The 2024 MLB World Series is set with a classic matchup between two flagship franchises the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. They have not won as many titles in recent years, but this series will guarantee that a superstar like Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani, two MVP favorites, will win their first MLB championship.
In fact, this could be only the second time in the wild card era (since 1995) that the MVPs from each league meet in the World Series that year, given that Ohtani and Judge are the betting favorites to win those awards.
Let’s also not forget Juan Soto and Mookie Betts as the star power will be out in this matchup. We have a full preview of each team’s path to the World Series, who is favored, the MLB World Series schedule details, and our predictions on who is likely to win it all.
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The Road to the MLB World Series: Key Teams and Matchups
Expectations have been high all year for the Yankees and Dodgers. Los Angeles was the preseason favorite to win it all, and the Yankees have been on the verge themselves in recent years even if 2023 was a missed postseason chance. Let’s look at their roads to this MLB World Series.
Can Powerhouse Teams Keep Their Edge?
The Yankees may have missed the playoffs in 2023, but they still had the fourth-highest odds (+900) to win the World Series in 2024 as of late March. They had their 32nd consecutive winning season, but this is a franchise that’s starving for the World Series. This is the first World Series for the Yankees since winning it all in 2009, but a 15-year drought for this franchise is more newsworthy than it would be for any other MLB team.
New York was happy to get a healthy Aaron Judge back, and the 2022 MVP was arguably at his best this year. Judge, 32, led the league with 58 home runs, 144 RBIs, 133 walks, and a career-high 1.159 OPS.
But Judge had some big help this season when the Yankees made the blockbuster trade in December to acquire Juan Soto from the Padres. The 25-year-old Soto thrived in his new surroundings as he hit a career-high 41 homers with 109 RBIs and the second-most walks (129) behind only his teammate Judge.
Soto also delivered the 3-run home run shot in the ALCS against Cleveland that sent the Yankees to their first World Series in 15 years. Soto already helped the Nationals win a championship in 2019 and now he looks to do the same for the Yankees.
With Judge and Soto as the superstars, the Yankees got off to an incredible start with a 19-12 record through April, then they were even better at 21-7 in May. But they did slump a little in the summer months with a 14-13 record in June, 11-13 in July, 14-12 in August, and 15-11 in September.
But the Yankees finished 94-68, which was enough to win the AL East for the first time in six years, and it was good enough to finish as the top record in the American League.
The Yankees are led by their hitters as no team in 2024 averaged more runs per game (5.03), and no team hit more home runs (237) or walked more times (672) than the Yankees. New York had the third-oldest pitching staff in the AL this season, and they ranked No. 5 in team ERA (3.74).
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers also may have sowed the seeds for this World Series appearance back in December when they landed baseball’s hottest player Shohei Ohtani after offering him a historic 10-year deal worth $700 million.
While Ohtani’s injury was not going to allow him to pitch this season, he remained a fantastic batter and made history with the first season in MLB history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. His 54 home runs set a franchise record, and his 130 RBIs on a far better roster than he ever had with the Angles were a career-high and the most in the National League this season.
This was already a very good roster with players like Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and they added Teoscar Hernández this year. Adding Ohtani on top of that almost felt unfair, which is why the Dodgers were +350 to win the World Series before the season even started. The last champion with higher preseason odds than that was the 2000 Yankees (+250), who were looking to complete a three-peat.
So far, everything has been a success for these Dodgers. Like the Yankees, they started strong with a 19-13 record, slumped a bit in July (11-13), but they were 19-8 in August and 16-10 in September on their way to finishing with the best record in the MLB standings at 98-64, securing home-field advantage for the playoffs where they got past the Padres and Mets.
Ohtani is favored to win his third MVP award, but he still has a job to finish to bring the Dodgers over the hump in what is their 12th-straight playoff appearance, the most among active North American sports teams.
