LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up one hit into the seventh inning, Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman hit back-to-back home runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers delivered a 4-2 victory over the visiting New York Yankees on Saturday to take a 2-0 World Series lead.
Tommy Edman also hit a home run, while Yamamoto (2-0) allowed one run and two walks with four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings, helping the Dodgers move two wins away from their first World Series title since 2020 and their first after a full regular season since 1988.
Dodgers right-hander Blake Treinen gave up an RBI single in the ninth to Giancarlo Stanton and departed with two outs and the bases loaded. Left-hander Alex Vesia entered and got pinch hitter Jose Trevino to fly out to center field for his first save of the postseason.
The lone area of concern for the Dodgers came when designated hitter Shohei Ohtani left the field with a trainer at the end of the seventh inning with an apparent left arm injury after an unsuccessful stolen-base attempt at second base.
Juan Soto hit a home run for the Yankees, while left-hander Carlos Rodon (1-2) gave up four runs on six hits, including three home runs, over 3 1/3 innings.
The series shifts to New York for the next three contests, starting with Game 3 on Monday. Game 4 is Tuesday and Game 5, if necessary, is Wednesday.
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when the switch-hitting Edman hit a home run into the left field corner against Rodon while batting from the left side. It was his second home run of the postseason to go along with 13 RBIs for the National League Championship Series MVP.
Soto tied it 1-1 in the third with a blast into the right field corner against Yamamoto, his fourth of the postseason.
The Dodgers moved in front 3-1 in the bottom of the third on a two-run home run from Hernandez, his third of these playoffs, while Freeman followed with a drive to right field in nearly the same spot he hit his grand slam that ended Game 1.
It was just the 19th time a team has hit back-to-back home runs in the World Series with the only other occurrence by the Dodgers coming in Game 5 in 1981 against the Yankees by Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager.
The Yankees had just one hit heading into the ninth when Soto singled off the right field wall and scored on a single off the third base bag by Stanton. Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Treinen struck out Anthony Volpe before Vesia got the last out on his first pitch.
