What a year it’s been thus far! It’s been quite an up and down season, and one for the books. Through all the injuries, setbacks and trouble, the Dodgers have reached the end; a world series against the number 1 seed in the AL the New York Yankees. In baseball it’s rare for the two best regular season teams to face off on the biggest stage but this year it’s happening.
The world series takes place this year on Friday October 25th and these teams are no strangers to each other. Their rich history dates back to 1941 when the two teams battled in the world series for the first time, resulting in a 4-1 Yankees win. From that point it became a frequent matchup that would happen a now record 12 times. The Yankees lead the series 8-3 but this year the Dodgers will put them to the test to change their fortune.
The stars are certainly coming out in this matchup as well; the two front runners for MVP belong to the team.The Yankees Aaron Judge who’s seeking his second MVP trophy has been nothing short of incredible this season. Boasting a league leading 58 home runs, and 144 Runs Batted In (RBI)’s to go along with a 1.159 On Base Plus Slugging (OPS)and an otherworldly 10.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
To go along with Aaron Judge, the Yankees are led by Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton who are no strangers to the playoffs. The Dodgers also bring the star power, led by MVP frontrunner Shohei Ohtani, who put up an MLB first 50/50 season (54 home runs, 59 stolen bases) as well as 1.036 OPSand an absurd 9.2 WAR from the Designated Hitter spot. Ohtani is paired with two former MVP’s and world champions Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. This series will be nothing short of incredible, the two best teams in baseball with the biggest fan bases on both sides of the country.
How did the Dodgers get to this point though? The Dodgers entered the season with high expectations, after having an enormous off season, where they signed Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinubu Yammamto. This is believed to be one of the biggest offseasons of all time. Coming off of two extremely disappointing playoff losses (The San Diego Padres in the NLDS in ‘22 and The Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS in ‘23) the Dodgers were expecting success this season and fans were becoming impatient waiting for their success.
The Dodgers got hit by the injury bug hard, immediately losing Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Emmet Sheehan for the season and Blake Treinen for significant time. From that point it only got worse losing Max Muncy to the 60 day IL, Yamamoto to the 60 day IL and the biggest blow being Mookie Betts for significant time. It was at this point that the all star break was approaching, while still managing a top spot in the NL the Dodgers were 56-41 but losing their last 5 out of 15. The Dodgers front office new change was needed.
Moves were made and Tommy Edman, Michael Kopech, and Jack Flaherty were added to the roster which at the time seemed solid but not the most significant. Little would everyone know this would be the turning point of the season. “Absolutely, the Jack Flaherty pickup has been huge for this depleted pitching staff. Michael Kopech has been the best reliever in baseball since going to LA, being nearly unhittable in that time. On offense Tommy Edman was the most notable pickup, Easily one of the most successful trade deadlines we’ve seen in years from a contending team.” Freshman at Towson University James Wilson described when asked if the trade deadline was the turning point of the season.
This deadline would prove successful as Tommy Edman found himself an everyday starter, Kopech became the closer and Flaherty would become an everyday starter in the pitching rotation. The Dodgers finished the season with the second best record after the all star break and the number 1 seed in the MLB at 98-64. “This was not necessarily the turning point of the year but it brought in players that the Dodgers so desperately needed. It brought in Tommy Edman and his grit and versatility. It brought in Kopech who had something to prove to all of baseball and it brought in Flaherty who looked to continue his career year and drive his hometown team to a world series. The trade deadline acted as a springboard for the rest of the Dodgers’ very successful season.” Freshman at the University of Maryland Tyler Koshar when asked if the trade deadline was the turning point of the season.
This season and playoff run have shown why Dave Roberts is an unbelievable manager pulling the team together and managing the bullpen through all of the injuries and setbacks. “It says alot about Roberts managing, as this year he did an excellent job at maximizing the talent he had. LA started 17 different pitchers throughout the season. Compared to their world series opponent who only had 8 different starters, it begins to show what the Dodgers had to overcome and they still finished on top.” Wilson added when asked about Roberts managing this year.
While it’s been an up and down extremely difficult season with many setbacks, the Dodgers are at the finish line. Four more wins and they’re champs. Beat the Yankees!
