Why You Need to Watch the Yankees-Dodgers World Series

The path to the top of Major League Baseball is hardly ever easy, especially when you’re a favorite to actually get to the World Series. It may be even harder when all eyes are on you as two of the perennial franchises in all of the game.

Yet here we are. The New York Yankees won the American League after an epic five-game series with the Cleveland Guardians, aided by the heroics of ALCS MVP Giancarlo Stanton and a pennant-winning home run by Giancarlo Stanton. The Los Angeles Dodgers, meanwhile, found themselves tested by a feisty New York Mets team, hungry for a title with nothing to lose and a little inspiration from Grimace. But L.A. outpowered the Mets and clinched a World Series spot in six games, their first since 2020.

Now the two are on a collision course in the World Series for the first time since 1981, with first pitch set for Friday in Los Angeles. And though this matchup may role some eyes as simply a battle between two of the highest payrolls in the league, it carries a significant historical impact that could make it one of the most memorable World Series battles to date.

Judge vs. Ohtani

The obvious draw of the 2024 World Series is that it will feature the two biggest names in all of Major League Baseball. Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Dodgers multidimensional bat and arm Shohei Ohtani set multiple MLB records this season, and one of them will now pick up their first championship.

Judge began the season in a slump, but rebounded to put up one of the greatest offensive campaigns in baseball history. He hit 58 home runs on a .322 average, and posted a 10.8 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), a higher mark than the 2022 seasons in which he hit an American League record 62 home runs. Judge is almost certain to win American League MVP for the second time, but will need to snap out of a postseason slump to combat the Dodgers.

That’s because Ohtani has continued his dominance into the playoffs. The two-way phenom signed a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason after never making the playoffs with the crosstown Angels. Ohtani was remarkable in 2024, hitting 54 homers and stealing 59 bases, becoming the first player ever to eclipse fifty in both categories in the same season. This will be the sixth time in World Series history the home run leaders from both leagues will square off with a title on the line.

Holy Star-Power, Batman!

Let’s say you want to see more than just Ohtani and Judge. The 2024 World Series features two of the most loaded rosters in the history of the “Fall Classic,” with both teams heavily stacked in both their respective lineups and pitching arsenals.

Soto will be the biggest free agent on the market this season, and with good reason. He smashed 41 homers in his first season with the Yankees, and put up the third-highest OPS of his career at .989. His ability to read the strike zone set up other members of the Yankees lineup for massive success in 2024, like Stanton. Stanton had missed 48 games this season due to injury, but his presence when he was healthy saw him take advantage of seeing more pitches, and providing major stability to the middle of the order. He has five homers this postseason, four of which came in the ALCS. Throw in Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, emerging star Carlos Rodón, and budding closer Luke Weaver, and the Yankees are built well from top to bottom.

With that said, the Dodgers may be even stronger. Imagine a team where eight-time All-Star and former MVP Mookie Betts isn’t your best player? Or where first baseman Freddie Freeman’s .282 campaign goes quietly under the radar? Or where $320 million pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto may not even be the most talked about pitcher in your rotation? Los Angeles is loaded in nearly every facet of the game, and while some of their weaknesses rest within their pitching, their plus-156 run differential was the best in baseball this season.

The Best of the Best

Major League Baseball’s playoff system has changed dramatically over the years, expanding rapidly since 1995 when the first wild card team was introduced into the fold. Since the further expansion to three wild card teams per league, the path to the World Series has become even more difficult for a team towards the top that can fall into a trap against a hot squad.

Not this year.

The 2024 World Series will feature the two best teams in baseball. The Yankees began the season on a historic pace, sitting at 52-27 on June 22. They came back down to earth in the second half of the year, but finished with 94 wins, most in the American League. They lost just two games in the ALDS and ALCS combined, but will have to begin the World Series in Los Angeles.

That’s because the Dodgers battled off a surging San Diego Padres team to not just win the NL West, but finish the year with 98 wins and the best record in the majors. L.A. put up 842 runs in 2024, while the Yankees scored the second-most with 815. New York had the best record in the league against teams with a .500 record or better, while the Dodgers won a stellar 52 games at home.

It’s Simply Historic

Above all else though, the 2024 World Series is a return to a bygone era of the game, where the Yankees and Dodgers were both recognized as the premiere franchises in the sport.

The two teams haven’t faced off in a World Series in 1981, but prior to that, it felt like a yearly occurrence they would battle with all the gold on the line. This is the 12th matchup all-time between the two teams, five more times than any other in league history. The Yankees are 8-3 in those previous 11 series, with many of those wins taking place when the Dodgers neighbored them in Brooklyn.

Names like Reggie Jackson, Jackie Robinson, Don Larsen, and Fernando Valenzuela have seen their legends grow thanks to the impact of the Yankees and Dodgers World Series fights. Will another name elevate himself into sports immorality this time around?

Game 1 is set for Friday, Oct. 25 at Dodger Stadium. First pitch will be at 8:08 p.m. ET. The Yankees will search for their first championship since 2009, while the Dodgers will look for the first full-season title since 1988.