Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers will face off against Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series. One could argue that this matchup, which marks the 12th time that the Dodgers and Yankees meet in the World Series, couldn’t be more epic for MLB.
For starters, it’s a matchup between two of the largest sports markets and cities on the planet, involving two teams that both used to play in New York City, as the Los Angeles Dodgers were the Brooklyn Dodgers until moving West ahead of the 1958 season. Meanwhile, there are stars galore on both teams, with MVPs and other MVP- and Cy Young-caliber players.
Here’s the 2024 World Series by the numbers, from both present and historical lenses.
1: After becoming the sixth player in MLB history to post a 40-40 season (40 home runs, 40 stolen bases) in August, Ohtani became the first player to post a 50-50 season in September in what was his debut season with the Dodgers.
2: When Game 1 of the 2024 Fall Classic begins on Friday night (8:08 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), both Soto and Betts will have appeared in the World Series for multiple teams; Soto won the World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019, while Betts won the World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018 and again with the Dodgers in 2020.
3: Judge hit 58 home runs this season, marking the third time in the 2022 AL MVP’s nine-year MLB career that he surpassed 50 long balls in a single season.
3.3: In their nine postseason games this year, the Yankees have surrendered just 3.3 runs per game.
6.4: In their 11 postseason games this year, the Dodgers have scored 6.4 runs per game.
10: A combined 10 players from both rosters were put on their respective league’s All-Star Game roster this season, the Dodgers having seven and the Yankees having three.
11: The Yankees and Dodgers have previously faced off in the Fall Classic 11 times, seven times with the Dodgers in Brooklyn and four times with them in Los Angeles. New York went 6-1 when the Dodgers were in Brooklyn, and the teams have split since the move to Los Angeles (2-2).
[Related: A look back at 11 previous Yankees-Dodgers World Series matchups]
12: This is the 12th time that the Yankees and Dodgers have met in the World Series, but their two cities also combine for a population of roughly 12 million this year.
15: While the Yankees have a professional-record 27 championships, this is the first time that they’ve appeared in the World Series in 15 years (2009). Staying on the 15 front, Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre managed both teams, as he won four World Series across his 12-year stint with the Yankees (1996-2007) and then managed the Dodgers from 2008-10.
16: Managers Dave Roberts (Dodgers) and Aaron Boone (Yankees) are among the most tenured coaches in the sport, combining for 16 consecutive seasons managing their respective clubs.
18: A roughly 18-mile drive separated Ebbets Field, the former home of the Dodgers in Flatbush, from Yankee Stadium, the home of the Yankees. Furthermore, there were three MLB teams in New York prior to the Dodgers’ departure, as the New York Giants (now the San Francisco Giants) played in the Polo Grounds on the Upper East Side of Manhattan — which was a mere 15-minute walk from Yankee Stadium over the Harlem River, prior to moving to San Francisco in 1958.
22: While Roberts and Boone are now each primarily viewed as skippers, they played a combined 22 seasons in the big leagues and each produced some of the most exciting moments in MLB postseason history.
With the Red Sox down 3-0 to the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS, Roberts pinch ran in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 with the team trailing 4-3 and stole second base. He later scored, and the Red Sox went on to win in the 12th inning. Boston later became the first team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit and went on to win the World Series for the first time in 86 years. On the other hand, Boone, a midseason acquisition, hit a walk-off home run for the Yankees to lead off the bottom of the 11th inning in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS against the Red Sox, which sent New York to the World Series.
23: Los Angeles and New York are Nos. 1 and 2 in America in number of professional teams, combining for 23.
27: The Yankees have won a professional sporting-record 27 championships. Moreover, their general manager, Brian Cashman, has held his current position for 27 years.
34: The two teams combine for 34 World Series, with the Yankees having 27, compared to the Dodgers’ seven.
41: If one chooses to drive cross-country without somehow not having to stop for gas, a Big Gulp or sleep, it’s a roughly 41-hour drive from Yankee Stadium or the former site of Ebbets Field to Dodger Stadium.
43: While the Yankees and Dodgers have crossed passed in the World Series 11 times, they haven’t done so in 43 years, with the Dodgers winning the 1981 World Series in six games.
66: The Yankees and Dodgers combine for 66 league pennants, with the former boasting 41 and the latter boasting 25.
67: The Dodgers’ last season in Brooklyn was 1957, marking 67 years since they called New York City home.
100: The two clubs combine for a whopping 100 Hall of Famers, with the Dodgers boasting 53 and the Yankees boasting 47.
112: Potentially poised to win their respective league MVP awards, Judge and Ohtani hit a combined 112 home runs this season (Judge had 58, and Ohtani had 54).
.500: Since the turn of the 21st century, the Yankees and Dodgers are 11-11 (.500) against each other in the regular season.
$1,300: Interested in buying a ticket to the 2024 World Series to witness history? If so, that’s great! Interested in forking over in excess of $1,300 to see a game in Dodger Stadium or Yankee Stadium? Well, that’s what it currently costs to get a seat in either house from several ticket vendors.
21,800: The Dodgers and Yankees combine for 21,800 wins, with the former having 11,022 and the latter having 10,778.
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