Dodgers win World Series in 5 games, overcome 5-run deficit with help of errors to beat Yankees 7-6

NEW YORK (AP) — You gotta hand it to Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

And not just because the Yankees certainly did.

When New York let LA back into World Series Game 5, the Dodgers did what they’ve done all year — kept on going.

After taking advantage of three miscues to erase a five-run, fifth-inning deficit during one of the most memorable midgame meltdowns in baseball history, the Dodgers used eighth-inning sacrifice flies from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts to beat New York 7-6 on Wednesday night.

"In spring training this is what we said we were going to do and we did it,” Betts proclaimed, champagne stinging his eyes.

Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning for New York. Alex Verdugo’s RBI single chased Jack Flaherty in the second, and Giancarlo Stanton’s third-inning homer against Ryan Brasier built a 5-0 Yankees lead.

In the dugout, the Dodgers remained focused.

“We were like just get one, chip away, chip away,” Freeman said.

Errors by Judge in center and Anthony Volpe at shortstop, combined with pitcher Gerrit Cole failing to cover first on Betts' grounder, helped Los Angeles score five unearned runs in the fifth.

Of the 234 teams to trail by five or more runs in a Series game, the Dodgers became just the seventh to win.

“This is going to sting forever,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I'm heartbroken.”

After Stanton’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly put the Yankees back ahead 6-5, the Dodgers loaded the bases against losing pitcher Tommy Kahnle in the eighth before the sacrifice flies off Luke Weaver.

Judge doubled off winner Blake Treinen with one out in the bottom half and Chisholm walked. Manager Dave Roberts walked to the mound with Treinen at 37 pitches.

“I looked in his eyes. I said how you feeling? How much more you got?" Roberts recalled. “He said: `I want it.' I trust him.”

Treinen retired Stanton on a flyout and struck out Anthony Rizzo.

Walker Buehler, making his first relief appearance since his rookie season in 2018, pitched a perfect ninth for his first major league save.

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 led the big leagues with 98 wins.

With several thousand Dodgers fans remaining in a mostly empty stadium, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred presented the trophy on a platform quickly erected over second base.

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 left shoulder during a stolen base attempt in Game 2. Ohtani went through the clubhouse pouring champagne on teammates and having it sprayed on him

“We were able to get through the regular season, I think, because of the strength of this team, this organization,” he said through a translator. “The success of the postseason is very similar.”

Freeman hit a two-run single to tie the Series record of 12 RBIs, set by Bobby Richardson over seven games in 1960, and was voted Series MVP. With the Dodgers one out from losing Friday’s opener, Freeman hit a game-ending grand slam reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s homer off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley in 1988’s Game 1 that sparked Los Angeles to the title.

The Dodgers earned their eighth championship and seventh since leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles — their first in a non-shortened season since 1988. They won a neutral-site World Series against Tampa Bay in 2020 after a 60-game regular season and couldn’t have a parade because of the coronavirus pandemic.

These Dodgers of Ohtani, Freeman and Betts joined the 1955 Duke Snider and Roy Campanella Boys of Summer, the Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale era that spanned the three titles from 1959-65, the Tommy Lasorda-led groups 1981 and ’88, and the Betts and Clayton Kershaw champions of 2020.

Ending a season that started with a gambling scandal involving Ohtani's interpreter during the opening series in South Korea, Roberts won his second championship in nine years as Dodgers manager, matching Lasorda and trailing the four of Walter Alston. The Dodgers won for the fourth time in 12 Series meetings with the Yankees.

New York remained without a title since its record 27th in 2009. The Yankees acquired Juan Soto from San Diego in December knowing he would be eligible for free agency after the 2024 Series. The 26-year-old star went 5 for 16 with one RBI in the Series heading into what will be intensely followed bidding on the open market.

“I'll be open to listen to every single team," Soto said. "I don't have any doors closed or anything like that, so I'm going to be available to all 30 teams.”

Judge finished 4 for 18 with three RBIs.

“You can't give a good team like that extra outs,” Judge said. “It starts with me there in the line drive coming in, misplay that. So that doesn't happen then I think we got a different story tonight.”

Cole didn’t allow a hit until Kiké Hernández singled leading off the fifth. Judge, who an inning earlier made a leaping catch at the left-center wall to deny Freeman an extra-base hit, dropped Tommy Edman’s fly to center. Volpe then bounced a throw to third on Will Smith’s grounder, allowing the Dodgers to load the bases with no outs.

Cole struck out Lux and Ohtani, and Betts hit a grounder to Rizzo — a slow grounder by a Mookie turned the 1986 World Series, by the Mets' Mookie Wilson against Boston.

