No Matter What Happens From Here, MLB Has Already Won

Last night, champagne was popped across New York City, as the Yankees clinched their first World Series berth since their last championship title back in 2009.

While half the baseball fans in the city are still waiting to see if their team can pull off an improbable 3-1 NLCS comeback over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the other half got the chance to rejoice and celebrate that World Series baseball is going to be played in New York again.

Joining the celebration was undoubtedly MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who may have been popping champagne himself with other officials at the MLB headquarters, seeing just how well things have gone for the league this October.

Apologies to any Guardians fans who may be reading this, but for Major League Baseball, the worst-case scenario was Cleveland making it past the Yankees.

While they were an excellent team all year, who truly pushed the Yankees despite losing the series in five games, the New York Yankees are overdue to play in the Fall Classic. They have a roster filled with the game’s biggest stars, and they play in one of the league’s two biggest markets.

Juan Soto, a 25-year-old superstar, just hit a game-winning three-run homer in extra innings to push the Yankees to the World Series for the first time in over 15 years.

Set to be the most-talked-about free agent in the game in a matter of weeks, Soto delivering that moment on this stage feels like something out of a movie. One that MLB has a lot of eyeballs on.

Now the only question for Major League Baseball is who will be opposing the Yankees in the World Series, with a Game 6 of the NLCS set to be played tonight.

As fans head off to work on Monday morning, we will either have a matchup of the two most marketable teams in the sport, the Dodgers and the Yankees, or we will be gearing up for a Game 7 to see if the Mets can turn this into a Subway World Series.

Either way, what we are about to get over the next two weeks is set to be absolute theater, regardless of who is in the cast.

New York Yankees Set the Stage

The last time the Yankees clinched a spot in the World Series was October 25th, 2009, when they beat the Los Angeles Angels in Game 6 of the ALCS. That just so happens to be the same day as Juan Soto’s birthday. And to let you know how long ago it was, Soto turned 11 that year.

There is no two ways about it, the Yankees being back in the World Series is great for Major League Baseball. No team in American sports has won more championships than the Yankees. But they have been sitting on 27 for a really long time now.

Aaron Judge is about to become a two-time MVP, but he has never made it this far in the playoffs.

It will also be the first chance for Giancarlo Stanton to play in the World Series, as the former MVP turned back the clock to win the ALCS MVP, smashing four home runs across the Yankees four-game series against the Guardians.

Last year’s Cy Young Gerrit Cole missed the first half of the 2024 season, but has returned to ace form for this stretch run through October. The 34-year-old six-time All-Star never won a World Series with the Astros, and now looks for his first title.

Meanwhile two of the top rookies in the American League this year are featured on this roster, with both catcher Austin Wells, and pitcher Luis Gil set to receive Rookie of the Year votes.

Look up and down this roster and you can find an amazing story that can be weaved throughout the broadcasts of a Fall Classic with all eyes on the sport.

For example, Aaron Boone, part of a baseball family that has been in our lives for decades, is the manager looking to end the Yankees World Series drought.

Boone hit a big home run to get the Yankees to the World Series when he was a player back in 2003, but his team went on to lose to the then-Florida Marlins in six games. Now he looks to become a champion himself for the first time.

With all due respect to the Guardians, seeing the Yankees miss this chance at a World Series would have robbed us of so many storylines coming to a head. Particularly that of Juan Soto, who the Yankees went all-in to get, and the gamble has paid off in a massive way.

Soto’s free agency playing a back-drop to this World Series put immense pressure on him and the Yankees to get the job done. This will also create perfect segue into the offseason, regardless of who wins when it is all said and done.

It cannot be overstated enough how much of a dream it is for Major League Baseball to have the Yankees front and center for this World Series. Capping off what has been a great postseason so far.

MLB Wants Ohtani and the Dodgers

Now as the title of the article suggests, Major League Baseball has won no matter what.

Every game of the World Series will be played in one of MLB’s two biggest markets, regardless of the result of the NLCS.

The Dodgers-Yankees matchup pins East vs. West, and puts six former MVPs on center stage in one series. On the other hand, the second ever Subway World Series is extremely marketable as well, with the entire baseball community converging on New York City for the Fall Classic.

While either series is extremely marketable, there is no doubt Major League Baseball is still rooting for this to be a showdown of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

Shohei Ohtani is the face of Major League Baseball, and will be for the better part of the next decade. Due to starting his career with the Los Angeles Angels across town, this is Ohtani’s first taste of playoff baseball, and he is one win away from his first World Series.

Ohtani draws the international market in a way that no other player could, so the difference between Mets and Dodgers is actually quite significant when it comes to what MLB wants in this scenario.

The Yankees and Dodgers are baseball’s two biggest brands internationally, and their star power collectively goes unmatched. The term WORLD Series has never been more fitting if this is the matchup that we get come Monday.

Team of Destiny vs. Team of Expectations

The only thing standing in the way of a Dodgers vs. Yankees World Series is a pesky team in Queens, who has authored quite the narrative of their own this season.

Behind Francisco Lindor, the Mets have been the best team in baseball since June, going from dead in the water at the end of May, to two wins away from the World Series in October.

Thanks to some big home runs by Lindor and Pete Alonso, the Mets took out the Braves to clinch a playoff spot, the Brewers when they were one out away from being eliminated in the Wild Card round, and then their division rival Phillies to get to the NLCS.

The Mets are once again staring down elimination, but earned a blowout victory in Game 5 to push the series back to L.A. for Game 6. Even better, they have their ace Sean Manaea on the mound, set to square off against the Dodgers bullpen.

This has all set the stage for a thrilling Game 6 of the NLCS tonight, which is exactly what Major League Baseball would have wanted if they scripted these series two weeks ago.

The Yankees have already clinched, and did so during an off-day for the NLCS, where all eyes were on that one game. Now all eyes turn back to the NLCS, as we all wait to see if the Dodgers can punch their ticket, or if there will be a Game 7 on Monday night.

On one hand, if the Dodgers win, MLB gets their dream World Series matchup. On the other, if the Mets win and force a Game 7, we all get to watch a Game 7. Win-win.

The “worst-case scenario” for MLB is that the Mets win both Game 6 and Game 7 to upset the Dodgers and we get the first Subway Series in the Fall Classic since 2000. Soto was two years old at the time for those of you keeping track at home.

Considering the road the Mets would have gone on if they do advance to the World Series, Major League Baseball will have so many narratives to play on if that is the matchup we get.

The Mets have felt like a team of destiny across their playoff run. Coming back from down 3-1 against the mighty Dodgers would only advance that notion.

Getting all the buzz in the city around Mets vs. Yankees would be incredible for the sport. Especially with the Mets seen as the biggest player to pouch Soto’s services from the Yankees this winter.

Bottom line, as we all set our TV’s to tune into Game 6 of the NLCS tonight, there are really no bad results at this point with how this season unfolded. We are set to watch one of the more anticipated World Series of the past decade, and it all begins this Friday.

One last note that might make you feel like MLB has scripted this whole season. Friday just so happens to be October 25th, Juan Soto’s 26th birthday.