Yankees vs. Dodgers: A Juggernaut World Series Showdown for the Ages

Historic Rivals Yankees and Dodgers Set to Clash in Epic 2024 World Series
Yankees vs. Dodgers: A Juggernaut World Series Showdown for the Ages
Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani Photo courtesy of MLB IG

Road to the Series

The 2024 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers promises to be a thrilling showdown, marking their 12th encounter in this storied rivalry. The Yankees stormed through the American League in the playoffs, defeating the Royals and Guardians to earn their spot in this year's Fall Classic.

After overcoming a midseason slump, the Yankees managed to clinch the AL East title over the Baltimore Orioles, setting the stage for a dominant postseason run. Led by the best offensive one-two punch in baseball in Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, the Yankees are looking to capture their 28th World Series championship, and first in 15 years.

In the National League, the Dodgers have lived up to their preseason billing as championship favorites, consistently demonstrating their star power despite dealing with an array of injuries. After signing two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers have looked unbeatable in a seven-game series for much of the season.

L.A.'s deep roster and significant financial backing have kept them at the top of the league, making them a formidable opponent. After going down 2-1 to the San Diego Padres in the NLDS, the Dodgers won the next two games of the best-of-five series and moved on to face the New York Mets in the NLCS. Against the Mets, the Dodgers averaged nearly eight runs per contest and disposed of the Yankees' little brother in six games to advance to their 22nd World Series.

A Storied History 

This matchup reignites a historic rivalry that stretches back to the Dodgers' Brooklyn days, which included seven Subway Series contests in the Fall Classic. Although separated by just a few miles of water between the Bronx and Brooklyn, there was no love shared between the two New York teams.

This intercity feud was largely dominated by the Yankees, with the Dodgers finally winning their first title in franchise history against the Yankees in 1955, after previously losing five matchups to the Bronx Bombers. Since the Dodger's moved to Los Angeles in 1958, the rivalry has become synonymous with "East vs. West", acting not just as a sports rivalry, but a cultural one as well.

Although their twelve total World Series meetings is five more than the next most common matchup, it’s been almost 45 years since their last clash in 1981, where the Dodgers claimed victory in six games. The Yankees have waited for a long time to reestablish themselves as baseball's top team - and what better to do it than against a team that they have beaten in eight out of eleven of their World Series meetings?

Most Valuable Player's Face-Off

Adding to the drama, both teams boast definite MVP winners: Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. Although the awards haven’t been handed down yet, Judge and Ohtani are perhaps the easiest selections for MVP in the same season in MLB history. The pair hit a combined 112 home runs in the regular season, and led their respective leagues in the majority of offensive statistical categories, including runs batted in (RBI), total bases, wins above replacement (WAR), and on-base percentage (OBP).

So far, Ohtani has outdone Judge in the playoffs, with 10 RBI and 12 runs through 11 games in his first playoff campaign. Judge has had big moments, but continues to perform significantly lower than the bar he’s set for himself with his regular season play. The Yankee captain has just three hits in 31 at-bats so far this playoffs, and even with two of them being key home runs, he is going to need to step it up against Los Angeles if he hopes to lead New York to their 28th title. 

Key Questions

The biggest weakness for the Yankees is their bullpen, and how their relievers perform could determine the outcome of this series. Despite starting off strong, recent struggles from key relievers Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes raise questions heading into the series. The pair imploded in back-to-back outings in the ALCS, in a series that the Yankees were lucky to come out of in just five games.

A Juan Soto home run that sent New York to the World Series washed most of that bad taste out of Yankees fans’ mouths, but the bullpen still remains a cause for concern. Clay Holmes led the league in blown saves this year and has repeatedly struggled to be the clutch stopper New York needs. While Luke Weaver has been a fantastic replacement, it's still a lot to ask of him to fill such a significant void, especially considering his limited experience in that role.

While the Dodgers have also had their fair share of bullpen struggles, their hobbled starting rotation could be their fatal flaw against a top-half Yankee lineup that works counts and gets on base. The Dodgers are running an understaffed three-man rotation, and the Yankees will look to force LA’s manager, Dave Roberts, to exhaust his bullpen early with plate discipline and long at-bats.

L.A.'s starters must keep their head above the water and a lid on the Yankee lineup early in the game. Game one starter, Jack Flaherty, will need to keep his velocity up and inspire confidence in his fellow pitchers with a strong outing against a Yankee offense that has gone after off-speed pitches all season.

Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto, the first and second batters for New York, have a combined .833 OBP in the first inning of this playoffs. Factor in Giancarlo Stanton, who homered four times in five games in the ALCS, and it will be very hard for the Dodger arms to hold up in a best-of-seven series if the trio continues their onslaught. On the mound, New York's ace, Gerrit Cole, will look to cement himself as the dominant Yankee pitcher of this generation with a win in game one.

A World Series to Remember

With both teams eager to assert their dominance, this World Series promises to deliver excitement and drama on every pitch. It is projected to have the highest ratings and generate the most revenue of any World Series in history as baseball fans around the world get ready to watch this epic showdown. It is not often that two teams of this caliber come around, and even less often do they meet on the biggest stage in the sport.

So, will the Dodgers win their second title of the 2020s and establish themselves as the new juggernaut of the MLB, or will the Yankees finally complete the "Chase for 28", capturing their first World Series victory since the glory days of Derek Jeter and company?

Yankees vs. Dodgers: A Juggernaut World Series Showdown for the Ages
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