MLB gets dream matchup: Dodgers-Yanks in the World Series

LOS ANGELES – Major League Baseball and its broadcast partners have exactly what they want in the upcoming World Series: the New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The largest television markets on the East Coast vs. the largest on the West Coast.

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Aaron Judge vs. Shohei Ohtani, the game's two biggest stars, both presumed league MVPs, who will be making their first appearances in the Fall Classic.

“I really feel like we've finally gotten there, I've finally gotten to this stage,” Ohtani said Sunday night at Dodger Stadium.

Accordingly, the clubs are the two highest-paid teams Sportico's own current reviews. They are among the biggest revenue generators and biggest donors.

To advance to the best-of-seven World Series, which begins Friday night at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 10-5 in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday, using one opener and six relievers used. The Yankees had already defeated Cleveland in Game 5 on Saturday evening and thus secured the American League championship.

The Yankees are making their 41st appearance in the World Series and have won 27 of them. The Dodgers have won it all six times. It will be the 12th time the Yanks have faced the Dodgers in the World Series, but the first time since 1981. New York has won eight of the first 11 games between the two teams.

Mark Walter and Guggenheim Baseball purchased the Dodgers from Frank McCourt in 2012 for $2.15 billion. The club is now worth $6.3 billion, second only to the Yanks in Major League Baseball at $7.93 billion. The Mets team they defeated is worth $2.91 billion.

“This feels great, but we need four more wins,” Walter said on the field at Dodger Stadium after accepting the Warren Giles Trophy for winning the NL pennant.

The club's value has increased 20% since 2023 alone, when it earned the second-largest revenue in the MLB at $637 million, again just behind the Yankees, who earned $720 million.

Both teams spared little expense to get this far. The Dodgers spent $339.8 million on player salaries this season, ranking second in the MLB and about $11 million behind the top-spending Mets. The Yankees were third with $314.7 million.

In the offseason, LA spent $1.025 billion to sign free agents Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani for 10 years at $700 million with $680 million deferred, Yamamoto for 12 years at $325 million. Dollar.

“The goal was to get this far,” Ohtani said. “And I also imagined that I would get this far with the contract I signed. … All the games were really tough. But I’m just glad we’re here now.”

Walter is satisfied with the investment. “We were a good team,” Walter said. “We won four pennants in eight years, you couldn’t ask for more.”

Well, you can hope to win the World Series. The Dodgers lost to the Houston Astros in a seven-game 2017 World Series that was ultimately marred by the Houston sign-stealing scandal. They lost a five-game series to the Boston Red Sox in 2018. When they finally won, it was in six games against the Tampa Bay Rays in the Globe Life Field bubble, completing the COVID-shortened 2020 regular season to 60 games.

The Dodgers celebrated the win at neutral field and were unable to host a parade in downtown Los Angeles due to health and safety concerns.

If they beat the Yankees, whose last World Series victory was in 2009, that wouldn't be the case.

“We would like to do that,” said Walter. “The fans definitely deserve it. We’ve been knocking on the door forever, so it’s time.”

The last time the Dodgers celebrated victory in a playoff series on their own turf at Dodger Stadium before Sunday night was in 1988, when they defeated the Mets in a seven-game NLCS.

Orel Hershiser defeated Ron Darling 6-0 in Game 7. Unlike Sunday night's bullpen game in LA, Hershiser pitched the entire nine innings.

In these playoffs, Dodger starters have averaged 3.4 innings over the first 12 games. Things won't get significantly better against the Yankees.

The fact that the Dodgers eliminated the San Diego Padres and Mets in their first two rounds of the playoffs with only three viable starters – Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler – is a testament to how well the bullpen performed.

Walter said he commended manager Dave Roberts for handling all the pitching and injury issues. Star first baseman Freddie Freeman, for example, was not on the roster Sunday and has missed two of the last three games because of a high right ankle sprain.

Roberts was at the helm in all four forays into the World Series under Walters' leadership. “It was awesome to work the bullpen the way he did,” Walter said of Roberts. “He was great, but the whole team and staff were really great. We are very proud of them, but we still have a lot of work to do. We didn't come here to win the pennant. We came here to win the World Series.”

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