What We Know After Games 1 and 2 of the World Series

The World Series got underway Friday night, and while this series has largely been billed as a clash of the titans, pitting Aaron Judge and the Yankees against Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers, much of the action has involved others.

With Game 3 set to take place on Monday evening, let’s take a look at what we know about both teams and the World Series.

The Dodgers Hold All the Cards

With a 2-0 lead, the Los Angeles Dodgers have put themselves in a position to win the 2024 World Series. When you look at the history of seven-game series in baseball, any team that goes up 2-0 has a decided advantage, as those teams have won nearly 84% of the series that they were in.

The last time that a team came back from a 2-0 deficit in a seven-game series was 2023, when the Arizona Diamondbacks came back to knock off the Philadelphia Eagles in the NLCS.

When it comes to the World Series, only 10 teams have ever come back from a 2-0 deficit. Ironically, the Yankees were the last team to do so was the New York Yankees, who went down 2-0 against the Atlanta Braves before climbing back into contention and winning the World Series.

Shohei Ohtani Is In

Shohei Ohtani left Game 2 of the World Series with a shoulder injury after attempting to steal second base. Dodgers fans around the world held their breath as he was walked off the field by a trainer. Those same fans got some good news on Sunday evening when it was reported that Ohtani was expected to play in Game 3.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that he didn’t have Ohtani’s test results in front of him when he spoke to the media, but he was basing his comments on what the training staff was telling him.

Ohtani reportedly said he was feeling good. Will the injury hamper the league’s best player in Game 3?

We’re not sure, but it’s great to know that we should still get to see the best player in the world on the sport’s biggest stage.

Aaron Judge Needs to Get on Track

There’s little debate about Aaron Judge’s status as the AL MVP this season. While he didn’t have the base stealing numbers that Ohtani put up in the NL, he led the AL in home runs and posted a batting average of .322.

Since postseason performance doesn’t get factored into those votes, Judge is going to win, but his performance in the World Series is hampering the Yankees.

Through two games, Judge is 1-9 and has struck out six times. He’s looking to get back on track as the Yankees return to New York for games three and four.

Judge’s struggles aren’t limited to the World Series, as this has certainly been a postseason to forget for the likely AL MVP. He goes into Game 3 of the 2024 World Series with a playoff stat line that includes 19 strikeouts and a .150 batting average.

If the Yankees have any hope of clawing their way back into contention, Judge needs to get things figured out at the plate.

Aaron Boone Could Be on the Hot Seat

Ok, so this isn’t technically something that we know, but some of the writing is on the wall. It’s incredibly rare for a manager to make it to the World Series and then lose his job.

However, the Yankees aren’t most teams, and the expectations in New York are perhaps higher than anywhere else in the world of professional sports.

Boone has been the manager of the Yankees since 2018. As he wraps up his sixth season at the helm of baseball’s most valuable team, Boone is catching a lot of heat, especially when it comes to bullpen management.

As Game 1 went into extra innings, the Dodgers had runners on first and second. Boone turned to Nestor Cortes, who hadn’t even appeared in a game since September 18, to face Shohei Ohtani.

Cortes did get Ohtani out, thanks to a play by Alex Verdugo that saw him fall out of the field of play but hold onto the ball. Boone then had Cortes intentionally walk Mookie Betts, bringing Freddie Freedman to the plate.

Freeman was sitting fastball, and Cortes served up a beauty. The ball went across the heart of the plate at 92 MPH, allowing Freeman to crush it. Grand slam, the Dodgers win. If the Dodgers win the World Series, and statistically, they’re expected to, Boone could be on his way out of the Bronx.

The Starting Pitchers for Game 3

Finally, we know who’s going to take the mound for both sides in this pivotal Game 3. The Dodgers are going with Walker Buehler, who struggled through the regular season, putting up a 1-6 record with a 5.38 ERA. Buehler was returning from the second Tommy John surgery of his career, but his play has improved since the postseason got underway.

However, it’s evident that if the Yankees are going to get back into this series, Buehler’s struggles provide them with a great opportunity.

Meanwhile, the Yankees will turn to Clarke Schmidt, who went 5-5 with a 2.85 ERA during the regular season. Monday’s start will mark the third postseason start of Schmidt’s young career, and his first in a World Series.

During the first two rounds of the playoffs, Schmidt tossed 4 2/3 innings, giving up only two runs in each outing. Schmidt was better on the road than at home in the regular season, but he’ll look to hold it down in the Bronx while the Yankees try to mount a comeback.