Baseball is a coveted American pastime for many, whether it be enjoying some stadium food, getting to style a jersey for game day, or just watching an intense game. These habits all are given time to shine in the Fall Classic, where the top teams from the American League and National League battle it out in a best-of-seven series. As if 2024 wasn’t crazy enough, this year’s series was between two powerhouse teams: the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. These two have now met 12 times in the World Series, with this year being the first since 1981. Both the Yankees and the Dodgers were the number one seed in their respective leagues, which made this a must-watch series.
Playoff Pressure
The playoffs for Major League Baseball span through the month of October, usually ending around Halloween or the early days of November. There are a total of 12 teams that make it to October, with 6 being from the American League and 6 being from the National League. Rankings of teams depend on their record during the regular season, which usually runs from late March to the end of September. Each team plays a whopping 162 games per season, which is a much higher number than other professional sports leagues. The playoffs consist of four total rounds: the Wild Card round, the League Division Series, the League Championship Series, and the World Series. The Wild Card round is a best-of-three game played by the teams that have the lowest records in the playoff group, narrowing each side from six to four teams. Then, the League Division series and Championship series are the next two rounds, played with best-of-five and best-of-seven formats, respectively, to eventually determine who will be sent to the World Series. Below is how this year’s playoff schedule played out, and how we got to see such a star-studded Fall Classic this year!
New York, New York
Going into the playoffs, the Yankees were at the top of the American League, meaning they had one fewer round to get through the playoffs. Coming off of a rough 2023 season where they had a less-than-stellar record of 82-80, this season was crucial for the Bronx Bombers. Superstars Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gerrit Cole were tasked with leading the team in that job. In the off-season, they made the big move of acquiring outfielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres in hopes of having a successful 2024. This move paid off, as Juan Soto had a great season with 41 home runs and a .288 batting average. The Yankees also acquired Jazz Chisolm Jr. from the Miami Marlins before the trade deadline in the summer, who became a defensive and offensive asset throughout the season. The team finished the regular season with a record of 94-68, being the best in the American League. They battled through the playoffs, winning the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals three games to one. Their big breakthrough was securing the Championship series against the Cleveland Guardians four games to one and winning the pennant for the first time since 2009. This was an emotional day for many Yankee fans (meaning me cheering loudly in my dorm room), and inspired many New Yorkers to get ready for the World Series.
California Love
On the other coast of this massive showdown, the LA Dodgers came out of this regular season with an MLB-leading record of 98-64. The Dodgers were entering the 2024 season having come short in the NLDS to the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, this star-studded team was ready to make a comeback. Key players include All-Stars Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernandez. Additionally, the Dodgers made the huge move of acquiring Shohei Ohtani, arguably one of the best players in this decade. Ohtani has been a pitcher and position player throughout his young career in the US, where he was an American League MVP twice with the Los Angeles Angels. After a powerhouse regular season, the Dodgers had to battle it out with the Padres, barely escaping after winning the series three games to two. Then, they had an East vs West Coast battle even before the Yankees. The NLCS was an action-packed show between the Dodgers and the New York Mets. Although it was a series of blowout games back and forth, the Dodgers secured a victory in game six of seven at home. The Dodgers were last in the Fall Classic in the unconventional 2020 season, where they brought the trophy home to LA during the pandemic, and they were ready to do it again.
Baseball’s Biggest Stage
The day finally came for the two teams to face off! Since the Dodgers had the higher regular season record, they began the series in LA for Games 1 and 2. Game 1 was an explosive way to enter the series, with back-and-forth hitting from both teams. It ended in a dramatic and historic fashion, with Freddie Freeman hitting the first-ever World Series walk-off Grand Slam in the 10th inning, making the final score 6-3. Game 2 carried out that same excitement for LA with new pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto facing off against New York’s Carlos Rodon. Despite efforts by the Yankees to come back in the end, the Dodgers took game 2 with a score of 4-2, thanks in part to ANOTHER Freddie Freeman home run. However, they had a bit of a scare when superstar Shohei Ohtani injured his shoulder attempting a stolen base.
For games 3 through 5, the teams were scheduled to take over the Bronx. Even though they were down 2 games, Yankees fans tried to remain optimistic, supporting their team and their captain Aaron Judge. Judge had been struggling offensively in the playoffs, so he needed a push to keep his season alive. Nonetheless, game 3 was not that push. There was another last-minute effort by New York with a two-run home run by former Red Sox player Alex Verdugo (ironic isn’t it), but it wasn’t enough to prevent an LA win, making the series 3-0. Oh, and you guessed it, another Freddie Freeman home run. This lit a spark under the Yankees for the next day in hopes of not getting swept. New Yorkers were a little scared at the start of the game when facing being behind after a two-run home run by- guess who? Freddie Freeman. Freeman set a league-wide record for most consecutive World Series games with a home run, including the last two games of the 2021 World Series when he played for the Atlanta Braves. Dismissing this historic run, the Yankees were on fire at-bat in the third and fifth innings, sparked by a grand slam by young shortstop Anthony Volpe. This led the Bronx Bombers to take game four with a score of 11-4, making them the first team to win a game when down 3-0 in the World Series since 1970. Finally, game five rolled around and the Yankees were almost the first team to come back to a 3-2 spot from being down 3-0. Unfortunately, a disastrous 5th inning full of defensive errors cost them the game. The Dodgers took game 5 with an intense score of 7-6, handing them their 8th World Series title. World Series MVP? I think we know who (in case you don’t, it was Freddie Freeman).
Sadly for Yankees fans across the world (me screaming in my dorm room), the chase for 28 rings was cut short. Will we see a comeback in 2025? Will the Dodgers maneuver their way to a back-to-back title? Or will another talented team come out of the off-season ready to pounce? Stay tuned for next year!