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Baseball fans, we've arrived! The pinnacle of the MLB season is finally here.

After seven months of baseball, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are set to face off in the 2024 World Series. This marks the 12th time these two iconic franchises have met in the Fall Classic, the most in MLB history. Their last showdown was in 1981—long before anyone on either roster was even born.

Whether you're a fan of either team or not, there's no denying this series is poised to be one of the most marketable and profitable in history. We're here to break it all down and give you everything you need to know ahead of Game One on Friday!

World Series Preview

After years of postseason heartbreak, this era of Yankees baseball has finally reached the World Series. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton will make their long-awaited debuts in the Fall Classic, while Juan Soto, already a seasoned October star at just 26, will look to cement his legacy before likely signing one of the largest contracts in baseball history this offseason.

They clinched the first seed in the American League this season led by another soon-to-be MVP season from Judge, Soto’s steady brilliance in his first year in New York, and excellent rookie years from Luis Gil and Austin Wells. While they were certainly challenged, they took down the Royals and Guardians while losing just one game to each along the way.

On the other side, the preseason World Series favorite Los Angeles Dodgers entered the year with higher expectations than ever after spending over a billion dollars on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and acquiring Tyler Glasnow via trade. Despite countless injuries to their entire pitching staff, Mookie Betts, and others, they were able to secure the top seed.

A battle with the rival Padres pushed them to the brink of elimination, but two straight shutouts from Yamamoto and the bullpen sent them to the NLCS. Despite a few huge games from Grimace Mets, the Dodgers talent proved to be simply too much as they advanced to the World Series in six games.

Now, the stage is set for an epic clash between the league’s top two teams, featuring some of the biggest stars in the game!

Offense

The Yankees’ offense was driven all season by Aaron Judge, but it’s been Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto leading the charge this postseason. Stanton earned ALCS MVP honors after belting four home runs in five games, bringing his playoff OPS to an impressive 1.179. Soto isn't far behind with a 1.106 OPS, and he delivered the clutch moment that sent the Yankees to the World Series.

Gleyber Torres and Anthony Volpe have been unsung heroes as well, each posting an on-base percentage over .400 in the postseason. However, the Yankees will need more from Judge, who has delivered a couple of big home runs but will need to find his MVP form to keep pace with the Dodgers. A resurgence from Jazz Chisholm and Austin Wells would also provide a key boost.

The Dodgers offense just produced the most runs ever in an NLCS and that was largely without help from Freddie Freeman who has posted a .461 OPS while battling through an ankle issue. Shohei Ohtani leads the way but this team has gotten contributions from everyone. Mookie Betts and Max Muncy have been exceptional, leading the way alongside Ohtani.

Tommy Edman, the NLCS MVP, was sensational, racking up 11 hits and 11 RBI, including driving in the first four runs of the final game. Kiké Hernández has continued his usual postseason heroics, sparking the team alongside Teoscar Hernández in the Padres series. The Dodgers will need more production from Will Smith in the World Series, especially if Freddie Freeman is unable to regain his usual form.

While the Dodgers boast a deeper lineup this postseason, the Yankees still have the firepower to keep up, especially if Aaron Judge comes alive. This battle slightly favors Los Angeles, but New York’s offense is more than capable of rising to the challenge.

Starting Pitchers

Many teams have heavily relied on their bullpen this October, opting to use their bullpen for the entire game. The Yankees, however, have stuck with a traditional starting rotation, while the Dodgers have mixed three starters with three bullpen games over their 10 games so far.

As expected, Gerrit Cole will take the mound for the Yankees in Game One, giving New York a clear edge whenever he's on the hill. After missing much of the regular season due to injury, Cole has rediscovered his dominant form and is unquestionably the best starter in this series.

Jack Flaherty entered the postseason as the ace of the Dodgers staff, and will take the ball in Game One. He’s coming off one of his worst starts of the year in which the Mets put up eight runs on him. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler both had their best starts of October and will likely take the ball in Games Two and Three.

Buehler struggled for much of the season, posting a 5.38 ERA in the regular season, but his stuff in his most recent start was the best it’s been since he returned from Tommy John Surgery and he’ll look to build on that. It’s much of the same for Yamamoto who returned from a shoulder injury in September and is starting to find his groove at the perfect time.

