How The World Series Saved America

The 2024 World Series saved America. The five game nail biting drama ended with the Dodgers defeating the Yankees. Because of that, the United States is a better country.

In this instance, Baseball’s Human Drama surpassed any imaginable within a Hollywood production. Robert Redford’s The Natural paled in comparison to real life Freddie Freeman’s Gibsonian walk-off grand slam home run. Freddie, who was suffering both physically and emotionally, shared his exhilaration with his father. Baseball, unlike any other sports, is exceptionally familial and generational. This was best evidenced when Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr., playing on the same major league team, hit back to back homers.

“Magical”, however, does not best describe the World Series. Rather, it is “fundamentals.” For Dodger fans, it was fundamentals. For Parents, Coaches and Kids, it was fundamentals. For Yankee fans, it was (the lack of) fundamentals.

While both teams possessed high priced stars with incredible talent, it was the Dodgers who committed themselves to the game’s fundamentals. Fundamentals in baseball includes correct defensive positioning. Defensively, position players must go to designated locations after a ball is put in play. On offense, the fundamentals are about taking what your opponent is giving you and exploiting it.

A fundamental aspect of baseball is manufacturing runs. While the Yankees launched Ruthian Home Runs that scraped the heavens, the Dodgers put the ball in play. They ran the bases with reckless abandon and carved out runs with sheer determination. The epic fundamental’s moment was when Dodger Great Mookie Betts hit a sacrifice fly. While he had just made an out, he had also driven in the series’ winning run. In celebration of this out, he found time to fist pump.

All children watching the series are now impressed by the fundamentals. No matter how great you are, i.e. Shohei Ohtani, doing the little things right matters. The Dodgers did not press themselves. Rather, they exhibited patience. They knew that their fundamental play would make them come out on top. They knew that eventually the Yankees sloppy play would happen.

In the fifth inning of the Series’ 5th game, this Dodger’s theory was validated. A cascade of Yankee miscues caused an implosion. The Yankees’ early game of excitement over big league home runs was destroyed by a little league error. A pitcher not covering first base proved to be the most fatal.

In the end, all those watching learned to appreciate the value of the fundamentals. Doing and practicing the little things in life matter. Series MVP Freddie Freeman who clobbered many series home runs did not forget life’s fundamentals. Despite being in a Gibsonian moment of greatness and grit, he fundamentally took time to share it with his father.

Be well!!

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