LOS ANGELES, CA — Before Friday night in Hollywood, there were a total of 211 days between the Yankees and Dodgers, two of arguably the most iconic franchises in all of baseball history, last facing each other.
That was October 30, 2024, that infamous Game 5 of the 2024 World Series at Yankee Stadium, where the Dodgers came back from a 5-0 deficit to win the Fall Classic, four games to one; the franchise’s eighth-ever WS title. Though both teams look a bit different, they remain two of the most powerful clubs in baseball. Both teams have suffered losses to key starters and bullpen staffs but remain in first place in their divisions.
Moments after the Dodgers secured the final out of Game 5 of the World Series to clinch the Fall Classic and become Champions – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
For Friday night, 53,276 fans in attendance and millions upon millions around the globe, were in for a treat as the best pitcher in baseball so far this season, Max Fried, 7-0, 1.29 ERA, got the start for the Bronx Bombers.
Fried is a native of LA and played High School baseball at Harvard-Westlake, North Hollywood, along with Jack Flaherty and Lucas Giolito.
The Yankees signed Max Fried to the largest contract in all of MLB history for a left-handed pitcher (8-year/$218M) – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
The Dodgers sent out 31-year-old RHP Tony Gonsolin, 2-1, 4.68 ERA. Gonsolin was lights out in 2022, going 16-1 with an ERA of 2.14 until the dreaded Tommy John word entered his career. He, like many others, post-surgery, has not been quite the same as he was in 2022, but he provides LA with innings.
It didn’t take long for the fireworks to start as Aaron Judge, on a 1-1 pitch, sent a monster 446-foot, 113mph home run into batter’s eye netting in dead center field, his nineteenth of the season.
Then, in the bottom of the first inning, Shohei Ohtani hit the first pitch he saw from Fried, 417 feet into the center field pavilion, his league-leading sixth leadoff home run of the year, eighteenth of his career, and major league-leading twenty-first of the season.
And it didn’t stop there. Friday night in Hollywood, where stars shine, marked the first time in MLB history that both reigning MVPs homered in the first inning of the same game.
In the next inning, Austin Wells hit the first pitch he saw for a home run, and a few batters later, Trent Grisham hit a two-run home run to give the Yankees a 4-1 lead. The show continued in the third inning when Paul Goldschmidt sent a pitch into the right-field pavilion, extending the lead to 5-2. Gonsolin obviously was not fooling anyone with any of his pitches.
Four home runs in the first three innings was not what the Dodgers were expecting to see out of Gonsolin in game one of this three-game series. The only positive thing he did was not give up any more runs and go six innings, keeping the bullpen from having to pitch innings.
Tony Gonsolin is 3-1 on the 2025 season across six starts with a 5.23 ERA and 32 strikeouts – Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
Fried was not fooling too many Dodgers either and the Dodgers started to pile on the runs. He left after he gave up four runs in the top of the sixth inning beginning with Ohtani’s second home run of the night, giving him a major league leading twenty two. Fried left with a line of five innings pitched, six runs, all earned, three strikeouts, and two home runs. Taking the loss, his first of the season, in this 8-5 come-from-behind win, just like October 30, 2024, a comeback victory…
Follow us on Social Media for updates and exclusive content
Instagram: @latinosportsoficial
Facebook: Latino Sports
Twitter: @latinosports
