We’re down to two teams in the 2024 season, as the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers will square off in the World Series. It’s the first time since 1981 that these two teams, which both called New York home for the first half of the 20th century, will square off. And, it’s a face-off between the best regular season teams in the AL and NL. Here’s our 2024 World Series preview, with looks at the Yankees and Dodgers.
Scheduled Starters & Start Times
- Game 1 (10/25/24): Gerrit Cole (Yankees) vs. Jack Flaherty (Dodgers) – 8:08 PM ET
- Game 2 (10/26/24): TBD vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers) – 8:08 PM ET
- Game 3 (10/28/24): TBD vs. TBD – 8:08 PM ET
- Game 4 (10/29/24): TBD vs. TBD – 8:08 PM ET
- Game 5 (10/30/24): TBD vs. TBD – 8:08 PM ET
- Game 6 (11/1/24): TBD vs. TBD – 8:08 PM ET
- Game 7 (11/2/24): TBD vs. TBD – 8:08 PM ET
All games will air on FOX.
A Look at the Offenses
| Stat |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 815 | 842 |
| Home Runs | 237 | 233 |
| OPS | .761 | .781 |
| Whiff% | 23.7% | 25.1% |
| Hard Hit% | 42.4% | 41.3% |
The hype around a Shohei Ohtani–Aaron Judge matchup in the World Series has already taken over. However, those two haven’t been the ones who’ve taken over October.
Yes, Ohtani had a strong NLCS, as the likely 2024 NL MVP hit .364 (1.184 OPS) with two home runs and six RBI. However, arguably Ohtani’s most notable accomplishment in the NLCS was he walked nine times against the Mets, setting the stage for the bats behind him. Mookie Betts hit .346 (1.182 OPS) with two home runs and nine RBI, while NLCS MVP Tommy Edman drove in 11.
Those three, along with Max Muncy, who set a postseason record for consecutive plate appearances that resulted in getting on-base, were nearly unstoppable against the Mets. It resulted in a dominant performance that saw the Dodgers score six or more runs in five of the six contests. Los Angeles is the playoff leader in total home runs (20).
And, what might have been more impressive is that LA did that largely without Freddie Freeman. Freeman is nursing a sprained ankle and missed two games in the CS. He went 3-18 (.167) versus the Mets.
The Yankees, meanwhile, rode the wave of Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton, the ALCS MVP, hit just .222 but notched four home runs, all of which came in big moments (hence, another reason why batting average has become more and more irrelevant when grading players). Soto, meanwhile, hit .368 with three home runs, and the last one came in extras during Game 5 to put the Yankees up for good.
The ALCS marked a breakout of sorts for Aaron Judge, despite eight strikeouts. Judge hit two home runs and posted a .761 OPS in Cleveland. That OPS was his best for Judge in a playoff series since the 2019 ALDS (.872 OPS) against the Twins.
However, one concerning point heading into the World Series for the Yankees is their depth outside of the big boys. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit .158/.238/.211 with one double against Cleveland. Austin Wells had one hit in the ALCS and Alex Verdugo notched three. Verdugo, though, came up with some clutch at-bats, including a jam shot in Game 4 that gave the Yankees the lead late.
A Look at the Pitching
| Stat | | |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 3.85 | 4.23 |
| Relievers’ ERA | 3.62 | 3.53 |
| Strikeouts | 1,457 | 1,390 |
| Opponents’ AVG | .233 | .235 |
| Chase% | 28.7% | 27.7% |
New York will go with their big ace in Game 1.
Gerrit Cole struck out 12 over 16.1 IP in the ALDS and ALCS. This is a different Cole, one who can still strike out pitchers in spades but not a whiff machine. He’s more of a pitcher than a thrower, relying more on his cutter and knuckle-curve to fool hitters. The cutter saw an 8.8% jump in usage during the regular season, while Cole’s curve was used 6.6% more.
Cole still has the power fastball. But, that cutter will be key against the Dodgers’ left-handed bats.
Aside from Cole, it’ll be interesting to see how the Yankees manage their pitching staff, specifically their bullpen in the World Series. Clay Holmes (10.13 ERA in ALCS) wasn’t great, and the same could be said for Jake Cousins. The real keys, though, could be lefties Tim Mayza and Tim Hill.
Lefties will be critical to shutting down Ohtani, Muncy, and Freeman. Hill, in particular, is a trip for left-handed hitters thanks to his low arm slot, which can be tough for them to pick up his release point over their shoulders.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, will have Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the first two games of the World Series. With Yamamoto set for Game 2, it opens the door for the rookie — who typically throws on at least five days of rest — to pitch twice this series.
Los Angeles will look for better from Flaherty in Game 1. The right-hander, who the Yankees were in on at the Trade Deadline but didn’t like his medicals, gave up eight runs against the Mets in Game 5 and sat in the 90-91 MPH range with his fastball. Flaherty stated it was because of a mechanical issue, something the Dodgers have worked on with him over the last week.
Yamamoto threw seven scoreless against the Yankees in June but is an odd matchup against the Yankees. New York has several big right-handed bats and Yamamoto matches up better against lefties, thanks to his power curve and splitter:
- LHH vs. Yamamoto: .199 wOBA vs. Curveball, .147 wOBA vs. Split-Finger, .331 wOBA vs. Four-Seam
- RHH vs. Yamamoto: .317 wOBA vs. Curveball, .308 wOBA vs. Split-Finger, .321 wOBA vs. Four-Seam
Yamamoto leaned more on his slider against a right-handed heavy Mets team in the NLCS. Expect the same against the Yankees.
Aside from those two, Dave Roberts liberally used his bullpen in the NLCS. Nine relievers, plus Landon Knack, were mixed and matched against the Mets. It’s an electric group of arms, ranging from flame-thrower Edgardo Henriquez, to Blake Treinen and his sinker/sweeper, to Ben Casparius and his slider with depth.
Our Prediction
In our estimation, it’s going to be tough to pick against the Dodgers.
Los Angeles showcased during the NLCS that their bullpen is incredibly deep, as was their offense. Anyone in their lineup, including Will Smith and Andy Pages, can do damage. Plus, Walker Buehler‘s strong performance also has to make Los Angeles feel good.
The Yankees, to win this series, will need a lot to go right. That might happen but we’ll take the Dodgers to win the World Series.