MLB World Series Preview - Dodgers vs. Yankees: Matchups, Key Players and Predictions

Taking a look at the MLB World Series matchup, offering up predictions for the series and noting some key players.

We’ve finally made it to the World Series! The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are about ready to battle for the 2024 title.

Let’s take a look at the series, highlight some of the top players, offer up some projections and give you some other things to keep an eye on.

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Series Details

The best-of-seven series starts on Friday evening. Los Angeles has home-field advantage and will host the first two games (Friday and Saturday).

After an off day on Sunday, the series shifts to New York. The Yankees will host games 3, 4 and 5 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

If the series is still going, there will be an off day on Thursday, October 31 before games 6 and 7 take place in Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday (November 1 and 2).

Every single game will be televised on FOX, and starts at 8:08 p.m. ET.

Los Angeles Dodgers

In game 1, Los Angeles will start Jack Flaherty. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the start in game 2. No other probable starting pitchers are listed for the remainder of the series.

Flaherty has made three starts this postseason. He’s 1-2 with a 7.04 earned run average. Flaherty has allowed 12 runs on 15 hits and seven walks across 15 1/3 innings. He’s struck out eight along the way.

Yamamoto has made three starts as well, covering 12 1/3 innings and carrying a 1-0 record and 5.11 ERA. He’s given up seven runs on 11 hits and four walks, while punching out 11.

Ryan Brasier and Walker Buehler have started two games each, while Michael Kopech also served as a starter. Brasier has a 5.14 ERA across seven innings, while Buehler has a 6.00 ERA across nine innings. Kopech has a 1.69 ERA across 5 1/3 frames.

Brasier, Kopech and Ben Casparius all have a win this postseason, while Evan Phillips has earned two wins. Brasier and Buehler have a loss each. 

Brasier, Kopech, Anthony Banda and Blake Treinen have all pitched in six postseason games. Treinen has a 1.13 ERA across eight innings, while Banda is at a 1.59 ERA across 5 2/3 frames.

Daniel Hudson and Phillips have appeared in five games each. Hudson has a 2.08 ERA across 4 1/3 innings. Phillips hasn’t allowed a run over 6 2/3 innings.

Alex Vesia is another bullpen option. He hasn’t allowed a run over three postseason innings.

Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith have all played in 11 postseason games. Enrique Hernandez is at nine games, while Freddie Freeman, Gavin Lux, Andy Pages and Chris Taylor have played in eight contests each. 

Edman leads the team with 15 postseason hits, including three doubles and a home run. He’s drove in 12 runs, scored six times and stole three bases.

Betts has 13 hits, including four doubles and homers. He has 12 RBIs, 10 runs scored, eight walks and two stolen bases.

Ohtani has 12 hits, including three homers. He’s also got 10 RBIs, 12 runs scored and 11 walks.

Enrique Hernandez is up to 10 hits, including two long balls. He has posted five RBIs, eight runs scored and three walks.

Teoscar Hernandez is up to eight hits, including two home runs. He’s also got eight RBIs, seven runs scored, nine walks and one stolen base.

Muncy has eight hits, with a double and three home runs among those knocks. He’s also got five RBIs, eight runs scored, 12 walks and two stolen bases.

Freeman has seven hits, but no extra-base knocks are among those. An injury has slowed him. Freeman has one RBI, run scored, walk and stolen base.

Smith and Pages have hit two home runs each this postseason. Smith has six RBIs, while Pages has four and Lux three. Smith has seven runs scored, while Lux is at four and Pages sits at three.

New York Yankees

New York is starting Gerrit Cole in game 1. Carlos Rodon gets the nod in game 2, while Clarke Schmidt starts game 3. It’s to be determined after that for the Yanks.

Cole has started three games this postseason, and he has a 3.31 ERA across 16 1/3 innings. He’s allowed seven runs (six earned) on 19 hits and six walks, while striking out 12 batters. Cole has a 1-0 record.

Rodon has also started three games, and he sits with a 1-1 record and 4.40 ERA across 14 1/3 innings. He’s surrendered seven runs on 15 hits and one walk, while striking out 22 batters.

Schmidt has made two starts. He doesn’t have a win or loss and sits with a solid 3.86 ERA. He’s allowed four runs on nine hits and three walks over 9 1/3 frames.

Luis Gil is the only other Yankee who has started a game this postseason. 

Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver have pitched in eight games each, while Tim Hill has appeared in seven. Tommy Kahnle has pitched in six, and no other New York pitcher has over three games.

Holmes is 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA across 7 2/3 innings. Weaver is 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA and four saves in five chances - he’s pitched 10 1/3 innings. 

Hill has worked 5 2/3 innings and has a 1.59 ERA along the way. Kahnle has a 1-0 record and hasn’t allowed a run across seven innings. He also has a save.

Jake Cousins, Ian Hamilton, Mark Leiter Jr. and Tim Mayza are the other pitchers New York has used this postseason. Mayza hasn’t allowed a run, but only has worked 1 1/3 innings. Leiter has a 3.86 ERA across 2 1/3 innings. Hamilton has a 5.40 ERA over 1 2/3 frames and Cousins has a 6.75 ERA over 2 2/3 innings.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, Alex Verdugo, Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells have played in nine postseason games each. Oswaldo Cabrera and Anthony Rizzo have appeared in five games, with Jon Berti playing in four.

Soto and Torres lead the team with 11 hits each. Soto has three home runs and two doubles along the way, and also has eight RBIs, six runs scored and seven walks. Torres has two doubles, a homer, five RBIs, nine runs scored and seven walks.

Stanton has 10 hits, including five home runs and two doubles. He’s drove in 11, scored six times, walked on five occasions and even stole a base.

Volpe has nine hits, but just one double for an extra-base hit. He’s drove in one run, scored six times, walked on eight occasions and stole two bases.

Rizzo has six hits, including a double, across 14 at-bats. He’s scored once and walked twice.

Verdugo has two doubles among six hits. He also has three RBIs, four runs scored and four walks this postseason.

Chisholm has a double and home run among his five postseason knocks. He’s drove in a run, scored twice, stole two bases and also walked twice.

Judge has been cold, with just five hits. He’s homered twice, doubled once, drove in six runs, scored six times, walked on seven occasions and stole one base.

Wells has reached six times. He’s homered among his three hits and walked on three occasions. He has three RBIs and a run scored.

Prediction

This should be a pretty fun series between two of the biggest payroll teams.

Even though the Dodgers have home-field advantage, I like the Yankees to prevail in this series. I think they steal game 1 or 2, and then grab at least two of the three games in New York. I then see the Yankees taking game 6 to finish off the series.

I just think the Yankees have too much star power across the board. They’ve gotten good production out of several regular hitters, but Judge has barely helped out yet. I think he gets going in this series and takes advantage of a Dodgers’ pitching rotation that’s struggling.

I like the Yankees’ starting rotation more, and their bullpen is pretty solid as well. I think the Yanks will have the advantage, or at least match up, with every Dodgers’ starter.

For the Dodgers to win this series, they are going to need to score a ton of runs I think. It’s definitely possible with Ohtani, Betts and Freeman around, but I just don’t think it will be enough in the end.

Enjoy the World Series, and thanks for joining FantasySP throughout the entire MLB season!

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