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    • Cole, judge lifts Yankees in Game 5
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    Cole, judge lifts Yankees in Game 5

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    How will the World Series go this year? Using the Dynasty League Baseball online simulation, USA TODAY Sports’ Steve Gardner and DLB designer Mike Cieslinski will preview each game to provide some insight into the key matchups and strategy fans can expect in the Fall Classic.

    When the going gets tough, baseball teams need to rely on their stars.

    The New York Yankees’ two most important players undoubtedly played a crucial role in a 2-0 shutout of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of USA TODAY Sports’ annual Simulated World Series.

    Ace Gerrit Cole pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings and MVP Aaron Judge hit a huge home run to propel the Yankees to victory, but not before ninth-inning drama brought the Dodgers within an instant of reversing the outcome.

    BOX SCORE: Yankees 2, Dodgers 0

    FULL PLAY-BY-PLAY: Cole, Judge came up big for Yanks in Game 5

    World Series Game 5 Simulation

    In a rematch of Game 1, starting pitchers Cole and Jack Flaherty got to zero early, albeit in a very different way. The Dodgers had baserunners in scoring position in each of the first four frames, but Cole continually escaped with crucial strikeouts in situations where a batter making even weak contact would have scored a run.

    Meanwhile, Flaherty retired the first 12 Yankees batters before doubles by Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo accounted for the game’s first run. (Rizzo’s hit off a pulled infield was his first in the Sim Series, breaking an 0-for-16 skid.)

    Judge delivered the big blow of the game, a massive explosion from 500 feet deep into left field in the bottom of the sixth inning that gave New York an important insurance run. It was Judge’s third home run in the Sim Series.

    But the Yankees still had to prevent the high-powered Dodgers lineup from scoring. Lefty Nestor Cortes rose to the top of the order in the seventh, allowing a single to Shohei Ohtani but getting Freddie Freeman to ground into a fielder’s choice for the final out.

    With Yankees closer Luke Weaver unavailable after his seven-out save in Game 4, the Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth. However, lefty Tim Hill retired Freeman on a soft grounder to end the game.

    What can you watch in (the real) game 5

    Pitcher’s duel? The two teams will have their best starters on full rest in Game 5; How long will the managers stick with it? In our Sim Series, both Cole and Flaherty made it into the sixth inning, with Cole being relieved by Tommy Kahnle for the final out in the sixth and Flaherty giving way to Alex Vesia to start the seventh.

    One thing to keep an eye on: Cole has struggled to keep runners on base this season. Dynasty League Baseball gives him a D-hold rating, putting him among the worst in the majors. The Dodgers took advantage by stealing three bases off Cole in Sim Series Game 5.

    The Yankees’ shaky fielding: It’s been a recurring theme in the Sim Series and the World Series, and the Yankees put themselves in tough situations because of their inability to play routine games.

    • Third baseman Jazz Chisholm couldn’t reach far enough into the hole to flag a ground ball from Betts in the first inning. He then misplayed a grounder by Will Smith in the second inning due to an error.
    • Catcher Austin Wells’ throwing error on a stolen base attempt in the first inning allowed Betts to go all the way to third base.
    • First baseman Anthony Rizzo couldn’t stop a foul ball from Freeman’s bat.

    Missed opportunities: The Dodgers had a runner on base every inning of the game, but went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 12 runners on base in the shutout loss. They also had a bit of bad luck, mixed with two runners being nailed to the plate. In addition, Yankees right fielder Juan Soto threw Tommy Edman to second on a bizarre play in the fifth inning in which he struck out, but catcher Austin Wells missed the ball and then threw wildly to first in an attempt to record the out. Soto recovered in time to shoot Edman who attempted to capture an additional base.

    Base-loaded drama: In a situation eerily reminiscent of what happened in Game 1 of the actual World Series, the Dodgers loaded the bases in the ninth inning with a chance to tie or lead.

    While real-life Yankees manager Aaron Boone turned to Cortes to face Freeman — and saw him give up a game-winning grand slam, virtual Boone pitted Cortes against the Dodgers’ leading lefty hitters in the seventh and called up Hill in the ninth. .

    In this case, Hill gave up a double to Ohtani and intentionally walked Betts to load the bases. And in the showdown that Yankees fans wished they had seen in Game 1, Hill got Freeman to hit a ground ball to first for the final out.

    Previous results from the 2024 Sim series

    Game 1: Dodgers 13, Yankees 9

    Game 2: Yankees 7, Dodgers 4

    Game 3: Dodgers 9, Yankees 5

    Game 4: Yankees 4, Dodgers 3

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