close
close

Former UVA baseball star Chris Taylor wins the World Series with the LA Dodgers

Former UVA baseball star Chris Taylor wins the World Series with the LA Dodgers

Chris Taylor is the World Series champion for the second time.

Ex Virginia baseball star Chris Taylor helped the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the New York Yankees in five games in the 2024 World Series. Four years after Los Angeles won the 2020 World Series title in front of a limited audience due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Taylor and the Dodgers did it again with a win a thrilling Game 5 by a score of 7-6 on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

In the decisive victory in the series, Taylor Pinch drove into the top of the ninth and advanced to second base after passing, but did not score. He stayed in the game and played left field in the bottom of the ninth, so Taylor was on the field when the game ended and the Dodgers won the World Series.

Although Taylor did not start any games in the World Series, he appeared in every game and finished every game, including being on base when Freddie Freeman hit his historic grand slam in the bottom of the tenth inning of Game 1.

This is the 11th season in the major leagues for Taylor, who has spent the last eight years with the Dodgers, making the postseason every year. Taylor won a World Series title in 2020, was an All-Star in 2021 and was named MVP of the 2017 National League Championship Series. Taylor’s postseason resume, which now includes 80 career postseason games, includes appearances in three games with themselves in Game 5 of the 2021 NLCS.

Taylor once again played a versatile relief role for the Dodgers. In 87 regular-season games, Taylor appeared in 56 games, playing second base 21 times, third base 24 times, left field 48 times and center field eight times. In this year’s postseason, Taylor gave up three hits and scored three runs and filled multiple outfield spots, including second base, third base, center and left field, which is where he was when he became the starter. two-time world champion.

This is the second straight season in which a Virginia baseball player wins the World Series. Last year, Josh Sborz gave up the final seven outs to save the Texas Rangers in a series-clinching victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks and victory in the 2023 World Series.

A total of seven former UVA baseball players have won World Series titles:
– Ricky Horton: 1988 (Los Angeles Dodgers)
– Javier Lopez: 2007 (Boston Red Sox), 2010, 2012, 2014 (San Francisco Giants)
-Derek Fisher: 2017 (Houston Astros)
– Sean Doolittle: 2019 (Washington National Team)
– Ryan Zimmerman: 2019 (Washington National Team)
– Josh Sborz: 2023 (Texas Rangers)
– Chris Taylor: 2020, 2024 (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Hoos in the NFL: NFL Week 8 recap for former Virginia football players

UVA basketball: Jay Huff earns first regular NBA contract with Grizzlies

Virginia Basketball: Ty Jerome and Jay Huff make great debuts in the NBA season

Nine former UVA basketball players on NBA rosters on opening night

Trey Murphy signs a four-year, $112 million contract extension with the Pelicans