Yankees-Dodgers World Series Set
The 2024 Fall Classic has arrived. In what is sure to be a thrilling matchup, the Los Angeles Dodgers will take on the New York Yankees starting Friday the 25th. This series is MLB’s commissioner Rob Manfred’s dream. East vs West. LA vs NY. Aaron Judge vs Shohei Ohtani. The two biggest markets, with the two best players in baseball, going head-to-head is everything MLB fans want.
The Yankees path through the post season has been called “easy” by many talking heads on the radio and media pundits. While calling their path a “gauntlet” would not be accurate, I don’t think it’s fair to undermine the Yankees success by dismissing it as easy. They beat the Royals in the ALDS in four games, before taking five games to defeat the number two seeded Guardians in the ALCS. The Royals didn’t put up much of a fight, but the Yankees beat a Cleveland team that won their division and has one of the best bullpens in the sport. The best part of the Cleveland team was their bullpen who the Yankees beat up towards the end of the series. Most notably, Judge and Stanton taking the best closer in baseball, Emanual Clase, back-to-back in game four, and Juan Soto’s go-ahead home run in game five in the top of the 10th inning off Hunter Gaddis.
There are three main keys for the Yankees. The first being Aaron Judge. Judge’s narrative of post season struggles has been quieter of late, as he had a decent series against Cleveland. However, career post season numbers are not on par with his regular season stats, as he’s slashing .203/.311/.761 in October. Judge homered twice and drove in six runs in the ALCS this year and he is starting to turn the corner, but if the Yankees have him firing on all cylinders, this is the best lineup in baseball.
Secondly, if this series goes seven games, Gerrit Cole will get the ball twice, maybe even three times. We have yet to see a Cole outing this post season where he has completely dominated. He has pitched to a 3.31 ERA over 16.1 innings. Worthy of respect? Sure. Worthy of his 324-million-dollar deal? Ehh. Cole needs to dominate and lead the rest of this rather inexperienced postseason staff.
Finally, the Yankees cannot get themselves out. They have made a habit of base running blunders and do chase their fair share of pitches. Their radio broadcaster John Sterling said that they “Run the bases like drunks.” The Yankees lineup needs to find the balance of aggression and over aggression. What makes Juan Soto so dangerous in the middle of this New York lineup is his patience. Soto’s at bat versus Gaddis, which resulted in the go-ahead home run that sent the Yankees to the World Series, is a prime example. I’m not saying everyone in the Yankees lineup needs to be like Juan Soto – who I think is the best pure hitter in the game – however, more of his approach would be beneficial. The power will be there, but the more traffic they get on the bases, the better.
As for Los Angeles, their path to the World Series has made them battle tested. They took down their rival Padres in a five-game slugfest in the NLDS, before beating the Mets in six games in the NLCS. The Padres and Mets were defiantly a harder test then the Royals and Guardians, and the National League is generally considered deeper this year then the American.
LA has two main things that they will need to sustain to emerge victorious. The first is Shohei Ohtani. The man had the first 50/50 season in MLB history and widely considered the best overall player in baseball. When he is hot, there is no more dangerous bat on the field. His ability to hit for power and contact, as well as his ability to wreak havoc on the bases, are things that the Yankees will need to keep in check. Stopping him is no easy task, but if they limit his damage, a win is doable for NY.
Secondly for the Dodgers, their depth and ability to ride the hot bat is a massive plus in October. Max Muncy, Gavin Lux, Tommy Edman, Chris Taylor, Kiké Hernandez, and Andy Pages are all able to play multiple positions and compliment the core pieces rather nicely. We can all assume that Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernandez will play every game, but Dave Roberts will be able to plug in the six aforementioned players based on matchups’ or how he best sees fit. Roberts has options and expect his bench to be empty at the end of most games.
This series is sure to be a slugfest, and one I think will go the distance. Los Angeles has home field advantage, as games one, two, six*, and seven* will be played at Chavez Ravine while games three, four, and five* will be played at 161st Street in the Bronx (* if Necessary). New York will throw Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon in games one and two, while Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the hill for the Los Angeles respectively. I think the Yankees take game one, the Dodgers take game two, and these teams head back to New York tied 1-1. The Bronx has not seen a World Series game in 15 years, so expect the bleacher creatures to be rowdy, and expect the Yankees to head back to LA up three games to two, as I don’t see LA winning more than one game in the Bronx. Games six and seven could go either way, depending on how the pitching lines up. However, what we do know is that the Yankees had the best record on the road in 2024, going 50-31, and I th