EAST LANSING- And then there were two. In an East vs. West Coast matchup, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers will face off in the World Series for the first time since 1981.
This series is certainly one that fans could have predicted, with both the Yankees and Dodgers spending big bucks in the offseason to build their super teams.
The Dodgers signed the biggest contract in baseball history for Shohei Ohtani, at $700 million for 10 years.
However, the Dodgers decided to defer $680 million until 2034, so they could keep spending money on players such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.
The Yankees added to their lineup by acquiring Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, as well as trading at the deadline for former Miami Marlin, Jazz Chisholm Jr.
These roster moves were certainly money well spent, but the stakes are higher than ever for these two teams.
The Yankees have the AL MVP favorite, Aaron Judge, as well as Juan Soto, (who has adjusted beautifully to the Yankees style of play) and Giancarlo Stanton, who has 11 RBI and five HR this postseason.
The Yankees will most likely start their ace Gerrit Cole, who will face off against former Detroit Tigers pitcher, Jack Flaherty.
The Dodgers look like they are saving Yamamoto’s arm for later in the series, predicting that it will go to at least six games.
The Dodgers starting lineup is dangerous as well, with NL MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani, followed by Teoscar Hernández, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts.
Ultimately, the winner of this matchup will be the team with the most offensive power. We know that both teams can hit, it is just a matter of who will step up and light the fire for the rest of their offense.
Both Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are chasing their first-ever World Series title. Judge and the Yankees came close in 2022 but lost to the Houston Astros in the ALCS, who then went on to win the entire thing.
This is Ohtani’s first-ever postseason appearance, after playing for the Los Angeles Angels for six years and not coming close to reaching the postseason.
Both Judge and Ohtani are hungry for this, and they must be the ones to lead their team to the promised land.
That being said, I think the Dodgers have the upper hand in this World Series. The Yankees lineup is strong, but Judge was in a bit of a slump against Baltimore in the ALDS.
Judge is batting .161 with six RBI and two HR this postseason, whereas Ohtani is batting .286 with 10 RBI and three Home Runs.
Judge has been hitting better since the series against Baltimore, but he needs to continue doing so if he is going to compete with the consistency of Ohtani.
I do believe that this series will play through seven games, solely because these teams are so evenly matched, and it will be difficult to beat the other at their own game.
However, I think the Dodgers have the slightest edge and will win the World Series in seven.
