Dodgers get closer to inevitable World Series title over Yankees

It won't be long now.

Ice Cube won the night before first pitch. Blue-clad fans shook the gorge until the final pitch. And through it all, Aaron Judge kept vacillating and missing and missing and missing, creating enough humiliation to lead to a single conclusion.

It won't be long now.

The New York Yankees are not in the same class as the Dodgers, and this expectedly exciting World Series between two baseball Goliaths feels more like the starting five versus the juniors.

It will be over soon.

The Dodgers' 4-2 victory in Game 2 on Saturday gave them a two-games-to-zero lead and set them up to clinch their eighth World Series title in the Bronx before the end of the week.

This room correctly delivered a similar prediction during the National League Championship Series with the New York Mets, and this time the meaning is even stronger.

The feeling is actually strong enough to explain any injury to Shohei Ohtani, who injured his left shoulder sliding into second base during an unsuccessful steal attempt in the seventh inning.

After the change, Ohtani lay on the ground around the base for a long minute, clearly in pain, waiting for Dodger officials to help him to his feet and off the field.

It didn't look nice. However, the fact is that the Dodgers can beat the Yankees without him, as he is one of eight in the series with an extra base hit and no RBIs.

The feeling is also strong enough to explain the Yankees' late rally on Saturday, when they scored on a run off reliever Blake Treinen in the ninth and loaded the bases with one out, but Treinen struck out Anthony Volpe and pinch-hit Alex Vesia -Hitter Jose Trevino retired on a first-pitch flyout to end the game.

By the way, the rally started after Judge gave a strikeout on a Juan Soto single.

The Yankees are not as good as the Mets. They are not as good as the San Diego Padres. They're not as good as half a dozen other National League teams.

Their best player, Judge, is a bust with seven strikeouts, including three whiffs on Saturday with runners on base. The worst five batsmen in their batting order are inconsistent. The Dodgers have already worn down the Yankees' two best starting pitchers, and their bullpen is a confusing mess.

They fumbled and fumbled, setting the Dodgers up for Freeman's grand slam heroics in Game 1, then simply didn't show up for Saturday's Game 2 until the ninth inning, doubling their hits and overplaying and overplaying again.

The middle three games of this series take place Monday through Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.

Anyone having a Friday parade?

Dodgers fans celebrate after the team's 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Both teams entered Saturday wondering whether Freeman's historic exploits barely 24 hours earlier would have any repercussions.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said his team is doing well.

“We really celebrated last night like I thought we would, but today is a new day and the boys are back to work,” he said. “I do think there is some kind of momentum and excitement that will carry over to tonight's game, but as far as just sitting back at last night's game, that's over.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone also said his team is doing well.

“Morale is great, we’re ready to get started,” Boone said. “Our group throughout the year, which we've talked about a lot, has been great at bouncing back from tough moments, a tough game or a tough way to end a game. That's what I would expect for us today. Win, lose or draw, these guys will turn the tide and be ready to take the ball today.”

Roberts was right. Boone was wrong.

The Dodgers dominated the evening from the moment Ice Cube delayed the first pitch by six minutes by staging a mini-concert as he entered center field.

Cube concluded his rousing solo march with a performance of his hit “It Was A Good Day” before shouting, “It's Time For Dodger Baseball!”

It turned out to be a good day and it was actually time for Dodger baseball.

Tommy Edman led off losing starter Carlos Rodón in the second inning by punishing a 2-0 pitch into the left field corner for his second home run and 13th RBI of this amazing postseason.

Tommy Edman runs the bases after hitting a home run in the second inning of Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The Yankees countered in the third when Soto lifted a fastball from Yoshinobu Yamamoto into the Yankee bullpen in right field for the tying home run.

But the Yankees' elation was short-lived and ended in the bottom of the third when Mookie Betts singled and Teoscar Hernández and Freeman followed with similar shots over the right field fence. It was the Dodgers' first consecutive home run in the World Series since Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager in 1981.

That was all Yamamoto needed, as he allowed one hit and one run in 6 ⅓ innings, his second straight strong start, and managed an impressive one-two with Jack Flaherty just in time.

By now the fans were letting out a loud “The Yankees suck…the Yankees suck.”

You're not entirely wrong.