The death of Fernando Valenzuela, a legend of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has marked the start of an electrifying World Series this Friday in California. The Angelenos will use a special patch with the number 34, the same one used by the Mexican pitcherto face the New York Yankees in a dream edition of the Major League finals. It will be the twelfth time that the teams meet for the title. The last time they did it was in 1981, when Valenzuela was part of the team that made the Dodgers champions. The teams, the best in their respective leagues in 2024, have two of the largest rosters, legions of fans and are packed with stars. There are two hitters who predict a memorable series: Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, who hit more than 50 home runs in the season.
Fernandomania is today only a vague memory among the oldest Dodgers fans. Los Angeles fans They live now under the spell of Ohtani, Considered by many as one of the best baseball players in history. After seven years in the United States, the Japanese will play in a World Series for the first time. Ohtani, who has been recovering from elbow surgery all season, has ruled out appearing in the series as a pitcher. This would have been a last minute surprise to reinforce the bullpen from Los Angeles, one of the weak points of the team. Spectators may be amazed by his offensive power. He has scored 12 runs in 11 games.
Jack Flaherty will be the home series opener for the Dodgers. The pitcher has a 1-2 record in the playoffs with a 7.04 ERA (runs allowed). He will face his high school teammate in Los Angeles, Yankee Gerrit Cole, who is 1-1 and has a 3.31 earned run average.
This is the first final in which five MVPs from the National and American leagues play. They are Ohtani, first baseman Freddie Freeman (who is recovering from an ankle injury) and Mookie Betts, for the Dodgers. While Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have been for the Yankees, the winningest team in MLB history with 27 World Series titles. Juan Soto, who already He was a champion with the Washington Nationalsalso appears among this list for New Yorkers, although it has not received recognition. Soto hit three home runs in the 2019 World Series.
“You can be the best. You can do whatever you want, but at the end of the day, what people remember is whether or not you won the World Series,” Dominican Juan Soto said this Thursday at media day. His words seem to increase the pressure that already falls on Ohtani, who has become a superstar with a $700 million contract, who this October played in the playoffs for the first time. Ohtani has struck out 17 times in the postseason and has a .286 batting average with three home runs and ten runs. He has yet to steal a base despite stealing 59 in the regular season.
The Dodgers have won the championship six times, the most recent in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. Today they seek to break the hegemony of the Yankees, who have beaten them eight times since they met for the first time in 1941 (when the Dodgers were still playing in Brooklyn). This is the first World Series for the Yankees since 2009. “Now the fun begins,” said Judge, who has been with the team since 2016.
It won’t be easy for the Dodgers due to the offensive power of their rivals. Aaron Judge made history breaking the home run record by Roger Maris and Babe Ruth last year. This campaign he registered 58, four more than those connected by Ohtani. One of these two is called to be the MVP of this World Series. It is the first time since 2012 where the best players from the American and National teams reach the final. The last ones were catcher Buster Posey, from San Francisco, and Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera, star of the Detroit Tigers.
The World Series always has room for unexpected heroes. Gleyber Torres, New York’s second baseman, has a .400 average in nine playoff games. His effectiveness in the batter’s box has propelled the Yankees to close to their 28th title. Torres led the batting order during the AL Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians. Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton follow in their turn. This alignment forces the Dodgers pitchers to avoid errors. Otherwise, they will continue to be dominated by the Yankees in this historic rivalry.
