Who’s Going to Win the 2024 World Series?

While Opening Day of the MLB 2024 season got underway in the states on March 28, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres had gotten the season underway a week earlier when the division rivals faced off in Seoul, South Korea.

Now, some seven months later, the Dodgers are still standing, and they’re representing the National League in the World Series.

In the other dugout, the New York Yankees battled through the American League to win the pennant and will appear in their 41st World Series in franchise history, which is far and away the most appearances in MLB. The Yankees also hold the record for most World Series wins with 27.

Will the Yankees capture their 28th ring, or will the Dodgers, who made the biggest free agent move when they brought in Shohei Ohtani, get the two-way superstar his first ring? We’ve got you covered with the preview and predictions that you need for the Fall Classic.

The History of Yankees vs. Dodgers

No two teams have faced off in the World Series more than the Yankees and Dodgers. While the Yankees have called New York home since their inception, the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles ahead of the 1958 season.

The 2024 will be the 12th time that the two historic franchises have faced off for baseball supremacy. The Yankees currently lead the World Series head-to-head 8-3, with the last meeting taking place in 1981, which the Dodgers won four games to two.

Before we dive into a preview of the 2024 World Series, take a look at the all-time results between the two teams.

1981: Dodgers 4, Yankees 2
1978: Yankees 4, Dodgers 2
1977: Yankees 4, Dodgers 2
1963: Dodgers 4, Yankees 0
1956: Yankees 4, Dodgers 3
1955: Dodgers 4, Yankees 3
1953: Yankees 4, Dodgers 2
1952: Yankees 4, Dodgers 3
1949: Yankees 4, Dodgers 1
1947: Yankees 4, Dodgers 3
1941: Yankees 4, Dodgers 1

Why the Yankees Will Win the World Series

The New York Yankees head into the 2024 World Series as a slight underdog. Historically, it’s an unfamiliar position for the Yankees who have long been one of the best teams in baseball. After all, a team doesn’t win 27 World Series by not being great.

While lineups are certainly apt to change between games, the Yankees are expected to roll into game one with the following batting order:

1. Gleyber Torres, 2B
2. Juan Soto, RF
3. Aaron Judge, CF
4. Giancarlo Stanton, DH
5. Jazz Chisholm, 3B
6. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
7. Anthony Volpe, SS
8. Austin Wells, C
9. Alex Verdugo, LF

Obviously, the big name in this lineup is Aaron Judge, who hit 58 home runs this season and batted an impressive .322. However, Judge is far from the only weapon that the Yankees have at their disposal, as the team has the best top of the lineup in the American League.

During the season, they added Jazz Chisholm from the Marlins, who immediately made an impact and was more than willing to change positions, as he moved to the hot corner.

Anthony Rizzo, who has battled injuries since joining the Yankees, seems to be healthy, and has the potential to make a major impact. Rizzo, part of the 2016 Cubs’ World Series team, can hit for both power and contact, and having him behind Stanton and Chisholm could prove crucial.

Many experts agree that the Yankees’ best chance of making a run in the World Series is to put pressure on the Dodgers’ starting pitchers as early as possible. With a lineup as well-rounded as New York’s, that’s certainly possible. There aren’t really any weak spots when it comes to the Yanks’ starting nine.

Much like batting orders, pitching rotations may change too, but the Yankees have already announced that Gerrit Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, will take the mound in game one, in what amounts to the worst-kept secret in sports. Cole is among the best pitchers in baseball, and even against a tough Dodgers lineup, he’s likely to pitch well and get deep into the game.

Carlos Rodon is expected to start game two with question marks surrounding who will start on the hill for the Yankees when the series moves back to New York.

One of the most interesting things about this World Series is the question marks surrounding the bullpens on both sides. Neither team utilizes a closer in the most traditional sense, but the Yankees have a group of three relievers ( Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech and Evan Phillips) who they can trot out at any time.

The Yankees offense will be the toughest that Los Angeles has faced. While the Yankees have some excellent frontline pitching, the bats will be key to their quest for a 28th championship. If any team in baseball can outslug the Dodgers, it’s the Yankees.

However, the Yankees’ lineup is also one of the most patient in baseball, as the team drew 672 walks during the season, 101 more than the second-place team in the AL. If the Yankees can work the count, they’ll put pressure on LA’s rotation.

Why the Dodgers Will Win the World Series

The World Series isn’t new territory for this iteration of the Dodgers. Most of the roster, other than their best player, has played on the biggest stage in baseball before.

Remember, the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series following the season that was shortened by the pandemic. Currently, the Dodgers lineup is projected to go as follows:

1. Shohei Ohtani, DH
2. Mookie Betts, RF
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Max Muncy, 3B
5. Teoscar Hernández, LF
6. Gavin Lux, 2B
7. Will Smith, C
8. Tommy Edman, SS
9. Kiké Hernández, CF

Obviously, the biggest name in the LA lineup is Ohtani. The best player in baseball signed a historic deal with LA in the offseason and immediately became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 homeruns and steal 50 bases. He was brought in because of his ability to both hit and pitch, but due to an arm injury suffered in 2023, he didn’t pitch this year, but he more than made up for it.

It’s easy to get so caught up in the dominance of Ohtani that you forget about just how good the rest of the Dodgers’ lineup is. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have both won MVP awards in the past, and even the back half of the Dodgers batting order is powerful.

Much like New York, there aren’t any “easy outs” to be found when you examine the Dodgers starting nine.

However, analysts agree that the depth of LA’s roster could be the difference in this World Series matchup. While the Yankees do have an incredible starting lineup, they’re just not as deep as LA who boasts one of the best benches in baseball.

When it comes to pitching, the Dodgers are probably a step behind the Yankees, but that doesn’t mean they’re not great. The team announced that hometown phenom Jack Flaherty will start the first game of the World Series, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the bump in game two.

Much like the Yankees, the Dodgers don’t have a set closer, which can make things interesting late in the game. Both teams will depend on their starters to try to eat as many innings as possible. The Dodgers did win one game in the NLCS during which they leaned heavily on the bullpen, but that will be much harder against the Yanks.

Who Will Win the World Series?

It’s not every season that ends with the two best teams in baseball facing off in the World Series. The matchup between Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, the two men who are expected to win the AL and NL MVP Awards respectively, is sure to be the biggest storyline of the entire series, but baseball is not a one-on-one game.

Ultimately, there’s a reason that the Dodgers are the betting favorites going into the 2024 World Series, and it probably has more to do with the back half of their starting lineup than anything else.

It’s also worth noting that while Ohtani got all the attention in LA, the addition of Yamamoto proved to be a huge move for the Dodgers.

Can the Yankees upset the Dodgers and win the World Series? Absolutely! However, the Dodgers are currently the team to beat, and the sports books in Vegas agree.