2024 Will Be One of The Best World Series Matchups Ever | World Series Preview
Previewing The 2024 WS Between the Dodgers & Yankees
The matchup for the 2024 World Series is set & it’s bound to be a classic. With the top seed of both leagues in the rival Los Angeles Dodgers & New York Yankees facing off, it’s definitely going to be a close series. From Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, & Giancarlo Stanton to Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, & Freddie Freeman, both of these star-studded lineups might bring us the best World Series of all time.
The Los Angeles Dodgers spent over $1 billion this offseason, primarily on Shohei Ohtani’s massive $700 million contract. On the other hand, the New York Yankees have spent a ton of money but this year they made their core even better by trading for superstars in Juan Soto & Jazz Chisholm Jr. These trades added on to a team with a lot of talent already including Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, & Gerrit Cole. With this, do these teams prove that money buys championships?
Most Valuable Players
Both of these teams have the favorite to win the MVP Award in each respective league. On one side of the field, the Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani, who hit 54 homeruns in 2024, leading to the first 50/50 season in Major League Baseball history. Shohei also hit .310/.390/1.036 this season while Aaron Judge hit an MLB-leading 58 homeruns this season & hit .322/.458/1.159 in 2024.
From the playoff side of things, Tommy Edman of the Dodgers won NLCS MVP after he hit for a .407 average in 6 games against the Mets, all in which he recorded a hit including 4 extra-base hits. With these hits, Edman hit 11 RBIs, which are tied with Corey Seager for a franchise record in a postseason series since 1920. Giancarlo Stanton recieved the ALCS MVP Award this year after he played a huge role in the Yankees defeat of the Cleveland Guardians. In the 5 games of the ALCS, Stanton only hit .222, recording a mere 4 hits, however all 4 of those hits left the yard. With this, Stanton recorded 7 RBIs & scored 5 runs.
Notable Roster Moves
Prior to Game 1, both teams announced their 26-man rosters for the World Series. Both teams had a notable roster move that could determine the outcome of the series. For Los Angeles, star reliever Evan Phillips is off the roster due to an arm injury he sustained in Game 6 of the NLCS. In the regular season, Phillips posted a 3.62 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. On the east coast, Nestor Cortes is back & is ready to give it all he has for a World Series. Cortes was previously out with a flexor strain injury.
Future Hall of Famers
Both sides of the ball have future Hall of Famers in this World Series. Clayton Kershaw and Freddie Freeman are both viewed as locks for the Hall of Fame while players like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, & Giancarlo Stanton are really close to securing a spot in Cooperstown. Then we have the young stars who may be on their way— Juan Soto, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, & Will Smith.
Predictions
The odds for the World Series Champions is very close. However, our prediction is the Los Angeles Dodgers in 7 games. Both teams have a very strong offense but the Yankees have struggled with their pitching. Even though the Dodgers have pitching struggles, their pitching staff seems stronger.
With high-scoring offenses & dominant pitching staffs on both sides of the field, the Los Angeles Dodgers & New York Yankees could bring us the best World Series of all-time in 2024.
