Regardless of your personal feelings about the two teams in question, the 2024 World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers is truly a marquee matchup. The Yankees and Dodgers are Major League Baseball's two flagship franchises, and they're also, not unrelatedly, two of the most recognizable brands in all of sports. On top of all that, the two clubs have a rich and sprawling history of World Series encounters. To boot, the Yankees and Dodgers were the top seeds in these playoffs.
The headline-grabbing nature of this particular Fall Classic is best embodied by the team's two best players and biggest stars -- Aaron Judge on the Yankee side and Shohei Ohtani for the Dodgers. Given the excellence and widespread appeal of these two players and the headline and lapel-grabbing nature of this World Series, the presence of Judge and Ohtani in the same series with both belt and title at stake merits further exploration. Let us now do just that in the august and enduring format of Things to Know, the consumption of which shall lead you to the Knowing of Things -- and those Things are Things you should Know.
Judge and Ohtani this season were the two best players in their respective leagues.
Wins Above Replacement, or WAR, is the best public-facing measure of overall player value we have. It's a slightly blunt instrument, yes, but even at that, it's illuminating. When it comes to player comparisons, WAR is a useful tool, especially when the margins are not especially tight. This season, WAR tabbed Judge as the best player in the American League by a notable gap:
- Judge, 10.8 WAR
- Bobby Witt Jr., 9.4 WAR
- Gunnar Henderson, 9.1 WAR
And Ohtani enjoyed an even greater margin of victory in the AL:
- Ohtani, 9.2 WAR
- Matt Chapman, 7.1 WAR
- Francisco Lindor, 7.0 WAR
By this measure, Judge and Ohtani – just like the sub-head says – were the best players in their respective leagues in 2024. Ohtani authored the first 50-50 season in MLB history and racked up more than 400 total bases. Judge hit 58 homers, drove in 144 runs, had an OPS+ of 223 (!), all while being the Yankees' primary center fielder. Those lofty WAR figures weren't by accident, you know.
So how often does this happen? That is, how often do the best players in each league as measured by WAR match wits, skills, and steely glares in the World Series? Not very often, as it turns out:
Indeed, this is just the sixth time it's happened in 120 years or so of Fall Classics. Much more common is a clash of MVPs in the World Series. Judge and Ohtani are heavy favorites to win the MVP award in each league, which means this World Series will very likely join the list of MVP clashes. That hasn't happened since 2012, when Buster Posey of the Giants and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers opposed one another. MVP-versus-MVP has happened just six times since baseball instituted divisions in 1969. Overall, it's happened 26 times, starting with Lefty Grove and the Athletics against Frankie Frisch and the Cardinals in 1931.
In terms of power, Judge and Ohtani are breaking new World Series ground.
As noted above, Ohtani and Judge each topped 50 home runs during the regular season. Ohtani had 54 homers to lead the NL and to go with his 59 stolen bases. Judge's 58 homers paced the majors and led the AL by a whopping gap of 14 homers over Anthony Santander's 44. Just once before has the World Series featured two players who each hit 50 home runs during that season. That was in 1961, when Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle achieved the feat. Never, though, have 50-homer hitters opposed each other in the World Series. That changes on Friday with Game 1 when Judge and Ohtani take the field. No 50-homer hitter has appeared in the World Series Luis Gonzalez of the Diamondbacks in 2001.
No, Ohtani will not pitch to Judge (or any other Yankee) in the World Series.
Ohtani is, of course, a two-way phenomenon unto himself. As great as he is at hitting the baseball, he's similarly accomplished at pitching it. For instance, of Ohtani's current career WAR of 43.8, 15.1 WAR comes from the pitching side. This season, however, Ohtani has been a strict DH and hasn't taken the mound in his first season for the Dodgers. That's because he's still recovering from a hybrid Tommy John procedure. Ohtani should resume being an ace on the mound in 2025, but is there a scintilla of a chance that he lights the news cycle on fire by pitching in this World Series, maybe even facing Judge? Dodgers manager Dave Roberts threw cold water on that possibility Thursday as allowing a pitcher to make his first appearance coming off major elbow surgery in the World Series is a possible sign of madness. But it is worth noting that Judge is 2 for 2 with a home run against Ohtani the pitcher.