How Freddie Freeman and the Dodgers entered MLB mythology in legendary Game 3 win

Freddie Freeman delivered another iconic walk-off homer to close out the Dodgers' marathon win over the Blue Jays.

When you step into the shadowed bowl of Dodger Stadium on a crisp Los Angeles night, you expect drama in October — but not an odyssey. Not a nearly seven-hour marathon that tests the limits of endurance and sanity simultaneously. 

Yet that’s exactly what unfolded on Monday in Game 3 of this year’s World Series, and by the time the sky turned pale with dawn, two clubs were left marveling at the reverence of their souls.

Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 18th inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers won a war of attrition over the Toronto Blue Jays to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Fall Classic. 

"That was one of the greatest World Series games of all time," said an exhausted and emotional Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after the win. "There's a lot of heroes tonight. Freddie put the exclamation mark on the game."

The defending champs evened the series on Saturday thanks to a masterful complete game outing from Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, reclaiming momentum after a rough opener. Across town, the Blue Jays arrived confident — and older — with veteran Max Scherzer, now 41, dispatched to start Game 3.

The Dodgers opened with a spark off their old friend, turned nemesis: a solo shot by Teoscar Hernández in the second.

Then their unicorn, Shohei Ohtani, launched a third-inning homer to stake a 2-0 lead. 

And so the night began, with that sense of promise. But like an old novel, the first few pages promised something ordinary — and then the narrative deepened.

As the night deepened, things warped. In the top of the fourth, the Dodgers’ ordinarily sharp defense — flawless thus far in the series — faltered. An error by Tommy Edman at second base extended the inning, steering the wind into the sails of Toronto’s offense. Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow, seeking to maintain control, found his pitch count swelling.

And then the blow: a three-run homer by Alejandro Kirk followed by a sac fly from Andrés Giménez gave the Blue Jays a 4-2 advantage. 

In that moment, the momentum turned. The crowd sensed it. The stadium held its breath.

But if these Dodgers have earned anything this season, it’s the reputation for comebacks. They answered in the bottom of the fifth. Ohtani ripped an RBI double to left-center. Then Freeman delivered a two-out single, knotting the score at 4-4. 

It felt like the pendulum swinging back — but it was only preparing to swing again.

In the seventh, Roberts made a move that surprised many. He pulled left-hander Justin Wrobleski — who had been dominating — in favor of Blake Treinen, whose season had been rocky, to face the hottest hitter in the playoffs in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 

As a reminder, the last time the two danced on the diamond was at the end of August, when Treinen blew a save by serving up back-to-back homers to Guerrero Jr. and Addison Barger.

With two outs, Treinen allowed a single to Guerrero Jr. before Bo Bichette ripped an RBI single down the right-field line that struck a sound guy’s leg, bouncing back into play and allowing Guerrero to score from first. Suddenly Toronto led 5-4.

Yet, the answer came instantly. Ohtani, unfazed and incandescent, launched a home run to left-center to tie the game at 5-5. We often speak of Ohtani in mythical terms — and on this night, the myth was material. 

"He's arguably the best player on the planet," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of Ohtani. "We were trying to pitch around him. But he had a great game. He's a great player. I think after that, you just take the bat out of his hands."

Into the abyss we went, as the scoreboard lights blinked with zeroes. Eleven silent innings followed. Each team had chances: the bases loaded, runners in motion, heart-stopping throws home, gambles on the base paths. Both benches emptied out their bullpens as the night deepened into hours. 

The Blue Jays turned to left-hander Eric Lauer, who racked up 4 2/3 shutout innings. The Dodgers, increasingly using every option, eventually went to right-hander Will Klein — a man who had never tossed more than one inning or thrown more than 36 pitches in his career. On this night, he threw four scoreless innings on 72 pitches.

"I was just going on pure adrenaline," Klein said of his four shutout innings. "I had that thought in my mind that we weren't going to lose that game. I just had to find it in me to throw one more pitch, and then throw another one after that. Then sit down and get back up and have the same thought going back out there for the next one. I just kept thinking, we're putting up a zero, and we're not losing this game."

And then there was Clayton Kershaw. The future Hall of Famer, who is set to retire as soon as the World Series ends, appeared in relief in the 12th with the bases loaded and, with tears in his family’s eyes, induced a ground out to escape the jam. A throwback moment in a modern marathon.

It was nearly midnight, time had lost meaning. And in the bottom of the 18th, after 609 pitches, 19 pitchers, 37 runners left on base, 25 position players and more than 160 plate appearances, the moment finally came for a familiar hero.

Freeman stepped into the box. Full count. Left-hander Brendon Little delivered a sinker up in the zone. Freeman mashed it 406 feet to straightaway center. 

Game. Over.

Just as he did a little more than a year ago, Freeman walked off a World Series game at Dodger Stadium. His teammates spilled from the dugout. The crowd, who persevered through it all, rose to their feet, tears in their eyes. The night had finally been conquered. 

Game 3 tied the record for longest game in World Series history by innings (18) — the same mark set in 2018 at this very stadium, also ending in a walk-off homer by Max Muncy, who played the whole game at third base in this one.

Freeman became the first player to hit a walk-off home run in the World Series in consecutive appearances (Game 1 in 2024, Game 3 here). The season’s comeback kids showed their mettle yet again. The Blue Jays showed heart, depth and a bullpen that refused to break.

"I don't think you ever come up with a scenario twice, but when you're in those situations over and over again, it's what you're talking about as kids," said Freeman of his walk-off homers in consecutive World Series. "Last year it was bases loaded, two outs in the bottom of the 10th. But to have it happen again a year later, to hit another walk-off, it's kind of amazing. It's crazy."

But beyond the stats and records — this game felt sacred. It asked everything of both teams: fitness, will, skill, mental fortitude. It drained them. It also elevated them.

Now the series tips 2-1 in favor of the Dodgers. But the Blue Jays will not lie down. Tuesday’s Game 4 looms, and with Ohtani expected to pitch mere hours after he became the first player in history to reach base nine times in a single game (regular or postseason), the narrative might shift again. But one thing is clear: the Dodgers have seized momentum.

"Our starting pitcher tomorrow [later today] got on base nine times tonight," said Freeman audibly laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. "It's just incredible. It's just kind of — when you're that hot and you're hitting balls right center, left center like Shohei was tonight, you just knew he was feeling good."

And for the fans who stayed through dawn, for the stadium that echoed every stomp and cheer, this night will linger like a wound and a wonder.

In the quiet after-glow of a 6 hour, 40 minute duel, the color Dodger blue seemed a little deeper, Los Angeles a little more alive, and baseball itself reminded us of its grandest promise: that in its most extreme moments, the game becomes less about finality and more about endurance, hope and the sheer human will to win.