One of the more highly anticipated World Series in the last twenty years starts on Friday night in Los Angeles, as the Dodgers meet the New York Yankees for the 12th-ever time in the Fall Classic.
We have already broken down both teams by position, delved into the marquee matchup that will be Aaron Judge vs. Shohei Ohtani, and taken you through the history of the most historic World Series rivalry in Major League Baseball history.
Now comes the fun part, which will likely prove to all of you that sportswriters can predict the future as well as their accountants. Regardless, we will give it a shot.
2024 World Series predictions
Winner: Dodgers in 6
Even with the health concerns of Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers have a deeper lineup that has found contributions within every one of its corners. This team does not have to rely on Ohtani or Mookie Betts or Freeman. Teoscar Hernandez hit 32 home runs this season, and Max Muncy set an MLB single-postseason record by reaching base safely in 12 straight plate appearances. Tommy Edman was the NLCS MVP by driving in 11 runs in six games against the Mets, and Enrique Hernandez became a completely different ballplayer when the playoffs began.
Even with Giancarlo Stanton clicking on all cylinders and Juan Soto living up to his high expectations, the Yankees need Aaron Judge to find some consistency and break out in the postseason — something he has yet to do in his career. Navigate past those three and the New York lineup understandably becomes much more tame.
The Yankees can push the series to its limit, or even win it, if their starting pitching can be the difference-maker. Gerrit Cole has to be the big-game hurler he was signed to be, so does Carlos Rodon. But New York has five legitimate starting options they can roll with, which is quite an advantage over the shorthanded Dodgers, who have just three healthy starters in Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Walker Buehler.
Los Angeles will be throwing at least two bullpen games in this series if it goes six, and while it taxes their relievers, manager Dave Roberts has so many reliable options to work with that the NL West club will be favored to close out close leads. Can the same be said about the Yankees? After replacing Clay Holmes as the closer, Luke Weaver was shaky in the ALCS.
MVP: Shohei Ohtani
This pick feels like a cop-out, but Ohtani has steadily been heating up throughout this postseason and has come up big in key moments — a good omen for Los Angeles’ championship chances.
In what is his postseason debut, Ohtani has a .934 OPS with three home runs and 11 RBI. He has elevated his game to do most of that damage with men on base, going 8-for-12 with two home runs and 10 RBI.
Batting lead-off in a loaded Dodgers lineup, the bats behind him are too big to simply pitch around him. His speed is also something to take into consideration. He swiped 59 bags this season, and being too cautious could result in an automatic runner on second base.
Not only can he set the table, but he can clear it, too. It seems poetic that the player who was compared to Babe Ruth when he made the jump from Japan to the United States can have his signature moment at Yankee Stadium — even if its a couple-hundred feet away from where Ruth played.
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