LOS ANGELES - The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers represent the two largest markets in Major League Baseball. They entered the season with the second-largest payroll in the sport (Yankees) and the fifth largest (Dodgers). They will now meet for a whopping twelfth time in the World Series, the most by any two teams.

Decades ago, the key players were luminaries like Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Roy Campanella and Jackie Robinson.

Legends of the game, for sure, and now that star power has returned in 2024.

Shohei Ohtani — who just rewrote the history books with baseball’s first season of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases — certainly appears to have a flair for the dramatic, crushing a three-run homer in his postseason debut.

Ohtani, the marquee name in the sport, was part of the Dodgers’ $1 billion offseason overhaul that saw them pad a star-studded roster with two pitching aces — fellow Japanese countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays.

On the Yankees side, general manager and senior vice president Brian Cashman made a major offseason splash of his own — acquiring 25-year-old phenom Juan Soto, whom many consider the most complete hitter in baseball, adding to a lineup that already features American League home run king Aaron Judge and the fearsome Giancarlo Stanton.

The last time the two teams faced off in the World Series was in 1981 (the Dodgers won).

Story Date: October 25, 2024