But fans know the team’s only championship this century was the 2020 season during COVID. That was a shortened 60-game season that some feel is asterisk-worthy, so the Dodgers are looking for a more validated World Series win here.
While the Yankees led the AL in scoring, the Dodgers actually finished ahead of them with 5.20 runs per game this season. The Dodgers got more extra-base hits than the Yankees, and they only had four fewer home runs (237 vs. 233) on the season than the Yankees had. The Dodgers also have 136 stolen bases compared to 88 for the Yankees.
The Dodgers don’t produce as many walks as the Yankees as they had 70 fewer on the season, but that was still the second most in the whole MLB this season. The Dodgers led the league in advanced metrics like SLG, OPS, and OPS+, so they have the hitting to keep pace with the Yankees, and we have seen both teams hitting the long ball well in the postseason.
That’s why this series could very well be decided by which pitching staff fares the best against these star hitters. The Dodgers have lost some luster there with Clayton Kershaw injured and unavailable (among some other good pitchers for the Dodgers out injured), and we noted that Ohtani could not be a two-way player this year due to his 2023 injury.
Good luck to those arms going up against these hitters.
Underdogs and Cinderella Stories: Teams That Could Surprise
We certainly have no underdogs in the 2024 MLB World Series after the Dodgers and Yankees both finished No. 1 in their respective leagues in the regular season. They also have a great reputation for spending a fortune to get the best rosters possible.
But the New York Mets gave it a spirited run this year, reaching the NLCS as a No. 6 seed and final wild card team in the MLB standings.
The Yankees are seeking their 28th World Series title while the Dodgers have won 7 World Series in their franchise’s long history. With the Texas Rangers getting eliminated from playoff contention in September, this will mark the 24th season in a row with a new MLB champion. The last team to repeat was the New York Yankees, who pulled off a three-peat in 1998-2000.
However, there are still some teams who have never won a World Series and will have to wait at least another year until 2025 before they can end their drought.
What MLB Teams Have Not Won a World Series?
Five MLB franchises have never won a World Series. We included the year they were formed and their best result:
- Tampa Bay Rays (1998): Lost World Series in 2008 (4-1) and 2020 (4-2).
- Colorado Rockies (1993): Lost World Series in 2007 (4-0).
- Seattle Mariners (1977): Lost ALCS three times, including the 2001 team who won 116 regular-season games before losing 4-1 in ALCS.
- Milwaukee Brewers (1969): Lost World Series in 1982 (4-3).
- San Diego Padres (1969): Lost World Series in 1984 (4-1) and 1998 (4-0).
The Brewers qualified for the playoffs this year, but they lost 2-1 in the NL Wild Card Series against the Mets. The 2024 Padres won 93 games, their second-highest total in a season in franchise history, but they lost 3-2 in the NLDS to the Dodgers.
Predictions and MLB World Series Odds: Who’s Favored?
We have the current live betting odds from top-rated sportsbooks on who is favored to win the 2024 MLB World Series.
Breaking Down the MLB World Series Odds
The consensus on the 2024 MLB World Series odds is that the Dodgers are favored to beat the Yankees:
- FanDuel: Dodgers (-122) over Yankees (+104)
- BetMGM: Dodgers (-130) over Yankees (+110)
- Caesars Sportsbook: Dodgers (-130) over Yankees (+110)
- DraftKings: Dodgers (-125) over Yankees (+105)
But expectations are for a close World Series. At FanDuel, the odds of the series going over 5.5 games are -180, an implied chance of 64.3% that this reaches Game 6.
Here are the results of the last five World Series based on the betting odds prior to Game 1 of the World Series:
- 2023: Texas Rangers (-165) defeated Arizona Diamondbacks (+145)
- 2022: Houston Astros (-200) defeated Philadelphia Phillies (+170)
- 2021: Atlanta Braves (+120) defeated Houston Astros (-140)
- 2020: Los Angeles Dodgers (-210) defeated Tampa Bay Rays (+175)
- 2019: Washington Nationals (+195) defeated Houston Astros (-235)
You’ll notice that the Dodgers were a considerable favorite when they won in 2020 against Tampa Bay during the COVID year. But they have gone through many pitcher injuries this year, including ace Clayton Kershaw. They also have had Freddie Freeman playing through injury.
