The World Series is set and the New York Yankees will face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Major League Baseball could not be happier and you can almost hear the collective smile from advertisers and television executives around the world. And, yes this time it's the world because of the Ohtani factor.
It's not only the best player on the planet in Aaron Judge against the man chasing him for that title in Ohtani, but it's also the two most storied franchises in baseball history going head to head. Oh yeah, there is also the aspect of the two most populated cities and the largest bankrolls in baseball to take into consideration.
The Yankees and Dodgers will meet for the 12th time in the World Series. They met in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1963, 1977, 1978, 1981 and 2024. The Yankees own an 8-3 lead in those previous 11 matchups, but the Dodgers did take the last head to head in 1981. For New York has been a grueling 15 seasons of unmet goals and a frustrated fanbase. For the Dodgers there is much of the same. Both of these teams feel that they deserve to have more rings than they do, and that entitlement is not because of the brash fans, but because of the front office moves that were made, only to fall short. The recent bumby history for both franchises can be erased by taking home the trophy this season.
Let's look at the tale of the tape where we begin with starting pitching. In an era where it feels like the dominant ace is being phased out Gerritt Cole is one of a handful that still take the mound with that 'old school' mentality. Cole is a bulldog in every sense of the word. He missed parts of the season because of an injury, but when he is in there he is an innings eater who can look like a Cy Young winner any night. This postseason he pitched in three games and allowed 6 runs. Behind Cole is Carlos Rodon who has had an up and down Yankees career and now an up and down playoffs. He allowed 4 runs in his first start against KC in just 3 innings and then allowed just three runs in the next two starts against Cleveland. Combine those two with Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt and the Yankees get the check mark in starting pitching.
The Dodgers counter that with Yamamoto, who is massively talented but also has missed most of the year and from batter to batter has shown major inconsistencies. He allowed 7 runs in three starts, but lasted just 12 innings. Walker Buehler has looked awful at times, see his San Diego start where he allowed 6 runs, and briefly like his old self, like when he held the Mets scoreless through 3. Jack Flaherty has mostly looked awful allowing 12 runs in 15 innings spanning three starts. Then, the Dodgers used bullpens for the other games and it was effective. The Yankees have a distinct advantage in starters.
The bullpen that I mentioned was very good for LA at times, but also very used. This team used bullpen games for most of the last two series and hoping that success continues is just a hope for the Dodgers that flies in the face of baseball knowledge. The Yankees also have some tired arms in the bullpen, but they were just as effective as the Dodgers. This is a wash, with a slight lean to the Yankees because of their determined roles.
Offensively it's almost all New York. From Judge to Soto to Stanton and more. Gleybar and Volpe have had good series and it's not just the mashers as this team has had timely hits all postseason. The Yankees bench has even been impressive and while the images of the Soto homer run will live in Yankees fans' heads forever and the Stanton postseason run will be a topic for the ages, this team can hit anywhere in the lineup. The Dodgers have some mashers of their own but they also have some holes in the lineup. Freddie Freeman actually is so hurt that he missed last game and it has been a nagging problem for a while now. Sure, Ohtani and Betts are intimidating but Hernandez, Will Smith and the bench play has been less than inspiring. The one thing that LA does better than the Yanks is run the bases and that could be an issue in a tight series. With that said the check mark again goes to New York.
That leaves defense where both teams have had their issues this year and postseason. We can give the slight mod to LA in the interest of fairness and that ugly play by Rizzo, but overall both defenses could be a problem. The same can be said for the manager, where both fan bases see the issues but also see the positives.
Outside of home field advantage I don't see a real check mark going the Dodgers way and one can argue the Yankees are actually better on the road. The Yankees come in as an underdog to win the World Series but if you use the tale of the tape New York will be singing a championship song.