Forty-three years ago, back when the Berlin Wall stood and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was the biggest movie in the world, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers last played each other in the World Series.
Now, two of the most storied franchises in MLB are facing off for a record 12th time, with myriad superstars and future Hall of Famers on either side. Here’s a look at the league champions and a prediction for how the 120th World Series will play out.
New York Yankees
For most clubs in the majors, simply making it to the World Series would be enough to satisfy even the most ravenous of fans. For the Yankees faithful, though, winning the pennant is the expectation – and one the franchise hasn’t met in 15 years.
The Yankees, who beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-1 in the ALCS, are led by the expected three-headed monster of Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton, with the latter two homering in the pennant-clinching game.
Judge, who will presumably win AL MVP at season’s end, has been terrible in the postseason up to this point, slashing a putrid .161/.317/.387. For the Bronx Bombers to have any shot against LA, Judge’s bat has to come alive, and he has to shed his choker label.
Soto and Stanton, on the other hand, have been fantastic. In his series-winning, three-run homer, Soto looked like he was toying with his prey, baiting the Cleveland reliever into tossing up a perfect pitch to smash into the night. Stanton, the ALCS MVP, had just four hits in the five-game series. All four were home runs, and all four came in close games.
The key to the Yankees winning the World Series won’t be getting production out of the heart of their order; it’ll be making sure the other six New York batters are awake. In the ALCS, Yankees not named Judge, Soto or Stanton accounted for just six of 19 total RBI, which is a ratio that must be corrected if New York wants to hang in this series.
Also crucial for manager Aaron Boone and the Yankees will be bullpen management. Pitchers like Tim Hill, Clay Holmes, Luke Weaver and Tommy Kahnle have had their stamina tested, being relied upon much more than in the regular season. In Hill’s case, he appeared in every ALCS game, throwing 4.2 innings and earning a 1.93 ERA.
Assuming the Yankee starters will be at least above average, New York has an advantage on the mound. The Yankees’ hitters managed to get to Cleveland’s elite bullpen early, and they’ll have to keep up their dominance to hang with the potent Dodgers. If they can do that, New York has a good shot at their 28th ring.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Last offseason, the Dodgers made the biggest free agency splash in MLB history, signing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to a record-shattering 10-year, $700 million contract. Now, Ohtani is headlining his first-ever postseason squad and eyeing the Commissioner’s Trophy.
This postseason, Ohtani has been fantastic – but strangely, only with runners on base. He’s hit 18 for his last 22 with RISP but been ice cold with the bases empty. While Los Angeles loves that their star free agent signing is white hot in the clutch, Ohtani needs to prove that he can hit without ducks on the pond if the Dodgers want to keep up with the Yankees’ pitching staff.
Luckily, if Ohtani struggles, there’s plenty of other Dodgers to make up for it. Mookie Betts, who’s already won a ring with Los Angeles, was fantastic in the NLCS, batting an otherworldly 1.182 OPS. Before this series, Betts shared the playoff choker label with Judge, but after his stellar series against the Mets, it’s hard to see Betts as anything but a postseason performer.
The biggest question mark in the Los Angeles lineup is star first baseman Freddie Freeman, who missed games in the NLCS due to an ankle injury and struggled when he appeared. Freeman is a seasoned playoff vet, having led the Atlanta Braves to a title in 2021, and his experience will be crucial when playing in the always-imposing Yankee Stadium.
The Dodgers will have to avoid making the same mistake Cleveland did against New York in the ALCS – overusing the bullpen. Los Angeles is likely to schedule bullpen games due to a lack of starting pitching, and the Yankees feasted on the Guardian relievers they repeatedly faced. While arms like Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen should be dominant, no pitcher can be truly confident facing the killer heart of the Yankee order.
On paper, the Dodgers are a deeper team than the Yankees. Their secondary hitters like Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez are experienced in October, and their relief pitching is stronger than New York’s. They have plenty of players like Tommy Edman who can get randomly hot for a seven-game set, and those are just the bats any World Series team needs.
On the field, though, these teams look about as even as any prior World Series matchup.
The Prediction
In what has potential to be the best World Series in nearly a decade, the New York Yankees will beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games, with Soto winning the series MVP.
The first two games will be split, and the Yankees will take two out of the middle three in New York. Facing elimination, the Dodgers will win game six by three or four runs, but the Yankees will win game seven in extras, bringing the title back to the Bronx for the first time in 15 years.
Each game will be a close contest with plenty of late-inning battles between seemingly-unhittable relievers and apparently-unstoppable batters. There will be diving plays. There will be walk offs. There will be moonshots. There will be history.
In an era where MLB needs a ratings boost more than ever, these two teams will provide one of the greatest World Series, and while neutral fans may complain about a Yankees-Dodgers matchup, they’ll be treated to a seven-game spectacle.