With the 2024 Dodgers not having better than -130 odds, this makes the 2024 MLB World Series the closest by the odds since 2015 when the Kansas City Royals (-104) defeated the New York Mets (-116).
MLB Playoff Results and How They Shape the World Series Picture
We look back at the playoff paths for the Dodgers and Yankees to get to the 2024 MLB World Series, including notable MLB game results and their baseball scores.
MLB Games Results and Baseball Scores So Far
In the American League, the Yankees (94-68) were two games ahead of the field and the No. 1 seed. They played the Kansas City Royals in the ALDS, and despite winning the series 3-1, it was a hard-fought victory. Game 1 featured five lead changes, the most in a playoff game in MLB history before the Yankees finally won 6-5. Kansas City evened the series with a 4-run fourth inning in Game 2 to win 4-2.
In a pivotal Game 3, Giancarlo Stanton hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the eighth, and the Yankees held on for a 3-2 win. The Yankees closed the Royals out in Game 4 in a 3-1 win after holding them scoreless over the final three innings.
In the National League, the Dodgers (98-64) had the best record in baseball and were three games ahead of the field. They faced their division rivals from San Diego in the Padres in the NLDS, the team that upset them in 2022. But this time, the Dodgers avenged that loss with a wild series that went the full five games.
The Dodgers won a high-scoring Game 1 by a 7-5 final score. There were no runs scored in the final four innings. Shohei Ohtani hit the first home run in his MLB playoff debut. But the Padres ran up the score late in Game 2 in a 10-2 beating of the Dodgers to even the series. San Diego took a 2-1 series lead after a 6-run second inning held up for a 6-5 victory as the Dodgers were unable to complete the comeback.
The Dodgers were facing elimination, but Mookie Betts hit a first-inning home run for the second game in a row, and the Dodgers never looked back in an 8-0 rout to tie the series. In the decisive Game 5, it was a historic moment as two Japanese-born pitchers (Yu Darvish and Yoshinobu Yamamoto) faced off in a postseason game for the first time in MLB history. It was a pitching duel too, and the Dodgers prevailed 2-0 thanks to a couple of solo shot home runs.
In the ALCS, the Yankees looked like they were going to have a breeze of a series against the Cleveland Guardians after never trailing while taking a 2-0 lead. But Game 3 proved to be arguably the most dramatic game of the 2024 MLB playoffs.
The Yankees rallied back from an early 3-1 deficit in Cleveland and took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth. But one strike away from the win, the Yankees gave up a double followed by a 2-run homer to Jhonkensy Noel. In the bottom of the 10th, the Yankees surrendered another 2-run home run to lose 7-5, one of the wilder MLB scores today from this postseason.
In Game 4, the Yankees nearly blew another game after leading 6-2 and going into the seventh. But in a 6-6 game in the ninth inning, the Yankees scored a pair of runs and Tommy Kahnle closed the game for the 8-6 win to take a 3-1 lead. In the decisive Game 5, these teams went to extra innings once again, but Juan Soto put an end to that early with a 3-run home run to give the Yankees a 5-2 lead, which held up for the series win.
In the NLCS, the Dodgers hosted the underdog Mets in a series that lasted six games and saw every game decided by at least 4 runs. After winning Games 3 and 4 by a combined score of 18-2, it looked like the Dodgers were ready to cruise to the World Series again. But they lost 12-6 in Game 5, setting up a pivotal Game 6 in LA. The Dodgers poured in three insurance runs in the eighth inning and held on for the 10-5 win to clinch the pennant.
The MLB World Series Schedule: What Fans Need to Know
We have everything fans need to know about the MLB World Series schedule.
