Baseball’s most familiar World Series foes are back together after a 43-year break.
The Dodgers wrapped their first National League title since 2020 with an emphatic 10-5 victory over the New York Mets on Sunday at Dodger Stadium to clinch a meeting with that other New York team – you know, the one with 27 championships – for a record 12th time.
But when the Dodgers face the Yankees in Game 1 Friday at home, it will be in the World Series for the first time since 1981 after they had regular October encounters over the previous four decades.
The course for this collision seemed set most of the season for two teams that are beyond loaded with talent and feature the likely MVPs – the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani in the National League; the Yankees’ Aaron Judge in the American. And the teams combined for 192 victories in the regular season.
“You have two great teams with superstars all over the place,” the Dodgers’ Chris Taylor said during the on-field celebration. “This should be a great series.”
The secondary ticket market seemed to agree immediately after the Dodgers’ victory. The cheapest ticket listed within an hour after the final pitch was at $1,114 at the top of the reserved level far down the right-field line. Something down low and in the same area code as home plate could cost a mortgage payment.
“This is going to be amazing,” Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez said. “This place is always incredible, but this will be a different level.”
When the Dodgers pulled ahead for good Sunday, former Dodgers great Steve Garvey was spotted taking a break from his U.S. Senate campaign – well, he was still talking to voters and posing for pictures, but he was enjoying Game 6.
Garvey passed an iconic photo of the celebration following the final out of the 1981 World Series that is on the wall outside the Dodger Stadium press box. In the image, he’s captured jumping up behind reliever Steve Howe and catcher Steve Yeager.
“The three Steves,” Garvey remembered wistfully, saying a Dodgers-Yankees World Series will be “nostalgic for all of us who participated in the Yankee-Dodger rivalry.”
Garvey said a Dodgers-Yankees matchup will be good for baseball.
“Two iconic, historic franchises coming together again,” Garvey said. “It’s going to be great for the game.
“It’s the national pastime. It’s America. To get the two biggest cities under the brightest lights together, it’s just good for the game. It’s good for baseball because it competes against football, basketball. It’s nice to have 10 days devoted to baseball.”
Garvey was part of three Dodgers teams that faced the Yankees in the World Series in a five-season span.
Of course, interleague play took away a little of the magic of a rivalry that once only could be renewed in the postseason. The Dodgers and Yankees eventually met in June 2004 – seven years after interleague play started – and they have split their 22 meetings over the past 20-plus years.
Related Articles
Dodgers beat Mets in Game 6, head to World Series reunion with Yankees
When does the Dodgers-Yankees World Series start? Schedule, TV information
New York Liberty wins first NBA title in OT classic over Lynx
Angel City FC’s final home game ends in draw with Utah Royals
Kings pull away in third period to beat the Ducks
The Dodgers won two of their three games this season, but that hardly will be a factor when the World Series starts.
More than four months have passed since their series in the Bronx, and the teams have overcome a lot to get to this point. That includes two rounds of playoffs, with the Yankees clinching their spot in the World Series on Friday against the Cleveland Guardians.
Now the series that seemed likely – and at one point seemed like a normal occurrence for baseball – is set.
“I don’t know that you could’ve drawn it up any better,” the Dodgers’ Taylor said.
RELATED
When does the Dodgers-Yankees World Series start? Schedule, TV information
When does the Dodgers-Yankees World Series start? Schedule, TV information