The most common rivalry in World Series history is being renewed for the first time since 1981, as the Dodgers and Yankees will meet for a record 12th time in the Fall Classic. New York holds an 8-3 lead in the previous matchups, which included such iconic baseball moments as Jackie Robinson’s steal of home, Don Larsen’s perfect game, Reggie Jackson’s three-homer performance, and many more.
Now, a modern set of superstar players will square off. Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Teoscar Hernandez, Giancarlo Stanton, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be among those trying to win their first World Series rings, while the likes of Juan Soto and Mookie Betts are looking to add to their already-storied October legacies.
The L.A. lineup was simply too much for the Mets in the NLCS, as the Dodgers scored 46 runs over the six games. While the Dodgers’ reliever-heavy pitching attack is still trying to cover innings amidst a lot of injuries to regular starters, the team is perhaps just pitching too well to really call it a “patchwork” staff any more — Los Angeles has recorded four shutouts in its last eight playoff games.
The New York offense was also too much for the Guardians in the ALCS, with Stanton and Soto in particular leading the way with a combined seven homers and 13 RBI over the five-game series. Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt have also formed a powerful three-man front in the rotation, and Luke Weaver’s late-season emergence as the Yankees’ closer has continued into a largely dominant postseason.
The Yankees are looking to add to their record total of 27 championships, though they are in a relative drought by the franchise’s lofty standards. This is only the second time in 21 seasons that New York has taken part in the World Series, with the only other appearance in that span coming in 2009 when the Yankees defeated the Phillies. The Dodgers have “only” seven titles to show from their 22 trips to the World Series, but they have the most recent victory, capturing the 2020 Series that followed the pandemic-shortened regular season.
Since the Dodgers won 98 regular-season games to the Yankees’ 94 wins, Los Angeles holds the home-field advantage, so the World Series is set to begin on Friday at Dodger Stadium. Just one question remains….what’s your prediction?
(poll link for app users)
Niekro floater
Let’s Go Dodgers !!!
Acoss1331
Congrats Dodgers fans!
This is tough. I picked Yankees in 6, but I can see it going Dodgers in 6 as well. It’s the battle of the high payrolls!
metsin4
It should be a very good series with lots of star power. Could go either way.
MLB Fanatic
6 Games. Cue Frank Sinatra.
Lloyd Emerson
“L.A. Is My Lady”
cobby100
Pitching. Nuff said.
hiflew
Good luck to both teams, but I have no interest in watching this one.
fox471 Dave
You will be sorely missed, hiflew.
hiflew
Yeah and so will your sarcasm. Good luck buddy.
B-rocker
A true baseball fan.
hiflew
What does that even mean? I am not going to pretend that I have not spent many years despising both franchises just so I can say I am a “good baseball fan.” I hate both teams and I am not going to be hypocritical and watch them just because it is baseball, I hope somehow both teams managed to lose, but I will find something else to do with my time for the next week while they try
B-rocker
Hate is an endearing quality.
BS Meter Detector
The LA Tax Dodgers verse the NY Yankee Doodle Sign Stealers
If only there was a way for both teams to lose, America would win.
hiflew
I’m not asking for your adoration and I have no interest in being your role model, so maybe just move on.
BlueSkies_LA
We will call that a double win for you then.
flyinhawaiian
Good luck to your Rockies in the future then buddy. Pitiful
citizen
What MLB wanted. two major market teams in the world series. Lets see if anyone actually watches outside of the major markets.
mattmonteith
People who aren’t in major markets will watch this in much larger numbers than they would’ve a matchup between the Padres and Guardians.
mlbdodgerfan2015
Do people not understand that big market teams have fans outside of their markets? Other big markets. Medium markets. Small markets. Doesn’t get any bigger than Dodgers vs Yankees. And the fact that they haven’t met since 1981 in WS will make this even bigger. Casual fans more likely to watch it too. You not watching it is irrelevant.
