Plan to watch (or travel to) the World Series in NYC? How to join some excited crowds.

The Yankees need to get their act together if they want to live up to their own standards as the titans of Major League Baseball.

Monday night is their chance, when the World Series comes to the Bronx for the Yankees’ highly anticipated third matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. And if you’re hoping to watch the Yankees battle for their first victory in the best-of-seven series, there are plenty of ways to watch without giving up half a month’s rent for stadium seats.

Make no mistake: You’re probably in for some crowds.

The area surrounding Yankee Stadium in the Bronx was packed on opening night of the series Friday, with fans who couldn’t justify flying to Los Angeles — let alone buying tickets to the opening games. Fans at the over-century-old Yankee Tavern were shoulder-to-shoulder an hour before gametime.

Bouncers at Billy’s Sports Bar on River Avenue were letting anyone willing to pay $20 skip the line, which had stretched around the corner and was an hours-long wait.

Josh Riley, 22, from Westchester was waiting outside Billy’s. “I’m nervous. I kinda got a pit in my stomach, I’m not going to lie,” he said. He predicted the Yankees would win in six games — a best-case scenario for New York now, after the Yankees’ first two losses.

Marshall Davey, 43, was sitting at the bar at Yankee Tavern on 161st Street Friday night. He said he traveled across the globe from Australia to catch the moment.

“Every time the Yankees make it to the postseason, I fly to New York for it,” Davey said. “You’re in the heart of it here. This is where baseball lives and breathes.”

Here are some options if you’re looking for somewhere to catch game three and beyond alongside fellow New Yorkers:

The Oculus

For those near Lower Manhattan, the big game will be broadcast for free on a big screen at the North Oculus Plaza, where spectators will also have access to food and drinks from the nearby Oculus Beer Garden and other shops and restaurants. One drawback: The plaza won’t actually have seating, but the ledges and staircases of the open space are good places to post up.

Sports bars (in general)

New York sports bars have always provided a helpful alternative to cramped apartment living rooms, and this time will be no different. Fan-favorite watering holes like the Irish American Pub and Restaurant, Carragher’s Bar and Boot Room and Patrizia’s Taverna will be hosting watch parties.

Bronx sports bars (specifically)

For those hoping to be closer to the action, any bar near Yankee Stadium promises to be a packed house. If the scene at Billy’s for Game 2 on Friday was any indication, Monday night should be a wild time.

Jackson Hawkins, 22 and from Westchester, was also on line outside Billy Friday night. He said he’d waited 15 long years for the Yankees to return to the World Series — since their 2009 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

“We were 7 years old in 2009,” Hawkins said. “We don’t really remember that. This [World Series] is the biggest sporting event for us.

Rozz Jama, 26, said she’s not a baseball fan, but she still made the trip to the Bronx from Brooklyn to watch the game with her friends Friday: “I’m just here for the vibes.”

Yankee Stadium

Anyone with tickets for the stadium is pretty lucky to have them (and may have spent a pretty penny to get them). The gates will open three hours before the game to allow people enough time to make their way inside. But what about getting there?

To ferry hordes of fans to the Bronx, the MTA will increase service on the 4 and D trains, and will adding more Metro-North service to and from the Yankees-E. 153rd Street Station.

The MTA will also add more personnel on the platforms and mezzanines at the 161st Street-Yankee Stadium station to help with crowd control.

Several bus lines also stop near Yankee Stadium, including the Bx1, Bx2, Bx6, Bx13 and BxM4. More details on schedules and fares can be found on the MTA TrainTime app and the MTA website.

The first pitch is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. Game 4 will also be in the Bronx on Tuesday night, followed by Game 5 at home Wednesday, if needed. The Yankees need at least one win Monday or Tuesday night to continue the series into Wednesday or beyond.

Games six and seven would be played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.