Yankees avoid sweep with win over Dodgers in doubleheader finale

NEW YORK — For seven innings Sunday night, the Dodgers' bullpen game looked like it might be remembered as another masterclass in run prevention.

Instead, it became a reminder of how slim the margin for error can be.

After Tommy Edman erased an eight-inning deficit with a dramatic pinch-hit home run in the top of the eighth, the Dodgers couldn't capitalize on the momentum. One half-inning later, Jazz Chisholm Jr. turned around a 97 mph fastball from Evan Phillips and launched it into the left-center field seats for the go-ahead homer, lifting the Yankees to a 2-1 victory in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.

The win allowed the Yankees to salvage the finale and avoid a sweep in a series that had largely belonged to the Dodgers.

For much of the afternoon, however, it looked like the Yankees might regret every missed opportunity.

The Yankees grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Cody Bellinger lined an RBI single to center field, scoring Paul Goldschmidt. That was the only breakthrough against a Dodgers bullpen that pieced together another impressive effort despite using seven different pitchers.

The Yankees had multiple chances to put the game away but continually left the door open.

They came up empty after putting runners on second and third with one out in the fourth, thanks in part to a heads-up defensive play from Max Muncy on a throw home. An inning later, they loaded the bases with nobody out against Jack Dreyer before Brock Stewart entered and delivered arguably the biggest sequence of the game.

Stewart struck out Jasson Domínguez, induced a foul pop-up from Chisholm, then struck out Anthony Volpe to escape the inning without allowing a run.

That escape kept the deficit at one and gave the Dodgers hope.

Offensively, though, there wasn't much to build on.

The Dodgers didn't record their first hit until the third inning, when No. 9 hitter Eliezer Alfonso singled for both the Dodgers' first hit of the afternoon and the first hit of his major league career.

It was that kind of day for the Dodgers' lineup.

They managed just four hits all game while the Yankees collected eight, and opportunities were scarce against the Yankees’ bullpen.

Still, they found the one swing they needed to tie it.

With Miguel Rojas having gone 1-for-2, Dave Roberts called on Edman to pinch-hit leading off the eighth. The versatile infielder delivered immediately, driving a 387-foot solo home run into the right-center field seats to even the score at 1-1.

It was Edman's first pinch-hit home run since 2021 and continued what's been an impressive return from the injured list. He now has two home runs and 14 RBIs in just 25 games while continuing to provide value all over the diamond.

The Dodgers appeared to seize the momentum but couldn't build on it, stranding runners later in the inning.

That missed opportunity proved costly.

Phillips entered for the bottom of the eighth and left a 97 mph fastball in a spot where Chisholm could handle it. 

The Dodgers went quietly in the ninth.

Even in defeat, the Dodgers received another encouraging performance from its patchwork pitching staff. Will Klein opened with a scoreless inning before Kyle Hurt followed with two shutout innings. Edgardo Henriquez, Dreyer, Stewart, Alex Vesia and Phillips completed the bullpen effort.

Vesia was particularly sharp, striking out the side in the seventh before Phillips was tagged with the deciding homer one inning later.

Ultimately, this was a game defined by missed chances.

The Yankees left plenty of runners on base and nearly paid for it after Edman's late blast. The Dodgers, meanwhile, finally broke through only to leave additional opportunities on the table before Chisholm's answer immediately shifted the game back in New York's favor.

The Yankees won the battle of the bullpens on Sunday night, using Chisholm's eighth-inning heroics to secure a 2-1 victory and avoid a four-game series sweep.

The Dodgers now turn the page quickly, heading to Philadelphia for a three-game series against the Phillies starting on Monday night.