Amid some wild fan interference and the RED HOT bat of Freddie Freeman, the New York Yankees won Game 4 of the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11-4, to prevent a sweep. A guy who knows a lot about 0-3 comebacks is former Red Sox first baseman and World Series champion Kevin Millar, who joined Wednesday’s edition of GoJo and Golic to break down Game 4 and what the Yankees have to do in Game 5 and to salvage the rest of this series.
Mike Golic Jr. asked Millar if it’s feeling eerily similar for him right now, watching what the Yankees got started with last night from a seemingly insurmountable deficit. Millar pointed out the irony of The Comeback Netflix docuseries about the 2004 Red Sox dropping on October 23, just a week before all this has unfolded. Heading into the World Series, with the Dodgers and Yankees squaring off, it looked like a battle destined for six or seven games. But suddenly, the Dodgers jumped out to a 3-0 lead very quickly. Millar reflected on the Yankees being in the position the Red Sox found themselves occupying in 2004, the Yankees’ only glimmer of hope lying in the irony of their historic rival Red Sox’s historic comeback at their own expense.
“It’s the Yankees now, looking up and wondering, how do we win four straight?” he said.
To fully understand the mindset shift from being down 0-3, Mike Golic Sr. asked Millar how much the attitude changed with Millar’s Red Sox when Boston got its first win of the 2004 ALCS. Millar reflected on how momentum shapes sports, reminiscing about David Ortiz’s home run off Paul Quantrill in Game 4, which helped the Red Sox avoid the sweep.
“In sports, momentum is everything,” he explained. “It’s like in football, where a team plays poorly in the first half, then comes out after halftime looking like a whole new squad, or in the NBA, where games shift based on who’s hitting threes.” Millar recalled that when Ortiz hit that homer, it felt like the Sox had already won the World Series — even though they were still down 3-1. Millar thinks that the Yankees’ Game 4 win was BIG, and now they turn to their ace Gerrit Cole in Game 5 looking to keep the momentum going.
On the Dodgers side, Freddie Freeman is turning this World Series into his own personal Home Run Derby. GoJo asked Millar what do you do with that guy if you’re an opposing pitcher? Millar says he wouldn’t pitch inside to him right now. He’s so quick and explosive at the plate — just a warrior. Even with injuries and limping around the bases, the Dodgers know they’re better with him in the lineup, Millar says. Freeman adds depth alongside his fellow MVPs at the top of the LA lineup. It was tough watching the previous series, thinking Freeman might hurt the team since he couldn’t run and had to go from station to station. But after that little break before the World Series, he returned like Babe Ruth. Millar believes that Freddie Freeman is simply the best hitter in baseball.
Given the great regular season that Yankees slugger Aaron Judge had, it has become hard to watch him struggle to hit in the World Series. Senior asked Millar to weigh on Judge’s performance. The simple reality is baseball is tough — you fail often, then get hot. Judge is just in a slump right now, and with so few games, it can feel like the sky is falling. But Millar says to remember, he hit over .320 with 50+ homers and 144 RBIs, carrying the team all season. He’s a great player and person, but he’s just struggling on a big stage. Last night, he seemed to calm down, walked, got a hit, and the Yankees won. If the series continues, Millar thinks he’ll be fine — It’s just nerves, and pitchers are working him perfectly with fastballs and breaking balls away.
Hometown hero Anthony Volpe had a historic night, and Millar shared that the Yankees shortstop had been incredible, exactly what the Bronx Bombers needed. Seeing a hometown kid perform like that is special. Last night, he made history with two stolen bases and 4+ RBIs — the first time a Yankee has done that in a World Series. It feels like he’s breaking records every game.
GoJo asked Millar what strategies he was using during the comeback to maintain the momentum the 2004 Sox built from Game 4? He said that you’ve got to brush things off and stay focused every inning and pitch. The Yankees have struggled with base running, and in a series like this, you can’t afford mistakes. Take that ball Austin Wells hit off the wall — if he gets to third, Volpe scores and it’s a tied game. These little things matter, and the Yankees can’t afford to slip.
Ultimately, Millar says it all comes down to focus and feeding off the renewed energy in the stadium. Although baseball may not have the same home-field advantage as football or basketball, he concedes the pitcher sets the tone. Further, this is precisely why the Yankees invested in Garrett Cole — he’s their $300 million ace, the star they trust when it matters most. When it’s do-or-die, there’s no one they’d rather hand the ball to than Cole.
Watch or listen to the full show below and tune into GoJo and Golic weekday mornings from 8-10 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Hour 1: Kevin Millar, MLB Analyst, on Freddie Freeman, the Yankees’ Game 4 Win & Potential Comeback + Is it Over for Anthony Richardson?
Hour 2: Wilder Wednesdays — Charlotte on NBA Power Couples, Their Love Is Blind Comps, Joel Embiid & The Jets’ Magic Elixir
VIDEO
Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show is also available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
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