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    • Soto lifts Yankees vs. Dodgers up in Game 2
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    Soto lifts Yankees vs. Dodgers up in Game 2

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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.

    Juan Soto’s second home run of the game – a three-run explosion in the top of the seventh inning – broke open a tense back-and-forth affair and lifted the New York Yankees to a 7-4 victory in Game 2 of USA TODAY Sports’ annual simulated World Series.

    The win evens the series at one game apiece as the two teams head to Yankee Stadium for Games 3, 4 and 5.

    Hitters continue to pound away in the Sim Series this year with seven home runs, accounting for nine of the 11 runs scored in Game 2. That, in addition to six home runs the two teams hit in the opener.

    BOX SCORE: Yankees 7, Dodgers 4

    FULL PLAY-BY-PLAY: Soto’s game-clinching homer even pulls Yanks to Game 2 victory

    World Series Game 2 Simulation

    The two teams played another home run derby at Dodger Stadium, with Soto and Jazz Chisholm giving the Yankees an early 2–1 lead, but Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages started the game with left-hander Carlos Rodón on the mound after hitting . 357/. 396/.520 against lefties in the regular season – tied for a home run off reliever Tommy Kahnle in the bottom of the fifth, tying things up.

    The game turned in the Yankees’ favor in the fateful seventh inning. With Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto still on the mound, Anthony Volpe led off with a double to left center. That brought in left-hander Alex Vesia, opposite lefty hitters Austin Wells and Alex Verdugo. An ill-advised bunt by Wells led to Volpe being thrown out at third base. Verdugo flied out, but leadoff man Gleyber Torres walked to set the stage for Soto’s two-out heroics.

    LA got one back on Rojas’ second solo homer of the game to make it 6-4, but defensive replacement Oswaldo Cabrera provided the Yanks with an insurance run on an RBI single in the ninth. Closer Luke Weaver got out of a two-on, no-out jam by striking out Shohei Ohtani and retiring Mookie Betts on a liner to end the game and pick up the save.

    What can you watch in (the real) game 2

    Neutralizing the Dodgers lefty bats: One of the biggest factors in this series is the Yankees’ approach to the Dodgers’ powerful left-handed hitters. In Game 2, starter Carlos Rodón and a trio of relievers neutralized Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy – who combined to go 0-for-13 with 10 strikeouts.

    Rodón pitched into the sixth inning and gave up only two runs before leaving with the lead. Rodón gives the Yankees their best game against those tough lefty swingers, even as he faces them for the third time in the order.

    Soto comes through in the clutch: As we have often seen in big moments, Juan Soto has a flair for the dramatic. His huge three-run home run in Sim Series Game 2 was eerily reminiscent of the three-run home run he hit off Cleveland’s Hunter Gaddis in the ALCS clincher.

    Dynasty League Baseball gives certain players who performed exceptionally well during the regular season with two outs and runners in scoring position a special “Clutch” rating that comes in handy in such situations. Soto’s home run off Vesia was the result of his clutch rating, which turned what would have been a lineout into a deep drive – and Soto’s Class A power saw him drive over the fence.

    Defensive upgrades: Many Yankee fans were upset when Oswaldo Cabrera failed to come up with a ground ball in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 1 that could have stopped Freddie Freeman from coming to the plate and hitting his game-winning grand slam . However, Cabrera was a much better defender this season than Gleyber Torres, whom he had just replaced. (In Dynasty League Baseball, Cabrera has a B defensive range at second base, compared to Torres’ D.)

    Cabrera made two nice plays in the ninth inning of this game – one to rob Miguel Rojas of a hit deep in the hole and the other to get Betts’ liner to end the game.

    Expect Yankees manager Aaron Boone to bring Cabrera in late in games for defensive purposes despite his misplay in Game 1.

    How will the bullpens match up late? Sometimes the platoon advantages work, sometimes they don’t. Pages (.213/.277/.370 vs. RHP) hit a homer off Kahnle to tie things up. And Soto hit his tie-breaking home run off lefty Vesia (.144/.238/.311 vs. LH hitters).

    When the game comes down to relievers facing hitters, keep these guys in mind:

    • Dodgers RHP Michael Kopech vs. LH: .153/.270/.271
    • Dodgers RHP Blake Treinen vs. LH: .218/.256/.423
    • Dodgers LHP Alex Vesia vs. RH: .150/.274/.278
    • Yankees RHP Jake Cousins ​​vs. LH: .132/.313/.184
    • Yankees RHP Tommy Kahnle vs. LH: .169/.274/.301
    • Yankees RHP Luke Weaver vs. LH: .162/.253/.261

    Previous results from the 2024 Sim series

    Game 1: Dodgers 13, Yankees 9

    Simulate your own World Series. Get a FREE monthly subscription to Dynasty League Baseball online by visiting DynastyLeagueBaseball.com, selecting the monthly option and entering code USA2 at checkout.

    Vaseline
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