Category: Baseball

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LOS ANGELES — Aaron Judge paused for a moment as he considered a question this week. The Yankees slugger, whose 2022 MVP season was sandwiched in between two from Shohei Ohtani, was asked this week what he admires about his award-winning counterpart “other than the obvious.”

A smile began to form across his face. 

“Other than the obvious?” Judge repeated with a chuckle before continuing. “I feel like everything’s obvious. He hits for average. He hits for power. The speed, doing what he did this year with the 50 stolen bases, it got talked about a lot, but I don’t think it got talked about enough. He’s an impressive athlete, the best player in the game, and what an ambassador for the sport.”

Ohtani said Thursday, a day before he faces off in a star-studded World Series against the man who paid him the compliment, that he was honored by Judge’s words. 

Most years, no one could question Judge’s proclamation. Because most years, no one in the sport could hit a baseball more than 450 feet while spinning a wicked sweeper and firing triple-digit heat off the mound, the way Ohtani can when he’s functioning at full capacity. 

This year, though, with that latter ability removed from the equation, the title of “best player in the game” is at least up for debate. Unable to pitch, Ohtani still offered a compelling case by delivering MLB’s first ever 50/50 season, finishing his first year with the Dodgers with 54 homers and 59 steals. He led all players in runs scored and total bases in a career year offensively and will soon become the first full-time DH to win MVP. 

[RELATED: Full coverage of the World Series]

“He stays through the zone for such a long time,” Judge said. “Even when you think you got him, you don’t got him.” 

Judge, meanwhile, outpaced Ohtani in every slash line category and led all qualified players in homers, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, walks and WAR, among a number of statistics. He finished just four home runs shy of the AL-record mark that he set two seasons ago. 

As staggering as his .701 slugging percentage was, Judge’s career-high .322 batting average was just as noteworthy to Ohtani. 

“Although I’m not as tall as him, I can relate to the fact that being a taller, bigger player, your strike zone’s going to be naturally bigger,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “For him to post a high batting average, he has to be very efficient with what he does, so I’m very impressed at how he’s been able to do both — hit for average and hit for power.”

In doing so, Judge has built a strong case as the best player in the sport this season, even if that’s a title he has already ceded to Ohtani, who will finish the year strictly as a DH. (Despite the progress Ohtani has made in his throwing program this year, manager Dave Roberts confirmed Thursday that there’s “no possibility” he pitches in this Fall Classic.) 

With the two stars now in different leagues, though, it’s a distinction that doesn’t need to be made. They both made a run at a triple crown, and they’re both the runaway favorites to win MVP in their respective leagues, which is one of the many facets that sets this star-studded World Series apart. 

“We had our battles throughout the regular season over the years when he was with the Angels,” Judge said. “It was kind of back and forth, seeing him hit homers over my head and having some good series. But getting a chance to be on the biggest stage in the biggest moments, I think that’s going to be pretty cool to watch.” 

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Juan Soto, already a four-time All-Star and World Series champion, turned 26 years old Friday and could make upward of $600 million in a couple of months. Mookie Betts is an eight-time All-Star and former MVP capable of playing either middle infield spot in addition to right field, where he won six Gold Gloves and is back playing after starting the year at shortstop. Freddie Freeman is an MVP, too, a year removed from leading the majors in doubles. Gerrit Cole, last year’s AL Cy Young Award winner, will take the mound Friday at the same venue where his teammate and fellow Southern California native Giancarlo Stanton, another former MVP, was named the 2022 All-Star Game MVP.

If Freeman is able to suit up, as he intends to do on his hobbled ankle Friday at Dodger Stadium, it will mark the first time ever that five MVPs appear in a World Series. It could have been six had a toe injury not sidelined Clayton Kershaw for the season. 

And yet, in this juggernaut championship matchup, the likes of which the sport has never seen, none of those talents are even the most highly-regarded superstars on their respective teams. 

Because this World Series — in addition to featuring the two top seeds in each league, from the two most populous cities in the country, in the first Fall Classic between the Dodgers and Yankees in 43 years — will feature Judge and Ohtani, baseball’s two premier talents on the sport’s pinnacle in a premier matchup that will draw the attention of millions, whether they love or hate the teams they’re watching. 

You’d have to go back to Duke Snider’s Dodgers and Mickey Mantle’s Yankees, back in 1956 when the former team was still in Brooklyn, to find the last time a World Series was played with the home run leader from each league. 

