What seems to be straight out of a Hollywood movie, the Los Angeles Dodgers face the New York Yankees once again, defeating the Yankees in the World Series for the second time in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. With out of the park players, insane plays, and high stats, here’s why the 2024 MLB World Series matchup was so unmatched.
THE BIGGER PITCHER
Forget about the G.O.A.T. Sandy Koufax, “the Left Arm of God.”, Pitcher this! The two greatest ball players of our time go head to head in the grand finale of them all: Shohei Ohtani representing the Dodgers in the National League and Aaron Judge representing the Yankees in the American League. Who wouldn’t wanna watch this big-market matchup?
Since these are the two most popular baseball teams on their coasts, this seemingly Hollywood fever dream “must-watch” was one of the most anticipated sports games of the year. In fact, this set the record for the highest TV rating of any World Series, in which an average of 15.8 million viewers tuned in per game.
This series is the 12th time in MLB history that these two teams battled it out on the field in the most iconic seven games of the year. However, the rivalrous lore between these two teams drove the hype for who took home the series.
HOW THE RIVALRY STARTED
Long story short, the Dodgers were once a part of New York as well. Founded in 1883, they were strongly considered an OG New York team. If you lived there, it was all about the Brooklyn Dodgers. Twenty years later, the New York Yankees abruptly dominated the Bronx with their insane energy, team spirit, and prideful sportsmanship like none other, led by some guy named Babe? Until…in 1958, the Dodgers officially moved to Los Angeles, where they would gain more recognition than ever by the best coast, I mean the West Coast.
HOLLYWOOD MEETS DIMAGGIO
Joe DiMaggio, the famous NY Yankee who played for 13 years, fell in love with the “Hollywood Bombshell”, Marilyn Monroe while she was mid-career. Their relationship created a new take on romance as two celebrities from two different industries and made the world fall in love with them too. In comparison, we see the same dynamic with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, as they are the faces of their talents, and we get to watch their industries beautifully collide. This was exactly how it was to witness Monroe and DiMaggio. Whether you were a frequent baseball gamegoer or a fanatic following the latest Hollywood drama, you were always tuning into the love they shared on and off the screen.
THE CROWD GOES WILD
This ain’t no wild card, but here’s where things get crazy. The year of 1955 went down in the baseball books as DiMaggio was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the same time that Jack “Jackie” Roosevelt Robinson made his mark in the baseball world for being the first ever African American to not only play in the MLB for the Brooklyn Dodgers but help them win their first World Series.
One of the most iconic yet controversial moments in the history of baseball, and it seemed like it was straight out of a movie… a Hollywood movie! NY Yankee, Yogi Berra, the greatest catcher of all time, attempts to get out THE Jackie Robinson in game one of the 1955 World Series. However, Jackie stole home plate, was called safe, and let’s just say the Yogi Bear was a little pissed about it.
Because the first ever desegregated World Series was played during America’s prime time of segregation, it left fans to debate if African Americans should be allowed to play in the Major Leagues. People had their opinions on whether he got out or not, partially due to the play but also because of his skin color. Despite the fans refusing to believe that he was one of the elites in the game, bringing home the gold to Brooklyn was exactly what the world of sports needed to settle this debate.
These final seconds of the 1955 World Series changed baseball and transformed many people’s ideas of it. Opinions aside, sports are sports and people love to watch, regardless of race. Shoutout to Jackie and what he accomplished for the Dodgers that year. This was the beginning of sports becoming more than just a “white-dominated industry.”
NINTH INNING? MORE LIKE WINNING!
The final inning of any ball game is an intense one. So, when Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam during the ninth inning of game one in the 2024 World Series, the Dodgers really set the tone for the remainder of the championship games. This play ended up being a factor in the 2024 World Series Most Valuable Player award, or MVP.
A CURVE BALL
While the significant part of this play didn’t involve much of a ball, it definitely threw a curve at Dodgers fans. In attempts to steal second base in game two of the series, the silence that followed Ohtani’s awkward landing was SO LOUD. The sold-out Dodgers stadium was silent for the first time that night, not knowing what was wrong or if their best player was alright. This edge-of-seat, breath-holding, slow-motion moment was a dramatic scene you only ever really see in the movies. The best player in the most important game of the year gets INJURED. Everyone was convinced he was out for the remainder of the series and that the Dodgers were done for. While clearly in pain, Ohtani finally walked off the field, giving Dodgers fans hope that his injury wouldn’t affect the outcome of the series… he suffered a left shoulder subluxation. But winning takes sacrifice, doesn’t it?
CHANCES TO CHAMPIONS
Considering how the Dodgers swept their World Series Championship title at Yankee stadium, not even their own ballpark, was a crazy in-your-face moment alone. Now let’s get honest here, while statistically the odds were in favor of the Yankees winning with their 10 total wins over the Dodgers in the World Series in previous years, it was inevitable that the Yankees didn’t have a chance when the Dodgers were already 3-0 to the Yankees this year. Just as the Yankees thought they were finally bouncing back with a chance in the series by winning game four, the Dodgers quickly shut down their thoughts of a comeback. Instead of allowing them to string along the series, they crushed the hearts of the Yankees one by one, win by win. Speaking of a win… CONGRATULATIONS to our 2024 World Series Champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and GOODNIGHT!