The two most iconic teams in baseball are set to meet on the sport’s grandest stage for the first time since 1981. Over the weekend, the New York Yankees toppled the Cleveland Guardians to win the American League Pennant and the Los Angeles Dodgers pummeled the New York Mets to claim the National League Pennant.
This dream matchup marks the 12th time the two powers have met in the World Series. The Yankees were victorious in the first five showdowns, but the two powers have split the last six World Series — with the Dodgers winning in 1981 in six games.
New York was the first team to punch its ticket. The Yankees entered Saturday night’s Game 5 with a 3-1 lead over the Guardians. However, it was Cleveland that jumped out to an early lead behind a Bo Naylor double in the 2nd inning. Steven Kwan gave the Guardians a 2-0 lead in the 5th, but Giancarlo Stanton responded in the 6th with a game-tying home run. The game remained knotted at 2-2 through the 9th — setting up Juan Soto to make his mark in extras.
With two outs and runners on first and second, Soto launched the seventh pitch of the at-bat over the wall in center to give the Yanks a 5-2 lead. Cleveland managed to get one man on base in the bottom of the 10th, but Soto’s homer proved to be too much.
Yesterday, it was the Dodgers’ turn to clinch a World Series berth. A blunder in the 1st inning resulted in the Mets taking a 1-0 lead, but NLCS MVP Tommy Edman quickly turned the tide for Los Angeles with a two-run double in the bottom half of the inning. Two innings later, Edman smacked a two-run homer to left to extend LA’s lead to 4-1. Minutes later, Will Smith blasted a two-run homer of his own to all but end New York’s season.
While the Mets cut the lead to three in the 4th and managed to stay within reach through the 7th inning, the game never felt like it was at risk for the Dodgers. The Dodgers plated three runs in the 8th inning to push their lead to 10-4 and Blake Treinen secured the final three outs to send the team to the World Series.
Now, the country will be treated to an iconic showdown for baseball’s biggest prize. Buckle up.
