Every once in a while, the Major League Baseball season will end in a World Series between two lower profile organizations. 2023 was a prime example of this. That year, the perennially woebegone Texas Rangers came out of nowhere and won their first title, one that came against an 84-78 Arizona Diamondbacks team that stunned not one, but two favorites. Last year proved that despite MLB having an “upper” and “lower” class, a scrappy, likable team with little star power could overcome the odds and make the Fall Classic.
2024 is not one of those years.
The History
Rarely does the history between an American League and National League team run as deep as it does with the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both before and after the Dodgers’ move from Brooklyn to the West Coast, these two have met 11 times in the World Series. The Yankees lead 8-3, with the most recent bout between the two resulting in a Dodger victory in 1981. This series has featured American icons (DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra, Robinson, Koufax, Campanella, etc.) as well as some of the most legendary performances in World Series history. Reggie Jackson’s 1977 “Mr. October” game in which he hit three home runs, as well as Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956, are cemented in Yankees lore. Meanwhile, Johnny Podres’ shutout in Game 7 of the ’55 World Series and Sandy Koufax’s 15 strikeouts in Game 1 of the ’63 Series were essential in establishing the Dodgers as an organization of champions. All signs point to this series being a classic, and the history alone makes this series worth watching.
Representing the National League: the L.A. Dodgers
It would be an understatement to say that the Dodgers have an embarrassment of riches. This past offseason alone, the Dodgers spent over a billion dollars in player acquisitions. They have had one of the most consistently loaded rosters in the league for at least fifteen years, and have had little to show for it. The Dodgers are the winningest team in the league since 2008, yet they have only one World Series victory since the Berlin Wall was still standing. Even then, that championship came in 2020, when the season was sixty games and had an adjusted playoff format (thus prompting “Mickey Mouse ring” accusations from the rest of the league).
After getting obliterated by inferior division rivals in both 2022 and 2023, the Dodgers made two signings that turned the baseball world upside down. In early December, the Dodgers signed two-way superstar and two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani to a mind-boggling 10-year, $700 million contract (with $680 million coming in deferrals when the contract expires). With the possible greatest player of all time now at their disposal, L.A. threw $325 million at Yoshinobu Yamamoto, an elite starting pitcher in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. A team with these two playing for them, in addition to former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, should be an absolute juggernaut. And to a degree, they were. Betts and Freeman played outstandingly (although Betts got injured) and added to their lengthy list of respective accolades. Ohtani not only lived up to the hype, but smashed it by achieving the first 50 home run-50 stolen base season, all but locking up his third MVP award. The Dodgers cruised to a division title, continuing their streak of regular season dominance. With the talent on this team, however, a 98-64 record is somewhat underwhelming.
Still, the Dodgers have done well considering that they have been battered by injuries. Their starting pitching staff is night and day compared to what it looked like at the beginning of the year. Tony Gonsolin, Gavin Stone, Dustin May, Emmet Sheehan, future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, and prized free agent acquisition Tyler Glasnow are all unavailable for the playoffs. Even Yamamoto has spent time on the injured list, though he’s performed well when healthy. The Dodgers’ midseason trade for starter Jack Flaherty helped this to some degree, but pitching was a major question mark going into the playoffs.
In the NLDS against the 93-win San Diego Padres, the Dodgers showed signs of mortality. Down 2-1, they turned to their bullpen (what is known as the “pitching chaos” strategy) in order to take some heat off their debilitated pitching staff. In Games 4 and 5, the Dodgers outperformed their hated rival to the south. On the backs of Ohtani and Betts, they advanced to the NLCS, where they dispatched the white-hot New York Mets in six games. The Mets, with all their momentum and countless storylines, were simply no match for the Dodgers, who now have a chance to win their eighth World Series title (their first “legitimate” one since 1988).
Representing the American League: The New York Yankees
I’ve been a New York Yankees fan my whole life, and was barely conscious the last time they won the World Series in 2009. Of course, it would be an insult to complain about a team with 27 rings to a Mariners, Padres, or Brewers fan. Nevertheless, it’s shocking that this team has failed to make the World Series since ’09. Somehow, a net worth of roughly $7 billion hasn’t stopped the Bronx Bombers from being beaten into the ground every postseason by Houston. The Yankees most prized possession, superstar slugger Aaron Judge, has struggled repeatedly in the postseason. Not only that, but the 2023 team proved that they lived and died with Judge, as he went down with injury, causing the team to implode and miss the playoffs.
General Manager Brian Cashman, knowing his precarious position, made a splash before the season by trading for San Diego’s 25-year-old phenom, Juan Soto. Judge and Soto would prove to become the perfect duo in 2024, wreaking havoc across the league and becoming MVP candidates. Despite a midseason slump, the Yankees won their division while arguably being carried by Judge and Soto alone. The playoffs would be the true test of this team, which had inconsistent pitching and a very top-heavy lineup. Someone other than Soto or Judge would need to step up.
The Yankees would flex their muscles in the ALDS and ALCS, largely due to one Giancarlo Stanton. The former MVP has hit five home runs this postseason, and was a huge factor in beating Kansas City and Cleveland. The ALCS was probably the best five-game series I’ve ever watched, as the Yankees rode Stanton and Soto to the World Series. They showed grit and tenacity, and their repeated shelling of the best bullpen in the league gave the team an aura of clutchness that they never had prior. Juan Soto’s three-run homer in the 10th inning of Game 5 was the nail in the coffin for Cleveland, whose championship drought now sits at 76 years. The Yankees, meanwhile, look to secure their 28th ring.
My Prediction
On paper, the Dodgers should beat the Yankees. They came to New York in June and showed that they were the better team. Still, if the Yankees can expose the Dodgers’ pitchers, namely Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler, they can put themselves in a good spot. In that series, the Dodgers had Tyler Glasnow, and the Yankees were without Gerrit Cole. The Yankees’ bullpen, while solid, is prone to collapse, which is why Luke Weaver has replaced Clay Holmes as closer. In my opinion, the Yankees will keep Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman mostly at bay. The x-factor, however, is slugger Teoscar Hernández, who has dominated the Yankees throughout his career, including in the series in June. If he gets going, the Dodgers will win. Juan Soto has proven to be a consistent force in the lineup, but outside of Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees’ lineup has been inconsistent. Aaron Judge in particular is due, as he has been struggling. Still, he and Soto can’t do it alone. Players like Austin Wells and midseason pickup Jazz Chisholm Jr. need to start hitting, because attacking the Dodgers early is the only way to beat them. If Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón can keep the Dodgers’ fearsome foursome at bay, L.A. stands no chance. They will need lengthy outings from Yamamoto especially, because their bullpen will be fatigued.
Both teams have much to prove to their doubters, and both teams have glaring flaws. This being taken into consideration, the Yankees will win in seven games. Juan Soto will win his second ring and his first World Series MVP. Judge will return to form and provide a boost that will push the Yankees over the top, despite a hard-fought series with strong offense from the Dodgers. Coming from a Yankee fan, when this team is on, they’re impossible to stop, as are the Dodgers. And while Los Angeles is a great team, October baseball is unpredictable.
This is without a doubt the most anticipated World Series in a while. The history between these two teams runs deep; these are two absolute titans with countless superstars and nine-figure contracts. This is truly a must-watch series, even if you don’t have any rooting interest. It all starts on Friday, October 25, at 8 PM ET on Fox.
