Even 8-year-old Charlie Freeman is excited about a Dodgers-Yankees World Series.
“He's at Universal (Studios) right now with a couple of his buddies, but he goes, `Daddy, I can’t wait for the World Series start tomorrow,'" Los Angeles first baseman Freddie Freeman said at the last workout before Friday's opener. "He’s on YouTube and seeing all the videos about Yankees-Dodgers. So you're starting to get a hint of how big this could be."
This will be the 12th Dodgers-Yankees matchup and the first in 43 years. The rivalry dates to 1941, when the Dodgers were in Brooklyn and Joe DiMaggio's Yankees were seeking their fifth title in six years.
“You can be the best player. You can do whatever you want,” Yankees star Juan Soto said, “but at the end of the day, people remember you because you won a World Series.”
Broadway vs. Hollywood has produced the starriest Series in decades, if not ever. The League Championship Series had the highest US TV ratings since 2017, and that's been dwarfed by viewership of the Dodgers from Japan driven by interest in Shohei Ohtani.
“You could easily argue that on a global scale, the Yankees and the Dodgers are the most followed, the most supported, the most visible," Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said.
This figures to be the first World Series featuring five MVPs: the Dodgers' Ohtani, Freeman and Mookie Betts, and the Yankees' Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. There hasn’t been even been a Fall Classic with four since 1971.
Ohtani and Judge are the likely MVPs this year, marking the first Series to feature both since San Francisco’s Buster Posey and Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in 2012. This will be the first Series with a pair of 50-home run hitters in Judge (58) and Ohtani (54).
In an age of expanding playoffs, this is just the fifth World Series since the Wild Card Era started in 1995 involving the teams with the best records in each league.
“I’m sure I’m going to feel how special it is,” Ohtani said through a translator.
Players practiced in 85-degree weather as the sun highlighted Dodger Stadium's sky blue, yellow, light orange and sea foam green seats. Freeman, slowed by a bad ankle, insisted he will be in the lineup for the opener.
While the Dodgers are seeking their eighth title and second in five years, the Yankees are in the World Series for the first time since winning No. 27 in 2009.
“This is where the real fun starts,” Judge said.
Judge realizes a title is necessary for membership among the Yankees greats.
“They definitely got a different aura walking around here when you got a couple of rings on your fingers,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing, is that you see that they’re battle tested. They’ve been through the grind. They’ve been through the ups and downs and they came out on top.”
Old rivals
Roberts and Yankees manager Aaron Boone have faced each other since April 3, 1992, when Roberts' UCLA Bruins beat Boone's Southern California Trojans' 11-1 UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium.
“As we all know in here, you’re a Trojan for life. You’re a Bruin for four years,” Boone said playfully.
Told of Boone's shot, Roberts said: “Ouch! That hurts" and “absolutely disagree, 100%.”
Boone texted a Yankees emoji to Roberts when New York's charter flight landed Wednesday.
“There was another emoji I thought about sending him with one finger, but I didn’t,” Roberts said. “I just gave a laughing emoji back.”
For Starters
Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty, who starts the opener against the Yankees' Gerrit Cole, was high school teammates with Max Fried and Lucas Giolito at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. Three years ago, Flaherty was at Houston's Minute Maid Park for World Series Game 6 along with Giolito to watch Fried get the win that finished off the Atlanta Braves' World Series title.
“It's a funny feeling watching that,” Flaherty said, “because you’re excited for one of your best friends and you’re incredibly happy for him, also at that same moment you’re a competitor and you want to be in that situation, you want to be on the field.”
Flaherty is 1-2 with a 7.04 ERA in three postseason starts this year. Cole is 1-1 with a 3.31 ERA in three starts.
Like Roberts, Cole went to UCLA. The pitcher's college rooting aligns more with the Dodgers manager than his own.
“Aaron and I don’t always agree on everything,” he said.
Memories
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner was 7 years old in 1977 when the Yankees won their first title under his father, George. New York clinched the title over the Dodgers with a Game 6 win in the Bronx as Reggie Jackson hit three homers on three straight swings.
“I’d say my two most prevalent memories are Reggie’s third home run, and of course the final popup that was caught by (Mike) Torrez and the pandemonium that ensued,” he recalled this week. “Was a great day!”
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