Shady1771
Exactly my thoughts as well! They wanted Ohtani vs Judge all along. I hope the “Judge” renders his verdict!!!! I’ve never been a fan of the Dodgers. Only classy player on that team is Mookie.
mlbdodgerfan2015
I guess you don’t like Ohtani because he had Ippei take the fall. Kidding but I’m sure plenty think that. From what I’ve seen Ohtani is all class.
I don’t know most of the Yankee players but I’m pretty sure that there are a lot more classy players on the Dodgers than just Mookie. To each their own on that definition but if you think that about the Dodger players I wonder what you’d say about certain Padre players unless of course you are a Padre fan.
Salad Daze 22-27
This from a team that regularly employed Aroldis Chapman… seriously though ,if freddy, teo, kike, etc. aren’t classy, then your standards are too high or misguided. How classy are you if you are gonna call out others?
Yankeesforever
Soto, Judge and Stanton oh my!
thebudlightknight
Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman oh my!
kellin
@bud I think you mean Ohtani, Betts and Edman oh my! Freeman hasn’t really been a factor this post season, while Edman has.
Yankeesforever
Freddie is a great player, but will he even be available?
Bucsfan4ever
Yankees all the way. And thanks Dodgers for driving a stake through Dracula’s, aka the Mets’, heart. With apology to the Trix Rabbit, I love saying this “Silly Mets fans, pennants are for Other teams!!”
Yankeesforever
Hope the Dodgers have updated Chavez Latrine with some zip ties on their outfield gate and padding on their cement threshold.
We dont need Judge getting hurt again making a great play
B-rocker
Yankees fans. Always classy.
5TUNT1N
Solid burn on the facility tho. Funny how people don’t remember the history of the land sometimes, sucks.
B-rocker
I remember. I was there. Don’t want to see any injuries.
Salad Daze 22-27
it was 60 something years ago. any one still alive and involved has probably gotten over it. too bad you can’t.
SadMsFan
Wow, I really didn’t think the Yankees had what it takes to make it to this point, but Mr. Juanderful and The Judge have spoken, and now we have two juggernauts in the World Series. Soto and Judge vs. Shohei and Betts.
Showtime Shohei Ohtani…man, 18-22 with runners in scoring position? Damn!!!!! I’m the same height and 30 pounds heavier than Ohtani, and everyone’s like “he’s all muscle, and you kinda got a beer belly.”This guy is just an insane, monster of a man who could very easily terrorize the Yankees (and whom I totally have a crush on-although he is married…what? I’m only human), surrounded by magical men like Edman and Kike Hernandez who, man have been clutch! I’m gonna have to say-and I’ve been wrong every time-but Dodgers in 6 games. I just can’t see the Yankees pitching overcoming this Dodger offense. Also Dave Roberts is a better manager than Aaron Boone, although so was Vogt.
Seamus O'Meara
This is what I wanted!
5TUNT1N
You and mlb!
privy
Yanks in 6
driftwood bat
Who cares!
Salad Daze 22-27
you clearly, or you wouldn’t be desperately seeking attention.
slydevil
With this matchup, we are all losers.
BS Meter Detector
I honestly have no idea what to do when both teams are the villain. WNBA looking pretty good right now. Minor league hockey should be going on. Minor league NBA should be starting up soon.
iknoweverythingesq
What would have been a better matchup? SD and Cleveland? Snoozefest ‘24?
Johnny Vegas
I don’t think that would have been a snoozefest. Those are two good teams also. Are you under the impression that the larger the city the better the baseball is? In that case, you should have been hoping for Tokyo versus Jakarta in this year’s world series.
Old York
I expect this series to go the distance, given how closely matched both teams are. The Yankees’ stronger starting pitching and experienced roster give them a slight edge, so I would predict the Yankees to win in 7 games, with their pitching holding up just enough to outlast the Dodgers’ dynamic offense.
kellin
Not a Dodger fan, but I live in LA. This is the match up I wanted. If the Mets had won, I wouldn’t have cared.
deepseamonster32
West Coast represent! Let’s go Dodgers!
A'sfaninLondonUK
If the Dodgers win, is it deferred for a few years?
