Back This Team To Hoist The World Series Trophy

Yankees vs. Dodgers

This is the exact matchup that Major League Baseball wanted, and at least in my opinion, the fans deserve. We have had some very enjoyable playoff games to this point and I think this series has the makings of one that could go very long. There are a lot of options for betting on the full series, but we will focus on only a few options in this piece. Let's take a look at how we should bet the World Series that starts Friday as the Yankees take on the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Regular Season

In the regular season, the two of these teams squared off just three times and all the games took place in New York. In the opening game, back in June, the Dodgers won 2-1 in a competitive matchup. In the second game, the Dodgers broke out their bats and put up 11 runs on the Yankees pitching staff, winning the game 11-3. However, they couldn't complete the sweep as the Yankees were able to grab a 6-4 win in the final game of the set. The six runs the Yankees scored in the final game put them in a good position to make the series look closer if you zoom out. The runs scored were just 17-10, and the Dodgers won one game by eight runs. The point is, it was a bit more competitive than it seems on the surface.

Los Angeles, CA - October 14:   Shohei Ohtani #17 reacts as teammate Tommy Edman (not pictured) of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a RBI single against the New York Mets inning of game 2 of a National League Championship Series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Monday, October 14, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Playoffs

How did each of these teams get to the World Series? The Yankees were the #1 seed in the American League and took down the Royals in four games in the division series in order to advance. Most of the games were competitive, but the Yankees hit so well, there was almost nothing that opponents could do to match the scoring of New York. Up next for the Yankees was taking down the #2 seed, Cleveland. The Guardians lost both games in New York then they were able to steal some momentum in Game 3 and get a walk-off win, but that was it. The Yankees took the next two games and ended it in five games. Game 5 was a great one with the game going to extra innings and Juan Soto hitting a three-run bomb in the 10th. It was an at-bat that you need to watch. Soto was fouling off pitches, shaking his head, almost daring the Guardians pitcher to throw him something. He did, and Soto sent it over the fence. For the Dodgers, they had a bit different path, but were also the #1 seed in the National League, and overall in the playoffs. They stated the playoffs with the Padres, a divisional foe. It looked like they were going to be knocked out after the Padres went up 2-1 in the series and had the momentum on their side. The Dodgers pitching decided to not allow any runs after the second inning of Game 3. They won the next two and kept their scoreless streak going into the next series when they held the Mets scoreless in Game 1. The Dodgers bats were on fire, scoring six or more runs in five of the six games, and eight or more in all four wins.

World Series Prediction

Coming into the playoffs, I, like many, wrote off the Dodgers because of their pitching. The problem is that I put too much stock into the starters and not enough into the relievers. The Yankees have the best starter, with Gerrit Cole, but outside of that, the pitching is fairly evenly matched. As far as hitting, the two best hitters are Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. Mookie Betts and Juan Soto aren't far behind. You could make an argument either way that both of these lineups are better than the other. I really think this could be a seven-game series and think there is good value at over 6.5 games at +195. As far as the winner of the series, I think the Yankees take this one. They can match the Dodgers offensively, something most teams can't say, and the pitching is better. Back the Yankees to win. 

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