This week marks the start of the 2024 Major League World Series. This year’s fall classic is between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. It marks the 12th meeting between the two teams in the World Series with the Yankees winning the series 8 times to the Dodgers 3.

The postseason matchups go back as far as 1941 with the Yankees beating the then Brooklyn Dodgers, 4 games to 1. Their most recent meeting in the postseason was some 40 years ago, in 1981 in a 6 game series in which the Dodgers raised the Commissioner’s Trophy after winning 4 straight, down 2 games. 

This World Series also marks the first time that two 50 home run hitters square off. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani looks to win his first World Series in his first year in LA. All this after coming off an unprecedented season in which he hit a league-leading 54 home runs and stole 59 bases, the first of its kind in the history of the MLB.  It will not be a cakewalk as he will be up against tough competition in Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who hopes to bring the 28th World Series Back to the Bronx.

Judge is coming off a season in which he hit an MLB-leading 58 Home runs with a .322 batting average. All this after hitting an American League Record for 62 Home Runs just 2 years ago in the 2022 season. While both players are backed by a star-studded cast, this matchup is certainly the most high-profile series between the two teams with both rosters being full of all-star talent. Regardless of who wins this fall classic Ohtani and Judge will both be walking away with a trophy this postseason as both are poised for MVP honors this postseason. Judge being the  American League the favorite by most major sports books at -3000 and Ohtani in the National League at -2,500. 

(Image from fanatics.com)

The Yankees travel to the West Coast for the first two games on 10/25 and 10/26 at Dodgers Stadium. After that the series pivots to New York on the 29th and 30th of October, and if necessary, two more games will be played in Los Angeles on the 1st and 2nd of November. All of these games have an expected first pitch time of 8:08 PM Eastern time or 5:08 PST. The average ticket for game one of the series in LA on Friday, October 25th is going for $1,500 (the most expensive ticket for the Major League World Series in history). The prices only get more steep from there, with sites like stubhub.com having parking pass prices rise to nearly $6,000. 

While more casual baseball fans can sit back and enjoy the games watching what will surely be some of the most exciting games of the season, intense fans and baseball analysts alike voice disapproval for the matchup. They argue that it is a ploy by the league to promote viewership and to make profit. Many say the matchup is bad for baseball with the New York Times publishing an article entitled The Hater’s Guide to the 2024 World Series. The arguments stem from the predictability of the matchup between the two franchises with the highest payroll. More seasoned baseball historians say that the teams lack a rivalry, and with younger fans disconnected from the past matchups, they do not realize the historical importance.

Regardless of who you favor in the series, or if you will tune in at all, it is safe to say that it will be a must watch and a huge boost for the sport. With viewership of the last matchup averaging 44.28 million viewers, the MLB hopes to increase the current average of about 5.38 million viewers. TV stations 6,000 miles away in Japan will also be tuned into the series to see Shohei Ohtani play with the sport being broadcasted to a global audience the hope is that it will prove to be an increase in viewership.

As the season winds down with only two teams left it will be exciting to see how a historic year of baseball comes to a close. With 28 teams already eliminated most viewers will have to prepare for next year for their team’s shot at the title of World Champions.

(Image from mlb.com)

(Feature Image from sportingnews.com)

Brian Trainor Jr. is a second year English Student. He is a part of the Student Government Association and the Student Ambassadors Program. His interests include literature and sports.