World Series Preview: Is There a Real Winner Here?

This World Series felt inevitable, didn’t it? A year after we were gifted Rangers-Diamondbacks — the first World Series not involving either the Astros or Dodgers (or both) since 2016 — MLB, I’m sure, felt it “needed” this matchup for ratings.

The OG Evil Empire, the Yankees, squares off with its copycat counterpart, the Dodgers. New York versus Los Angeles. The blue bloods, the mainstays, and the sport’s biggest spenders (don’t let the “payroll” numbers fool you with the Dodgers, considering their insane amount of deferrals).

Anyway, someone has to win, but who is the lesser of two evils? I will let you decide, but I am trying to finish off a pretty strong postseason in terms of predicting series (I am 7-3 through the first 10 series of the 2024 postseason, including both LCS winners).

This is only the third time both No. 1 seeds have faced off in the World Series since 1999, including the shortened 2020 season. Another weird stat: the only team to clinch at home since 2013 was the 2022 Astros (the 2020 Dodgers would have, had they not played at a neutral site).

A closer look:

Offense

The Dodgers have scored 70 runs in 11 games, thus eliminating the narrative that big-time lineups will get shut down by superior pitching in October. The Yankees enter with a 3.27 postseason ERA, and don’t walk nearly as many hitters as the Mets did, but L.A. also has the deep bullpen to neutralize New York’s big boys. A healthy Alex Vesia could serve as the “Soto guy” and that could make a big difference. There are truly no holes in Los Angeles’ lineup, especially considering Andy Pages’ breakout performance in the NLCS out of the No. 9 hole. Advantage: Dodgers.

Pitching

Overall, this is close. The Yankees have the edge in starting pitching, but Los Angeles brings a deep and talented bullpen. Evan Phillips and Blake Treinen could prove especially lethal on Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, with biting sliders that both sluggers could easily chase out of the zone. I think too much has been made about the Dodgers’ thin rotation, especially since Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty have shown flashes of being their old self, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto has provided excellent outings his last two times out. Edge: Even.

Intangibles

This is the Yankees’ first Fall Classic visit in 15 years, compared to the Dodgers making their fourth appearance in the last eight years. Dave Roberts, for all the grief he’s taken over the years, has pushed all the right buttons this October, and a healthy (or health-ier) Freddie Freeman only deepens this loaded lineup. Homefield advantage could be big in this series as well, and the Dodgers simply have more “X-factor” guys like NLCS MVP Tommy Edman to ever truly be shut down. The Dodgers have proven their mettle with a tougher road to the Fall Classic, dispatching strong San Diego and Mets teams, while the Yankees have had an easier road with the Royals and Guardians. In what figures to be a “punch, counterpunch” kind of series, expect the Dodgers to land the final blow in this Shohei Ohtani banner season, closing out their first full-season championship since 1988. Prediction: Dodgers in 6.