“You’re talking about two of the classic franchises, two teams that have the sport’s biggest stars,” Max Muncy said. “On our team, you’ve got Shohei, Freddie, Mookie. On their team, you’ve got Aaron Judge, Giancarlo, Juan Soto. You’re talking about the absolute biggest stars in the game, and now they’re going to be playing on the biggest stage? As a fan, how special is this, man?”

It’s been 12 years since the presumptive MVPs from each league battled in a World Series, when Buster Posey faced Miguel Cabrera in 2012. That year, both AL wild-card teams had more wins than Cabrera’s Detroit Tigers, while Posey’s San Francisco Giants had the fewest wins of the three NL division winners. 

That won’t be the case when Ohtani’s Dodgers and Judge’s Yankees, the two best teams in the sport this season, meet in the World Series for the first time since 1981. They’re not exact replicas of each other, especially considering the status of the Dodgers’ ravaged starting rotation, but their strategies for offensive success are similar. They homered more than any team in their respective leagues. They also chased less and walked more than any other teams in the majors.  

And they were carried by the most prolific offensive forces in the game. 

“Obviously, I’ve gotten to see Aaron now for seven years, got to know him well,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.  “Just the reverence I have for the person, excited that he’s going to get to go be on this stage. Of course, I know playing against Shohei what an amazing talent he is, and obviously going to the Dodgers this year and having the kind of season he’s put out there, I think it’s great for the sport, great for baseball.”

The Dodgers designated hitter has dominated the sport since coming all the way back from his first Tommy John surgery. He hit 46 homers and went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA in an MVP 2021 season. Judge followed by passing Roger Maris for an AL-best 62 home runs in an MVP 2022 season. Ohtani answered back last year, still thriving on the mound while enjoying a career year at the plate to earn his second MVP. 

But despite all the success, Ohtani had never been to the playoffs before this year. And Judge, for all that power and production, had never gotten the Yankees to the World Series. He also, to this point, hasn’t replicated his usual offensive output when the calendar flips to October. 

Both have a chance to write new chapters in their prolific careers, the way the Yankees captain imagined when he decided to stay in pinstripes and the way Ohtani envisioned when he joined the Dodgers on a record deal this offseason, a year after winning the World Baseball Classic for Team Japan. 

“He’s such a great ambassador for this game,” Judge said. “He plays the game the right way. You see him hustling around the diamond, I think that sets such a great example for our youth and all the kids that are going to be watching this series. So, definitely looking forward to this.”

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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After an exhilarating October of playoff baseball, the World Series begins Friday with another chapter in the storied rivalry between the Yankees and the Dodgers. 

The history, the tradition, iconic uniforms and superstars on both teams — what more could we possibly ask for as baseball fans? 

This will be the 12th all-time meeting between the Yankees and the Dodgers in the Fall Classic, and there will be a World Series-record five former MVPs between the two teams (Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Judge and Stanton). 

And although it won’t be announced until weeks after this series ends, it is a mere formality that Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge will be the winners of this year’s relguar-season MVP awards, making it the first time in over a decade both MVPs are participating in the World Series (Buster Posey and Miguel Cabrera in 2012 being the last time).

Not only do these two ball clubs have storied history, but they have some recent history as well. 

The Dodgers visited the Bronx in early June, winning the first two games of a three-game series, before the Yankees salvaged the finale. It’s worth noting, however, that Yankees slugger Juan Soto missed that series with a forearm injury. 

Was the series in June a precursor of things to come? 

My bet here is “Dodgers in 7 at +475” (available at DraftKings). 

With all the star power on each side, we should be looking at an ultra-competitive series. The tiebreaker for me is the Yankees’ inability to get length from their starting pitchers. 

Through nine postseason games, the Yankees’ starters are averaging 4.8 innings per start. 

Against a ferocious lineup and with a bullpen that doesn’t have enough quality arms to compensate for short outings, I think the Dodgers’ vicious lineup is what ultimately carries them to a series victory. 

The Yankees got here by beating AL Central opponents Cleveland and Kansas City. The step-up in class now as they face the Dodgers is a major jump in competition and one that will ultimately prove too much for a Yankees team that lacks great pitching.

In what should be a great series, I think the Dodgers win it in a winner-takes-all Game 7. 

Will Hill, a contributor on the Bears Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.

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Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto were the three best hitters in baseball this year. Mookie Betts, an MVP front-runner before being beset by injury, has found his superstar swing in the postseason. 

