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Sports World Reacts to Freddie Freeman's Walk-Off Grand Slam in Epic World Series Game 1

With the Dodgers down to their final out, L.A.'s first baseman delivered a moment reminiscent of Kirk Gibson's iconic 1988 homer.

Zach Koons

Freeman lived out a moment every young baseball fan dreams of.
Freeman lived out a moment every young baseball fan dreams of. / Erick Rasco/Sports Illustrated
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Party like it's 1988 Dodgers fans.

Freddie Freeman had his Kirk Gibson moment in the 10th inning of Game 1 of the World Series, blasting a walk-off grand slam to take down the New York Yankees 6–3 on Friday night. Not only was the moment reminiscent of the iconic Gibson home run in 1988, but Freeman's homer was the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.

Freeman, the 2020 National League MVP, came to the plate with two outs after a chaotic 10th inning. After the Yankees seized the lead in the top half of the frame, the Dodgers battled to get runners on base, beginning with a Gavin Lux walk. After Tommy Edman singled to center field, Shohei Ohtani flied out to left, but New York outfielder Alex Verdugo fell into the stands while making the catch, allowing both runners to advance to second and third. The Yankees then opted to walk Mookie Betts, setting the deck for Freeman to deliver what could go down as one of the most memorable moments in World Series history.

Freeman's grand slam capped a tightly contested Game 1 that was filled with highlight moments from some of the best players in all of baseball. But after the Dodgers first baseman smashed the final pitch of the game into the outfield seats, media members and fans alike couldn't talk about anything else.

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Zach Koons
ZACH KOONS

Zach Koons is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about Formula One. He joined SI as a breaking/trending news writer in February 2022 before joining the programming team in 2023. Koons previously worked at The Spun and interned for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently hosts the "Bleav in Northwestern" podcast and received a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University.

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