For the first time since 1981, the Dodgers and Yankees will face off in the World Series in the Battle of MLB Goliaths.
Both teams entered the season as favorites to win their respective pennants and lived up to the hype by earning the league's No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
Presumptive league MVP Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani will face off, but they won't be the only headliners.
The series will feature five former league MVPs, including Ohtani, who won the AL Award twice with the Angels.
This list doesn't include Juan Soto, who appears poised to earn a historic contract after a stellar postseason performance.
The Yankees slugger is my choice for World Series MVP.
What these two rosters lack, at least compared to most teams competing in the Fall Classic, is a top-notch starting pitcher.
As we saw in the ALCS against Cleveland, the Dodgers are unlikely to get much work done from starting pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler.
Dave Roberts deployed his bullpen expertly against the Padres and Mets, but the big question mark is whether his bullpen can continue to be as effective after so many innings.
The Dodgers' pitching staff posted a 4.36 ERA this postseason, and an xFIP of 4.97, the worst of any team in the playoffs.
While not completely overwhelming, the Yankees' starting rotation looks deeper and more formidable than the Dodgers' trio entering the series.
Gerrit Cole should be considered the best starter for either team, and the supporting cast outside of him has significant upside.
Based on Stuff+ ratings this season, the Yankees have the four best starting pitchers in this matchup.
Carlos Rodon pitched well against Cleveland, posting the highest Stuff+ rating (122) among starting pitchers on both teams.
Clark Schmidt's 116 Stuff+ rating ranks second, and Lewis Gill's 110 Stuff+ mark ranks fourth.
Even Nestor Cortes, who is on the World Series roster and is likely to return from injury, would be the Dodgers' third-best starter right now if he can return at the same level he pitched in the regular season. It will be.
The Yankees have been the best team in MLB against right-handed pitchers this season, with a wRC+ of 120 and a good showing with Yamamoto, Buehler, and Flaherty all right-handed pitchers.
The Dodgers have a great bullpen and will need to rely heavily on its strength in this series.
Dodgers relievers pitched 57 innings in the postseason, posting a 3.16 ERA and 3.16 xFIP.
This series could be somewhat of a battle of attrition, as both batting lineups will show elite bat discipline in the playoffs and opposing pitchers will receive more pitches.
Yankees hitters have a wRC+ of 117 in the postseason, are first in BB/K ratio of 0.64, and are hitting hard at a rate of 36.6 percent.
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The Dodgers feature a somewhat deep batting lineup, posting a wRC+ of 120 in the playoffs.
He ranks second with a BB/K ratio of 0.62 and holds a hard hit rate of 30.8 percent.
The depth of the Yankees' starting rotation appears to give both teams the clearest advantage heading into Friday night's Game 1.
Based on that advantage, I don't think the Yankees deserve to be the underdogs.
For plus money, I think the Bombers deserve to win what should be a great World Series.
Recommended: Yankees win World Series (+115, FanDuel)
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Nicholas Martin handicaps the NHL, MLB and NFL for the New York Post. He strives to include relevant game notes in his articles to help bettors reach their own conclusions, but he's also up 180 units himself on the sports betting app's verified picks. Nick can be found at X @nickm_hockey.
