Max Muncy has hit a towering home run in the fifth, as LA Dodgers moved within a win of ending their 32-year World Series drought with a 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay Rays in game five.
Joc Pederson also homered, as the Dodgers rebounded from a disastrous walk-off loss in game four just 24 hours earlier. Pitcher Clayton Kershaw (4-1) gave up two runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking two.
Victor Gonzalez stranded two Rays in the eighth to protect the lead, and Blake Treinen fanned two after a lead-off single in the ninth to record the save and give Los Angeles the opportunity to close out the best-of-seven series on Wednesday (NZ time).
Trailing 3-2 in the fourth, the Rays had a prime chance to get to Kershaw, when Manuel Margot walked to lead off the inning, stole second and advanced to third on a missed catch by Chris Taylor on the throw. Hunter Renfroe followed with a walk to put runners on the corners.
After Joey Wendle popped out and Willy Adames struck out, Margot took a chance trying to steal home, while Kershaw was mid-motion to the plate, but the left-hander got the ball to catcher Austin Barnes to narrowly beat Margot on the tag for the final out.
Muncy's homer gave Los Angeles a two-run edge. He became the ninth different Dodger to go deep in the series.
In the bottom of the fifth, Kershaw surpassed Justin Verlander's all-time record of 205 postseason strikeouts, when he whiffed Kevin Kiermaier to begin the frame.
The Rays' best chance to rally came in the eighth, when red-hot rookie Randy Arozarena stepped in with two on and one out. Gonzalez got Arozarena to fly out and Brandon Lowe to line out to end the threat.
Los Angeles got off to a hot start against Tampa Bay starter Tyler Glasnow, who laboured in the first inning. A Mookie Betts double and Corey Seager single had the Dodgers up 1-0 just 10 pitches in, and Cody Bellinger made it 2-0 with an run-batted-in single later in the frame.
Pederson homered to lead off the second for a 3-0 Los Angeles lead. The Rays cut their deficit to one on a Yandy Diaz run-scoring triple and Arozarena's RBI single in the third.
Arozarena's hit was his 27th of the playoffs to surpass Pablo Sandoval's single postseason record set in 2014.
Glasnow (2-3) settled down and allowed four runs on six hits over five innings. He walked three, struck out seven and threw a World Series record three wild pitches.
