Alex Vesia completes the Dodgers' win in World Series Game 2

LOS ANGELES – Left-handed reliever Alex Vesia began to do the math when Giancarlo Stanton's grounder hit the third-base bag and bounced into left field. The Yankees had a number of lefty hitters in front of them. Their previously silent bats came to life. Dodgers closer Blake Treinen had recorded four outs in the World Series opener and was working hard on counts in Game 2.

Vesia realized that this could become his game terribly quickly. At that moment the phone rang.

Vesia quickly answered the call and was on the bullpen mound getting free. A few swings later, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts walked out of the dugout and pointed to the pin with his left hand. The bases have been loaded. There were two outs. The Dodgers clung to a precarious lead.

“When I think back to my front yard at my house – that’s what we would imagine,” Vesia said.

The dream ending only lasted one pitch. Vesia threw a fastball. Yankees pinch-hitter Jose Trevino shot it to center field. Tommy Edman settled under it – and LA had a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven World Series.

It was a win that felt mostly comfortable for about seven innings. Then Shohei Ohtani slid awkwardly into second base, injuring his left shoulder. Suddenly — given Ohtani's status in question — a win in Game 2 felt crucial. (Even more important than it already was.)

In the ninth, Treinen gave up a run and loaded the bases, using 33 pitches to record the first two outs of the inning. Roberts chose Vesia – his best left-hander who was having the best season of his career – to reach the finals.

In some ways, Roberts' decision was unorthodox. Managers typically live and die by their closers — especially managers of teams with World Series-caliber bullpens. Vesia's one-pitch save in the World Series was the first since at least 1988 (when pitch counts were fully recorded).

Still, the way Roberts handled that Dodgers bullpen made perfect sense. Two left-handed hitters were due, and the Yankees had few right-handed pinch-hitters. Both Vesia and Treinen seemed to agree.

“Gosh, yes,” Treinen said. “In a perfect world, you would like to finish your innings. It's no fun being pulled when you know the pressure is on you. You want to do your job. But ultimately when he came in I had complete confidence. He’s had a phenomenal year and achieved great success and what he did tonight is no different.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was forced to call up his light-hitting backup catcher Trevino to fill in for Austin Wells with the game on the line. Vesia went on the attack, throwing a four-seam first-pitch fastball to the inside half.

“Bases loaded and two outs,” Vesia said. “To me it was like starting 1-0 was an advantage for the batsman. That’s why I wanted to play to my strengths and try to implement a pitch.”

It was by no means a perfect pitch. However, I can't argue with the result.

“I threw way too many shots, which put us in a pretty tough spot,” Treinen said. “It’s pretty awesome that Ves came in and got the last out of it.”

Treinen was clearly not at his best. Juan Soto hit a single off the wall to start the frame – although the decisive swing of the inning may have come when Treinen hit Aaron Judge with a sweeper from the outside corner.

Stanton followed with an unfortunate RBI single from the bag. Then Treinen failed to strike out left-handers Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Rizzo. Chisholm hit a two-strike single. Rizzo had a two-strike hit-by-pitch.

Roberts chose another of Treinen's hitters – right-hitting shortstop Anthony Volpe.

“I tried to get him through to Volpe,” Roberts said. “There I was. I just didn't want to go to Alex's too early to potentially incur a Volpe tax. I just felt like Blake had enough stuff to put Volpe in his place.”

Like Judge, Volpe hit a sweeper off the plate. Then Treinen left the stage to Vesia.

“Pitch after pitch after pitch with Blake – he fought,” Vesia said. “The Yankees are a really good team.

“It’s one pitch at a time, one out at a time, the Dodgers all the way.”

Sometimes a pitch really is enough.