Dodgers and Yankees and battle in World Series Game 1: Live updates

Twenty-four of the last 30 Game 1 winners have gone on to win the World Series.

There are plenty of stars in this Series not named Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

There’s Mookie Betts, a former MVP who has already won two World Series.

There’s Juan Soto, a four-time All-Star and former champ who is in his first season with the Yanks. He is only 25 years old and inexplicably still looking for his long-term home.

There’s 34-year-old Giancarlo Stanton, a former NL MVP who is looking to cement his legacy in New York. (Oh, and he once hit a home run literally out of Dodger Stadium.)

Now teammates on the Yankees, tonight’s starter Gerrit Cole and right fielder Juan Soto played on opposite sides in the 2019 World Series.

Cole started for the Houston Astros while Soto was on the Washington Nationals. The Nationals won that series in seven games.

The ball Shohei Ohtani launched for his 50th home run of the season, having also stolen 50 bases, was bought at auction early Wednesday for more than $4.3 million.

Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers phenom, became the first player to reach the 50/50 milestone in a season in September, widely considered one of the greatest achievements in baseball history.

There were 40 bids from around the world, with the successful bid coming at 12:26 a.m. ET. New Jersey auction house Goldin said it was the highest price paid for a baseball — or any other ball — in history.

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We’re about an hour away from the action kicking off at Dodger Stadium and NBC News will be here for all the key plays during Game 1.

Randy Johnson tells Dan Patrick where he keeps his Cy Young awards, how he would pitch to Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, what kind of pitcher he would be like in today’s game, makes his World Series pick, and more.

The Dodgers lost one of their great players earlier this week when Fernando Valenzuela died at the age of 63.

The 1981 Cy Young and Rookie of the Year winner helped lead that team to a World Series title, coincidentally over the Yankees.

To honor Valenzuela, the team will wear a black uniform patch starting tonight and throughout the rest of next season.

The Yankees return to the World Series marks their first trip to the Fall Classic since 2009.

The 15-year absence tied the longest in their franchise history, which took place between 1981 and 1996.

This year, the Fall Classic serves up an epic showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees — a World Series matchup that fans and pundits have dreamed of and dreaded in equal measure for decades. 

The two teams with the best records in baseball, two legendary franchises, both rich with history and controversy, will take the field to claim the 2024 World Series title. But, in the court of public opinion, the entire country is divided. 

A recent survey conducted by BetOnline.ag has given us a glimpse into where fan loyalties lie. 

Using geo-tagged Twitter/X data and hashtags like #RepBX, #GoYankees, #DodgersNation, and #GoDodgers, BetOnline tracked over 160,000 tweets since last Sunday night, when the World Series matchup was officially set. The results reveal a divided nation: a majority of fans from 29 states are rooting for the Yankees, while 21 states rally behind the Dodgers.

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The last two captains of the Yankees, Aaron Judge and Derek Jeter, chat on the field at Dodger Stadium before Game 1.

The World Series features the home run kings from both leagues, which hasn’t happened since 1956 when Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider for the Yankees and Dodgers.

Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani each hit more than 50 home runs this season, and we’ve never had a World Series featuring two sluggers who walloped that many.

Both are expected to win the MVP as well, and it is also the second time since 1988 that the (presumptive) MVP winners will square off in the Series. The last time it happened was in 2012.

Yankees star outfield Juan Soto has two reasons to celebrate today: his team is playing Game 1 of the World Series and it’s his birthday.

The slugger, who won a ring with the Washington Nationals in 2019, is turning 26 today.

Aaron Judge had some lofty compliments for fellow MVP candidate Shohei Ohtani.

At a Yankee workout in the Bronx, Judge called Ohtani “the best player in the game” and an “ambassador for this sport.”

With four days off before Game 1 of the World Series, the Dodgers chose Jack Flaherty as their starting pitcher.

No surprises with the batting lineup announced by the Yankees for Game 1. Giancarlo Stanton, coming off his ALCS MVP, is batting cleanup behind Aaron Judge.

Gerrit Cole will make his third career World Series start, having pitched twice for the Astros in 2019, with one win and one loss.

With a delayed season debut on June 19 due to nerve irritation in his pitching elbow, he was limited to 17 regular-season starts. This postseason, he is 1-0 with a 3.31 ERA across three starts, with his best performance coming in ALDS Game 4 against the Royals, where he threw seven innings, allowing just one run.

There’s a number of injuries to note on both teams going into the World Series.

The MLB says that on the Yankees side, first baseman Anthony Rizzo is playing with two fractured fingers on his right hand, as fractures won’t heal until the offseason. Pitcher Nestor Cortes, recovering from a left elbow flexor strain, has faced hitters in practice and is considered in play for the World Series roster. Infielder DJ LeMahieu is still hitting and fielding in case he’s needed after dealing with a right hip impingement.

As for the Dodgers, first baseman Freddie Freeman has played through a sprained right ankle and missed three games, but he should return for Game 1. Pitcher Alex Vesia missed the NLCS due to a right side injury but might be available for the World Series.

This will be the 12th time the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers meet in the World Series, the most of any two teams in Major League Baseball. While once a frequent match-up, it’s one that hasn’t been seen in over 40 years.

The pairing dates back to the 1940s when both franchises were based in New York. It has occurred 11 times since then, with the Yankees winning eight of the titles.

The teams last competed in the 1981 Fall Classic, with the Dodgers winning six games.

Games 1 and 2 of the World Series will be hosted at Dodger Stadium, thanks to the Dodgers having a better regular season than the Yankees.

Here’s how the rest of the World Series schedule will play out:

Game 1: Dodger Stadium, Friday, Oct. 25, 8:08 p.m. ET

Game 2: Dodger Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 26, 8:08 p.m. ET

Game 3: Yankee Stadium, Monday, Oct. 28, 8:08 p.m. ET

Game 4: Yankee Stadium, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 8:08 p.m. ET

Game 5: Yankee Stadium (if necessary), Wednesday, Oct. 30, 8:08 p.m. ET

Game 6: Dodger Stadium (if necessary), Friday, Nov. 1, 8:08 p.m. ET

Game 7: Dodger Stadium (if necessary), Saturday, Nov. 2, 8:08 p.m. ET

Game 1 of this year’s World Series will be played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday at 8:08 p.m. ET/5:08 p.m. PT. All proceeding games will start at this time as well, and will be televised on FOX.

Those without cable can stream World Series games on platforms that offer FOX, such as Hulu with Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Sling TV and YouTube TV, as well as on FoxSports.com.

All games are also available on MLB.TV, though you’ll need authentication to a participating Pay TV provider to watch.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, who became baseball’s first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases this season, is a top player to watch in the 2024 World Series.

This will be Ohtani’s first World Series appearance, despite a strong resume already including two MVP wins (with a third likely on the way).

Considered by many to be one of the greatest achievements in baseball, the ball he launched for his 50th home run sold at an auction Wednesday for over $4.3 million.