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Duke Snider and Mickey Mantle pose together before the start of Game 2 of the 1955 World Series. (Photo via /Getty Images)
No two teams have met in the World Series as many times as the Dodgers and Yankees.
When the series kicks off Friday night, it will begin the 12th World Series matchup between the two juggernauts. The Yankees own the all-time series lead 8-3.
The then-Brooklyn Dodgers first faced off against the Yankees in Oct.1941. The crosstown-rival Yankees took the series 4-1 in what would begin a lopsided run. The Yankees defeated the Dodgers in the first five series between the two teams spanning from 1941 to 1953. Overall, the Dodgers and Yankees competed in seven total Subway Series before the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles.
The Dodgers’ first series victory came in 1955 when Gil Hodges drove in two runs in a 2-0 Game 7 win. After dominating the World Series matchups for 16 years, the rivalry became less frequent when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. The two teams met four more times between 1963 and 1981, splitting the series 2-2 over that time.
It’s now been 43 years since we last saw a Dodgers versus Yankees tilt. This fall’s edition ties the record for most championship meetings between two teams in North American sports, matching the Celtics vs. Lakers rivalry.
Beyond just the history of these two historic ball clubs, there’s multiple examples of unique historical angles in the 2024 fall classic. These teams feature two of the more star-studded lineups we’ve seen in the world series in years with household names like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts and Juan Soto, as well as others penciled into each lineup card.
This is both Ohtani and Judge’s first World Series, and the interest internationally is arguably as high as it’s ever been. The two transcendent superstars from the two biggest markets in the United States will go toe-to-toe with the ability to change the game with a swing.
Below, check out some historical tidbits, including several courtesy of the great Sarah Langs.
Historical Hits
- This will be the sixth time each league’s regular season home run leaders have met in the World Series and the first since 1956. The previous matchups took place in 1956 (Mickey Mantle vs Duke Snider), 1937 (Joe DiMaggio vs Mel Ott), 1936 (Lou Gehrig vs Ott), 1928 (Babe Ruth vs. Jim Bottomley) and 1921 (Ruth vs George Kelly). To put this in historical perspective we’ve seen a World Series no-hitter more times than we’ve seen the two home run champs square off over the past 68 years.
- This is the first time two players with 50+ home runs will face each other in a World Series.
- Judge and Ohtani are preeminent favorites to win the MVP award in their respective leagues. This would mark the 26th time each league’s MVPs have faced off. It has become increasingly rare, however, since the beginning of divisional play in 1969 and has only happened twice since 1984. The last time two MVPs faced off in the fall classic was 2012, when Miguel Cabrera’s Tigers fell to Buster Posey’s Giants.
- Soto joins rarified air in this series. He joins just five other players who have played in a World Series with two different teams before the age of 27.
- This series is arguably the most impressive of the MLB Statcast era. It features the top four leaders in barrels per plate appearance: Judge (14.9), Ohtani (14.1), Soto (12.8) and Giancarlo Stanton (12.4) rank one through four respectively.
- Judge, Ohtani, Stanton and Judge also rank within the top five in average exit velocity and the top 16 in max EV this season. Among balls put in play at 95+ mph this season Ohtani ranks 1st (288), Soto ranks 3rd (262), Judge ranks 6th (238) while Stanton ranks 99th, but is the only hitter ranked in the top 100 in hard hit balls with less than 300 balls in play in 2024.
- If Soto, Freddie Freeman or Anthony Rizzo homer, they’ll join the following list of players who have homered in the World Series for multiple teams:
Bill Skowron
Roger Maris
Reggie Jackson
Frank Robinson
Joe Gordon
Reggie Smith
Mitch Moreland
Matt Williams (3 franchises)
Manny Ramirez
Enos Slaughter
Eddie Murray
Corey Seager
Rudy York
Mookie Betts
Miguel Cabrera
Matt Holliday
Lenny Dykstra
Kirk Gibson
Kiki Cuyler
Joe Morgan
Jimmy Ripple
Jim Eisenreich
David Freese
Dave Henderson
Darren Daulton
