Before first pitch, Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1 had already been shown on the video board twice.
The public address announcer referred to the Dodgers as the World Series champions whenever possible.
And throughout the night, a large white flag flew in center field next to commemorate their title from last October.
And in case that wasn’t all harrowing enough for the Yankees, they saw a three-run lead get away when the Dodgers rallied for a four-run inning against their ace.
No, it was not the fifth inning of Game 5 and there were no Yankees errors that fueled it.
But the Dodgers used a big sixth inning to knock Max Fried out of the game and beat the Yankees 8-5 on Friday night at Dodger Stadium in their first meeting since the World Series.
Fried entered the night having given up 10 earned runs and three home runs all season across 70 innings.
Then in a span of five-plus innings Friday, the Dodgers (35-22) tagged him for six earned runs and two home runs — both from Shohei Ohtani.
Freddie Freeman slides safely into home beating the tag of Austin Wells to score a run during the sixth inning of the Yankees’ 8-5 road loss to the Dodgers on May 30, 2025.
“I felt like the guys did a great job tonight, putting up early runs, and for the most part I just didn’t do my job,” Fried said. “I’m a competitor, I want to go out there and win. So the fact that we had a lead and I gave it up a couple times, it’s not going to sit well with me. But just got to be able to use it as motivation to go out next time and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
The Yankees (35-21), who saw their five-game winning streak snapped, clubbed four home runs of their own off right-hander Tony Gonsolin in the first three innings alone.
That included one from Aaron Judge, who traded solo shots with Ohtani in the first inning, before the Yankees took a 5-2 lead into the sixth.
Max Fried, who had his worst outing of the season, allowed six runs in five innings in the Yankees’ loss to the Dodgers.
But Ohtani led off the frame with his second home run of the night (and 22nd of the year), a moonshot hit so high to right field that the music started to play before it landed because it took so long.
Immediately after throwing the pitch, all Fried could do was turn around and put his hands on his knees as the ball sailed out.
Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith followed with back-to-back singles before Freeman walked to the plate with the sellout crowd of 53,276 chanting his name.
Max Fried looks down to the ground after giving up a homer to Shohei Ohtani, his second of the game, in the sixth inning of the Yankees loss to the Dodgers.
The World Series MVP delivered an RBI double to pull the Dodgers within 5-4 and send Fried to the showers.
“Leaving balls in the middle of the plate, not going to the locations I wanted to,” Fried said. “When you’re facing a good team with good hitters, they’re going to make you pay for it.”
Jonathan Loáisiga entered from the bullpen and with the infield in, Andy Pages hit a ground ball past the dive of Anthony Volpe to tie the game at five.
Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after hitting his second homer of the game in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ loss to the Dodgers.
The Yankees got the first out of the inning when Tommy Edman hit a chopper to first and Paul Goldschmidt got Freeman stuck in a pickle between third and home.
But before he was tagged out, the Dodgers got the other two runners to second and third.
So when Max Muncy pinch-hit for Kiké Hernández, Aaron Boone opted to intentionally walk him with first base open and then bring in lefty Tim Hill with the bases loaded.
But Hill, who has struggled with his command of late, walked ex-Met Michael Conforto on a full count, forcing in a run to put the Dodgers up 6-5.
“I figured [Mookie] Betts was down, so I’m going for the Hill-[Conforto] trying to get the ball on the ground there,” Boone said on a night when Betts was out with a toe injury. “And Timmy’s such a strike thrower, [but] he ends up losing him there.”
A double play got the Yankees out of the inning, but the Dodgers came back for more in the seventh, all with two outs, against Yerry De Los Santos.
Aaron Judge rounds the bases after hitting a first-inning homer in the Yankees’ road loss to the Dodgers.
Freeman was in the middle of the rally once again with a double before he raced around to score the second run on Pages’ two-run single.
The Yankees threatened in the eighth inning by putting runners on the corners with two outs and righty Ben Casparius on the mound. Boone sent up lefty-swinging pinch-hitter J.C. Escarra, with the Dodgers countering by bringing in lefty reliever Tanner Scott. Boone then pinch-hit DJ LeMahieu for Escarra, but he flew out to end the threat.
When Judge (who also made a terrific diving catch in the gap) and Ohtani exchanged blows in the first inning, it marked the first time in MLB history that both reigning MVPs homered in the first inning of the same game.
Trent Grisham celebrates with Aaron Judge after hitting a two-run homer in the second inning of the Yankees’ road loss to the Dodgers.
Austin Wells, Trent Grisham and Goldschmidt each added homers to build the Yankees a 5-2 lead, but it was not enough.
“I feel like [Ohtani] was copying me — I started it,” Judge said with a grin. “No, he’s impressive. He’s one of the best players in the game for a reason. What he can do in the box, on the basepaths, once he gets back on the mound, it’s special.
Austin Wells celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the second inning of the Yankees’ road loss to the Dodgers.
“But it’s really just about two good ballclubs going after it and we weren’t able to come away with the win. But we’ll be ready to go [Saturday].”
