When Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts rested his high-leverage relievers in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, the decision paying off. By essentially putting the game away, the Dodgers clinched the series with fresh arms in Game 6.

Have a three-game lead in the World Series against the New York Yankees He gave Roberts the luxury of employing the same strategy, and he used it again. The Dodgers punted in Game 4 and New York took advantage of the 11-4 victory.

The hope was that the fresh arms would give Los Angeles a better chance to bury the Yankees and close out the championship in Game 5. To do so, the Dodgers hoped to rely heavily on pitcher Jack Flaherty in the opening stanzas of the game. .

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Instead, Flaherty failed. In the bottom of the first inning, Yankees star Aaron Judge broke out of his slump with a two-run shot to right center field. Not long after, Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. recorded his own home run to right center field and gave New York an early 3-0 lead.

The blitz continued in the bottom of the second inning when Yankees left fielder Alex Verdugo lined a hit to bring home shortstop Anthony Volpe. At that point, Roberts had seen enough. All four hits were right over the plate, with two four-seam fastballs, a knuckleball curve and a slider, by baseball wise.

Flaherty became the first starter in World Series history to allow more than four runs and more than two home runs in less than 2.0 innings. by OptaSTATS. He also became the first starter since Jake Peavy of the San Francisco Giants in 2014 to get no more than four outs in a World Series game.

With Flaherty coming off the mound after just four outs, it became evident that the Dodgers bullpen was in for a long night. After all, there were still 7 2/3 tickets left to fill.

The last nine teams to fall into a three-game deficit were swept in four games, and only four teams in MLB history managed to force a Game 5. Roberts made sure the Yankees managed to join that club. Now, Flaherty set the Yankees up to make history: No team has ever forced a Game 6 after falling into a three-game deficit in the World Series.

Both Roberts and Flaherty hope the Dodgers’ bullpen can save them from the scrutiny that awaits them if New York can pull off a second straight victory. Fortunately for the Dodgers, there’s plenty of game left, the Yankees’ defense has been atrocious, and Los Angeles still has Freddie Freeman on their side.

The first baseman continued his historic performance in the World Series with a hit to score Tommy Edman and Will Smith. Freeman now has 12 RBIs in the series, tying Bobby Richardson for the most in a single World Series.