The New York Yankees will win the 2024 World Series - Here's why
The New York Yankees have won 27 World Series titles in their illustrious history, far more than any other MLB franchise.
The Yankees are back in the World Series for the first time since 2009. The Wall Street Journal wrote a piece in mid-October stating that the Yankees have spent $3 billion since that time without a championship. The drought may soon be over, as New York has what it takes to knock off the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic. All statistics are sourced from Baseball Reference.
Perhaps the New York Yankees’ most trusted player this fall has been Juan Soto. He hit an enormous home run in extra innings during Game 5 of the ALCS that catapulted the Bronx Bombers into the World Series.
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Soto’s postseason exploits have been the cherry on top of what has been a magnificent campaign. During the regular season, he hit .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBI. According to StatMuse, he’s hitting a tremendous .333 in the 2024 postseason.
Soto will turn 26 years old during the World Series, but he’s already proven he can deliver on the game’s biggest stage. As a member of the Washington Nationals championship team in 2019, Soto absolutely raked, hitting .333 in that edition of the Fall Classic.
Soto is the biggest free agent fish on the market this winter, and is looking to command a lucrative new deal. Current Yankees teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr. told TalkSport, “I think we should re-sign Soto, $700 million. That’s my number, final offer.”
Soto is one of the best hitters of his generation, as he has a history of pummeling pitchers’ mistakes. Los Angeles is not going to be able to take advantage of a shortcoming, because there isn’t one in the prime of Soto’s career. The Dodgers will just have to hope Soto’s damage doesn’t take place with runners on base.
When the Yankees brought Gerrit Cole to the Bronx ahead of the 2020 season, it was for moments and playoff series like this. New York knew they needed a legitimate ace who would take the ball early and often to keep opposing hitters on their toes.
The Yankees have already announced Cole as their Game 1 starter. He figures to be a better bet to go deep into the game than the Dodgers’ Jack Flaherty, who has had his ups and down this postseason.
Cole will have no easy task facing Shohei Ohtani to lead off the game. However, the Yankees’ ace has historically pitched well against the likely National League MVP. As noted by StatMuse, Ohtani is a career 4-20 in 21 plate appearances against Cole.
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The rotation gets a little bit uncertain after Cole, but it’s still deeper than what the Dodgers may have the ability to throw out there. The New York Post thought that Yankees manager Aaron Boone might start Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil in some order, and Boone has confirmed that Rodon and Schmidt will get the ball in Games 2 and 3.
MLB’s website has also covered the possibility of a return for left-handed starter Nestor Cortes, who sounds like he’s willing to put the well-being of his elbow on the line for a chance to win the World Series. Even at less than 100 percent, Cortes might be able to come in for high leverage outs against left-handed Dodgers hitters.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers seem resigned to the fact that they’re not going to be able to keep up with their opponents’ starting rotations. As the New York Post noted, Los Angeles has gone to bullpen games throughout the postseason that have featured six or seven different pitchers. While this has worked well enough so far, it’s hard to maintain this approach for the entirety of the playoffs.
The Yankees have been really good at not beating themselves this season. The lineup as a whole waits for its pitch to square up, rather than chasing out of the strike zone and hoping for the best.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted that New York had an American League-best .347 on-base percentage, and that they draw walks on nearly 14 percent of their at-bats. If that trend continues against Los Angeles, it feels inevitable that the Yankees will break through for big innings on multiple occasions.
Dodgers star first baseman Freddie Freeman is also not coming into the World Series at 100 percent. He missed Game 6 of the NLCS with an ankle injury, which has lingered throughout the postseason.
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Freeman has been one of the best pure hitters in the game throughout his career, but his compromised physical state could make him a liability, which would give New York a break when pitching to the Dodgers’ talented lineup.