Casual Baseball Fans Rejoice ! The two most popular MLB teams, with the two best players, and the two highest evaluations according to Forbes are facing off in the Fall Classic. For the 12th time in history, and first since 1981, the Dodgers and Yankees will face off in the World Series. Alot of experts and fans make their predictions in March on who will make the World Series, and this time the public was actually correct.
How did the Dodgers and Yankees get here ? – The records tell us that these two teams each finished with the #1 record in their respective leagues, and cruised their way to a Pennant. That could not be further from the truth. The Yankees had a stretch from Mid June – early July where only the White Sox had a worse record in the NL, and the Dodgers have dealt with Major Injuries to Mookie Betts, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto & Clayton Kershaw.
Yankees Postseason Path: ALDS, Beat KC Royals in 4, ALCS, Beat CLE Guardians in 5 Dodgers Postseason Path: NLDS, Beat SD Padres in 5, NLCS, Beat NY Mets in 6The Box score would indicate the Yankees have been in control of every single game thus far, but they have won every game by 3 runs or less, and their two losses have came by two runs or less.The Dodgers on the other hand had to face two games of elimination against San Diego, while winning multiple games this postseason by 5+ runs, and losing multiple games by 5+ runs.
Yankees X-Factor(s)– Playoff Giancarlo Stanton is one of the greatest Postseason hitters of all time, end of sentence. Out of all MLB players with 35+ games played in the Postseason, Stanton is currently 4th all time in OPS, and 2nd in Slug%, only behind Babe Ruth. The 34-year-old has dealt with constant injuries and media criticism since becoming a Yankee, but has easily their been their best hitter throughout the playoffs, and has had some of the clutchest moments in recent Yankee history. On the Flip side of historic, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been outright awful at the plate. The 3B was traded from Miami in July and was awesome in his 45 games with NY, posting a .274 avg, OPS+ of 130 and clobbing 11 HR. However in 9 Postseason games, Jazz is batting .147 with 2xbh and a brutal .481 OPS. The Yankee Pitching staff has been performing for the most part this postseason, especially the bullpen. Amazing performances from unlikely names include Tim Hill, Luke Weaver, and Tommy Kahnle. With the Dodgers having an underwhelming group of Starting Pitchers this Postseason, Yankee starters need to perform and not let the Dodgers offense get going early.
Dodgers X-Factor(s)– The postseason can shine a spotlight on some players who fans wouldn’t have expected beforehand, and that statement could not be truer for Kike Hernandez & Tommy Edman. Kike has been a below average hitter throughout his decade-long MLB career but has risen to insane heights in october taking his career regular season OPS from .713 to .889. We all know Betts & Ohtani are threats at the plate, but Kike is right next to them on the list. Edmand was Aquired by LA Via trade earlier this season, and has won over every single Dodgers fan after his performances in the NLCS. Currently batting .340 with a team best 12 RBI’s, having dangerous bats in the lineup besides Betts & Ohtani will be crucial for LA’s success.
How Will The Series Go ?– The Dodgers have blown out their opponents on numerous occasions, but have also suffered big defeats this postseason, where as the Yankees have all their games come down to the wire. I do believe that NY’s biggest advantage is their starting rotation, they need six strong innings from Cole, Schmidt & Rodon. Can the Dodgers pen shut down the Yankees lineup? Im not sure considering what NY did to Clevelands bullpen which was far and away the best in baseball. It also goes without saying that in order to win the WS, the Yankees need Aaron Judge to have an amazing performance, but all things considered, this is easily the most anticipated World Series of my lifetime.
Yankees in 6
