When the Yankees and Dodgers met in the Bronx in early June, Aaron Boone said he could “feel the buzz” surrounding the regular season, weekend series.
“The series we had this summer with them felt like competitive, heavy, tough games,” Aaron Boone said Monday of the matchup, which saw the Yankees lose the first two games before winning the finale.
That three-game set turned out to be a World Series preview, as the Yanks and Dodgers will meet in the Fall Classic for the first time since 1981. It’s going to be a ratings bonanza, as two historic clubs and passionate fanbases congregate in Los Angeles and New York.
“I think the whole world was looking forward to or hoping for this potential matchup, this showdown,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the NLCS, though the Mets and their fans surely disagreed after losing the series. “It’s going to be great.”
The World Series will feature some of baseball’s most recognizable names and brightest talents, even more so than the games the Yankees and Dodgers played in June.
With Los Angeles boasting Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and a banged-up Freddie Freeman on a deep and talented roster, they’ll pose a serious challenge for the Yankees.
The Bombers, meanwhile, have Aaron Judge, noted playoff performer and Los Angeles native Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto, who missed the summer series with forearm inflammation. Gerrit Cole, another nearby native who didn’t pitch in those games because of elbow inflammation, will start Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
“The stars will be out,” Boone said. “The eyeballs will be watching, and hopefully we can deliver on a great series.”
Boone added that there’s always been hype surrounding potential and actual matchups between the Yankees and Dodgers. The two teams used to be neighbors before the latter ditched Brooklyn after the 1957 season, and the franchises have already battled in the World Series 11 times.
The Yankees won eight of those fights, involving greats such as Jackie Robinson, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Reggie Jackson, but the Dodgers won the last one.
“I’ve always had that sense that there’s that underlying craving for that. Even going back the seven years now that I’ve been here, there’s always been that occasional talk about Yankees-Dodgers,” Boone said, adding that his father, Bob, played for some Phillies teams that couldn’t get past the Dodgers for World Series confrontations with the Yankees in the late-1970s. “So that’s right in my wheelhouse, those teams and those days. It’s definitely meaningful to me and not lost upon me.
“Iconic teams, and East meets West. This is Dodgers-Yankees, Lakers-Celtics. Whatever you want to say, it has that kind of feel to it.”
Pitching Plans
While Cole will pitch Game 1 for the Yankees, Boone said the team hasn’t finalized its rotation plans beyond that. However, he added there’s a “good chance” the Yankees will stick with the same rotation order they used for the ALCS: Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil.
“We’re just starting to kind of formulate our plans and things like that, so we’ll see,” Boone said. “We’re still kind of basking in the aftermath of getting in and haven’t even started our preparation or things like that. So I don’t want to speak out of turn right now. That’s all.”
Where’s Nestor At?
Nestor Cortes still needs to throw to live hitters again on Tuesday, but his chances of making the Yankees’ World Series roster sound strong.
“There’s a good chance of it,” Boone said. “If everything goes well [Tuesday], I would say there’s a decent chance he could be on the roster.”
Cortes has been on an expedited throwing program after going on the injured list with a left flexor elbow strain on Sept. 25. Typically a starter, he could provide a boost out of the bullpen and potentially replace fellow lefty Tim Mayza on the roster.
The Latest on Rizzo
Monday was a voluntary workout day at Yankee Stadium. Boone said that Anthony Rizzo was among those in the Bronx. The first baseman is still feeling relatively good after returning for the ALCS with two broken fingers.
