Los Angeles against New York, Dodgers against Yankees, Shohei Ohtani against Aaron Judge: The MLB World Series in baseball will be a spectacle.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have already lost the first small duel before the big exchange of blows against the New York Yankees: Shortly before the start of the World Series, the baseball with which Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani hit his 50th home run of the season was auctioned off. 4.39 million dollars.
Record for a ball, but peanuts compared to the $24.1 million that a jersey from Yankees legend Babe Ruth from the 1932 Finals fetched in August.
Ohtani, currently the best baseball player in the world, has a decisive advantage over Ruth, the most famous player in history. In contrast to the super-figure of the US national sport, who died in 1948, the Japanese is lively and is bathing in money thanks to the salary explosion in Major League Baseball: his contract with the Dodgers earned him $700 million.
MLB World Series: Twelfth final between Dodgers and Yankees
He could buy 30 Babe jerseys with it, but not the championship title – Ohtani has to win that starting Friday in his first final series against the Yankees. Then it’s “Sho-Time” – and the new edition of an old rivalry has what it takes to be a blockbuster.
“I feel blessed and grateful,” Ohtani said after the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres in a thrilling National League Finals series. The 30-year-old had missed the play-offs with city rivals Los Angeles Angels for six years, now: World Series. “I’ve finally reached this level,” he says, “that’s what I imagined when I signed.”
It’s a dream finale. Ohtani, equally outstanding as a pitcher and hitter, but only available as a batter this year due to a throwing arm injury, will face Aaron Judge, who is paid $40 million per year until 2031.
Both have had a huge season. And: Dodgers against Yankees is the ultimate classic, for the twelfth time since 1903 they are playing for the title between themselves, a record. The last time the two teams met was in 1981, and the Dodgers won.
MLB World Series: Deep rivalry between Dodgers and Yankees
What adds to the rivalry: The Dodgers, founded in 1883, come from the New York borough of Brooklyn; their nickname refers to the fact that their fans had to dodge the trams on the way to the stadium. They were popular and featured icon Jackie Robinson, the first black man in the MLB, but they didn’t win the World Series until 1955 – in their eleventh attempt and in their sixth duel with the Yankees. In 1958 the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles.
The Yankees stayed where they were: in the New York City borough of the Bronx. They had dazzling stars like Joe DiMaggio, who later married Marilyn Monroe, and more money than anyone else, which is why they always had the best players – and became the “evil empire”. The Yankees have won the World Series 27 times, most recently 15 years ago.
The Dodgers invested $1.3 billion in new contracts over the winter to win their first “real” title since 1988 (the 2020 championship is considered inferior due to Corona restrictions). Of course, that’s not a guarantee for a seventh triumph, especially not against the Yankees: the Dodgers only won three of their eleven duels for the “Commissioner’s Trophy”.
However, this time they have Ohtani. “His season,” wrote the Japan Times, resembles “a Hollywood film.” The blockbuster still lacks a happy ending.
