LOS ANGELES -- They tried to downplay it, in the days leading up to it and the nights in between, but after it was over, and the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers had completed a three-game series that was among the most anticipated of the season, there was an acknowledgement of heightened zest.
"It felt big," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
"It was absolutely exciting," Dodgers infielder Max Muncy added. "It's hard not to let it creep into your head that this could be a preview of something in the fall.