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Bullpen's unreal effort enlivens the Yankees in the World Series

Bullpen's unreal effort enlivens the Yankees in the World Series

Against the best offense in baseball, the Yankees required 15 outs from their bullpen.

Some drama ensued and certainly some fatigue, but those 15 outs were recorded.

On a night when the Los Angeles bullpen was dented, Tim Hill, Clay Holmes, Mark Leiter Jr., Luke Weaver and Tim Mayza were the Yankees' biggest asset in the 11-4 victory that ended Game 4 in the Bronx Fight for survival became Tuesday.

Combined, the quintet allowed just one hit and one walk in five scoreless innings in which they racked up seven strikeouts, ultimately taming a Dodgers offense that was on Tuesday against Luis Gil (four innings, four runs) and numerous Yankees pitchers in the Damage caused in the first three games.

Luke Weaver had a great night out of the bullpen in Game 4 for the Yankees on Tuesday. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

The relay began with Hill inheriting a runner on first base in the fifth and allowing a single to Shohei Ohtani – the final Dodgers hit of the game.

Hill hit well enough to escape the jam and got two ground balls from Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, but his defense let him down.

Gleyber Torres fielded Freeman's grounder and flipped high to Anthony Volpe at second base, costing a split second that proved crucial when a supposed double play became a run-scoring fielder's choice.

Tim Hill pitches in Game 4 of the World Series. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

With Freeman on first, Holmes entered the game and needed just one pitch to send Teoscar Hernandez out of the game.

He also stayed sharp for 12 pitches in the sixth inning, striking out both Kiké Hernandez and Max Muncy, dropping Holmes' postseason ERA to 2.31.

Leiter – who had already started warming up in the second inning – did his job in the seventh.

Mark Leiter Jr. throws during Game 4. Jason Scenes/New York Post

He struck out Will Smith and walked Tommy Edman, giving Ohtani the winning run in a two-run game.

Ohtani made a nasty full-count splitter, the kind of splitter that was a reminder of why the Yankees traded for Leiter at the deadline.


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Weaver then replaced Leiter and blew the Heat past Betts to send the game into the eighth as the Yankees closed in with Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez and Muncy.

Weaver appeared to be Aaron Boone's ninth-round pick – which would have meant a seven-out appearance – but the Yankees' offense exploded for five runs in the eighth, making Mayza a rare mop-up man in October (if at all). Humans could exist in a World Series game).

Clay Holmes gave the Yankees a huge boost in Game 4. Jason Scenes/New York Post

Mayza pitched a clean ninth, and the Yankees could breathe a sigh of relief — and thank a unit that helped extend the World Series for another day.

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