June 8, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) circles third base and scores on a double by first baseman Freddie Freeman (not pictured) during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
New York Yankees
Coming off Tommy John surgery and with just seven major league starts under his belt, Luis Gil opened the season 8-1 with a 1.82 ERA through eight starts. Cole returned from an elbow injury on June 19, wobbled a bit early, then posted a 1.58 ERA in seven starts from early August through September 8.
Judge’s MVP march hit its stride with 14 homers, 27 RBIs and a 1.397 OPS in May. He’s had at least a 1.000 OPS every month this season except his first. Soto had 41 homers and 109 RBIs in his first season in the Bronx, showing that no task is too daunting.
Three keys for the Yankees to win the World Series:
Power is king for the Yankees, and gut-wrenching home runs are their specialty. Judge’s 58 in the regular season were more than anyone else, while Stanton’s five in the postseason lead anyone on either team. And it was Soto who had the biggest long ball of all when his home run won the ALCS against the Guardians. Dodgers pitchers, meanwhile, have allowed 120 home runs, eighth-worst in baseball and one more than the 121-loss Chicago White Sox.
Comparatively speaking, the Yankees are the picture of stability when it comes to their starting rotation. Cole, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Gil will handle the starting duties through Game 7. But eating innings isn’t as vital in the playoffs as quality innings. If the Yankees can get consistent six-inning starts, the bullpen should be in good shape to take care of the rest.
Neutralizing Ohtani is easier said than done, but he has looked like a mere mortal for long stretches during these playoffs. The Padres pitched Ohtani up and down and then down and down in the NLDS, limiting the Los Angeles star to two hits in 15 at-bats over the final four games of the series. And Ohtani went 0 for 22 in the postseason with no runners on base. Slowing Ohtani down slows the Dodgers.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has spent much of his time fixing what went wrong, and yet the team has never left first place this season while holding off two of the hottest teams of the second half, the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Dodgers’ three keys to winning the World Series:
With a one-year deal this season, an inspired Teoscar Hernandez has been as valuable as anyone outside of Ohtani. But he inexplicably disappeared in the NLCS when he was overpowered by fastballs. The Home Run Derby champion hit 33 during the regular season, and while the top three players on each team go head-to-head, Hernandez may end up being the best of the rest.
The call for Roberts’ firing grows louder each year in a sad refrain that, perhaps, comes with the territory of sitting in the hot seat of a team loaded with talent. Yet Roberts is having his best season, all leading to a masterclass in managing this postseason while cruising through three games out of the bullpen, with two wins: one to keep the season alive in the NLDS and one to clinch the NLCS.
It’s been a long season for Freddie Freeman, who took time off while his young son returned from a serious illness. Then came his sprained right ankle on the late September night the Dodgers clinched the NL West for the 11th time in 12 years. Freeman said he’s ready to go into Game 1 and that his production will be key after missing three playoff games and having just one hit in his last 15 postseason at-bats.
