2024 World Series Game 4 storylines, how to watch

On Friday, the Yankees were just shy of taking a 1-0 lead in this World Series and beating the Dodgers' home-field advantage. Then Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam that we will remember for a long time.

The Dodgers haven't trailed since. Now they are just one win away from their eighth World Series championship. The Yankees? They are one loss away from a daunting World Series victory. This game can turn you on quickly.

Here are the five key storylines ahead of Tuesday's potential decisive World Series victory in the Bronx.

1) Can the MVP re-engage the crowd?

Take it from someone who attended every single game in the Bronx during the 2009 World Series: it's usually a lot louder at Yankee Stadium. There were occasional moments Monday night when Yankees fans got a little fired up, but after Freeman's home run in the first inning, it was clear they were never going to be able to pull through. This is what happens when your team doesn't score a run until the ninth inning and your superstar, your beloved MVP, goes 0-3 again. (It's getting more and more painful to watch these slow-motion close-ups of Aaron Judge's face after his beating.)

Really, not much has gone well for the Yankees in this series since Freeman's heroics in Game 1, and Yankee Stadium reflected that Monday night. These are still great fans who have waited 15 years to see a World Series game again. But you have to give them something to cheer about. Maybe Judge hits a home run to give some hope and light the place back up. But do you know when it's difficult to light the fire? When you are 0-3 behind in a series.

2) Can the Dodgers handle another bullpen game?

The last time the Dodgers played a bullpen game, as they scheduled in Game 4, they won the NLCS against the Mets, with Michael Kopech leading a brigade of seven pitchers. It should be noted that the reason the Dodgers won this game wasn't because their bullpen strategy ran so smoothly. They allowed 11 hits, six walks and five earned runs, with five of the seven pitchers giving up one each. No, the reason the Dodgers won that game was because they scored 10 runs themselves.

The bullpen game before that? Things got worse with a 7-3 loss in NLCS Game 2, with the Mets scoring five points off Landon Knack in the second inning. It really only went well once, and it worked very Well, because the Dodgers were able to avoid elimination in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Padres, with eight different pitchers combining for an 8-0 shutout. That success encouraged the Dodgers, who of course only have three starting pitchers left, to keep trying. This will be the case here again, more due to a lack of other options. Can manager Dave Roberts push the right buttons to get them through?

Of course, if the Dodgers score 10 runs again, that's a moot point. They will win this series just like the last one.

3) How hard is it to get Gil to this position?

You can understand why Yankees manager Aaron Boone may have considered using Gerrit Cole for a short rest in Game 4. After all, he was fantastic in Game 1, pitching six innings and only giving up one run. (In fact, he only threw 88 pitches.) It must have been tempting. But even before elimination, you can understand why he would choose a fully rested Gil. The history of pitchers taking a short break isn't great, and if the Yankees want to bring this series back to Los Angeles, they'll have to win a theoretical Game 5 (started by a fully rested Cole) anyway. (Plus, as Boone noted, it's a lot to ask of Cole after an injury-plagued season.)

But that means the Yankees' entire season now rests on Gil's shoulders come Tuesday night. And no offense to Gil, but that's awfully risky. He only pitched one game in the entire postseason, and while he did okay, giving up two runs in four innings, he managed three runs, and all in all it was pretty lucky. Plus, he hasn't pitched in 10 days — after getting 19 days off before his last start — and oh yeah, he's a rookie (albeit a 26-year-old rookie) who has walked the most batters in the majors this season .

If Gil has a bad night with the whole world watching, the Yankees' season is over. And of course he's facing a team that is absolutely hot at the plate and will be waiting for him if he can't find the zone. Good luck, boy.

4) Is Shohei really okay out there?

It was exciting to learn that Shohei Ohtani would be in the starting lineup for Game 3 after suffering his left shoulder subluxation in a steal attempt at the end of Game 2. But now we've seen him come to the record five times… are we sure Shohei should be playing now? Ohtani's swings were clumsy and halting; He hasn't hit the ball hard once and seems to be in significant pain every time he swings and misses. (Still, he reached base twice, on a walk and a hit-by-pitch.)

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that even though Ohtani isn't at 100%, he's better than most players who are, and while that may be true, it looks like a very weakened Ohtani right now. You can understand why he still took part in a game that could earn him his first World Series ring. But if he does, it might be best to temper his expectations.

5) Is this the night for the Dodgers?

It was undoubtedly very cool when the Dodgers won the World Series in 2020 as the home team in Arlington, Texas. It was also an incredible achievement considering how stressful this season has been for everyone. But still: you can understand why this title was never quite right pep That's what Dodgers fans, who had been waiting to win a World Series since 1988, would have wanted.

Well, do you want some pizzazz? How about sweeping the Yankees out of the World Series and winning it in the Bronx? The Dodgers have had a tumultuous season with all sorts of obstacles and potholes, from their very first games in Seoul, South Korea, to a spate of injuries, to a near-loss in San Diego… and now they're just one game away from the World Championship Series title. The Dodgers can do it tonight. You've come this far. Might just end this, right?