The Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees, former neighbors in New York when the Dodgers were Brooklyn’s team, are set to play each other in the World Series for the first time since 1981.
The Yankees and Dodgers have played in 11 World Series matchups, with the Yankees having won eight of the 11 series.
These two franchises both have had some of the greatest players of all time in baseball. The Dodgers had Jackie Robinson, who played in 38 World Series games against the Yankees. The Yankees had Mickey Mantle, who played 27 games against the Dodgers in the World Series.
This rivalry between the Yankees and Dodgers dates back to 1941, when the Yankees won the first matchup: 4-1. In this series, the Dodgers’ home games were played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn—across town from Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers’ first series win against the Yankees came after seven series losses. In 1955, the Dodgers won the World Series over the Yankees, 4-3.
More than forty years since the teams’ last World Series encounter, they meet up tonight at Dodger Stadium for the first game of the 2024 World Series.
The Teams’ Paths to the 2024 World Series
At the start of the 2024 postseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers played the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series (NLDS), winning the series 3-2.
In their next series, they played the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series (NLCS). The Dodgers won the series 4-2.
Coming into the postseason, the New York Yankees played the Kansas City Royals. They won 3-1 and were then set to face off against the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Championship Series (ALCS). After a number of close games, the Yankees won the series 4-1. In Game Five, Juan Soto—Yankees Right Fielder-—had the go-ahead three-run home run in the 10th inning.
Looking Forward to the Series
Both teams are looking to gain more production from their two MVP-favorites, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, after their stand-out seasons.
American League MVP-favorite Judge, with 58 regular season home runs, has had a rough start to his 2024 postseason. He is batting .161 with five hits and two home runs in nine games.
National League MVP–favorite Ohtani had the first-ever 50-home run, 50-steal season. Ohtani is batting .286 with 12 hits and three home runs in 11 postseason games.
World Series Game One will feature two of the league’s best pitchers: Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees and Jack Flaherty of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
2023 Cy Young Award winner Cole is 1-0 this postseason with a 3.31 ERA and 12 strikeouts in three postseason appearances.
Flaherty will start for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is 1-2 with a 7.04 ERA and eight strikeouts in three postseason appearances.
The first pitch of this series will be tonight, at 8:08 p.m. EST.
