Yankees vs Dodgers Preview
By: Beckett Wiswell
The 2024 MLB playoffs have been as exciting as ever, full of dramatic finishes and incredible play. But it all comes down to a matchup we have waited years for—number 1 seed vs number 1 seed, Judge vs Ohtani, Yankees vs Dodgers.
Let’s start by looking at how these teams got here. For the Yankees, it was an impressive showing from their flimsy bullpen that got them past the Royals in the ALDS. From there, the offense came alive against the elite Guardians bullpen. The story of the postseason thus far has been the playoff rise of Giancarlo Stanton. Sporting a 1.179 OPS and five home runs, the Yankees slugger has reminded everyone he is as dangerous as any hitter in baseball. He has had plenty of help from the Yankees top of the order as Torres and Soto have reached base in 15 of their 18 first inning at-bats. For Aaron Judge, the postseason ghosts have continued, although he did produce a huge home run of Emmanuel Clase in game 3 of the ALCS. But the X-factor for the Yankees lineup has been the timely hitting from the bottom of the order. Anthony Volpe is hitting .310 so far in the postseason and shrugged off a disappointing end to his 2024 campaign. Anthony Rizzo’s impact since returning to the ALCS cannot be understated. He has gone 6 for 14 since taking back over at first base with multiple late hits off the tough Cleveland bullpen. The Yankees bullpen has been just as surprising, with the 1-2-3 punch of Holmes, Kahnle, and Weaver shutting down the last three innings of games. The bullpen did not give up a run until game 2 of the ALCS, and aside from a poor showing in game three, it was better than anyone could have asked. Luke Weaver continued an incredible story, collecting four saves in 5 chances. The Yankees starters have not disappointed either, as Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon have been steady faces to start the playoffs.
For the Dodgers, it has been a much tougher path. They have gone through both the red-hot Padres and Mets. Led by Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman at the top of the lineup, the Dodgers have put up 70 runs in 11 games. Ohtani struggled to start the postseason, but a huge NLCS has him back to hitting .286 with an OPS nearing 1.000. More important, has been the outburst from Mookie Betts, who has historically struggled in the postseason. He has put the past behind him with an impressive 1.063 OPS and four home runs. But the real story has been the breakout of Tommy Edman, who is hitting .341 so far in the postseason. Additionally, Enrique Hernández and Max Muncy have been pleasant surprises, sporting .378 and .468 OPS’, respectively. On the other side of the ball, the Dodgers pitchers have left a lot to be desired. Their three-headed monster of Flaherty, Yamamoto, and Buehler all have ERAs over 5 to start the postseason. One bright spot has been the Dodgers bullpen, allowing them to go 2-1 in bullpen games so far. Treinen. Phillips, Banda, and Kopech have all been impressive thus far and will need to continue that as we move into the fall classic.
These are remarkably similar teams built with rosters worth over $300 million. Star-studded lineups creating what should be one of the most electric playoff series in recent memory. A big question mark heading into this will be the starting rotations. The Yankees could opt to go with Cole in games 1, 4, and 7 on short rest to maximize his opportunities. This, along with Rodon twice, could provide a huge advantage in the pitching department. For the Dodgers, they will need to continue to put runs up to negate the poor pitching we have seen from them. When it is all said and done, the Dodgers offense might be too much for the Yankees. If this series goes 7, I like the Yankees’ chances, but I think the Dodgers will get it done in game 6 in Los Angeles.
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