The Dodgers‘ pitching staff already posted a record-tying 33 innings without allowing a run this October. The Yankees have surrendered three runs or fewer in five of their past seven games.

These are the two best teams in baseball, and they represent a historical and heavyweight matchup in the Fall Classic. So, who’s going to win, and how?

For that, FOX Sports MLB experts Deesha Thosar and Rowan Kavner preview and predict the 2024 World Series in this week’s roundtable.

[RELATED: Full coverage of the World Series]

1. Who has the better offense?

Thosar: Any comparison between these two teams is splitting hairs, but I’ll give the edge to the Yankees because Giancarlo Stanton is back to turning into Babe Ruth in the postseason. Stanton’s clutch power combined with Juan Soto’s confidence at the plate in high-pressure situations and Aaron Judge’s threat to reach base in every plate appearance makes the Yankees a force that is difficult to overcome for any pitching staff, let alone Los Angeles’ questionable arms. 

The Yankees also have better depth in their lineup right now than they did for parts of the regular season, thanks to Gleyber Torres‘ excellent leadoff production (he and Judge both have seven walks this postseason) and Anthony Volpe taking better at-bats. On the flip side, the Dodgers overall have more depth in their lineup, with the bottom of the order being tough to navigate if guys like Max Muncy, Will Smith and Kiké Hernández are routinely coming through. But I still think the Yankees’ top hitters give them the ever-so-slight advantage here.

Kavner: The Dodgers. It doesn’t get better than the 1-2 punch of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton is blasting home runs seemingly every day this October, but the depth of the Dodgers’ lineup gives L.A. the edge as a whole. Kiké Hernández continues to find a new level this time of year, Tommy Edman just had more hits and RBIs than any player in the LCS, Max Muncy recently set a single-season postseason record by reaching base in 12 straight plate appearances, and the Dodgers scored an NLCS record 46 runs despite Teoscar Hernández going hitless in the first five games, Will Smith hitting .182 in the series and Freddie Freeman missing two of the last three games. 

I haven’t even mentioned Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, who combined for 17 hits — including eight extra-base hits — and 15 runs in the NLCS. The Dodgers had the highest OPS in MLB this season, and if there were any questions about which lineup was the scariest in the postseason field, they answered it this October. Most importantly, they’re batting .311 with runners in scoring position in the playoffs; the Yankees are hitting .181 in those situations.

2. Who has better pitching?

Kavner: The Yankees. Their starting pitching advantage mitigates any edge the Dodgers hold in the bullpen. One team will need to resort to at least one bullpen game. The other team’s fourth starter is an American League Rookie of the Year candidate. The Yankees will trot out last year’s Cy Young Award winner in Game 1. The Dodgers will turn to Jack Flaherty, who is coming off an outing in which he dealt with diminished velocity — which was a problem late in the year as well — and surrendered eight runs in three innings. Despite some encouraging signs from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was at his best earlier this year in the Bronx, the Yankees will arguably hold the upper hand in every starting pitching matchup this series.

The Dodgers have managed to get by despite up-and-down performances from each of their three starting pitchers — the way Yamamoto and Walker Buehler missed bats their last time out was especially encouraging — mostly because of a medley of relievers who at one point helped the club tie a postseason record with 33 consecutive scoreless innings. But the Dodgers’ scarcity of arms have forced manager Dave Roberts to make tough decisions, including punting on games when they get behind so as not to burn the high-leverage relievers they know they’ll need over the course of a long series. That’s a tough tightrope to walk, even for a team that can put up runs the way the Dodgers can. At some point in this series, they will likely need a lengthy performance from one of their starters — like the one Flaherty was able to deliver in Game 1 of the NLCS — to be the last team standing.

Thosar: The Yankees. Gerrit Cole is the best pitcher in the World Series, and the rotation arms behind him have been more encouraging than I expected going into the postseason. Carlos Rodón showed enormous growth between playoff starts, being able to contain his emotions and focus on just dealing, which led to solid results. Now, with Nestor Cortes likely coming back from injury, that gives the Yankees another left-handed weapon, most likely from the bullpen. 

But out of all the factors here, I think what gives the Yankees the pitching advantage is simply that they do not have to rely on a bullpen game or two to get through a long series. There is something to be said about having big-name starters who can pitch deep into their outings, especially in the playoffs. And Yoshinobu Yamamoto is still working his way back up from injury, Jack Flaherty experienced a drop in velocity his last time out, and Walker Buehler can be turbulent depending on the day. The Dodgers’ bullpen was overused in the NLCS against the Mets. I think that might come back to haunt them.