Cole didn’t cover first, pointing at Rizzo, who didn't charge because he was afraid the spinning ball might get past him. Betts outraced Rizzo to the bag.

“I took a bad angle to the ball,” Cole said. “I wasn't sure really off the bat how hard he hit it. ... By the time the ball got by me, I was not in a position to cover first.”

Freeman followed with a two-run single and Teoscar Hernández hit a tying two-run double.

“When you’re given extra outs and you capitalize in that kind of game, that’s huge," Freeman said. “For us to get it back to even, you could just feel the momentum just coming along.”

Stanton’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly off Brusdar Graterol put the Yankees ahead 6-5, but the Dodgers rallied one last time in the eighth after Kiké Hernández singled off Kahnle leading off, Edman followed with an infield hit, and Smith walked on four pitches.

“We faced every adversity possible and we overcame every single one,” Freeman said, who won his second title after 2021 with Atlanta, and rebounded from a sprained ankle to homer in each of the first four Series games.

Purchased by Guggenheim Baseball Management in 2012, the Dodgers hired Andrew Friedman from Tampa Bay to head their baseball operations two years later. He boosted the front office with a multitude of analytics and performance science staff, and ownership supplied the cash.

Los Angeles went on an unprecedented $1.25 billion spending spree last offseason on deals with Ohtani, pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton, and outfielder Teoscar Hernández. Much of the money was future obligations that raised the Dodgers’ deferred compensation to $915.5 million owed from 2028-44.

Faced with injuries, the Dodgers acquired Flaherty, Edman and reliever Michael Kopech ahead of the trade deadline, and all became important cogs in the title run. The additions boosted payroll to $266 million, third behind the Mets and the Yankees, plus a projected $43 million luxury tax.

Los Angeles will celebrate with a parade Friday on what would have been the 64th birthday for Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela, who died three days before the Series opener.

“It’s going to be emotional for all of us," Roberts said.

UP NEXT

Los Angeles opens its spring schedule on Feb. 20 against the Chicago Cubs at Camelback Ranch, and the Yankees start the next day against Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

People are seen at a ransacked Nike store after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Firefighters douse water on a bus that was set on fire at Sunset and Echo Park after people gathered on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series early Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A person carries out items from a ransacked Nike store after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

An LAFD arson investigator inspects a bus that was set on fire at Sunset and Echo Park after people gathered on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series early Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A fan wearing a Shohei Ohtani taunts Los Angeles Police officers as fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler celebrates in the locker room after their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani celebrates in the locker room after their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The Los Angeles Dodgers pose for a team picture after their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates with the MVP trophy after their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Teoscar Hernández celebrate their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández celebrate their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani celebrates in the locker room after their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates after the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts celebrates after the Dodgers beat New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts (50) celebrates after hitting a sacrifice fly against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Kiké Hernández, right, is safe at third as New York Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. reaches for a throw from shortstop Anthony Volpe during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. Volpe was charged with a throwing error. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge makes error fielding on a ball hit by Los Angeles Dodgers' Tommy Edman during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge catches a fly ball by Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman during the fourth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole looks back toward the scoreboard after throwing against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen celebrates the end of the eighth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series against the New York Yankees, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts (50) celebrates with manager Dave Roberts after hitting a sacrifice fly against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts hits a sacrifice fly against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts (50) and Freddie Freeman (5) celebrate after scoring against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

SYDNEY (AP) — An attack at one of the world’s most famous beaches killed 16 people, including a child, Australian officials said Monday, after two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it an act of antisemitic terrorism.

Hundreds of people had gathered at the beach for an event to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah, when gunmen opened fire. At least 38 others were injured in the attack.

New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park said the death toll had risen from 12 to 16 overnight, including a 12-year-old child. Three other children are being treated in hospital, he said.

“This is absolutely horrendous for the community broadly, but particularly the Jewish community. ... What we saw last night was the worst of humanity, but at the same time, the very best of humanity,” Park said.

The massacre at one of Australia’s most popular beaches followed a wave of antisemitic attacks that have roiled the country over the past year, although the authorities didn’t suggest those and Sunday’s shooting were connected. It is the deadliest shooting in almost three decades in a country with strict gun control laws.

One gunman was fatally shot by police and the second was arrested and in critical condition, authorities said. Police said one gunman was known to security services, but there was no specific threat.

At least 29 people were confirmed wounded, including two police officers, said Mal Lanyon, police commissioner for New South Wales state, where Sydney is located.

