As you know, the World Series (MLB Finals) is between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers this year. These two have faced off in the World Series more than any two teams in MLB history. Analysts talk about how well matched up the two teams are this year. They both have MVP-caliber superstars batting from the right and left side of the plate, strong bullpens, and good starting pitching although this last point is not their strongest suit. However, their road to the Finals has been vastly different.

The Yankees route to the finals was full of nitty-gritty, close-game wins whereas the Dodgers either obliterated their opponents or lost by a lot (almost no in-between). In fact, the 2024 National League Championship Series (NLCS), between the New York Mets and LA Dodgers, was one of the most lopsided playoff series in MLB history, where the winning team won by nearly 7 runs on average. This means that despite the two best National League teams going at it, none of the games were close, making coaching decisions (such as bringing relievers in or leaving the starter out there) much easier.

On the other hand, all the Yankees’ playoff games this year have been decided by 3 runs or fewer. This means that despite coming in as one of the favorites to reach the World Series, their opponents (Royals and Guardians) until now were evenly matched. Some would argue that the only reason they were even in terms of level of play, is that Aaron Judge has been struggling mightily this postseason, while attempting to reframe the narrative growing around his poor playoff performances.

Despite the Yankees qualifying for the World Series before the Dodgers as they needed fewer games to eliminate the Guardians (5 versus 6), their playoff run could be considered more challenging than the one endured by the Dodgers. This could have led to a drop in intensity both on the players and coaches ends for the LA team. In the first game of the World Series, we saw a coaching error by Dave Roberts, leaving Jack Flaherty in to face the Yankees hottest hitter, Giancarlo Stanton, as the Yankees go-ahead run in the 6^th inning. Indeed, Stanton delivered a two-run homerun to flip the game and put the Yankees up 2-1.

Dave Roberts and the Dodgers can thank their hobbled first baseman for picking them up, as they went on to win Game 1 on a walk-off grand slam by Freddie Freeman in the bottom of the 10^th inning, but it will be interesting to see how much leeway the Dodgers’ manager gives his pitchers once they have reached a high pitch count and/or if their sharpness and intensity reduces as the games and series progress.