It’s officially time for the Fall Classic! Two teams, two pennants, two huge markets, one final trophy. That’s right, the stage is set. The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers will face off for the 12th time in the World Series. The Yankees lead the all-time series 8-3, with the last duel going to the Dodgers in 1981. Game 1 of the 2024 edition will begin on Friday at Dodger Stadium.

There are storylines – and – stars – everywhere you look in this series. Superstar and poster child Shohei Ohtani is playing on baseball’s biggest stage for the first time. Assuming that Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge respectively win the NL and AL MVPs next month (which is a VERY safe bet), this World Series would be just the 7th time in the Divisional Era that the league MVP squared off in the Series, 28th overall. If we include the imminent MVP wins, the series will also include nine total MVP awards and four Cy Young Awards. The 1963 Yankees alone featured nine MVPs, and the Dodgers brought the total to 11, or else we’d be talking about the most individually decorated World Series of all-time.

This is the matchup that Major League baseball dreamed of. The league’s two biggest markets, two historic teams, two star-studded rosters. Somewhere, Rob Manfred is salivating. Word is, that the cheapest ticket to the 2024 World Series is almost $1100. Compare that to when these two teams faced off in the 1941 finale, where the cheapest ticket was $1.10…yes $1.10. That’s an increase of 98,536.4% – inflation, am I right? It’s safe to say that this is the least accessible World Series of all-time.

So, who will win? I give the pitching edge to the Bronx Bombers. LA’s pitching has been among the worst in this year’s postseason. Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are lined up to pitch game 1 and 2 for the Dodgers. Both have struggled on this championship run, posting a 7.04 and 5.11 ERA respectively. Flaherty in particular has allowed 12 earned runs and issued 7 walks in 15 innings. If Flaherty struggles again against Gerrit Cole, the Yanks could grab a choke hold on the series before they ever set foot in front of the raucous and expectant crowd at Yankee Stadium.

Offensively, I give a slight edge to the Dodgers. As I mentioned, both teams are loaded, but the 1-2-3 of Ohtani, Betts and Freeman is daunting. Obviously, the Yankees have a brutal combo of their own, but for LA, the latter two already have World Series titles, and Ohtani seems to have a knack for the big moment. However, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton are coming into the series RED HOT, with Stanton claiming ALCS MVP honors. That is why I only give the Dodgers lineup a razor-thin edge.

As for my prediction, my head and my heart are telling me two different things, so which instinct do I follow? My head tells me that manager Dave Roberts’ World Series experience is a difference maker, but my heart tells me that hot bats and a Yankee Stadium crowd can squash that. I believe – and hope – that this will be an evenly matched series that gives us our money’s worth, so with that:

YANKEES IN 6

I’m predicting that Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton capture their first titles, Juan Soto his second. As far as World Series MVP, I believe Aaron Judge will rebound from his dismal .161 average thus far in the postseason, step back into his role as the Yankees captain, and capture the award, though I think Juan Soto will bring his hot bat into this series and give Judge a fight.

Are you ready for the big one? Will the Yankees win their first title in 15 years, or will the Dodgers win their second title of the decade. Drop your series predictions in the comments.

See you on the next one!