The finale is coming up in Major League Baseball: the eternal duel between the LA Dodgers and the New York Yankees. The new edition of an old rivalry has what it takes to be a blockbuster.
There is the first small duel before the big exchange of blows Los Angeles Dodgers against the New York Yankees already lost: Shortly before the start of the Weltserie The baseball that Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani used to celebrate his 50th birthday has been auctioned off. Homerun the season grossed $4.39 million.
record for a ball, Peanuts but that compares to the $24.1 million that Yankees legend Babe Ruth’s 1932 Finals jersey fetched in August.
Lucrative times
Ohtani, currently the best female baseball player in the world, has a decisive advantage over Ruth, the most famous player in history. In contrast to the super figure of US national sports, who died in 1948, the Japanese is lively and bathes in the world thanks to the salary explosion Major League Baseball in the money: His contract with the Dodgers pays him $700 million.
But he can’t buy the championship title with that – Ohtani has to win it in his first final series against the Yankees starting Friday. Then it’s “Sho-Time” – and the new edition of an old rivalry has what it takes to become a blockbuster.
Shortly before the goal
“I feel blessed and grateful”Ohtani said after the Dodgers took part in a thrilling Finals series Bundesliga against the San Diego Padres had enforced. The 30-year-old spent six years with his city rivals Los Angeles Angels Die Playoffs missed, now: Weltserie.
“I finally reached this level”is said: “That’s what I imagined when I signed.” It’s a dream finale. Ohtani, equally outstanding as a pitcher and hitter, but this year only as a pitcher due to a throwing arm injury “Dough” ready to play, meets Aaron Judge, pays $40 million per year until 2031.
Both had a great season. And: Dodgers against Yankees is the ultimate classic, they are playing for the title for the twelfth time since 1903 – a record.
Former feud in New York
The last time the two teams met was in 1981, and the Dodgers won. What makes the rivalry even more exciting is the fact that the Dodgers, founded in 1883, hail from the New York borough BrooklynTheir nickname indicates that their fans avoid trams on the way to the stadium (“evade”) had to.
They were popular and featured the icon Jackie Robinson, the first black man in the MLB, but they didn’t win the World Series until 1955 – their 11th try and their sixth meeting with the Yankees. In 1958 the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles.
The Yankees stayed where they were: in the New York neighborhood 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… “evil empire” became.
You can (not) buy success?
The Yankees have won the World Series 27 times, but the last time was 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 coronavirus restrictions).
Of course, that’s no guarantee of a seventh triumph, especially not against the Yankees: of their eleven duels for them “Commissioner’s Trophy” The Dodgers only won three.
However, this time they have Ohtani. “His season,” wrote the “Japan Times,” is like “a Hollywood film.” The only thing missing from the blockbuster is a happy ending.
