The Los Angeles (LA) Dodgers are unlikely to allow the ‘Subway Series’. The likelihood that the World Series matchup most desired by Major League Baseball (MLB) fans will come true has increased.
The Dodgers won 8-0 over the New York Mets in Game 3 of the 2024 MLB National League Championship Series (NLCS, 4 wins out of 7) held at Citi Field in Flushing, New York, USA on the 17th (Korean time). Starting pitcher Walker Buehler recorded 4 scoreless innings, and the mound combined for the team’s 4th shutout of this postseason (PS), and the batting line supported runs from the beginning. The Dodgers won Game 3 with 1 win and 1 loss, giving them a 70% chance of winning the World Series. Just add 2 wins.
In the American League CS, which has now played until the second game, the New York Yankees, ranked first in the Eastern Division, won their second consecutive win over the Cleveland Guardians, ranked first in the Central Division. The Yankees are aiming to advance to the World Series for the first time in 15 years since 2009. This means that both the Dodgers and Yankees are approaching the World Series.
The Dodgers and Yankees are MLB’s most popular and prestigious clubs representing the NL, AL, West and East. The two teams are ranked 1st and 2nd in MLB in terms of club value according to the American business magazine Forbes.
The Yankees and Dodgers have met in the World Series a total of 11 times in history. But the last confrontation dates back to 1981. When the Yankees were building an ‘evil empire’ in the mid-1990s to early 2000s, the Dodgers were weak. This was the time when ‘Korean Express’ Park Chan-ho played for the Dodgers.
When the Dodgers became the absolute powerhouse in the NL West in the early 2010s, the Yankees were not as strong as before.
The Yankees lead the previous World Series with 8 wins and 3 losses. In 1981, the last match, the Dodgers won the championship trophy with a series record of 4 wins and 2 losses.
The reason why the success of the World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees is attracting more attention is because it reflects expectations that a head-to-head match between Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) and Aaron Judge (Yankees), who virtually secured the NL and AL regular season Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, can be achieved. Because it’s done.
Ohtani became the first MLB player to join the 50 (54 home runs)-50 (59 steals) club this season. He, who was also the AL MVP last season, is approaching victory in both major leagues. Judge hit 58 home runs and became the home run leader in both leagues. The number of RBIs was a whopping 133.
Neither player lived up to their name until the first game of CS. Ohtani was strong in the scoring range, but due to his low batting average, he did not perform well in his leadoff (number one hitter) duties. Judge had a batting average of only .100 until Game 1 of the ALCS. However, Judge broke his long silence in Game 2 and hit a mid-month home run, and Ohtani also hit a three-run home run with two runners on base at the plate in the 8th inning of Game 3 that day.
New York hopes that the Mets and Yankees will rise side by side and that the ‘Subway Series’ will be held for the first time in 24 years since 2000. However, another MLB fan’s wish is a matchup between the Dodgers and Yankees. A situation where both teams are first to win two games. Expectations grow.
Reporter Ahn Hee-soo anheesoo@edaily.co.kr