit home runs in the first four consecutive games of the series, was named World Series MVP.
Walker Buehler, who pitched five scoreless innings in Game 3, came back on short rest to close it out in the ninth.
"It's more than I could ever imagine," Edman said afterward. "Its been an amazing journey. It's the best feeling in the world."
The Dodgers' win was helped with multiple errors by the Yankees at key moments, including fielding miscues by Aaron Judge in center and Anthony Volpe at shortstop, combined with Cole failing to cover first on a Betts grounder.
When Buehler struck out Verdugo to end the game, the Dodgers poured onto the field to celebrate between the mound and first base, capping a season in which they won 98 games and finished with the best regular-season record.
"There's just a lot of ways we can win baseball games," Buehler said. "Obviously the superstars we have on our team and the discipline, it just kind of all adds up."
Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers' record-setting $700 million signing and baseball's first 50-homer, 50-steal player, went 2 for 19 with no RBIs and had one single after separating his shoulder during a stolen base attempt in Game 2.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
