How will this year’s World Series play out? Using the Dynasty League Baseball online simulation, USA TODAY Sports’ Steve Gardner and DLB designer Mike Cieslinski will pre-play each game to provide some insight into the key matchups and strategy fans can expect to see in the Fall Classic.
When the going gets tough, baseball teams need to be able to rely on their stars.
Arguably the two most important players on the New York Yankees played critical roles in a 2-0 shutout of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of USA TODAY Sports’ annual Simulated World Series.
Ace Gerrit Cole tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings and MVP Aaron Judge hit a mammoth home run to propel the Yankees to victory, but not before some ninth-inning drama had the Dodgers within an eyelash of reversing the outcome.
BOX SCORE: Yankees 2, Dodgers 0
FULL PLAY-BY-PLAY: Cole, Judge come up big for Yanks in Game 5
World Series Game 5 simulation
In a rematch of Game 1, starting pitchers Cole and Jack Flaherty matched zeroes early — albeit in very different fashion. The Dodgers had baserunners in scoring position in each of the first four frames, but Cole continually managed to escape with crucial strikeouts in situations where a batter even making weak contact would have scored a run.