A dozen eye-popping stats from a thriller of a Game 5 World Series clincher

NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Dodgers are 2024 World Series champions.

It was a wild, memorable game on Wednesday night, and it cemented the Dodgers’ eighth World Series title. That ties the Giants for the fifth-most all time, behind only the Yankees (27), Cardinals (11), Red Sox (nine) and Athletics (nine).

Here’s a look at 12 stats and facts from Game 5.

• That five-run comeback? It was the largest in a World Series-clinching win, surpassing 1925 Game 7, when the Pirates trailed by four. This was the 120th World Series, so that’s quite the sample size.

• Teams are now 7-227 when trailing by at least five runs in World Series games and 20-624 in postseason history when trailing by at least five. The other World Series comebacks from five down, aside from the Dodgers: The Phillies in 2022 Game 1, Angels in 2002 Game 6, Yankees in 1996 Game 4, Blue Jays in 1993 Game 4, Dodgers in 1956 Game 2 and A’s in 1929 Game 4.

• The Dodgers had to come back twice, trailing 5-0 and 6-5. They became the first team in postseason history to fall behind by at least five runs, erase that deficit, fall behind again and still win the game, per STATS. That’s in any postseason game, and the Dodgers did it in a World Series clincher.

• Freeman won well-deserved World Series MVP honors, with four homers, 12 RBIs and a .300 average. He’s the 12th player to win a league MVP and World Series MVP in his career, and to say the list is good company is an understatement. He joins Johnny Bench, Roberto Clemente, Rollie Fingers, Bob Gibson,
Reggie Jackson, Sandy Koufax, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt and Willie Stargell. That’s 10 Hall of Famers and the all-time hits leader.

• Freeman had 12 RBIs in this series, tying 1960 Bobby Richardson for the most in a single World Series (RBI official since 1920). It’s also the most RBIs in a postseason series in Dodgers history, ahead of Tommy Edman in the 2024 NLCS and Corey Seager in the 2020 NLCS with 11 each.

• Walker Buehler pitched the ninth, recording his first MLB save, regular season or postseason. His only other professional save was Aug. 13, 2017, for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Alex Verdugo and Max Muncy were in his lineup that day. He’d go on to make his MLB debut on Sept. 7. He had one save in college at Vanderbilt, as a freshman on May 11, 2013.

• Buehler became the eighth pitcher with a win as a starter and a save in the same postseason series since saves were official in 1969. He joined Ranger Suárez in the 2022 NLCS, Clayton Kershaw in the 2016 NLDS, Madison Bumgarner in the 2014 World Series, Kevin Millwood in the 1999 NLDS, Orel Hershiser in the 1988 NLCS, Catfish Hunter in the 1974 World Series and Jack Billingham in the 1972 World Series.

• Buehler was one of eight pitchers the Dodgers used in the game. That’s the most by a team in a World Series-clinching win and the most in any nine-inning World Series win.

• This was the fifth straight season in which a Will Smith won a World Series ring, thanks to the Dodgers’ catcher. In 2023 it was LHP Will Smith (TEX), who also won in 2022 (HOU) and 2021 (ATL). In 2020, it was catcher Will Smith — who homered off the pitcher earlier in that postseason run.

• Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit the fifth set of back-to-back homers in Yankees World Series history in the first inning of Game 5. They joined 1977 Game 5 Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson, 1964 Game 6 Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, 1932 Game 3 Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and 1928 Game 4 Ruth and Gehrig. The Yankees are the first team in World Series history to hit multiple home runs in the first inning of a game when facing elimination. With the Dodgers in Game 2, this was the first time there were multiple sets of back-to-back home runs in a single World Series.

• Giancarlo Stanton hit his 18th postseason homer — two more than any other player in his first 41 postseason games. His seven this October set a record for most in a single postseason in the Yankees’ storied history.

• Home runs were a theme. Of the 49 runs scored in this Fall Classic, 30 were via homers. That’s 61.2 percent of runs scored via homer, the highest in any World Series, surpassing 57.4% in 2017 (39 of 68 runs).