The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to face the New York Yankees in the World Series this year, marking another showdown between the two legendary MLB franchises.

In another showdown between East Coast and West Coast, the teams will continue their own competitive history of competing against each other in the Fall Classic a record 12 times.

How did they get here?

Each team advanced into October baseball by fending off stiff competition within their divisions, as the Dodgers successfully outlasted the pesky San Diego Padres and the Yankees pulled away from the upstart Baltimore Orioles.

While the Dodgers never really lost first place in the NL West over the course of the season, the Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks have both come perilously close to stealing the division from the Boys in Blue, who have won 11 of the last 12 division titles. They finished the year with a league-leading 98 wins, which is in some ways their lowest total since 2018 (excluding the shortened 2020 season).

Nevertheless, their path to this point this season has been anything but easy. Every single Dodgers starter has been on the injured list at some point, with players like Dustin May, River Ryan, Gavin Stone, Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow all missing the playoffs due to various ailments.

Although Dodgers captain Dave Roberts was often preoccupied with figuring out who could throw when, he never really had to worry about the offense, which thrived with two-pronged superstar Shohei Ohtani at the helm. He put together one of the best seasons the game has ever seen, becoming the first member of the 50 home run and 50 stolen base club, which certainly fueled his third MVP season and first since signing his record-breaking 10-year contract over $700 million with Los Angeles.

With the added firepower, the Dodgers joined a team that already had two former MVPs in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and finished in the top five in nearly every major statistical category, including home runs, on-base percentage, batting average and runs scored Place.

Joining them in the upper echelons of these categories were the Yankees, who finished with an American League-best 94-68 and secured their first World Series berth since 2009.

Team captain and all-time slugger Aaron Judge put together what was sure to be another award-winning season, setting a personal best and leading the league with 144 RBIs while hitting 58 home runs, also leading the entire MLB.

A glaring difference between this season and those in the past was the addition of star outfielder Juan Soto, who complemented Judge in a way no Yankee player has managed in his career. He added 41 home runs and 109 RBIs of his own as the Bronx Bombers won their third AL East title in five years.

The Yankees’ pitching was strong all season, and despite the absence of top hitter Gerrit Cole for several months due to an elbow injury, they were able to hold opposing batters to a measly .235 batting average. The emergence of Luis Gil, once considered a finalist for the Cy Young Award, and the return of Carlos Rodon after a terrible 6.85 ERA last season gave the team the drudgery of the summer months.

A heated season-long back and forth with the Orioles ended in the Yankees’ favor, and as the baseball playoffs approached, all the pieces seemed to fall into place. Cole’s return from the injury list and the extension of the transfer deadline. Jazz Chisholm’s eye-catching arrival played a major role in their success over the last few months and playoffs so far.

Late season to this point

The two teams chose rather different paths to get to the World Series, as New York seemingly breezed past their opponents, posting a 3-1 series win over the Kansas City Royals in the ALDS and a 4-1 series win over the Kansas City Royals Cleveland Guardians won ALCS.

Key moments from players like Alex Verdugo and Gleyber Torres were key to the series victory over Kansas City, coupled with a dominant Game 4 performance from Cole, who pitched seven near-perfect innings to propel the Yankees into the next round of play.

They’ve received timely success throughout October, most notably Giancarlo Stanton’s five home runs and 11 RBIs in their nine games so far, which earned him the ALCS MVP in a series that was more competitive than it looks on paper.

An unlikely face also proved to be the Yankees’ light-out option in the playoffs, with Luke Weaver’s brilliance in the bullpen evident in the form of four saves – three of which required more than three outs to secure. In 10 1/3 innings, he struck out 12 batters and allowed just three runs in that span.

On the other hand, the Dodgers fought their way out of a hole that once again put them on the verge of an early exit from the postseason. They trailed 2-1 in the NLDS against their bitter rivals, the Padres, but an incredible pitching performance led them to shut out their opponents in the final two games, turning the tide in a series that ended in San Diego inevitably seemed to run, completely turned favor.

The NLCS showdown, pitting the Dodgers against New York’s other team, the Mets, was a high-scoring affair that was as back-and-forth as any playoff series in recent years.

Each game was separated by at least four runs, with both teams reaching double figures at least twice. Despite the noted difference in score from game to game, the Dodgers were able to win the series in six games.

A series of impressive offensive performances, highlighted by great performances from Ohtani, Betts, Kiké Hernández and virtually every other player in the lineup, lead them to the World Series as the highest-scoring playoff team ever. Additionally, Max Muncy set a postseason record by reaching base in 12 consecutive plate appearances, showing how every facet of the Dodgers lineup contributed to their success.

A Brief History of the Dodgers-Yankees Rivalry

The Dodgers and Yankees have been bitter rivals for as long as professional baseball has existed, and this year’s duel is sure to continue to add to the long history surrounding the duo.

It will be the 12th time they have met in the World Series, with history largely in New York’s favor, with eight wins to Los Angeles’ three. However, the last time the two met was in October 1981, when the Dodgers won the series 4-2.

Although their paths often crossed when the games mattered most, their story began more than a century ago, when the then-Brooklyn Bridegrooms joined the MLB in 1890 and, shortly thereafter, the Yankees in 1903.

Even when the Dodgers left for Los Angeles in 1958, the rivalry remained, with each team representing large groups of fans on every coast of the United States, and even without a regular annual meeting for decades, the competitive nature remained.

A gaming history with baseball legends like Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax and many more will soon add a new chapter and names like Judge, Betts, Ohtani and Cole to its long history.

What to expect

There were fireworks aplenty in a highly anticipated regular season matchup – rightly predicted by many as a preview of the World Series – and if there’s any indication of what’s in store for baseball fans, it’s going to be as exciting a matchup as any other in recent times.

The Dodgers won the series 2-1 and outscored the Bombers 17-9, thanks in large part to an incredible series from outfielder Teoscar Hernández, who added five base hits and drove in nine runs.

Although two of the games were separated by multiple runs, the Saturday night game in between proved to be a classic, with all three runs scored in a thrilling 11th inning after 10 runs of scoreless baseball.

Similar seasons and equally strong squads ensure a showdown in which every prediction could be correct. Everything starts on Friday evening at Dodger Stadium. After two games in California, the series moves to the Bronx for three games before returning across the United States to Los Angeles if necessary.