Elephant Rumblings: Dodgers, Yankees set to meet in World Series

MLB news roundup

Happy Monday, Athletics Nation!

I had tickets to today’s game at Dodger Stadium, but alas, it isn’t happening. The Dodgers closed out their NLCS against Sean Manaea and the Mets last night with a 10-5 win to secure their 22nd trip to the World Series. Former Athletics relief ace Blake Treinen has been instrumental for the Dodgers through the postseason; he got another six outs for LA last night and has thrown the last pitch of both his team’s series wins.

The Yankees punched their ticket to the World Series on Saturday with an extra innings blast from Juan Soto that secured a 5-2 win to take the ALCS four games to one over Stephen Vogt and The Guardians. It’s a tough blow for the former A’s catcher and his squad to take, but quite an achievement nevertheless to make a deep postseason run in Cleveland’s maiden voyage with Vogt at the helm.

This year’s World Series matchup is a clash of titans. No MLB team was especially dominant this year—there were no 100-game winners. But the Dodgers and Yankees were both top seeds in their respective leagues, and they each have MVP frontrunners on their roster in Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. The Yankees have another MVP caliber hitter in Soto, while the Dodgers have two former MVPs in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, though the latter has been in and out of the lineup lately due to ankle problems.

Ohtani and Judge both won their league’s home run titles this season, and 2024 will be the first year in which both home run leaders will meet in the World Series since 1956, when Mickey Mantle and the Yankees bested Duke Snider and the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games.

The Yankees and Dodgers haven’t met in the Fall Classic since 1981, but these two teams have nevertheless played more World Series against each other than any other pair. The Yankees have taken eight series matchups versus just three for the Dodgers; on Friday they will begin number 12, their first World Series rematch in over 40 years.

Some fans will bemoan this year’s big market, big money series with no scrappy underdogs to root for, but this one should be well matched and hard-fought between two very potent lineups. I’ll take (flips a coin) the Dodgers in seven. Who you got, AN?

A’s Coverage:

• What A’s Players Need To Work On This Off-Season
• Hogan Harris took big step forward with A’s in 2024
• A’s Hitting Prospect of the Year Could be Big Part of 2025 Team
• Former Toronto Blue Jays Farmhand Named A’s Prospect Pitcher of the Year
• Yankees reliever has his changeup discussed by A’s DH Brent Rooker

MLB News & Interest:

• Dodgers win NLCS, set up marquee World Series matchup vs. Yankees
• Soto’s latest superstar swat propels Yanks to 1st WS since ‘09
• For Juan Soto, the thrill of the hunt captures a pennant for the Yankees ($)
• Each Team’s Penalty For Signing A Qualified Free Agent
• Each Team’s Draft Compensation For Losing A Qualified Free Agent
• Red Sox Notes: Coaching Staff, Front Office, Fulmer
• Scott Sharp Withdraws Name From Giants’ GM Search
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

AFL bats.

AFL arms.