Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is ecstatic. So are network television executives.
The World Series showdown between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers features the biggest markets and the brightest stars.
"As a fan of baseball, how can you not be excited about this?" Dodgers infielder Max Muncy asked. "You鈥檙e talking about two of the biggest franchises. The biggest stars in the sport. We got Shohei (Ohtani), Freddie (Freeman) and Mookie (Betts). On the other side, you got Aaron Judge, Giancarlo, Juan Soto, Gerrit Cole.
"The game鈥檚 biggest stars on the absolute biggest stage. So how can you not be excited about this?鈥
Here in flyover country, the answer is: 鈥淓asy.鈥
The Yankees and Dodgers are the teams many Midwesterners root against year after year. They are baseball鈥檚 coastal elites.
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They spend two and three times as much money on talent as the mid- and small-market teams. They are the overdogs. Many fans can鈥檛 bring themselves to root for the overdogs,
These teams should always be in the World Series, but the short-series format of postseason play gives the little guys a chance.
This year the Cleveland Guardians made a run. In previous years the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays and Kansas City Royals rose above their economic station.
But two financial juggernauts will square off in the 2024 World Series. This will be a heavyweight battle, with superstars on both sides trying to validate their standing in the sport.
The TV ratings ought to be huge.
鈥淚鈥檓 a baseball fan first,鈥 Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. 鈥淎nd when you鈥檙e talking about the two biggest media markets in the world, and you鈥檙e talking about the best and brightest stars in baseball on the same field, on the biggest of stages, what baseball fan, what sports fan, wouldn鈥檛 want to lock into this Series?
鈥淪o for the聽Dodgers聽franchise, for the聽Yankees聽franchise, for sports fans, I just think it鈥檚 what everyone wanted.鈥
Well, not everybody. The only consolation in this corner of fandom is that one of these superpowers will be bitterly disappointed a few weeks from now.
Here is what folks have been writing about the World Series matchup:
Bob Nightengale, USA Today: 鈥淭he Los Angeles Dodgers, their shirts stripped off, wading in a pool of beer and champagne nearly up to their ankles in the clubhouse Sunday night, were drunk with emotion trying to explain what this meant to them. They had just聽pounded the New York Mets 10-5聽and won the National League pennant at Dodger Stadium, but this title was nothing more than the warmup act. Now comes the moment that Major League Baseball, its TV partners, its corporate advertisers and millions of baseball fans have been clamoring for the past 43 years. The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, for the first time since 1981,聽will face each other in the World Series. Hollywood vs. Broadway. Rodeo Drive vs. Fifth Avenue. Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge. Mookie Betts vs. Juan Soto. Freddie Freeman vs. Giancarlo Stanton. The rich vs. the richer. Two of the most iconic franchises in sports, which had the best records in their respective leagues this season, playing for baseball鈥檚 ultimate prize.鈥
Jayson Stark, The Athletic: 鈥淭hey play a聽World Series聽every year. But a World Series like this one comes around about as often as Halley鈥檚 Comet. It鈥檚聽Yankees versus聽Dodgers. It鈥檚 New York versus L.A. Yet somehow it鈥檚 even bigger than a duel between the biggest cities in America. It鈥檚 star power. It鈥檚 history. And it will reverberate not merely from East Coast to West Coast but also all the way across the Pacific. It all starts Friday night at Dodger Stadium. And as the manager of the Dodgers聽tried his best to grasp the grandeur of it Sunday night, the same word kept coming to mind. 鈥楨pic.鈥欌
Matt Snyder, : “This is the first time in MLB history that two 50-plus home run hitters are squaring off in the World Series. Sure enough, Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are both overwhelmingly likely to win the MVP in their respective leagues. That would make this the first World Series with MVPs facing off since 2012 (Miguel Cabrera and Buster Posey). How many World Series have there been where players the caliber of Juan Soto and Mookie Betts weren't the best players on their own team? There's more hardware, too, because Gerrit Cole has a Cy Young and Freddie Freeman also has an MVP, in addition to Ohtani, Betts and Judge.”
Jon Heyman, New York Post: 鈥淲ith apologies to the cost-efficient Guardians and that gritty, gutty, lovable team from Queens, this is the World Series we鈥檝e all been waiting for. MLB bigwigs won鈥檛 say it aloud, but the marquee matchup of Yankees and Dodgers 鈥 yes, especially the Ohtani Dodgers, let鈥檚 be real! 鈥 is the World Series that works best for them. The fans love it, too, as ticket prices are almost all in the thousands already. They want to see the stars, no matter the cost. This matchup has big history, even if it鈥檚 been 43 years. There was the Reggie game. There was Don Larsen authoring perfection. There was Jackie stealing home. Tradition is nice, especially for us old folks. But this meeting is mostly about the current megastars who populate these celebrated rosters.鈥
Jorge Castillo, : “The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner – (Cole) has that title for about another month -- is the best starting pitcher in this series. He is lined up to start Game 1 on nine days' rest. If all goes well, he'd take the ball in Game 5 and be able to help out in Game 7. He could have the opportunity to make a huge impact on this series. His postseason has been a mixed bag thus far: One dominant outing and two solid showings. Something like his performance in Game 4 of the ALDS -- seven one-run innings on the road in a series-clinching win over the Royals -- in Game 1 against the Dodgers on Friday could significantly boost Yankees' chances to win the championship.”
Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic: 鈥淭his was the script both Ohtani and the Dodgers envisioned when he signed his record 10-year, $700 million free-agent contract in December, with all but $20 million deferred. The deal is virtually certain to prove a bargain. From the money the Dodgers will invest before paying off the bulk of Ohtani鈥檚 salaries from 2034 to 鈥43. From the 10 sponsorships they secured with Japanese companies. And from the trip to the World Series that Ohtani helped deliver in year one.鈥
Jesse Rogers, : “Let's not overthink this: Shohei Ohtani impacts games in ways no other player can right now. Yes, the Dodgers have had some good pitching performances, but their bread-and-butter is their offense, and it starts with Ohtahi. Take Game 4. The leadoff home run set the tone for the night, and that's not just cliché talk. After putting the Dodgers up 1-0, the Mets pitched him so carefully that he walked the next three times and scored three more runs because of it. His damage (7-for-11, five walks) with men on base this postseason should not be glossed over. He's the reason the Dodgers are here.”
Will Leitch, : “Stanton is pretty awesome! It’s perhaps understandable that this has been somewhat forgotten over the past few years. He has struggled mightily with injuries since coming to the Bronx from Miami, and as big and unmissable as he is, this is still New York City. There’s a lot going on, and if you’re not on the field, people will turn their attention elsewhere -- perhaps, most notably, toward Judge and Soto. But Stanton has always been an excellent postseason hitter, and when he’s healthy, he’s as terrifying as anyone in baseball. So combine “health” with “October” and you’ve got a monster. Stanton is a bit one-dimensional at this point in his career, but what a dimension it is: He had only four hits in the ALCS, but all of them were homers, and every single one of them was crucial. He’s not a superstar at the level of Soto and Judge, not anymore, but he can hit the ball every bit as far and hard as either of them. Hitting behind them, he’ll get plenty of opportunities to launch. How much advantage he takes of them may decide this whole series.”
MEGAPHONE
鈥淵ou look back at all the hard work, all the guys showing up in Tampa when no one else was there. After a disappointing season last year, that鈥檚 the first thing I thought of, thanking God for this opportunity and then thinking about all the hard work these guys put in to come back and have this moment.鈥
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton.