The Yankees face the Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series in Los Angeles on Friday at 8:08 p.m. on FOX.
Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...
Yankees Notes
- This will be the World Series debut for a pair of MVPs but they have had very different postseasons thus far. Aaron Judge has struggled, batting .161 (5-for-31) with two home runs, six RBI and 13 strikeouts to seven walks for a .704 OPS in nine games.
- Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani has batted .286 (12-for-42) with three home runs, 10 RBI and 17 strikeouts to 11 walks for a .934 OPS (buttressed by a .434 OBP) in 11 games.
- The battle for the Fall Classic could come down to who performs out of the two team's phenomenal No. 2 hitters: Juan Soto and Mookie Betts. In seven career World Series games, Soto is 9-for-27 (.333) with three home runs, two doubles and seven RBI for a 1.178 OPS.
- In 11 games, Betts is 12-for-49 (.245) with three homers, three doubles and four RBI with a .805 OPS.
- Gerrit Cole climbs the hill for his third career World Series start (3.86 ERA over 14 innings). After pitching to a 3.41 ERA in 95 innings over 17 starts this year, the right-hander has a 3.31 ERA in 16.1 innings over three postseason starts.
- Righty Jack Flaherty will start for LA, after arriving in a trade deadline deal with Detroit (after a reported pursuit by the Yanks). He pitched to a 3.58 ERA after the trade in 55.1 innings and 10 starts after posting a 2.95 ERA in his first 106.2 innings of the season. Friday will be his first Series start, he has a 7.04 ERA (12 earned runs on 15 hits in 15.1 innings) over three postseason starts this year.
- Left-hander Nestor Cortes will be in the bullpen for the Yankees as he made the World Series roster. Utility man Jon Berti was left off.