Ohtani judges Dodgers vs. Yankees, star-studded MLB World Series of a lifetime

No matter how the 2024 World Series ends up, it’s already historic.

Finally, it will reunite the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees for Round 12 of the most storied Fall Classic battle in history.

When Game 6 of the National League Championship Series got underway at Dodger Stadium on Sunday evening, the Yankees were already waiting for the Dodgers. Even though it took seven pitchers to accomplish it, the Dodgers finally punched their ticket to the Fall Classic with a 10–5 victory over the New York Mets.

dodgers vs yankees bus feels Well, if for no other reason than that these were the two best teams in their respective leagues this season. The Dodgers led the National League with 98 wins. The Yankees led the American League with 94 wins. Really it’s that simple.

With the notable exception of two-time MVP and $700 million Shohei Ohtani, the World Series is not unfamiliar territory for the Dodgers. This is his fourth trip to the Fall Classic since 2017.

“This is where I’ve dreamed of playing my whole life,” beamed Ohtani. Said After the game.

Nonetheless, the terms “return” and “throwback” apply to the 2024 World Series.

For 2022 AL MVP and two-time MLB home run leader Aaron Judge and the Yankees, it marks the end of a 14-year absence from the World Series. And while the Dodgers and Yankees face off in the World Series 11 times beforeThe last match before this was in 1981.

While we wait to see what kind of history will be made, there is no doubt that it is certain that the 2024 World Series will be a hit.

This World Series is already a big win for MLB

Is baseball dying? P.S.H. They always say so, and so it is never true,

Still, it’s not out of bounds to highlight the decline of the World Series as a cultural touchstone.

it used to be like this annual viewership The World Series can only be measured by millions of people. Dodgers vs. Yankees peaked in 1978, when more than 44 million people watched.

The World Series has been bleeding spectators ever since, first in small drops and, more recently, in big drops. It hasn’t been watched by 20 million people since 2016, and the 2023 World Series was least viewed of all time.

This is certainly indicative of a general lack of interest among consumers, but more so of how the proliferation of entertainment options during the 21st century has left people distracted and distracted. monoculture is deadAnd with that, Major League Baseball has no hope of regaining its former market share.

Yet even if it were nothing else, what’s happening now is a taste of the good old days.

Interest in the MLB playoffs has skyrocketed this October jared diamond Of wall street journal An increase of 20 percent was recorded in the number of viewers. The quality and fast pace of the games has helped, although it bodes well for the World Series in particular that market size is also a factor.

New York and Los Angeles are the two largest media markets In North America, and MLB alone, one must wonder whether the Fall Classic can at least double the viewership of last year’s series (i.e., barely 9 million). Furthermore, the presence of both Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto should ensure that millions more View from Japan.

Theoretically, everyone would tune in to watch the game. In practice, they will be willing to look at more specific goals.

“It all starts and ends with the players,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told Diamond.

The brightest stars in MLB will be out

Given the markets involved, it probably wouldn’t be a surprise to see it featured in the 2024 World Series $650 million Value of players.

And yet, if your first thought was “That’s it?” Then you can be forgiven.

In fact, five MVP winners (Ohtani, Judge, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Giancarlo Stanton) and one Cy Young Award winner (Gerrit Cole) will participate in the 2024 World Series. Ohtani, Judge, Betts and Juan Soto jerseys are also best-sellers.

Ohtani and the judge are Giants of baseball at the moment, and both at the peak of their powers. Ohtani has recently started working on rental 50-50 clubWhile Judge had a higher OPS this season than he did in 2022, he set the AL record with 62 home runs.

Otherwise, there will be an ongoing subplot of how many zeros Soto can add to his free-agent price tag with postseason heroics. especially after that Pennant-clinching homer In Game 5 of the ALCS, even $600 million doesn’t seem outrageous as things stand right now.

Even now, since we’re all still watching from the outside, the notion that a World Series would have this much star power seems special. And not just as must-see TV. More like living history. Like something amazing is the only possible outcome.

And if so, it would be very on-brand for the Dodgers vs. Yankees World Series.

Dodgers and Yankees have tough acts to follow

Some people like to argue that a rivalry isn’t the real deal unless both sides are throwing punches. And by this logic, the early history of the Dodgers and Yankees in the World Series provides a good example of what the rivalry is all about. Not there.,

The Yankees were victorious in each of the first five Fall Classic meetings between the two clubs. And for Dodgers fans, that was a great sadness in just a 12-year period between 1941 and 1953.

The then-Brooklyn Dodgers finally broke up in 1955 new York Times The mood of the moment was marked thus: “Even the most staunch American League fanatic cannot dissuade Brooklyn from its finest hour.”

Scores in head-to-head World Series matchups since then: Dodgers 3, Yankees 3.

It’s amazing how many of the all-time great baseball moments were born in those six series. jackie robinson burglary at home Don Larson’s in 1955 perfect game In 1956. sandy koufax to strike 15 In 1963. And, of course, Reggie Jackson going for his trio of homers in Game 6 in 1977.

Clearly, it’s not just because of frequency that all those Dodgers vs. Yankees World Series are still as big as they seem. You can’t have a historical rivalry without stories.

There are several ways the 2024 World Series could evolve into a legend. Ohtani, Judge, Soto and Bates are equally good bets to get their own “Mr. October” moment. Then again, maybe Stanton’s post-prime revenge tour will continue. Or, maybe it could be Cole writing a manifesto on why pitchers are starting. worth living,

Hey, it feels silly to even put it in the past nlcs mvp Tommy Edman continues his unique run as the hottest hitter on the planet.

Regardless of how it comes together, counting on the 2024 World Series to create lasting memories is no fool’s errand. Suffice it to say you don’t need to see it draftkings The odds are (Dodgers -120, Yankees +100) to see this series have “classic” written all over it.

This is too big to disappoint. Going quietly is huge. To fail is a big deal.

It’s the Dodgers vs. the Yankees. What more could you want?