(Photo courtesy of The Telescope) “Preview cover of the 2024 World Series”
Jake Messer
Connector Editor
The stage is now set, this year’s edition of the Fall Classic will feature Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees taking on Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two biggest franchises in the baseball world will go head to head for the sport’s ultimate prize. The World Series will start on Friday, Oct. 25.
This series has everything a championship series needs to feel truly special. It has enormous star power on both sides, legacies are at stake and there is genuine uncertainty as to who will walk away with the pennant.
In December of last year, Shohei Ohtani shook the baseball world when he signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, making him the highest-paid player in baseball history. Many questioned if he could live up to his immense pay grade, he most certainly has.
This season, Ohtani has broken the glass ceiling and has become the face of the sport all over the world. Not only will he win the National League MVP at the end of the season, but he also became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
Ohtani’s impact on the Dodgers cannot be understated, he has been the difference maker the franchise has desperately needed. Although he has indeed moved the needle, the rest of the Dodgers lineup has stepped up as well, especially during October.
Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have all stepped up and delivered for the team this postseason with consistent production and timely moments.
To make it to the Fall Classic, the Dodgers first had to take on their fierce rivals in the south, the San Diego Padres.
After being pushed to the brink going down 2-1 in the series, the Dodgers were able to come back and advance thanks to back-to-back shutout victories.
In the NLCS, the Dodgers were able to dispose of the New York Mets in six games on the back of an explosive offense that at times, was near unstoppable, averaging 7.6 runs a game that series.
The Dodgers have now made the World Series three times in the last eight years, with expectations being met every step of the way, they looked poised to bring home the pennant and enter the early stages of becoming a dynasty. The only thing standing in their way?
The New York Yankees.
After numerous playoff failures at the hands of the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros, the Yankees have finally broken through their rut and made it back to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
The Yankees, who amassed an American League-best 94 wins this season, have been able to fight and claw their way to the Fall Classic, marking 41 appearances in the Fall Classic.
Uncharacteristically, the vaunted Pinstripes have had to grind their way to get to the World Series. Every single game they have won this postseason has been by three runs or fewer, highlighting their tenacity and grit.
The Bronx Bombers dispatched the Kansas City Royals in four games and were able to vanquish the Cleveland Guardians in five.
Headlined by the likely American League Most Valuable Player winner Aaron Judge, who has been quiet behind the plate this postseason, is looking to get hot at the right time and prove his critics wrong.
With Judge struggling, the rest of the team was able to step up their game and produce. Particularly Giancarlo Stanton, who has been the team’s best hitter this October with 5 home runs and 11 RBIs.
New addition Juan Soto has also stepped up, batting .333 with 8 RBIs. His most notable contribution was his three-run home run in Game 5 to send the Bronx Bombers to the World Series.
The pitching has also stepped up big time, with a team ERA of 3.27 and 81 strikeouts, they have done their part and have allowed the team to win these close, tightly contested battles, something that will have to carry over if they wish to win the franchise’s 28th World Series.
With all that being said, both teams are under immense pressure to come out victorious, neither can afford to lose this year.
The Dodgers need to set the tone and enter the Shohei Ohtani era of baseball in the most indisputable way possible. The Yankees need to win to entice soon-to-be free agent Juan Soto to stay with the team this offseason, someone who the Yankees gave up significant assets to acquire this past offseason.
Much to the dismay of many baseball fans, this World Series will be one to watch, as the implications of this series will greatly affect the baseball landscape.
Prediction: Dodgers over Yankees in 6 games.
