The Stage Is Set for a High-Octane 2024 World Series

The New York Yankees finished the 2024 season with the best record in the American League. The Los Angeles Dodgers finished with the best record in baseball.

When Game 1 of the 2024 World Series kicks off on Friday, we’ll get to watch the team with the best record in the AL take on the team with the best record in the NL in the Fall Classic for the first time since the Rays and Dodgers in 2020, and the first time in a full season since the Red Sox and Cardinals in 2013.

Those are the only other times a matchup like this has come together in the 21st century.

This has been the most likely World Series matchup almost all season. But the most likely matchup almost never comes together. This time it did.

And it’s going to be magnificent.

Get Ready for Runs

During the regular season, the Dodgers led all NL teams in home runs, OPS, wOBA, xwOBA, and wRC+. The Yankees led all AL teams in the same categories.

No NL team outscored its opponents by a wider margin than the Dodgers. No AL team outscored its opponents by a wider margin than the Yankees.

So far in the postseason, the Dodgers have averaged 6.36 runs per game. They’ve hit 20 home runs and stolen 11 bases in 11 contests.

The Yankees’ numbers aren’t quite as showy, but they have averaged 4.78 runs per game. And while they lag behind the Dodgers in most offensive categories, no playoff team has a higher hard-hit rate (49.5%) or xwOBA (.374) in 2024.

It also works in New York’s favor that L.A. has had significantly more trouble preventing runs so far in the postseason.

The Dodgers have given up 4.27 runs per game, while the Yankees have allowed 3.56 runs per contest. Dodgers opponents have a .312 wOBA and .353 xwOBA, while Yankees opponents have managed a meager .294 wOBA and .304 xwOBA.

With that said, it’s important to remember that Dodgers pitchers have had to deal with the Padres and Mets, a couple of highly dangerous lineups in their own right.

The Yankees, on the other hand, faced the much less imposing Royals and Guardians. Thus, New York’s pitchers could be in for a rude awakening in L.A.

Like I said, get ready for runs.

Battle of the Offensive Superteams

The Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman. Their offense is so loaded with superstar talent that Home Run Derby champion Teoscar Hernández is relegated to the second sentence of this paragraph.

Freeman has struggled to play through an ankle injury, but a phenomenal supporting cast – led by Tommy Edman, Max Muncy, and Enrique Hernández – has stepped up.

If Freeman gets going again in the World Series (and hopefully Will Smith too), this offense can punish opposing pitchers all the way down the lineup card.

Meanwhile, the Yankees have the three-headed power monster of Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Giancarlo Stanton in the middle of the order. Gleyber Torres and Anthony Volpe are burning hot. A banged-up Anthony Rizzo came up huge against the Guardians in the ALCS.

Even without much contribution from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Austin Wells, this offense has been relentless. If those two start hitting, the Yankees’ offense might just be unstoppable.

I don’t mean to suggest these two teams don’t have some great pitchers and great defenders. No one can make it to the World Series on offense alone.

Still, there is no doubt this series is going to be all about the bats. It’s going to be offense-palooza. The 2024 World Series could be one of the highest-scoring matchups in recent memory.

Like I said, get ready for runs. Lots of runs. So many runs.

It’s going to be magnificent.