Police said officers were examining a number of suspicious items, including improvised explosive devices found in one of the suspect’s car.

“This attack was designed to target Sydney's Jewish community,” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said.

The violence erupted at the end of a summer day when thousands had flocked to Bondi Beach, including hundreds gathered for the Chanukah by the Sea event celebrating the start of the eight-day Hanukkah festival.

Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish movement that runs outreach around the world and sponsors public events during major Jewish holidays, identified one of the dead as Rabbi Eli Schlanger, assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and an organizer of the event.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of an Israeli citizen, but gave no further details.

Police said emergency services were called to Campbell Parade in Bondi about 6:45 p.m. responding to reports of shots being fired. Video filmed by onlookers showed people in bathing suits running from the water as shots rang out. Separate footage showed two men in black shirts firing with long guns from a footbridge leading to the beach, as sirens wailed and people cried out in the background.

One dramatic clip broadcast on Australian television showed a man appearing to tackle and disarm one of the gunmen, before pointing the man’s weapon at him, then setting the gun on the ground.

Minns called the man, named by relatives to Australian media as fruit shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed, a “genuine hero.”

Arsen Ostrovsky, a lawyer attending the Hanukkah ceremony with his wife and daughters, was grazed in the head by a bullet. Ostrovsky said he moved from Israel to Australia two weeks ago to work for a Jewish advocacy group.

“What I saw today was pure evil, just an absolute bloodbath. Bodies strewn everywhere,” he told The Associated Press in an email from the hospital. “It was like reliving Oct. 7 all over."

"I never thought would be possible here in Australia."

Lachlan Moran, 32, from Melbourne, told the AP he was waiting for his family when he heard shots. He dropped the beer he was carrying and ran.

"I sprinted as quickly as I could," Moran said. He said he heard shooting off and on for about five minutes. “Everyone just dropped all their possessions and everything and were running and people were crying and it was just horrible."

Albanese told reporters in the capital, Canberra, that he was “devastated” by the massacre.

“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith. An act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation,” Albanese said.

He vowed the violence would be met with “a moment of national unity where Australians across the board will embrace their fellow Australians of Jewish faith.”

King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were “appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack.” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on X he was horrified, and his “heart is with the Jewish community worldwide.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X: “The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Australia targeting a Jewish celebration. Antisemitism has no place in this world.”

Police in cities around the world, including London, said they would step up security at Jewish sites.

Australia, a country of 28 million people, is home to about 117,000 Jews, according to official figures. Antisemitic incidents, including assaults, vandalism, threats and intimidation, surged more than threefold in the country during the year after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel launched a war on Hamas in Gaza in response, the government's Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal reported in July.

Last year, the country was rocked by antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. Synagogues and cars were torched, businesses and homes graffitied and Jews attacked in those cities, where 85% of the nation’s Jewish population lives.

Albanese in August blamed Iran for two of the attacks and cut diplomatic ties to Tehran.

Pastor Matt Graham was conducting a service at Bondi Anglican Church when panicked people began entering for shelter. He said antisemitism has been brewing in Sydney’s eastern suburbs including Bondi, where the Jewish community is centered.

"I’m surrounded by antisemitic graffiti constantly. I think for our community in the east (of Sydney), and as a Christian, I just want to declare I stand with the people of Israel,” Graham told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Israel urged Australia's government to address crimes targeting Jews. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he warned Australia’s leaders months ago about the dangers of failing to take action against antisemitism. He claimed Australia's decision — in line with scores of other countries — to recognize a Palestinian state “pours fuel on the antisemitic fire.”

“Your government did nothing to stop the spread of antisemitism in Australia ... and the result is the horrific attacks on Jews we saw today,” Netanyahu said.

Mass shootings in Australia are extremely rare. A 1996 massacre in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur, where a lone gunman killed 35 people, prompted the government to drastically tighten gun laws, making it much more difficult to acquire firearms.

Significant mass shootings this century included two murder-suicides with death tolls of five people in 2014 and seven in 2018, in which gunmen killed their own families and themselves.

In 2022, six people were killed in a shootout between police and Christian extremists at a rural property in Queensland state.

McGuirk reported from Melbourne, Australia, and Graham-McLay from Wellington, New Zealand. Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Mustakim Hasnath in London contributed to this report.

A motorcycle lies on the ground in the early morning near the site of a shooting Sunday at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

A small Christmas tree is at the center of an abandoned holiday picnic at Bondi Beach after a reported shooting in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Bystanders stay where police cordon off an area at Bondi Beach after a reported shooting in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers standby at Bondi Beach after a reported shooting in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)