Enrico Pallazzo
You know any team can defer contracts as long as the player agrees to it right? This isn’t a trick or something illegal. It’s something successful teams do all the time. Obviously no player would agree to that kind of contract from your A’s because your owners are so cheap they would never offer one in the first place. Keep crying though. This matchup is good for the game and no matter how much people want to complain, baseball still has the best parity of any of the major us sports.
la verdad
This is why MLB needs a major overhaul of how revenue is shared in MLB. Two teams from two of the largest TV markets in the country, with two of the largest payrolls in MLB are in the World Series. These two teams can buy just about any talent they want on the free agent market and stack their respective teams with proven, upper echelon talent every year and consistently content for a championship. By contrast small market teams like KC and Milwaukee have to consistently grow and develop players with the hope of being able to contend, only to have to trade them or see they walk away for nothing because they are unable to compete with the contacts that the Yankees or Dodgers can offer on the open market.
To start, MLB needs to level the playing field by taking control of the TV contract rights from the individual teams and negotiating a TV deal for the league as a whole just like the NFL does. All the TV revenue generated by the respective teams should be pooled and split equally amongst ALL of the teams in MLB.
With the financial trouble that Diamond Sports has right now, and with MLB having to handle the TV broadcasts for several MLB teams next year, now is the time to move towards full revenue sharing of TV contracts in MLB and start to move towards a full and complete sharing of ALL revenue in MLB.
drprofsps
Agreed! However, my Rangers would not have won without the big free agents we signed over a 2-3 year period. But now, we are handcuffed by the lack of revenue from having no TV income.
DarrenDreifortsContract
This will be the highest rated world series probably in the last 20 years. MLB isn’t overhauling anything.
Not to mention the Yankees haven’t won a world series in 15 years and the Dodgers haven’t won a legit world series in 36 years. Even with the highest payrolls.
BS Meter Detector
MLB has a lot of problems, but tv deals are hardly the main concern.
Your best point is “These two teams can buy just about any talent they want on the free agent market and stack their respective teams with proven, upper echelon talent every year and consistently content for a championship. By contrast small market teams like KC and Milwaukee have to consistently grow and develop players with the hope of being able to contend, only to have to trade them or see they walk away for nothing:
MLB definitely needs to step in and create a system where teams are rewarded for keeping home grown star players.
MLB also needs to incentives players to sign long term contracts with said hometown team.
A spending limit should be implemented instead of cbt thresholds, but so should a spending floor.
Contracts should be capped to 10 year offers from opposing teams, but 12-14 year offers from home grown teams, no aav limit. Minor league pay and veteran minimum should be increased to offset limiting years and putting a somewhat cap on spending.
Salad Daze 22-27
such sour grapes. there are actually 30 teams that can make those kinds of deals. just because yours isn’t one of them. whine to your teams’ owners, don’t expect a very strong players union would ever ever agree to a cap.
drprofsps
As a Rangers fan, this should be a fun series to watch. But next year, I would like to see one of the five teams that have never won a World Series make it. I understand that all fans want their team in, but I enjoy rooting for the underdog!
DarrenDreifortsContract
Dodgers in 3!!!!!!!!
DarkSide830
the giant meteor, hopefully
LordD99
Yankees-Dodgers. As it should be.
Mustard Tiger
Some day the Padres might be able to play in the World Series as well. LOL.
KINGHZEY
Gay.
BlueSkies_LA
Mark I believe the word you were looking for to describe this matchup is frequent, or recurring, not common.
lowtalker1
Don’t care not watching
BlueSkies_LA
Keepin’ it low.
Kewldude69
I love all the fans crying “big payroll” as if them Mets weren’t at the top by spending 305 million. Then you have the high spending Padres who are still paying Eric Hosmer. Haters – relax! Your Midwest billionaire owner is just cheap. So chill!
good vibes only
Not a fan of either team but this felt somewhat inevitable after the Soto trade and Yoshi/Shohei signings. I will absolutely be watching and hoping it goes 7.
The lopsided championship series games have been really disappointing. Just hoping for some tight games here!