Freddie Freeman’s walk-off homer in the 18th inning sealed a 6–5 Dodgers win in an instant World Series classic. Dave Roberts praised his “heroes across the board,” as the Dodgers outlasted Toronto in one of the longest, most emotional games in baseball history.
In a World Series game that will be remembered for generations, the Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays, 6–5, in an 18-inning thriller at Dodger Stadium, tying the record for the longest Fall Classic game ever played. Freddie Freeman delivered the game-winning blow, hitting a walk-off homer to dead center to end the six-hour marathon and give the Dodgers a 2–1 series lead.
“Yeah, it’s one of the greatest World Series games of all time,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in his postgame press conference, visibly exhausted but beaming with pride. “Emotionally spent… there’s just a lot of heroes tonight. Freddie put the exclamation mark on the game. But you see what Will Klein did, what Edgardo [Henriquez] did, [Justin] Wrobleski, Clayton [Kershaw] coming in for a huge out — across the board, everyone had big nights. They just kept fighting.”
It was a night that tested every ounce of energy from both dugouts. Catcher Will Smith caught all 18 innings, while Roberts noted that “he thought Will’s ball early was gone… Freddie hit another ball I thought was a homer. Tail hit one that could’ve been a homer.” The marine layer hung over Dodger Stadium, keeping well-struck balls in play and forcing both teams to scratch for every run.
The Dodgers’ bullpen was stretched to its absolute limit. Long reliever Will Klein threw four remarkable innings in relief, holding the Blue Jays scoreless deep into extra frames. “Both those guys, Klein and Enriquez — performances for the ages,” Roberts said. “People talk about the superstars, but a lot of times it’s these unsung heroes that come through. Tonight was Will Klein’s night.”
Even the veterans were pushed to new limits. Roberts revealed that Kershaw was able to pitch multiple innings before being called on for a crucial out late in the game. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, just a few days after pitching a complete game shutout and throwing over 100 pitches, was warming up in case the game somehow stretched to a 19th.
Toronto, meanwhile, pitched Shohei Ohtani cautiously. The Blue Jays issued several intentional walks to the Dodgers’ two-way star, including one with no one on base. “I get it,” Roberts said of Toronto’s strategy. “He’s the best player on the planet. They weren’t going to let Shohei beat them. But fortunately, we’ve got guys behind him that can do some things.”
Ohtani was on base “eight or nine times,” Roberts added, noting his competitiveness and fatigue. “He’s spent… but he’s taking the mound tomorrow. He’ll be ready.”
After 18 innings of tension, emotion, and exhaustion, Freeman’s walk-off single brought an end to one of the wildest nights in Dodger Stadium history. “I’m just so proud of this group of men,” Roberts said. “They laid it all out there. And fortunately for the Dodgers, we’ve got Freddie Freeman on our team.”
As the Dodgers stagger into Game 4 on fumes but with momentum, Roberts’ words summed up the night perfectly, a blend of exhaustion, pride, and belief: “Guys will do anything to win a championship, and they’re laying it out there.”