Behind Cole, the Yankees have several strong options. Carlos Rodon, despite a difficult regular season, has shown flashes of his elite form in the playoffs. With 22 strikeouts in 14.1 postseason innings, he may be the second-best pitcher in this series and is a likely choice to start Game Two.

Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil are less proven but have had solid seasons for New York. Both will be well-rested, having pitched fewer than 10 innings in October. If they can provide four or five solid innings in games where the Dodgers rely on bullpen days, it will ease the burden on the Yankees’ staff and give them a significant edge in pitching depth.

The Dodgers, without key arms like Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Gavin Stone, face a real challenge. They've managed to get this far despite their injuries, but the Yankees enter the World Series with a more reliable rotation, which could ultimately be the difference for the Yankees.

Bullpen

The late innings are where October games are won, and this postseason has seen bullpens play a bigger role than ever. As mentioned earlier, the Dodgers have leaned heavily on their bullpen, logging 57 innings from relievers compared to just 38.2 innings from the Yankees’ bullpen. However, much of that usage came from bulk pitchers in less competitive situations.

The Yankees’ bullpen has been excellent, posting a 2.56 ERA in the playoffs, despite a few chaotic late-game moments against the Guardians. Luke Weaver, a recent addition to the closer role, has been stellar in all but one outing this postseason. While Clay Holmes had some struggles in high-leverage situations against Cleveland, he’ll still be relied upon heavily. Tommy Kahnle, armed with his devastating changeup, has been lights out, not allowing a run in six appearances.

Tim Hill has been rock solid in early innings while Jake Cousins, Ian Hamilton, and Mark Leiter Jr. might be called upon more in this series.

On the other side, Los Angeles has used their bullpen more than any other team this postseason, but for good reason—their top arms have been dominant. Blake Treinen has arguably been the best reliever in the playoffs, while Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Anthony Banda, and Daniel Hudson have each allowed one run or fewer in at least five appearances.

The heavy workload for the Dodgers’ bullpen could become a concern, but with nearly a week of rest, they should be ready. The likes of Ben Casparius, Brent Honeywell, and others may also need to step up to keep the Dodgers’ bullpen rolling through the series.

Both bullpens have been outstanding overall and have reason to believe they can maintain their form. However, neither has faced an offense performing at the level of these two teams right now. The bullpens will certainly be tested over the course of this best-of-seven series.

We will be releasing a full World Series Betting Preview newsletter tomorrow afternoon, so stay tuned for that coming to your inbox!

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

We’re launching a new feature of our newsletter this week as we’ll have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Who won World Series MVP in the only Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series that ended in a 4-0 sweep?

A) Reggie Jackson

B) Sandy Koufax

C) Duke Snider

D) Bucky Dent

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Postseason Standouts

Mark Vientos established himself as a superstar of the future for the Mets as he took his breakout season and turned it into huge postseason for New York. He came through and broke the Mets record for RBIs in a single postseason as he posted an OPS of .998 with 5 home runs and 14 RBI in 13 games.

Fernando Tatis Jr. reminded everyone that he’s one of the best players in the world with an insane seven-game stretch in the first two rounds. He went 11-26 with 4 home runs and was a huge reason the Padres had a shot to make a deep run.

Steven Kwan and Brayan Rocchio led the way for a Cleveland offense that didn’t get much from its other stars in the postseason. Kwan recorded 16 hits while Rocchio had 11 and they both got on base at an over .400 mark in 10 games.

Jackson Chourio only played in three games, but had one of the best moments of the first round and recorded five hits in his first playoff series at 20 years old. He may not have blossomed in time to be in contention for Rookie of the Year, but he’ll be a problem for opposing pitchers for a long time.

Tarik Skubal won the AL Triple Crown and will be named in the Cy Young soon. Despite a tough ending to his postseason, he led the way for the Tigers early on and proved that he might just be the best pitcher in baseball.

Trivia Answer: B) Sandy Koufax

The Dodgers swept the Yankees in the 1963 World Series as Koufax threw a complete game in both Game One and Game Four of the series. He struck out 23 across those 18 innings on his way to winning World Series MVP.

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