Every year in major league baseball, there are always surprises when the playoffs arrive. Teams that enter the series through the back door and manage to make their way to top honors. We almost saw it this year with the New York Mets. Except that this year, the logic was respected!
The two largest markets, New York and Los Angeles, will face off on Friday for the 2024 World Series with the Yankees and Dodgers. We have to go back to 1981 to see the two teams face each other in the playoffs. Many will remember Rick Monday’s home run against the Montreal Expos which allowed the Dodgers to secure a place in the final and subsequently win major honors.
Not only is this year’s final special for both organizations, but also for the players in attendance. On one side, the greatest home run hitter of recent years, Aaron Judge, facing the best baseball player in the world, the Japanese Shohei Ohtani.
Beyond the clash between these two superstars, there is also the whole historical side between the two concessions. First, the Bronx Bombardiers, winners of 27 world series and 58 appearances in the playoffs, are the team with the most championships in North America, all sports combined. However, the last title dates back to 2009, a 15-year drought. The Yankees are the Montreal Canadiens in hockey, the Dallas Cowboys in football and the Boston Celtics in basketball. It is the image of their sport, the story behind the franchise and the successes achieved throughout their history.
For the Dodgers, the story begins in 1884 when the team resided in Brooklyn. Beginning in 1932, the team was known as the Dodgers until moving to the city of Angels in 1958. Although this move was more than 60 years ago, the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers continued through the generations. . And at the time, the two “New York” teams often faced each other in the series, giving rise to a historic rivalry.
The history of the franchise in Brooklyn has a very special aspect for Quebecers, with the arrival of Jackie Robinson, who began his career with the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers’ farm club. There was this sense of belonging that, even decades later, remains among the supporters.
Face to face
One thing is certain, it is that the matches in this series will be spectacular and very offensive. Each team has at least three hitters capable of changing a game with a single swing. There will be many circuits, but it will be interesting to see how the managers move the runners along the trails. Stealing a goal, saving a shot, anything is possible!
Defensively, each relay will keep the fans on the edge of their seats, but mistakes due to pressure could swing the outcome of a game.
The only weakness, and this one leans more towards the Dodgers, is on the pitching side. Despite a lack of quality starting pitchers, the Dodgers still managed to make it to the final. But now, every throw will be of utmost importance.
Prediction: Yankees in 6
