Two games down, and two wins for the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were favoured to win the World Series before Game 1, and they’re obviously much heavier favourites now.
The latest: L.A. stole Game 1 from the New York Yankees with a walk-off blast and never trailed in Game 2. New York is a home favourite in Game 3 and will need a win to stay competitive in this series.
Check out the latest odds to win the World Series.
Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series odds
Dodgers odds: -455
Yankees odds: +333
The Dodgers won an MLB-best 98 games before October, leaving the Yankees as a series underdog for the first time this postseason. But the odds were fairly even before the first pitch was thrown.
Trailing in the 10th inning of Game 1, L.A. flipped the script thanks to Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam. The Dodgers held the Yankees to two runs in their Game 2 win, which had far less drama.
A 2-0 lead is difficult to overcome, but there’s plenty of precedent. In fact, the 1978 Yankees trailed 2-0 in the World Series against the Dodgers and came back to win, 4-2.
In Game 3 on Monday, Clarke Schmidt starts for the Yankees against Walker Buehler.
Dodgers World Series overview
How they got here:
- First-round bye
- 3-2 NLDS win over San Diego Padres
- 4-2 NLCS win over New York Mets
It wasn’t pretty at times, but the Dodgers made it to the final series and remain the team to beat.
Los Angeles took down a Padres club that was every bit as good, erasing a 2-1 deficit before fighting off the pesky Mets.
While the Dodgers’ lineup is nearly as dangerous as ever (Freddie Freeman has missed multiple playoff games with an ankle injury), their starting rotation is not nearly as fearsome.
As a result of injuries, the Dodgers have relied on a three-man rotation and heavy bullpen usage to get them this far. And those pitchers come with question marks ahead of a showdown with the No. 2 offence, by wRC+, in MLB this season (the Dodgers were No. 1).
Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw fewer than 75 pitches in his first three postseason starts, but he tossed a 6.1-inning gem in Game 2 of the Fall Classic. Jack Flaherty struggled mightily against the Mets in the NLCS but turned in a much better performance in the World Series opener.
Now there’s Walker Buehler, who’s had the worst season of his career.
Shohei Ohtani sustained a shoulder injury in Game 2 but isn’t expected to miss any action.
Yankees World Series overview
How they got here:
- First-round bye
- 3-1 ALDS win over Kansas City Royals
- 4-1 ALCS win over Cleveland Guardians
The Yankees’ path wasn’t as rocky as the Dodgers’, but they still saw some challenges.
New York needed a pair of one-run wins to get by the Royals (it won the other game by two runs) and had a tight series with Cleveland despite finishing the job in five games. Two of the ALCS games needed extra innings, and all were decided by three runs or fewer.
The AL East champs haven’t had a blowout win yet, while five of the Dodgers’ nine postseason wins have come by five-plus runs.
New York entered with a more reliable rotation, and reigning Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole had a strong showing in Game 1. Carlos Rodon was far less effective in Game 2, and now we’ll see what Schmidt can do.
The Yankees have used a fourth starter once, giving the ball to Luis Gil in Game 4 of the ALCS.
While Judge has been silent, Soto (1.106 OPS) and Giancarlo Stanton (1.179) have been monsters this postseason, accounting for eight of New York’s 13 homers entering the World Series.
These teams met once this season, with the Dodgers taking two of three games in June.
Chris joined NorthStar Gaming from Covers.com where he was a publishing editor and wrote betting content. Before that, he was the sports editor at VICE Canada, worked for theScore and covered the Blue Jays for MLB.com. In addition to filling out the lineup card each day for the editorial team, Chris writes frequently himself, primarily on the NBA and MLB.