Key Dates for the MLB World Series and How Teams Prepare
The 2024 MLB World Series is scheduled to take place from October 25, 2024, through November 2, 2024. It is a best-of-7 series. Here is what we know so far about the schedule of games and potential starting pitchers for the Yankees and Dodgers (Games 1-2 only). All games will start at 8:08 p.m. EDT (5:08 p.m. PDT) and are carried on FOX network.
- Game 1 (Friday, 10/25/2024): New York (Gerrit Cole) at Los Angeles (TBD)
- Game 2 (Saturday, 10/26/2024): New York (Carlos Rodón) at Los Angeles (TBD)
- Game 3 (Monday, 10/28/2024): Los Angeles at New York
- Game 4 (Tuesday, 10/29/2024): Los Angeles at New York
- Game 5 (Wednesday, 10/30/2024): Los Angeles at New York
- Game 6 (Friday, 11/1/2024): New York at Los Angeles
- Game 7 (Saturday, 11/2/2024): New York at Los Angeles
It is a West Coast vs. East Coast battle, so there is a day off of travel/rest between the venue changes. This is the 120th edition of the World Series and the first to feature Yankees vs. Dodgers since 1981.
Final Thoughts: Who Will Take Home the Trophy?
We’ve set the stage, so now it is time to make our pick for the winner of the 2024 MLB World Series.
Predictions for the World Series Champion
It feels strange to talk about the Yankees as an underdog, but in this battle of No. 1 seeds, it makes sense why they have that designation compared to the Dodgers, who may have a deeper bullpen, more versatile group of hitters, and an edge in big-game experience.
But the Dodgers also give off a bit of that 1990s Atlanta Braves vibe where this might just be a team that’s good for one title and let a few more slip away. They have the stacked roster that they added Ohtani to, and they’ve been the favorites all year, but the Yankees have their own huge acquisition in Soto, who has a ring already. Giancarlo Stanton is also playing great with 5 home runs and 11 RBIs this postseason as he looks to add to his legacy.
Some might say Judge and Ohtani can cancel each other out, and others are concerned that Judge is only batting .161 in the playoffs. However, if it means anything, he hit .636 against the Dodgers in a 3-game series back in June. The Dodgers still won that series 2-1, but Judge was lethal in that series with 3 home runs and 5 RBIs. If Stanton cools off, that could be canceled by Judge heating up.
The Yankees have also been a bit less volatile this postseason when you look at their MLB scores today compared to the Dodgers:
- New York is 7-2 with that epic Game 3 blown save in Cleveland accounting for half of their losses.
- They haven’t allowed more than 6 runs in any 9-inning game this postseason.
- They have scored at least 5 runs in 6-of-9 playoff games.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are very hot and cold (Jekyll and Hyde) this postseason:
- Los Angeles is 7-4 this postseason.
- They have four shutout wins, including multiple games with baseball scores of 8-0 or 9-0.
- But the Dodgers have also been pushed around in losses by scores of 12-6 and 10-2, making them just as likely to give up six or more runs as they are to pitch a shutout.
The Yankees were the best team in 2024 as an underdog, posting a 17-8 record (68.0%). No other team won more than 57.4% of their games as an underdog. The Dodgers were just 5-12 (29.4%) as an away underdog this season, the second-worst record in the MLB. The Yankees also had the best away record in 2024 at 54-32 (62.8%), the only team above 58.0%.
If you’re not a die-hard fan of either team, you have to root for an epic six or seven-game series here with the stars getting their turns to shine. But I would back the underdog Yankees to pull off the win, noting the addition of Soto and some late-season strides in pitching as the things that put them over the top for Judge to win a championship.
The Dodgers are trying to win their first full-season title since the 1980s by adding Ohtani to a great roster that has lost some great pitching. Maybe they finish the job as they have been expected to all year, but I’ll go with the Yankees.
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