It's the final showdown of the Major League Baseball season, and as the leaves change color, the World Series this year will turn familiar shades of Dodger Blue and Yankee pinstripes. For the 12th time — with their first meeting happening in 1941 — the Yankees and Dodgers face off in the World Series. Their most recent World Series meeting in 1981 will carry a particularly special significance this year, with Friday's Game 1 coming just days after the death of Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela, who was the rookie star of that 1981 championship team at the height of "Fernandomania."
Both clubs have been off for nearly a week, so the pitching staffs are lined up for the two teams that finished with the best records in their respective leagues in the regular season. In Game 1, Gerrit Cole (1-0, 3.31 ERA, 16.1 IP, 12 K, 6 BB in 2024 postseason) takes the ball for the Yankees against Jack Flaherty (1-2, 7.04 ERA, 15.1 IP, 8 K, 7 BB) for the Dodgers.
A comebacker from Anthony Rizzo hits Jack Flaherty on the foot, and that's a painful first baserunner in the second inning.
Russell Dorsey
Freeman gets first extra-base hit of October
Freddie Freeman's ankle looked better than it has all postseason as he took advantage of Alex Verdugo's early miscue to reach third base in the first. A fully operational Freeman would be huge for the Dodgers.
Definitely will be interesting to see how Freddie Freeman's ankle holds up after that jaunt around the bases.
Teoscar Hernandez hits a 91.7 mph line drive ... straight to Anthony Volpe at short to end the inning. No runs for the Dodgers, despite some decent contact in the first inning.
Freddie Freeman, returning to the lineup after dealing with a bad ankle all postseason, gets the first hit of the game and makes it to third! Alex Verdugo missed the bounce off the wall and gave the veteran plenty of time to run.
And then a flyout to the warning track to left field from Mookie Betts (caught by Alex Verdugo, who was traded to the Red Sox in exchange for Betts in 2020).
The good news for the Yankees: two outs. The bad news: Dodgers hitters are already hitting it pretty deep off their ace.
Jack Baer
Hoo boy. Gerrit Cole throws a first-pitch fastball for a strike, and Shohei Ohtani connects. It dies at the warning track. A few more feet, and that would have been quite a moment. Instead, it's the first out of the inning.
Flaherty gets out of the inning two pitches later with a groundout to second by Chisholm. As every Fox broadcast this postseason would say, here comes Shohei Ohtani.
Jack Baer
Flaherty gets what should have been an inning-ending grounder from Giancarlo Stanton, but NLCS MVP Tommy Edman misplays it at short. Yankees get runners on first and second with two outs and Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the plate.
Jack Baer
Flaherty walks Juan Soto but wins his first encounter with Aaron Judge with a four-pitch strikeout. He's looking a lot better than he did last week.
Jack Flaherty strikes out Aaron Judge swinging in his first World Series AB!
A very notable early sign for Jack Flaherty: That first pitch was 96.4 mph. That's his fastest pitch as a Dodger. Considering how much he got knocked around in Game 5 of the NLCS, the Dodgers will be happy about that.
Jack Baer
Jack Flaherty throws a first-pitch 96 mph fastball for a ball, and we're off at the 2024 World Series.
More than a few Dodgers fans started chanting "Fernando" during that moment of silence.
Jack Baer
Throwing out the first pitch: 1988 World Series champion Orel Hershiser.
Catching the first pitch: 1981 World Series MVP Steve Yeager.
In honor of the late Fernando Valenzuela, who was teammates with both Hershiser and Yeager, the ball is being placed on the mound, where Valenzuela's No. 34 is painted. Now, a moment of silence in honor of Valenzuela, with fans encouraged to look to the heavens like the pitcher's signature pitching motion.
Jack Baer
Here is the starting lineup of Game 1 for the 2024 American League Champions, the New York @Yankees!
"There is nothing I would change about my career *except* being able to play in a Yankees-Dodgers World Series." - Derek Jeter ⚾️🎙️ #MLBpic.twitter.com/SlpuCdG1Tu
