Sports are a very large part of the American culture. These events bring people together and give them such a sense of pride. One of the most popular and most loved sports here in the United States is none other than the great game of baseball. Baseball has been around since 1839 and has been loved and cherished by many all over the country since then. Baseball fans are able to watch the biggest stars compete during the Major League Baseball (MLB) season, which takes place from April to October. During the last month of the season, the largest competition goes down, crowning the League’s best. This competition is best known as the World Series.
The World Series is a best-of-seven contest between the winners of the American League and the National League. This year, the Yankees represented the AL, as the Dodgers represented the NL. According to Mlb.com, “The two storied franchises have clashed on the Fall Classic stage 12 times, five more than any other matchup in World Series history. (The Yankees and Giants have squared off seven times.)” The latest matchup before this year’s faceoff took place in the year of 1981. This year’s matchup was long-awaited and highly anticipated.
Both the Yankees and the Dodgers entered the series with very talented rosters. The Yankees spent the majority of their 2024 season being led by their super slugger, Aaron Judge. Judge set the AL home run record in 2022 and has had great success since then. Judge ended this season with a total of 58 home runs, which is the most in the MLB this year. He was closely followed by his opponent and Dodger pitcher, Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani has been quite outstanding in his MLB career thus far. In 2018, he got drafted to the Los Angeles Angels where he shocked the world with his ability to be a success in both pitching and batting. He then traveled to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023. This season with the Dodgers, Ohtani left his mark in baseball history. Ohtani became the first-ever player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. According to bbc.com, “NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs described Ohtani’s achievement as ‘insane’, while basketball icon LeBron James said, ‘This guy is unreal! Wowzers.’”
Judge and Ohtani were the headline names, but others were having successful seasons as well. Juan Soto spent his first season in New York this year and was creating a good name for himself in the Big Apple. Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gerrit Cole are a few other Yankees who helped propel the squad to the final competition in October. On the Dodgers’ side, Ohtani was assisted by newcomer, Freddie Freeman, who was a sizable addition to the team back in 2022. Mookie Betts and Clayton Kershaw also assisted the Dodgers tremendously this season. These two forces were ready to battle it out on the biggest stage.
This series was expected to be a good one, and Game One exceeded those expectations. The game ended with a walk-off grand slam by the Dodger’s Freddie Freeman! This became the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. The Dodgers used this momentum to propel themselves past the Yankees in Games Two and Three. The Yankees did not go down without a fight as they stomped the Dodgers in Game Four by a score of 11-4. Game Five was looking very similar to the previous matchup as the Yankees were up 5-0 in the third inning. However, the Dodgers had a fantastic fifth inning, resulting in a 5-5 score! The Dodgers proved themselves superior as they ended the game with a score of 7-6.
Both the Yankees and the Dodgers had very successful seasons this year. They were led all the way to October by some of the League’s best. At the end of an exciting five games, the Dodgers came out on top adding another World Series victory to their resume and closing out an enthralling MLB season.
