Dodgers-Yankees Fall Classic? *Gasp*
1981 Dodgers v. Yankees World Series Program (MLB.com)
The Commissioner’s fantasy matchup appears to be coming to fruition: the Dodgers against the Yankees. The Dodgers last faced the Yankees in a World Series during the strike-shortened season of 1981. The Dodgers won in six with a lineup that featured Ron Cey and Dusty Baker. Fernando Valenzuela was a rookie ace, and Tommy Lasorda was the skipper. The ‘81 Yankees were an interesting roster, with 35+ year old versions of Reggie Jackson, Lou Piniella, Graig Nettles, Bob Watson, and Bobby Murcer in their lineup. They had an older Tommy John and Rudy May, but prime Ron Guidry and Goose Gossage. Two storied franchises faced off as titans of their respective leagues, which is not dissimilar to the 2024 Yankees and Dodgers. However, the 2024 Fall Classic would have a huge advantage with these two clubs– massive star power. Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Shohei Ohtani are in their prime and two of the three will win the league MVP this season while the third is about to get a $600M deal. Guidry, Valenzuala, and an older Reggie were fun to watch I’m sure, but they got nothing on the talent between these current two rosters .
1981 Dodgers Overview (bRef)
Shohei’s international reach made the $700M investment by the Dodgers a strong one. For example, Game 5 of the NLDS saw 12.9M viewers from Japan alone, and 7.5M from the US. Getting 20 million views in any MLB playoff game is a big deal, particularly when you consider 10% of Japan’s population watched the game despite a 9:00 AM local start time. You have a sizable percentage of a foreign country tuning in to watch one player, without considering the views you’re getting simply from the Dodger and Yankee fan bases, as well as the general baseball fans the World Series will attract. The 1978 World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees had the highest WS ratings ever recorded, but obviously the TV market has shifted substantially toward streaming during the internet age. The average viewership in the 1978 series was over 44 million people per game, while the 2023 World Series was barely over 9 million viewers per game. Though it may be out of reach for this World Series to crest the 40M mark per game, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw one of the games hit 40 million for the first time since Game 7 of the 2016 WS.
Joe Pompliano’s tweet regarding Game 5 NLDS Ratings
Now, we’ve covered why Major League Baseball would love to see Dodgers v. Yankees. While I would have liked to see the Tigers find their way to a pennant, I will make the case that this matchup isn’t the worst case scenario some fans are making it out to be. For one, the Tigers had limited starting pitching after Tarik Skubal. There was a chance we saw a sweep against the wrong team if Detroit did find their way to the World Series. Remember when the 2007 Rockies caught fire in September and stole a Wild Card? Swept in the World Series. The Snakes last season were clearly overmatched as well, but this is not to say these clubs can’t continue an improbable run through the World Series. The Marlins have two recent Cinderella runs in the last 30 years, while the 2006 Cardinals were a pretty mid team until October came around on the calendar.
2006 St. Louis Cardinals Overview (bRef)
Due to the nature of improbable Wild Card teams’ history of being overmatched, I would make the contention that we will see a higher brand of baseball than we may have with a team like Detroit. It’s true, the Yankees don’t have the Cinderella magic that Detroit had. They also don’t have the youth of the Royals or the “Guards Baseball” brand. They’re lacking the small market, Wild Card magic, but they make up for it with their star power and their own improbable successes. Consider the developmental success of Clarke Schmidt and Luke Weaver, both of whom I find compelling. Obviously, the timing is tough with Weaver having just given up a 2-run to Big Christmas on Thursday night, but his career comeback at 31 years old has been a great story. He dropped the knuckle curve, and increased his usage of the four seamer and changeup. He’s gone from a failed 5th starter to one of the most effective relievers this season. He pitched so well in the Yankees’ pen, he took the closer role from Clay Holmes. Schmidt has developed an effective cutter with the Yankees and looks like a legit mid-rotation MLB starter after some initial struggles. Lastly, one of my personal favorites, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been electric for the Yankees despite his baserunning blunders. Jazz had 11 HR and 18 bags in 46 regular games for the Yankees, though he’s only 4-27 so far in the 2024 playoffs.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. Season by Season Stats (bRef)
On the Dodger side, of course we have Shohei alongside two other NL MVPS, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. We’ve also seen the resurgence of Teoscar Hernández, after he spent a brutal year in the Marine Layer up in Seattle. To me though, Kiké Hernández and his playoff heroics are the big story in LA. He’s now got 15 playoff homers in just over 200 playoff at bats; he’d be a perennial MVP candidate if he were to hit 45 bombs a year in the regular season. He’s also played multiple positions throughout the year, and his versatility has played a role in the Dodgers’ success down the stretch. One of the narratives for LAD has been their myriad of pitching injuries, at least partially due to the archetype they look to acquire. Friedman and the rest of the front office hunts guys with upside, and that often means stuff+. A high stuff + often means hard off-speed and/or high velocity fastballs, which correlate to high injury frequency. They’ve felt the loss of Tyler Glasnow and company entering October, having to go to Walker Buehler despite massively struggling this season. Yoshinobu Yamamoto managed to make it back on the mound in time for the postseason, but his stuff doesn’t look quite as good as it did earlier this season. Can Dave Roberts piece together a starting rotation for another 6/7 game series or will the bullpen have to take on an ever larger role than they already are? These are the kinds of narratives that I believe will keep this World Series interesting for all MLB fans.
2024 Walker Buehler Overview (bRef)
Every World Series has its own unique identity, and this one will be no different. I love the 2003 Marlins and 2023 Snakes as much as the next fan, but I can see why both MLB and the average fan is interested in a Dodgers v. Yankees matchup. It’s not in the bag yet, with the Mets securing game 5, and the Guardians attempting to tie up the series as I finish this piece. I would enjoy Guardians v. Dodgers or Mets v. Yankees, but those are the less likely outcomes at this point. It may be time for the contrarian MLB fan to reconcile and come around on the Dodgers v. Yankees. We’re all going to watch the series anyway– we wait all year for October!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Series_television_ratings