That slow games are now an anomaly, even in the postseason, is evidence that baseball was right to take steps to make its product more accessible and entertaining.

The reservations about the new rules in 2023 have long since disappeared. The league managed to create a better game.

What we’re seeing now may not be the best version of baseball. But it’s much better than it was a few years ago.

Commissioner Rob Manfred was smart to make this a priority, and even smarter was to put Theo Epstein in charge of the process of figuring out which rules make the most sense and how best to incorporate them into the game.

There were complaints, because there are always complaints when baseball tries to change. But these quickly faded.

Now more people are watching, including the younger crowd that covets Major League Baseball. The average playing time this season was 2 hours 38 minutes. In 2021 it was 3:11.

Game 2 of the NLCS was the most-watched midweek LCS game since 2013. That was Game 3 of the ALCS, when Mike Napoli’s home run off Justin Verlander gave the Red Sox a 1-0 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park.

But the big prize still awaits baseball, a World Series between the Yankees and the Dodgers. The Dodgers did their part, but the Yankees blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning and lost 7-5 in Cleveland.

The Yankees lead the series 2-1.

The league hasn’t had two cornerstone teams in the same World Series since the Dodgers and Red Sox in 2018. A Yankees-Dodgers series would be just as compelling, perhaps even more so.

Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are considered big favorites for the title of “Most Valuable Players” in their respective leagues.

Ohtani had 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases in his first season with the Dodgers. He is in the postseason for the first time after six seasons with the struggling Angels and has hit three home runs and scored nine runs in nine games. He scored four runs on Thursday.

“There is no one like Shohei,” Betts said earlier this week. “He does things the rest of us can’t do.”

At 32, Judge already has 315 career home runs but has yet to appear in the World Series.

There’s more star power in Betts, Juan Soto, Gerrit Cole and Freddie Freeman. Even managers Dave Roberts and Aaron Boone are comfortable in the spotlight.

The teams also have history: They have played each other in the World Series 11 times, but not since 1981. No sport sells its history better than baseball, and there would be plenty of references.

On top of that, the Yankees haven’t won a championship since 2009 and the Dodgers haven’t won a title in a full season since 1988.

The 2020 COVID Championship was undoubtedly significant given all the challenges this season. But the World Series was played in a nearly empty stadium in Texas.

Baseball is struggling to find its place in the rapidly changing media universe. The collapse of Bally Sports has left several teams without a local broadcaster and forced the league to take responsibility for broadcasting the games.

A Yankees-Dodgers World Series would not solve these problems. But it would reinforce the idea that the game is a valuable product.

The NFL rules all of its polls; Baseball lost this battle a long time ago. But a match between the Yankees and Dodgers in October would entice even the most casual of fans and maybe even keep them coming back for more.

There are still steps to be taken, but this could be a true fall classic.

Peter Abraham can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @PeteAbe.