The New York Yankees face a tough battle in the World Series, while the LA Dodgers look to secure victory with the limping Shohei Ohtani

CNN
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are on the verge of their eighth World Series championship in franchise history and have the chance to finish it off in a dominant manner.

A 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 3, which included a commanding performance from pitcher Walker Buehler and a record-breaking performance from Freddie Freeman, gave the Dodgers a 3-0 lead in the series, leaving them just one Games away from the first in the Fall Classic since 2012, when the San Francisco Giants defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-0.

According to MLB, LA only has one best-of-seven win to its name, but it could be a good omen for the team – it came against none other than the Yankees in 1968.

While the focus will be on whether LA can finish things off in as few games as possible and the health of superstar batsman Shohei Ohtani, New York will look to take the first step toward a spectacular comeback.

The two teams will meet in Game 4 at New York's Yankee Stadium. First pitch takes place at 8:08 p.m. ET.

The matchup – and possibly other games – will be broadcast in the USA on Fox.

The Dodgers are seeking their first title since 2020, where they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in six games after the regular season was shortened by over 100 games due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Their last full-season World Series championship came in 1988.

The National League champions now have a chance to secure victory on enemy soil – the rivalry between the two teams dates back to the Dodgers' time in New York as the Brooklyn Dodgers in the first half of the 20th century.

LA won Game 3 despite an injury to designated hitter Ohtani. The Japanese superstar suffered a shoulder injury in Game 2 and speculation is rife that he could be sidelined.

Ohtani – who made his postseason debut this year after six seasons with crosstown rivals the Los Angeles Angels – was fit for Game 3 but appeared visibly impaired by the injury. He appeared to wince in pain during several swings and held onto his jersey on the base paths, apparently trying to limit movement of his shoulder.

He went hitless during the game, but reached base twice on a walk and a hit by pitch. He scored on Freeman's first-inning home run – the fifth straight home run in a World Series game for LA's first baseman.

Ohtani said after the game that he taped up before the competition and felt “different.” He admitted to reporters that he was currently unsure whether surgery would be necessary to resolve the shoulder problem.

“I have had no further discussions about the future plan,” he said through his interpreter Will Ireton, according to the team. “I think that will happen when the season is over. Run additional tests. But the way I feel now, I don’t think so.”

LA will continue to rely on players like Freeman to get them over the finish line in the series. The 35-year-old was a fireworks display in the first three games and secured the win in Game 1 with a walk-off grand slam.

“You couldn’t ask for a better start to these three games,” Freeman said after Game 3. “But we still have one more to go.”

“I think I see the ball very well… hopefully we can keep going. We have another one.”

The task facing the Yankees has historically been nearly insurmountable.

Teams that went 3-0 in the postseason have won the series 39 of 40 times. The only turning point came in the 2004 American League Championship Series (ALCS), when the Boston Red Sox came from behind to defeat the Yankees 4-3. The Red Sox won the World Series that year.

Only one other team has even forced a decisive game out of this situation – the Houston Astros tied the 2020 ALCS at 3-3 before losing Game 7 to the Rays – and no team has come close to accomplishing that feat in the World Series .

That obviously doesn't bode well for New York, which is facing a humiliating defeat at the hands of one of its biggest rivals.

Despite having their backs against the wall, the Yankees players and staff are focused on pulling off a comeback that would make history.

“We're trying to get a game in tomorrow, okay?” manager Aaron Boone said after Game 3. “That's our focus. Hopefully we can tell this amazing story and shock the world. But right now it's about getting a lead, winning one game and forcing another and then go from there. But we have to grab one first.”

“Nobody said it was going to be easy,” outfielder Alex Verdugo added. “We knew what was expected of us and how difficult it would be. We just have to stick together and block out this noise.

“I know how good this team is, and if this team wins three in a row, why can’t we win three in a row?”