The wait for the World Series to begin is finally over! Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:
1. 2024 World Series Begins:
The World Series is set to begin this evening when the Yankees take the field opposite the Dodgers in Los Angeles, with first pitch scheduled for 5:08pm local time. In Game 1, New York is set to send veteran ace and 2023 AL Cy Young award winner Gerrit Cole to the mound opposite Dodgers deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty. Cole missed the first half of the year due to an elbow injury and didn’t look quite like himself this season overall, with a solid but not elite 3.41 ERA through 17 starts in total. He’s put up similar numbers in the postseason this year, with a 3.31 ERA through three starts. Flaherty, by contrast, has enjoyed an excellent season with a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts split between the Tigers and Dodgers this year but struggled to a 7.04 ERA this postseason, including a three-inning, eight-run blow-up against the Mets during Game 5 of the NLCS.
2. Rosters being finalized:
Of course, both teams will need to finalize their rosters for the series before the Fall Classic can get underway. Manager Dave Roberts discussed some of his club’s roster plans with reporters yesterday, indicating that the Dodgers will likely carry veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas on their roster after sidelining him for the NLCS as he struggled to play through an adductor strain and sports hernia. It also seems as though injured relievers Alex Vesia and Brusdar Graterol could be added to the club’s bullpen, fortifying an already excellent relief corps. On the other side of the series, the Yankees have fewer potentially impactful injured pieces but do seem likely to activate southpaw Nestor Cortes to pitch out of the bullpen despite the lefty suffering a flexor injury late in the regular season. With that aforementioned quartet all seemingly poised to join their club’s respective rosters when they’re announced later today, the primary question that remains is which players will be left off their team’s roster to accommodate the likely additions.
3. Happy Birthday, Juan Soto:
For the second time in his young career, star outfielder Juan Soto will play in the World Series on his birthday. The offseason’s top free agent turns 26 today, and while he’ll have to wait a bit longer for his likely record-shattering payday he and the rest of the Yankees will nonetheless look to deliver a different kind of gift to Yankees fans today: a win in Game 1 of the World Series. Five years ago today, Soto’s Nationals took on the Astros in Game 3 of the World Series on his 21st birthday but lost the game 4-1 as Soto went an uncharacteristic 0-4 with a walk and three strikeouts at the plate. He’ll look for better results today coming off an utterly dominant ALCS against the Guardians where he hit .368/.478/.895 with three homers and more walks (4) than strikeouts (3) in 23 plate appearances, including his towering go-ahead three-run home run in Game 5 of the series that ultimately sent the Yankees to the Fall Classic.
ckc12537
Yankees in 5.
fox471 Dave
Dodgers in 6.
RunDMC
Astros lose.
Salvi
Yankees in 3. After being beaten so badly in the first 3 games, Dodgers concede the Series.
Bucket Number Six
Da Bearsss
Oldguy58
Strange the date of the sentencing for the interpreter got pushed back from today, the first day of the World Series, til December.
FemboySportsFan!
not really that strange
jimmy ray hart
Both teams fans will be crying “foul” after each loss – they have that in common- both fan bases are crybabies.
toptimrubies
Yet you are the only one crying here?
jimmy ray hart
I’m not crying I’m just stating an observation
I know Yankee fans and I know dodger fans – both of them after a loss claim the umpires missed a call or somebody cheated – that’s all I’m saying
Longtimecoming
The Yankees lose – damn the Dodgers win!
The Dodgers lose – damn the Yankees win!
Enjoy the WS fellow fans. The stove will be heating up in a couple of weeks!
Bring on the FA prediction contest!
aragon
Hope they both lose!
CardsFan57
MLB is thrilled. Record viewers in 3 massive cities. NYC, LA, and Tokyo. You can add the entire country of Japan to that record viewership.
ckc12537
Yeah, there’s no way this series doesn’t go 6 or 7 games lol. But I’d love for it to be a sweep or a 5-gamer.
YankeesBleacherCreature
Enjoy the WS!
609Collectibles
Isn’t it amazing Soto is only 26 years old? My friend hates him but I haven’t seen a batter that strikes fear into the opposing pitcher, owning the batters box the way he does, ever. An OG will tell you that pitchers actually feared Jim Rice. That’s what we see with Soto. Still invest heavily on Soto baseball cards, his numbers will look like Mickey Mantle’s at the end of his career.
rememberthecoop
Don’t get ne wrong – Soto is a great player. But to me, he’s not really the type to “strike fear” mainly because his best attribute is his plate discipline. And while walks are important, no one ever said, “Oh no, don’t pitch to this guy – he’s gonna walk!”
MLB Top 100 Commenter
609
Guess you never saw Barry Bonds. Bonds probably used steroids and was far from friendly, but he struck feat in pitchers in a way Soto has never done.
ckc12537
Bonds, Alvarez.
buffalobob88
Let’s go Yankees!!!!
highflyballintorightfield
Unless the Dodgers are planning on letting Kiermeier take key ABs, he’s probably the odd man out if Rojas returns. He’s only been a late game defensive replacement whereas Pages and Taylor have gotten starts (and Pages has produced at the plate.
TerryTurnbuckle
I’m sure those degenerate dodger fans will shower Soto with ‘gifts’
dasit
cole and flaherty get lit up tonight
final score 11-8 dodgers