NFL
By Billy Lewis:
The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are getting ready to face off against each other for the first time in the World Series since 1981. It will be the 12th meeting between the teams in the Fall Classic. The Yankees are 8-3 in those series, though most of the damage was done while the Dodgers were in Brooklyn. The Yankees were 6-1 in those old Subway Series.
The Dodgers won the first World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers in 1963 and the most recent in 1981. The “Bronx is Burning” Yankees did win back-to-back World Series against the LA Dodgers in 1977 & 1978.
Of course, 1978 was the Yankees’ last title before the dynasty that started in 1996. 1981 was their last appearance in the Fall Classic before that dynasty run. That 15-year drought is the same drought the Yankees just broke since their last appearance and title was in 2009.
How They Got Here
The Dodgers and Yankees finished the regular season as the top seed in the National and American League. This makes it the first World Series with the top seeds matching up since the Covid Season of 2020, where the Dodgers beat the Rays in six games. It’s the first such matchup in a full-length season since the Red Sox beat the Cardinals in six games in 2013.
Securing the one seed, neither team had to worry about the Wild Card Round and started their playoff ride in the Division Series. The Dodgers got underway against their division rival, the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers were put on the brink of elimination, falling behind two games to one in the NLDS.
The Dodgers pitching staff took over after Game 3. The Dodgers would shutout the Padres 8-0 and 2-0 in Games 4 and 5 to advance to the NLCS.
The Dodgers would continue their string of shutouts, beating the Mets 9-0 in Game 1 of the NLCS. The Mets would bounce back in Game 2, but the Dodgers would extinguish any hopes of a 2024 Subway Series, winning the series in six.
The Yankees are entering the World Series after taking care of the Royals and Guardians. The Yankees would make relatively quick work by beating the Royals in four and the Guardians in five. That’s not to say there wasn’t drama in either series. If the Yankees can end the season down the Canyon of Heros, we’ll see Giancarlo Stanton’s and Juan Soto’s home runs in Game 5 for years to come.
Made for the moment. @Giancarlo818 ? pic.twitter.com/iYe8qVHYOa
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 20, 2024
May we once again re-introduce, The Generational, Juan Soto. pic.twitter.com/6R5fWpEg6I
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 20, 2024
Aaron Judge Vs. Shohei Ohtani
New York and Los Angeles are known for their star power. This World Series will highlight just that. Fans will get to watch the two best players in the world battle against each other. Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are your probable 2024 AL and NL MVPs and will no doubt be all over our screens throughout the series.
The supporting casts are pretty good too. The Yankees have ALCS MVP Giancarlo Stanton, Soto, Gerrit Cole in support of Judge. The Dodgers sport NLCS MVP Tommy Edman, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to support Ohtani.
In long series, bullpens have the tendency to be exposed. There’s a possible seven games left on the 2024 MLB schedule, so the hitters in the series will be seeing a lot of the opponent’s bullpen arms. The Yankees bullpen was dominant against the Royals but faltered at times against the Guardians.
Not only is fatigue a factor, but in a long series so is familiarity. The nature of baseball now has seen starting pitchers only go 4-5 innings. If either team can consistently get their starters into the 6th or even 7th innings, it will help their bullpen that much more.
