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    • Cole and the Judge lift the Yankees in Game 5
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    Cole and the Judge lift the Yankees in Game 5

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    How will this year's World Series end? Using the online simulation Dynasty League Baseball, USA TODAY Sports' Steve Gardner and DLB designer Mike Cieslinski will preview each game to provide insight into the key matchups and strategies fans can expect in the Fall Classic.

    When the going gets tough, baseball teams need to be able to rely on their stars.

    Arguably the New York Yankees' two most important players played crucial roles in the 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the annual USA TODAY Sports Simulated World Series.

    Ace Gerrit Cole pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings and MVP Aaron Judge hit a mammoth home run to lead the Yankees to victory, but not before ninth-inning drama narrowly prevented the Dodgers from reversing the result.

    BOX score: Yankees 2, Dodgers 0

    FULL PLAY-BY-PLAY: Cole and Judge came up big for the Yanks in Game 5

    World Series Game 5 simulation

    In a rematch of Game 1, starters Cole and Jack Flaherty hit zeros early – albeit in very different ways. The Dodgers had baserunners in scoring position in each of the first four frames, but Cole repeatedly managed to escape with crucial strikeouts in situations where a batter would have scored a run even with weak contact.

    Meanwhile, Flaherty retired the Yankees' first 12 batters in order before doubles by Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo set up the game's first run. (Rizzo's hit through a tucked infield was his first of the Sim Series and broke an 0-for-16 skid.)

    Judge delivered the game's big hit, a gigantic 501-foot shot to deep left field in the bottom of the sixth inning that gave New York an important insurance run. It was Judge's third home run of the Sim Series.

    But the Yankees still had to prevent the strong Dodgers lineup from scoring. Left-hander Nestor Cortes came to the top of the seventh and allowed a single to Shohei Ohtani, but got Freddie Freeman to hit a fielder's choice in the final out.

    With Yankees closer Luke Weaver unavailable after his seven-out save in Game 4, the Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth. However, left-hander Tim Hill retired Freeman with a soft grounder to first to end the game.

    What you should see in (real) Game 5

    Pitcher duel? The two teams will rest their top starters completely in Game 5; How long will the managers stay loyal to them? In our Sim Series, both Cole and Flaherty made it to the sixth inning, with Cole being relieved in the sixth inning by Tommy Kahnle for the final out and Flaherty giving way to Alex Vesia in the start of the seventh inning.

    One thing to keep in mind is that Cole has struggled to keep runners on base this season. Dynasty League Baseball gives him a hold rating of D, making him one of the worst players in the majors. The Dodgers took advantage by stealing three bases from Cole in Sim Series Game 5.

    Yankees' shaky fielding: It was a recurring theme in the Sim Series and the World Series, and the Yankees put themselves in a difficult position by being unable to make routine plays.

    • Third baseman Jazz Chisholm couldn't reach far enough into the hole to mark a Betts ground ball in the first. Then he misplayed a Will Smith grounder on an error in the second.
    • Catcher Austin Wells' throwing error on a stolen base attempt in the first allowed Betts to advance to third.
    • First baseman Anthony Rizzo was unable to block a foul ball off Freeman's bat.

    Missed opportunities: The Dodgers had a runner on base in every inning of the game, but went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 12 runners on base in the shutout loss. They also had a bit of bad luck as two runners were pinned at the plate. Additionally, Yankees right fielder Juan Soto threw Tommy Edman to second on a bizarre play in the fifth inning in which he was out, but catcher Austin Wells missed the ball and then wildly threw it to first man for the Record putout. Soto recovered in time to gun down Edman, who was attempting to capture an additional base.

    Base-loaded drama: In a situation eerily reminiscent of what happened in Game 1 of the actual World Series, the Dodgers loaded the bases in the ninth inning with a chance to tie or take the lead.

    While real-life Yankees manager Aaron Boone turned to Cortes to face Freeman – and saw him give up a game-winning grand slam, virtual Boone had Cortes face the Dodgers' key left-hander in the seventh game and called for Hill in the ninth Game .

    In this case, Hill gave up a double to Ohtani and intentionally walked Betts to load the bases. And in the confrontation that Yankees fans would have loved to see in Game 1, Hill got Freeman to hit a ground ball to first for the final out.

    Previous Sim Series 2024 Results

    Game 1: Dodgers 13, Yankees 9

    Game 2: Yankees 7, Dodgers 4

    Game 3: Dodgers 9, Yankees 5

    Game 4: Yankees 4, Dodgers 3

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    Kathleen William
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