A nail biter all night with a Hollywood ending.

Game 1 of Yankees-Dodgers really delivered.

Freddie Freeman hit the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history with two outs in the 10th inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees in a drama-filled opener Friday.

“Could be the greatest baseball moment I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some great ones,” marveled Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Hobbled by a badly sprained right ankle, Freeman homered on the first pitch he saw — a 92-mph inside fastball from Nestor Cortes — and raised his bat high before beginning his trot as the sellout crowd of 52,394 roared.

“I can’t believe what just happened,” Roberts said. “That’s what makes the Fall Classic a classic, right, because the stars come out and superstars make big plays, get big hits, in the biggest moments… I’m speechless right now.”

It was reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s stunning homer that lifted Los Angeles over the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series at Dodger Stadium – one of the most famous swings in baseball.

Gibson, sidelined by leg injuries, came off the bench and connected with Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley.

“I played the whole game though,” Freeman said with a smile.

Freeman, an eight-time All-Star who missed three games during the National League playoffs because of his back foot, didn’t have an extra-base hit this postseason until he tripled in Friday’s first inning.

“Actually, it felt pretty good,” said Freeman, who will donate his cleats to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. “The last six days, we’ve been handling it really well. I’ve been feeling pretty good. Just when I ran out to give high-fives to my teammates, I felt pretty good, because it was the first time I ran all week. So , the ankle is fine.”

After the drive home, Freeman ran over to his dad.

“I just yelled in his face. I’m sorry, dad,” Freeman said, laughing. “He’s been there since I was a little boy throwing batting practice to me every day. So this is a moment, it’s my dad’s moment.”

Giancarlo Stanton launched a two-run homer for New York in this highly hyped, star-studded matchup between two of baseball’s most storied and successful franchises – the third straight extra-inning World Series opener.

“You can’t sit here and whine. You can’t sit here and complain. You can’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said. “It’s time to go to work. We lost this game. Learn from it. See where we can improve and go out and win the next one.”

In the top of the 10th, Anthony Volpe grounded into a fielder’s choice by shortstop, scoring Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third after he stole two bases, giving New York a 3-2 lead.

The speedy Chisholm singled out winning pitcher Blake Treinen and then stole second. After an intentional walk to Anthony Rizzo, Chisholm hit third base uncontested as Treinen was slow to the plate with Max Muncy playing deep at third.

Tommy Edman made a diving stop to left on Volpe’s grounder, but couldn’t get out of the glove at first. He threw to second to get Rizzo out as Chisholm came flying home with the go-ahead run.

But the Dodgers weren’t done.

Gavin Lux walked losing pitcher Jake Cousins ​​with one out in the bottom of the 10th and went to second on Edman’s infield single to second. Defensive replacement Oswaldo Cabrera knocked the ball down with his glove but it leaked into the outfield.

It brought up star slugger Shohei Ohtani, a left-handed hitter. Yankees manager Aaron Boone went to his bullpen again for Cortes, a left-handed starter who hadn’t pitched since Sept. 18 because of an elbow injury.

After missing the AL playoffs, Cortes was added to the World Series roster on Friday.

“I ran into the (batting) cage and I told the guys in the cage, this game should have been the first baseball game ever on pay-per view,” Dodgers center fielder Kiké Hernández said.

Left fielder Alex Verdugo made a running catch in foul territory to cut off Ohtani on Cortes’ first pitch. Verdugo’s speed sent him tumbling over the low retaining wall and advanced both runners a base as it was a dead ball by rule when Verdugo ended up in the stands.

With first base open, New York intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load the bases, setting up a left-on-left matchup by Cortes against Freeman.

“I was on time for the heater,” Freeman said.

His drive into the right field pavilion sent Dodgers fans into a frenzy. It was the third walk-off homer in World Series history for a trailing team, following Gibson’s shot and Joe Carter’s run for the Toronto Blue Jays who won the 1993 World Series against Philadelphia.

Nelson Cruz hit the only other game-ending grand slam in postseason history, for Texas in the 2011 American League Championship Series against Detroit.

“That’s stuff, you’re 5 years old in the backyard right there,” Freeman said. “It’s a dream come true, but it’s only one. We’ve got three more.”

This is the 12th time the Yankees and Dodgers have met in the World Series, the most frequent matchup in major league annals, but their previous October meeting was 43 years ago.

While the Dodgers are seeking their eighth title and second in five years, the Yankees are in the Fall Classic for the first time since winning No. 27 in 2009.

The first series featuring a pair of 50-homer hitters in Judge (58) and Ohtani (54) opened quietly as Gerrit Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, and Jack Flaherty dueled through four scoreless innings. Judge struck out swinging in his first three at-bats before hitting a single by Brusdar Graterol with two outs in the seventh.

Ohtani was 0 for 3 before ripping a double off the right-field wall in the eighth. He rushed to third on the play when second baseman Gleyber Torres mishandled Juan Soto’s throw, which proved costly when Ohtani scored on a sacrifice fly by Betts that made it 2-all.

With two outs in the ninth, Torres sent a long drive to left-center. A fan wearing a Dodgers jersey reached over the wall and caught the ball. Umpires ruled fan interference and gave Torres a double, a call that was confirmed on video replay. The fan immediately left the area.

Soto was hit intentionally before the umpire popped out to Treinen to end the inning.

The Dodgers broke through for a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Hernández tripled past Soto in right field and scored on Will Smith’s sacrifice fly.

The Yankees answered right back in the sixth. Soto took the lead before the referee struck by swinging for the third time. Stanton followed with a 412-foot shot to leave Flaherty for his 17th career postseason homer. Stanton grew up in the nearby San Fernando Valley, not far from Flaherty’s hometown of Burbank.

Stanton, the ALCS MVP, connected on a knuckleball that hung slightly in the bottom of the strike zone. His sixth homer in 11 games this postseason came at 116.6 mph.

After last weekend’s pennant win in Cleveland, Stanton said, “This is not the trophy I want. I want the next one.”

The Yankees then loaded the bases. Chisholm singled out Anthony Banda and stole second. After Rizzo struck out, Volpe was intentionally hit. Austin Wells reached on an infield single that Edman smothered with a dive to save a run before Verdugo struck as he swung at his former team.

Fernando Valenzuela, the 1981 NL Cy Young Award winner and Rookie of the Year who died earlier this week at age 63, was honored with a minute’s silence before the game.