These legacies are on the line in World Series

If you win the World Series, you are known forever as a “World Series champion.” That makes everything better. Add it to any title, and it sounds more impressive. To be “Assistant to the Traveling Secretary” is one thing. To be “World Series Champion Assistant to the Traveling Secretary” is quite another.

So everybody involved in this World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees, which resumes with Game 3 on Monday night at Yankee Stadium, has something on the line. Even those who have won it all before can further polish their profile. (“Two-Time World Series Champion Assistant to the Traveling Secretary” is the kind of title that gets you discounts at diners.)

But for certain participants, the World Series is a real legacy-builder, something that significantly shapes the way your career is cast. And for the following individuals, the outcome is especially important.

1. Aaron Judge
Judge has struggled in a World Series in which he’s 1-for-9 with six strikeouts.

There were a couple moments in the midst of the ALCS when it seemed the “Real Judge” was coming out. But on the whole, this has been another paltry postseason for the Yankees captain (19 K’s in 40 at-bats!). No. 99 is now batting .199 in 55 career playoff games. Reggie Sanders is the only other player with at least 200 postseason at-bats and a sub-.200 average. Judge is an all-time power threat and a likely future Hall of Famer, and October invites ridiculous claims based off small samples. But every at-bat for Judge is an opportunity to start rewriting a growing and unpleasant narrative about his career.

2. Shohei Ohtani
Even if the shoulder situation sidelines or slows Ohtani, his contributions to the Dodgers’ season have obviously been extraordinary. And with a ring, Ohtani would become just the 14th player to win both the Japan Series and World Series, which is a pretty cool footnote.

3 and 4. Dave Roberts and Aaron Boone
Two variations of the same theme: These are two of the most successful regular-season skippers in history. Roberts’ .627 winning percentage is the best among those with at least 1,000 games managed, and Boone’s .584 mark ranks ninth. But of course, they’ve done that with expensive and absurdly talented teams. They are in positions where, fairly or not, people judge them by what happens in the postseason.

In that regard, Roberts has the 2020 title to fall back on. But there’s an internal acknowledgement that a full-season victory would be far more satisfying, and winning two World Series would get him Cooperstown consideration one day.

5 and 6. Brian Cashman and Andrew Friedman
Again, two variations of the same theme, because the top baseball execs of these two iconic franchises are both in a “World Series or bust” situation. They’ve both had to hear loud choruses about how some recent, well-compensated October entries (or, in the case of the Yankees last year, non-entry) didn’t have enough to get it done, and there would be no fan satisfaction with second place.

7. Giancarlo Stanton
As we’ve noted, Stanton’s Hall case — amplified by another mammoth October — is strong … but ultimately iffier than the other superstars on these squads because of a lengthy injury history. A ring would help tip the scales in his favor.

8. Walker Buehler
Because of his 5.38 ERA in his first season since Tommy John surgery and his 6.00 ERA in this postseason, Buehler doesn’t carry the same October heavyweight heft into his Game 3 start that he once possessed.

But Buehler’s brief-but-excellent Game 3 start in the NLCS against the Mets (four scoreless innings with six strikeouts, two walks and three hits) could be an indication that he’s figuring out how to rise to the occasion even without the full fastball that once bullied opposing batters, and a strong start in the Bronx would not only polish an excellent postseason resumé overall, but also amplify the open-market value of this pending free agent.

9. Gerrit Cole
He was terrific in Game 1. Alas, all that led to was heartbreak. One would have to figure a Yankees rally in this Series would be attributable in some measure to another terrific outing from Cole, which would make for two terrific outings from a guy who, like Stanton, could use a ring to pad his Hall of Fame case.

10. Freddie Freeman
Freeman could have gone 0-fer October and still been regarded as one of the best pure hitters of his time and a 2021 champion with the Braves. But a second ring would only further polish his Cooperstown case.

More notably, Freeman — the early favorite for World Series MVP — is on this list because of the Game 1 heroics that conjured up images of a gimpy Kirk Gibson fist-pumping his way into our hearts. The fact of the matter is that we would not remember Gibby’s home run quite the same way had the Dodgers gone on to lose their next four games to the A’s. And we won’t remember Freeman’s first-of-its-kind walk-off grand slam quite the same way if the Dodgers squander their Series edge. It will always be a magic moment … it’s just a lot more magical if it proves to be the start of something special.

11. Nestor Cortes
This is the flipside to Freeman. Cortes’ worst moment in the Majors is going to be shown a lot more if the Dodgers win than if they don’t. As one of two lefty options in the Yankees’ bullpen, Cortes could still have a chance to impact the outcomes more positively and flip the script. But if not, he’s going to have to make like Dennis Eckersley and be at peace with having that highlight played on repeat for the rest of his life.

12. Juan Soto
Soto already won a ring with the Nationals in his age-20 season, and he’s going to command more money than you or I could ever dream of, regardless of result. But we have to list him here, because the Series outcome could have a direct effect on the bidding for Soto’s services.

Maybe, in the elation of a World Series comeback, the Yankees and Soto would come to contractual agreement. But while it might sound a little backwards, one could argue that a Yankees championship might actually reduce the odds of Soto returning, because it would decrease the backlash should the Yanks be outbid by the Mets or somebody else. A World Series loss could have the opposite effect, only adding to the importance of the runners-up bringing back one of their biggest pieces. Don’t you just love the Hot Stove?

13 and 14. Ice Cube and Fat Joe
Mr. Cube, decked out in Dodgers gear, performed prior to Game 2. Mr. Joe, presumably in Yankees attire, will perform prior to Game 3. This is a rap battle. Only one guy can win.