LOS ANGELES — Shortly before Game 2 of the World Series began, Ice Cube emerged from an opening in the center field wall at Dodger Stadium. Dressed in a shiny blue Dodgers jacket, a matching hat and Nikes, the rapper made his way from the warning track to the mound and then home plate. Each step came with a bar, as the Los Angeles native performed “Bow Down” and “It Was A Good Day” in an effort to hype up his hometown crowd. A dancing Alex Verdugo — a former Dodger — also enjoyed the performance, even if the first song ended with a shot at his Yankees. “Bow down to a team that’s greater than you,” O’Shea Jackson Sr. demanded while pointing toward the Yankees’ dugout. He then asked a roaring Chavez Ravine, “Are we going to win Game 2 or what?” before transitioning to his second song. The answer turned out to be yes, as the Dodgers took Game 2, 4-2, on Saturday. After getting walked off in Game 1, the Yankees now face a 2-0 series deficit with the Fall Classic heading back to New York. Ice Cube gets Dodger Stadium fired up for #WorldSeries Game 2! pic.twitter.com/qBVBktrzjW — MLB (@MLB) October 27, 2024 Carlos Rodón played a large part in the Yankees’ inability to tie the series, as their No. 2 starter only lasted 3.1 innings in the first World Series start of his career. The lefty allowed four earned runs and six hits, including three homers, over his short outing. “This lineup’s pretty potent,” Rodón foreshadowed on Friday. “They can definitely swing it.” The Dodgers’ first homer came from the red-hot Tommy Edman, who pulled a solo shot in the second inning. Juan Soto quickly tied the game with a bases-empty blast of his own off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the third. However, well-established Yankees killer Teoscar Hernández and Freddie Freeman — the Dodgers’ Game 1, grand slam hero — hit back-to-back bombs in the bottom of the inning. Hernández logged a two-run shot. Meanwhile, all three of the dingers Rodón surrendered came on fastballs, which he threw at a 60% clip. “I got to some good spots on some fastballs,” Rodón said. “They were just up there with me and made some good swings. They’re good hitters.” While the longball victimized Rodón on Saturday, Yamamoto didn’t flinch after Soto took him deep. The Japanese star looked like he was worth the 12-year, $325 million contract the Dodgers gave him — and outbid the Yankees with — last winter. With countless people watching him and Shohei Ohtani back home, Yamamoto cruised for 6.1 innings after also dominating the Yankees in June. “I thought the first few innings we took a lot of good at-bats against him, made him work some longer at-bats,” Aaron Boone said. “Then once he got a little bit of a lead, he kind of got into a rhythm and really did a good job of attacking at strike one. It was hard to be patient with him when he was on the attack and getting ahead. I thought his stuff was good. I thought his fastball was good, slowed us down with a little curveball, and then the slider and the split of course. I thought he was on his game.” Soto’s homer marked the Yankees’ only hit off the righty. They added a run in the ninth when a Giancarlo Stanton single ricocheted off third base, scoring Soto. “I think he made mistakes against me,” Soto said of getting to Yamamoto. “He made a couple of good pitches in the first at-bat. He showed me everything that he’s got in my first at-bat, so I was ready for anything my second at-bat. He made a mistake, and I just didn’t miss it.” No other Yankee had a memorable night at the plate, but Aaron Judge disappointed again while going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, including one with a runner in scoring position in the ninth. The presumed American League MVP is now 6-for-40 with 19 strikeouts this October, continuing a stretch of poor playoff production that dates back a few years. “Just expanding the zone,” Judge said of his struggles. “That’s really what it comes down to. You gotta get a pitch in the zone and drive it. If you don’t, don’t try to make something happen.” It wasn’t all on Judge, as the Yankees failed to score with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth after Anthony Volpe struck out and pinch-hitter Jose Trevino flew out. “In a game where we really got shut down there in the middle innings, our compete to the very end was really good,” Boone said. “We gave ourselves a chance to get right back in it and even win that game.” While Boone appreciated the Yankees’ late efforts, they’ll need Judge to find his groove if they want to come back in this series. With Yankee Stadium set to host its first World Series game since 2009 on Monday, the odds are not in the Bombers’ favor. But this group has preached resiliency all season and shown an ability to bounce-back after adversity. That didn’t happen Saturday, but the Yankees will try to change their fortunes with Clarke Schmidt making his first World Series start in a friendly environment for Game 3. “The fans are gonna bring the energy,” Soto said. “When they bring the energy, they get the team going. It’s not easy to play in front of 40,000 fans against you. It’s not only the team. You gotta go against those 45,000 people that are against you. So I think they’re a huge part of this, and that’s why every team wants to get the top seed.” Walker Buehler will start for Los Angeles as it seeks a 3-0 lead following an off day. It’s unclear if Ohtani will be available for Game 3, as the superstar hurt his shoulder on a late stolen base attempt in Game 2. He will undergo testing on Sunday. Ohtani or no Ohtani, the Yankees know they need to pick up a win back in the Bronx. “We’ve been through a lot of tough moments throughout the year,” Soto said. “We’ve been there. We know how it is getting a couple punches in the face, and we just keep battling, keep going.”