The Yankees and Dodgers Face Off: A Summer Preview

In early June, the Yankees and Dodgers met for a three-game set in The Bronx. The Dodgers started strong, winning the first two games, but the Yankees bounced back to win the final match. Let's dive into some key takeaways from this series. One big difference from the World Series is that many star players were missing from the lineup. Injuries kept Juan Soto and Clarke Schmidt out of the game. Gerrit Cole was still recovering from an injury, and Carlos Rodon's turn in the rotation just missed the Dodgers. Even Jack Flaherty, who almost joined the Yankees, was still pitching for the Tigers. Mookie Betts played a crucial role in the series. He was experimenting with playing shortstop during these June games, but later shifted back to right field. This change eventually led to the postseason rise of Tommy Edman at shortstop.

Aaron Judge had a great series, with a higher OPS against the Dodgers than any other 2024 opponent. He went 7-for-11 with three homers and five RBIs. Shohei Ohtani, on the other hand, struggled, going just 2-for-13. Giancarlo Stanton, despite his playoff legacy, struggled against the Dodgers' pitching staff. He went 0-for-14 with seven strikeouts. But Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez could benefit from facing the Yankees again. He went 6-for-12 with three homers in their regular-season series. The Dodgers also faced some rotation issues. Gavin Stone and Tyler Glasnow started two of the games, but both have since faced injuries. However, Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a great outing, pitching seven scoreless innings and retiring 12 in a row at one point.

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