3. Which manager is under more pressure to win this title?

Thosar: They’re both under pressure to win, but I think Aaron Boone is facing more of a burden since the Yankees haven’t won a World Series under his management, and not since 2009 overall. Consequently, this postseason has actually featured Boone’s best decision-making over his seven trips to the playoffs as Yankees skipper. 

Boone, too, seemed to understand how much pressure he was facing to win a title this year because he made sure to spend ample time in spring training with former Yankees manager Joe Torre, who won the World Series four times with the Bronx Bombers. Boone said this week that he leaned on Torre a lot this year, and he has tried to emulate some of Torre’s demeanor in the dugout, as well as better understand his managing tactics.

Kavner: I lean Aaron Boone here, although there are a lot of parallels between the two beyond the fact that Boone and Dave Roberts both grew up in Southern California, concurrently attended rival colleges in USC and UCLA, respectively, and had defining moments as players in the postseason. They both have also been criticized for their team’s shortcomings in postseasons past, and both have done a tremendous job to quiet those critics this October. 

In different circumstances, I might go with Roberts. A third straight NLDS knockout would have raised the alarms. But considering the job he did piecing together a beleaguered pitching staff to get to this point — seemingly pushing all the right buttons in the process — and how vital it is for the Yankees to strike now while they have Juan Soto, I think the answer is Boone.

4. Which team has a greater need for a big series from their 2024 MVP: the Dodgers with Shohei Ohtani or the Yankees with Aaron Judge?

Kavner: The Yankees. I mentioned that I don’t think their lineup is as deep, which puts more pressure on Judge to perform. He had some big moments in the ALCS, including homers in Games 2 and 3, but I don’t think the Yankees can survive without more production from the likely runaway AL MVP against a Dodgers team with far more offensive firepower than anything New York has seen thus far.

Thosar: It’s hard to imagine either of these teams winning the championship without big performances from their respective MVPs. But the way the Yankees have been winning this postseason, even when Judge wasn’t putting up the insane numbers we’ve been used to seeing from him, makes me think the Dodgers have a greater need for Ohtani to show up big in the World Series. The Japanese phenom ended the narrative that he could only hit with men on base when he launched a leadoff home run in Game 4 of the NLCS, and he’s even more dangerous with runners in scoring position. 

When Ohtani is at his best, the Dodgers are seemingly always going to be on base doing their silly arm-wave thing, and I think that’s their recipe for success against the Yankees. A drop-off in production from Ohtani will put Los Angeles in a much tighter spot to win.

5. Who’s going to win the World Series? Who’ll be MVP?

Thosar: The Yankees, and Juan Soto. It’s not hard to imagine the World Series ending with Soto carrying the Yankees to a title in his first, and potentially only, season in New York. Remember that dramatic, theatrical seven-pitch at-bat he had against the Guardians‘ Hunter Gaddis in Game 5 of the ALCS that sent the Yankees to the Fall Classic? I’m expecting Soto to replicate that confidence and plate approach every single time he’s batting in the World Series. When the stakes are highest, Soto’s determination only seems to go up, too.

Kavner: I’ll take the Dodgers. There’s always the potential their starting pitching dooms them, but it hasn’t happened yet. I think Roberts has done a terrific job deploying his relievers at the right time and keeping his most trusted leverage arms as rested as possible, given the unfavorable circumstances. If they can get at least one lengthy starting pitching performance, that might be enough considering the way their offense is overwhelming opponents right now. They’re hitting in the clutch in a way they hadn’t in recent Octobers, and there seems to be a belief with this group that differs from previous iterations.

Ohtani went to the Dodgers for this opportunity, and all year he has delivered memorable performances in the biggest moments. He hit a walk-off grand slam to get to 40/40, had arguably the greatest single-game performance ever to get to 50/50, and now has hits in 18 of his past 23 at-bats with runners in scoring position. I think he leaves us with something special as World Series MVP, conjuring memories of his WBC performance (even if it’s only with the bat this time).

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Bonus: Which stadium offers more of a home-field advantage?

Kavner: This one’s tough for me to answer, having not been to Yankee Stadium before, but it’s worth noting how many veteran Dodgers players have made it a point to reference the atmosphere of the stadium on this run in particular. Sure, there was an embarrassing night in the Padres series. But the players can feel the desire of the fans, who weren’t able to celebrate the 2020 championship with a parade. “If there’s something that this crowd is, it’s hungry,” Kiké Hernández said.

