Max Muncy's go-ahead homer lifts Dodgers past Yankees

NEW YORK — The setting looked familiar. Yankee Stadium. Dodgers and Yankees under the bright lights.

The last time the Dodgers walked off this field, Walker Buehler was striking out Alex Verdugo to secure the 2024 World Series championship. Nearly two years later, they returned to baseball's biggest stage in the regular season and authored another chapter at the Yankees' expense.

This one belonged to Max Muncy.

Muncy's towering two-run home run into the second deck in right field erased a one-run deficit in the seventh inning, lifting the Dodgers to a gritty 2-1 victory over New York on Friday night to open the second half. The win improved the Dodgers to 62-36 and marked its first victory at Yankee Stadium since clinching the World Series.

The Dodgers managed just five hits all evening, but they only needed one swing.

After Gerrit Cole issued a leadoff walk to Mookie Betts in the seventh, Yankees manager Aaron Boone emerged from the dugout to check on his ace. Cole convinced Boone to leave him in to face Muncy.

The decision backfired.

Cole left a 2-2 slider over the middle of the plate, and Muncy unloaded, launching it into the second deck in right field for his 18th home run of the season and a 2-1 Dodgers lead.

It was Muncy's only hit of the night, but it was the biggest swing of the game.

The blast also carried historical significance. Muncy now has 227 home runs as a Dodger, moving within one of Ron Cey for second place on the franchise's Los Angeles-era home run list.

Before Muncy's heroics, the night belonged to Roki Sasaki.

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) follows through on a pitch against the New York Yankees during the second inning at Yankee Stadium.

He reached triple digits 21 times, the most by any Dodgers pitcher in the Statcast era, including eight pitches at 101 mph or harder. His fastest offering registered 101.8 mph to Paul Goldschmidt in the first inning, the hardest pitch Sasaki has thrown in a major league game.

Sasaki finished with an impressive line of 5 2/3 innings, allowing five hits, one run, none earned, while striking out five and walking one over 94 pitches.

His only blemish came courtesy of the Dodgers' recent defensive woes.

The Dodgers entered Friday having committed nine errors over its previous five games before the All-Star break, and the sloppy play briefly followed them to New York.

In the fourth inning, Andy Pages misplayed Jasson Domínguez's two-out double on the transfer, allowing it to become a triple. Moments later, Dalton Rushing couldn't hold on to Sasaki's forkball, and the passed ball allowed Domínguez to score the game's first run.

Despite the unearned run, Sasaki never lost his composure, repeatedly overpowering Yankees hitters with upper-90s velocity and triple-digit heat.

When Sasaki departed in the sixth after consecutive singles put two runners aboard, left-hander Jack Dreyer delivered perhaps the night's most underrated moment.

Facing Domínguez with two on and two outs, Dreyer froze him with a called third strike on a curveball, preserving the one-run deficit and giving the Dodgers an opportunity to rally.

Muncy provided it an inning later.

From there, the Dodgers' bullpen and defense finished the job.

Alex Vesia escaped trouble in the eighth thanks to a spectacular relay that showcased the club's resilience after its recent defensive struggles.

Ben Rice doubled to center, but Pages quickly got the ball back into the infield, where Mookie Betts made a clean relay to Rushing at the plate. Despite both throws requiring adjustments, Betts and Rushing executed flawlessly, with Rushing recovering to apply the tag on Trent Grisham.

The Yankees challenged the play, but the call was upheld.

It also marked Pages' major league-leading 13th outfield assist this season, turning what appeared to be a game-tying run into one of the night's defining defensive plays.

Tanner Scott handled the ninth, recording his 14th save of the season in front of a sold-out Yankee Stadium crowd to close out another one-run victory.

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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) in the dugout before the start of a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

Shohei Ohtani, meanwhile, went 0-for-4 in his first game since receiving an Orthovisc injection in his left knee before the All-Star break. While the reigning MVP didn't contribute offensively, he showed improved mobility on the bases, and Dave Roberts said he remains on track to throw a bullpen session before his anticipated return to the mound next Wednesday in Philadelphia.

For one night, though, the Dodgers didn't need a barrage of offense.

They received a record-setting performance from Sasaki, one thunderous swing from Muncy, and just enough defense to erase the mistakes that had plagued them entering the break. The Dodgers will look to clinch the series Saturday night when Emmet Sheehan takes the mound against Yankees left-hander Ryan Weathers.