Judge. Ohtani. Soto. Betts. The two juggernauts of the league, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, are set to clash in the 2024 Fall Classic. Both teams held the best regular season records of their respective leagues and repeatedly ranked among the top three in offensive categories. Aaron Judge is the likely AL MVP, and Shohei Ohtani will undoubtedly take home the NL MVP. In a battle of titans, which team will come out on top? Here are three key points for each team to consider when looking at the 2024 World Series.

Yankees: Aaron Judge

The Yankees captain has had an underwhelming postseason so far, hitting .161 with a .317 OBP and 13 strikeouts. That being said, he did begin to find his stroke in the ALCS, knocking homers in games two and three of the series. In order to combat the high-powered Dodgers offense, the Yankees need Judge to play up to his MVP caliber. Thankfully for New York, Judge seems to have the Dodgers’ number, hitting .389 with eight home runs and ten runs scored in ten games against Los Angeles. Given the weakened stature of the Dodgers' starting rotation, this could be Judge’s chance to finally break out in a big way.

Dodgers: Starting Rotation

The Dodgers enter the World Series without Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan, and Gavin Stone. All that is left as far as legitimate starting arms are Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, and Walker Buehler. The starting rotation has strung along enough innings this postseason to keep the team afloat, but it has greatly been at the expense of the bullpen. The Dodgers’ fourth starter has essentially been the bullpen, as manager Dave Roberts has repeatedly deployed a ‘bullpen day’ to give his starters rest. The Yankees lineup managed to shred through a Guardians bullpen that ranked first in the league in the regular season, so the Dodgers' starting rotation is going to have to do more to hold off the Yankees and give their bullpen some rest.

Yankees: Bottom of the Order

For the Yankees to generate the number of runs necessary to defeat the Dodgers, the bottom of the lineup is going to have to contribute as well. In Game 5 of the ALCS, it was Austin Wells and Alex Verdugo who managed to extend the inning in order to get the bat in Soto’s hands. If six through nine in the order can churn out enough tough at-bats and the occasional runs, the Yankees will be successful. So far, Anthony Volpe (29 AB, .310 BA) and Anthony Rizzo (14 AB, .429 BA) have enjoyed strong postseason performances, and players like Wells, Verdugo, and Oswaldo Cabrera have contributed crucial late-inning hits.

Dodgers: Freddie Freeman

In the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, Freeman sprained his ankle, which has since caused him to miss certain games in the NLCS. Freeman claims to be good to go for the World Series, but given his rapid recovery time and weak postseason performance, Freeman’s effectiveness in the World Series is questionable. In 32 at-bats, Freeman is hitting .219 with a .461 OPS and no extra-base hits. He looked incapable of running at times during the NLCS, but with rest, he hopes to be a bit more comfortable on his feet.

Should he struggle, Tommy Edman (44 AB, .341 BA) and Enrique Hernandez (33 AB, .303 BA) have picked up the slack. The two lineups that didn’t include Freeman during the NLCS each scored 10 runs. Though they can manage without Freeman, the Dodgers would certainly like for their superstar first baseman to be healthy and hitting.

Yankees: Gerrit Cole

Gerrit Cole has been known to rise to the occasion in the playoffs, and no pitcher in this series has more playoff innings than him. As the designated game one starter, Cole will likely be asked to pitch both game four and game seven (if necessary). Through three starts in these playoffs, Cole has allowed six earned runs in 16.1 innings and recorded 12 strikeouts. His only start of the ALCS was in game two, where Cole went four and a third innings and allowed two runs. Cole did not face the Dodgers in the 2024 regular season, but over his career, he has fared well against Ohtani and Max Muncy, but has struggled against Mookie Betts and Freeman. His performance against the stars of the Dodgers lineup will be important to follow.

Dodgers: Blake Treinen

It wouldn’t be surprising if Treinen steps on the mound for every game of the World Series. The Dodgers closer has been stellar so far, allowing one run in eight innings of relief. He has struck out 11 hitters in six appearances and has been the Dodgers' go-to guy in high leverage situations. Given the state of the Dodgers starting rotation, and the way in which the Yankees got to Emmanuel Clase in the ALCS, Treinen is going to bear a heavy burden in helping Los Angeles win their eighth World Series.

This will be the 12th matchup between the Dodgers and the Yankees in the World Series, the most by any two teams in MLB history. Los Angeles looks to win their first in four years, whereas the Yankees have been waiting for 15. First pitch of Game One will be at 7:08 CT.