During the deciding Game 5 of the NLDS, Max Muncy said he thought the home crowd matched or exceeded the intensity at Petco Park, which is saying something. “We kept coming back into the dugout saying, ‘Hey, look at these guys out there,” Muncy said. “The fans were going nuts. The stadium was shaking.” The Dodgers routinely lead the majors in attendance, this year included. With a capacity to hold 56,000, multiple opposing players have noted how Dodger Stadium feels like the fans are on top of you. I do think it makes a difference that the Dodgers get an extra game at home, where they were 52-29 this year.

Thosar: Yankee Stadium. The Bronx crowd’s raucous energy will be unmatched and could be quite intimidating for some Dodgers pitchers. Funnily enough, Judge and Stanton are both from California and will have a ton of family at Chavez Ravine in the World Series, so I think they’ll feel extra comfortable there and primed to deliver in front of their loved ones.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees) and Jack Flaherty (Los Angeles Dodgers) will take the hill for Game 1 of the 2024 World Series on Friday night at Dodger Stadium (8:08 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).

Cole, a six-time All-Star who’s in his fifth season with the Yankees, missed the first 11 weeks of the MLB regular season due to an elbow injury on his throwing arm (right). In the 17 starts he made, the 2023 American League Cy Young winner posted a 3.41 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 99 strikeouts across 95.0 innings. He followed that up by posting a 3.31 ERA and 12 strikeouts across 16.1 innings in his first three postseason starts, highlighted by surrendering just one run in seven innings in New York’s closeout Game 4 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the AL Division Series.

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On the other hand, the Dodgers acquired Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers in July. In 10 regular-season starts for the Dodgers, Flaherty posted a 3.58 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 61 strikeouts across 55.1 innings. However, it has been a mixed bag in the postseason for Flaherty; he surrendered four runs and eight runs in separate outings that came in-between pitching seven scoreless innings against the New York Mets in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series, good for a combined 7.04 postseason ERA.

Now that you have the background on both Game 1 starters, let’s go a little bit deeper and see how both teams performed against these two right-handers.

Here’s how Dodgers hitters have fared against Cole (Andy Pages has never faced him):

[Related: Full coverage of the World Series]

• Teoscar Hernández: one home run, one RBI, seven strikeouts, .192/.250/.346 slash line (26 at-bats)
• Kiké Hernández: one home run, one RBI, three strikeouts, .381/.480/.667 slash line (21 at-bats)
• Shohei Ohtani: one home run, three RBIs, seven strikeouts, .200/.238/.400 slash line (20 at-bats)
• Freddie Freeman: one home run, two RBIs, seven strikeouts .350/.409/.650 slash line (20 at-bats)
• Mookie Betts: zero home runs, one RBI, one strikeout, .412/.444/.471 slash line (17 at-bats)
• Chris Taylor: zero home runs, zero RBIs, three strikeouts, .000/.000/.000 slash line (six at-bats)
• Tommy Edman: zero home runs, zero RBIs, two strikeouts, .000/.000/.000 slash line (five at-bats)
• Will Smith: zero home runs, zero RBIs, one strikeout, .333/.333/.333 slash line (three at-bats)
• Max Muncy: zero home runs, zero RBIs, two strikeouts, .000/.400/.000 slash line (three at-bats)

Here’s how Yankees hitters have fared against Flaherty (Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Austin Wells have never faced him):

• Anthony Rizzo: three home runs, six RBIs, two strikeouts, .429/.571/.905 slash line (21 at-bats)
• Juan Soto: zero home runs, one RBI, three strikeouts, .111/.467/.222 slash line (nine at-bats)
• Alex Verdugo: zero home runs, one RBI, zero strikeouts, .250/.200/.250 slash line (four at-bats)
• Gleyber Torres: zero home runs, zero RBIs, zero strikeouts, .333/.333/.333 slash line (three at-bats)
• Anthony Volpe: zero home runs, zero RBIs, one strikeout, .000/.000/.000 slash line (two at-bats)
• Oswaldo Cabrera: zero home runs, zero RBIs, zero strikeouts, .500/.500/.500 slash line (two at-bats)
• Jon Berti: zero home runs, zero RBIs, one strikeout, .000/.000/.000 slash line (two at-bats)
• Jazz Chisholm: zero home runs, zero RBIs, one strikeout, .000/.500/.000 slash line (one at-bat)

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