The Fall Classic was one to remember this year, as two star studded rosters battled it out in an extremely close series. The series was much tighter than the Dodgers 4-1 victory may suggest, as many games came down to a couple plays or even a couple pitches. With Game One being decided in extra innings, and Games Two and Three both being two-run victories by the Dodgers.
The Bay Area is filled with die-hard Giants fans, so not too many people in this area were happy about seeing the rival Dodgers in the playoffs, especially with them being in the World Series. Rivals or not, the Dodgers played an entertaining brand of baseball all postseason. Through the heavily contested series with the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series, it seemed like the Dodgers were must-see TV whether you wanted them to see them win or lose. Teachers and students at Aragon shared negative sentiments about the Dodgers’ run in the playoffs.
“I was rooting for anybody against the Dodgers,” said physics teacher Steve Ratto. “For many MLB fans this series was like choosing the lesser of two evils.”
The Yankees and the Dodgers are two historic MLB franchises that people love to see lose, but of course around here the Dodgers are just hated a little more.
“I hate the Yankees and Dodgers so I wasn’t rooting for anyone [since] my Giants weren’t in the playoffs,” said senior baseball player Josh Jacobs. “I hate the Yankees just a little less than the Dodgers.”
The Yankees-Dodgers rivalry is historic, dating back to the days when the Dodgers played in Brooklyn. The Yankees dominated the rivalry, winning eight out of their twelve World Series meetings with the Dodgers. Baseball fans here at Aragon appreciate this historic matchup.
“It’s just a historic rivalry, with the Yankees always being in the World Series, and the Dodgers being dominant as of late,” said senior Osvaldo Gonzales. “It was great to see this next generation of stars carry the legacy of two of the biggest brands in baseball.”
The final game of the series was a near perfect summation of the series, as it seemed like the Dodgers just always had a little more in the tank. In Game Five, the Yankees got off to a hot start at the plate with back to back home runs by Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm in the bottom of the first inning. Judge’s two run shot and Chisolm’s solo shot gave the Yankees a three run lead in the first, and eventually they built this lead up to 5-0 by the third inning. It looked like the Bronx Bombers were primed to make history, as they had the chance to be the first World Series team to force a game six after facing a 3-0 series deficit. When things seemed up for the Yankees, the game fell apart. The Dodgers had no quit and thanks to a couple of errors by the Yankees defense they were able to tie the game at five runs in the fifth inning.
The manner in which the Yankees blew their lead shocked a lot of fans.
“It’s crazy. You saw small mistakes turn into a bunch of runs that wouldn’t have happened if the Yankees just made routine plays,” said senior baseball player Dalton Kane.
The Yankees were eventually able to score and take a one run lead as the game progressed, but this lead quickly dissolved and they eventually lost the game by one run, 7-6.
This year’s series was filled with drama, record breaking performances, and amazing storylines, from Freddie Freeman’s historic performances to Aaron Judge’s postseason struggles. At Aragon, baseball fans loved to witness these stories unfold.
“My favorite story line is that Shohei Ohtani gets to play in the World Series,” Ratto said. “He went to the Dodgers to compete for a World Series, and he’s in the World Series. That’s good for baseball as a whole.”
Having Ohtani and so many other stars in the World Series seemed to have paid dividends in terms of viewership. This year’s World Series had the highest viewership since the dramatic 2017 World Series between the Astros and the Dodgers. The series amassed an average of 15.8 million U.S. viewers, a 67% increase from the 2023 World Series
With all of the story lines, all of the drama, all of the money, and all of the stars this series came down to basic errors. Baseball is poetic in that way: the simplest things have the biggest consequences. Players can be in the right position, have the strength, have the speed, have the money, have the fans, have everything a player could ever ask for—but they still have to make the plays.
