Honestly, if you weren’t glued to a screen last October, you missed the kind of script that Hollywood usually rejects for being "too on the nose." We’re talking about the biggest brands in baseball. The titans. For anyone asking who's playing in World Series 2024, the answer was the heavy-hitting collision we’d been waiting over four decades to see: the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.
It wasn't just a game. It was a cultural event.
The 2024 Fall Classic brought together the two biggest stars in the sport—Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. This was history in the making, the first time two players who both cleared 50 home runs in the same regular season faced off for the ring. Most people thought it would be a seven-game war. Instead, it was a five-game masterclass in resilience, sloppy defense, and one of the most heroic individual performances the sport has ever seen.
The Dodgers vs. Yankees Rivalry Reborn
The 2024 matchup was the 12th time these two franchises met in the World Series. That is a lot of history. But here’s the thing: they hadn't played each other for the championship since 1981. If you talk to older fans, they’ll tell you about Reggie Jackson and Fernando Valenzuela. For the modern fan, this was about the Dodgers proving they could win a "real" title after their 2020 shortened-season win and the Yankees trying to end a drought that stretched back to 2009.
The rosters were absolutely stacked.
The Dodgers brought a lineup featuring three former MVPs at the top: Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman. The Yankees countered with the terrifying duo of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, backed by Giancarlo Stanton, who had been on a tear throughout the ALCS. On paper, it was a toss-up. In practice? The Dodgers just felt more inevitable.
✨ Don't miss: Liechtenstein National Football Team: Why Their Struggles are Different Than You Think
Why Freddie Freeman Changed Everything
You can't talk about who's playing in World Series 2024 without talking about Freddie Freeman’s ankles. Or, more specifically, his one good ankle. Freeman entered the series looking like he could barely walk, let alone drive a 98-mph fastball into the bleachers.
Then Game 1 happened.
Bottom of the 10th inning. Bases loaded. Two outs. The Dodgers were trailing 3-2. Nestor Cortes comes in for the Yankees to face Freeman. On the very first pitch, Freddie swings and sends a moonshot into the right-field seats. The first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. Just like that, the momentum shifted, and it never really went back. Freeman went on to hit home runs in each of the first four games, tying records and essentially demoralizing the New York pitching staff before the series even moved to the Bronx.
Breaking Down the Five-Game Battle
The series kicked off on October 25 at Dodger Stadium. Most experts thought the Yankees' starting pitching, led by Gerrit Cole, would give them the edge. Cole was actually brilliant in Game 1 and Game 5, but the supporting cast couldn't hold the line.
Game 2 saw Yoshinobu Yamamoto prove why the Dodgers gave him that massive $325 million contract. He was nearly untouchable, allowing just one hit—a solo shot to Juan Soto—over 6.1 innings. By the time the series moved to Yankee Stadium for Game 3, the Dodgers were up 2-0 and the "Bronx Cheer" was starting to sound a lot more like a funeral dirge.
🔗 Read more: Cómo entender la tabla de Copa Oro y por qué los puntos no siempre cuentan la historia completa
Walker Buehler silenced the New York crowd in Game 3 with five shutout innings. At 3-0, it looked like a sweep was coming.
The New York Lifeline
New York finally showed some teeth in Game 4. They won 11-4, fueled by an Anthony Volpe grand slam that finally gave the Yankee Stadium crowd something to scream about. For a moment, people started whispering about 2004—the year the Red Sox came back from 3-0 down. Could the Yankees do it?
Honestly, for about four innings in Game 5, it looked possible. They were up 5-0. Gerrit Cole was cruising. The Dodgers looked tired.
Then the fifth inning happened. It was a defensive meltdown for the ages. Aaron Judge dropped a routine fly ball. Anthony Volpe had a throwing error. Gerrit Cole forgot to cover first base on a Mookie Betts grounder. The Dodgers scored five unearned runs in a single inning to tie it. That’s baseball for you. One minute you’re dominating, the next you’re watching your championship hopes slip through your fingers because of the "little things."
The Final Numbers and Who Really Showed Up
When the dust settled, the Dodgers took Game 5 with a 7-6 victory, clinching their eighth World Series title. Freddie Freeman was the easy choice for MVP, finishing the series with 12 RBIs, which tied the all-time record.
💡 You might also like: Ohio State Football All White Uniforms: Why the Icy Look Always Sparks a Debate
- Freddie Freeman: .300 BA, 4 HR, 12 RBI (Series MVP)
- Teoscar Hernández: .350 BA, 7 hits, clutch defensive plays
- Tommy Edman: The ultimate utility man, hitting .294 and playing everywhere
- Giancarlo Stanton: Hit two homers for the Yankees but didn't get much help
The biggest surprise? Shohei Ohtani's lack of production. He suffered a subluxation of his left shoulder in Game 2 while sliding into second base. He played through it, but he wasn't himself. He finished the series with only two hits. In any other year, the Dodgers losing Ohtani’s bat would have been a death sentence. In 2024, the "next man up" mentality actually worked.
What This Means for 2025 and Beyond
If you're looking at the fallout of who's playing in World Series 2024, the power balance in MLB has shifted. The Dodgers are now the undisputed gold standard. They spent over $1 billion in one offseason and it actually resulted in a trophy. That rarely happens in sports.
For the Yankees, the offseason became a scramble to keep Juan Soto. Losing that series in five games, especially with the Game 5 defensive collapse, left a bitter taste in New York. They had the talent, but they didn't have the discipline.
The lesson here is pretty simple: Stars win games, but depth and defense win championships. The Dodgers' bullpen, guys like Blake Treinen and Michael Kopech, were the unsung heroes who covered for a starting rotation that was held together by duct tape and prayers.
If you want to understand the modern game, go back and watch the fifth inning of Game 5. It’s a perfect case study in how pressure breaks even the best players. To stay ahead of the curve this coming season, keep a close eye on the Dodgers' injury list and the Yankees' defensive drills in spring training. Those "small" errors cost the Yankees a ring, and you can bet they won't let it happen again without a fight. Check out the latest roster moves on the official MLB transactions page to see how these teams are retooling for a potential rematch.