CBS Sports: Dodgers send message to Yankees.

Over the weekend, the Dodgers defeated their cross-country rivals two out of three.

On the first pitch he saw in the series opener, Shohei Ohtani set the tone for the eagerly awaited World Series rematch against the New York Yankees. Just minutes after Aaron Judge, the current American League MVP, knocked a soaring home ball of his own, the Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star launched a 417-foot home run to center field on Friday in the series opener.

MLB history will include that sequence. Judge and Ohtani were the second MVP winners to hit home runs in the same game since Barry Bonds and Miguel Tejada in 2003. With 63 home runs between them over the previous 165 games, Ohtani and Judge are poised to add another MVP title to their trophy cabinet later this season. According to Caesars, Ohtani is the National League’s favorite at -325, while Judge is the American League’s favorite at -8000.

“We love superstars,” Dave Roberts, manager of the Dodgers, stated on Friday. “And to start the game off with Judge hitting a homer and Shohei answering in the bottom half was pretty exciting for everyone.”

In the first game of the series, Ohtani helped lead his side to a three-run victory over New York, which set the tone for the remainder of the heavyweight bout. Bigger things were ahead, as evidenced by his base hit in the opening inning of the Dodgers’ eventual 18-2 thumping victory the next day to seal the series. Ohtani opened the scoring with a single at the top of the lineup, but it was Dodgers infielder Max Muncy who permanently swung the series in the home team’s favor.

Muncy drove in seven runs, which matched for the most in his career, and hit two home missiles, including his 200th of the season. His effort contributed to the Yankees’ worst defeat in their history against a National League team.

He was the only player in this Dodgers lineup that needed that sort of performance to get back on track. With a slugging percentage of.382 going into the weekend, Muncy was hitting.210, which is on track to be his lowest since his second season in the major leagues, when he was with the Oakland Athletics.

“It was a good all-around game for us, definitely you could say it was a statement,” Muncy said following the victory on Saturday. “I believe it’s crucial for everyone attempting to fill the void in the lineup that we manage to accomplish it without Mookie (Betts) as well. Overall, it was a successful offensive day. Having multiple excellent games in a succession, it’s good for the lads.”

In the series finale, the Yankees get back on track.
Judge’s bat was the only source of New York’s offense in the second game of the series. The Yankees concluded with just seven hits and only managed two runs, both of which came from their slugger’s solo home runs. Three of those hits came from Judge, as he concluded the series with three home runs, five RBIs and a walk drawn. In Sunday’s 7-3 victory for the Yankees, Judge went hitless in five at-bats.

In the series finale, the crime outside of Judge came to life. Trent Grisham was driven in by Jasson Domínguez in the first inning, and Ben Rice took the lead permanently in the third inning with a 425-foot home run. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the star of the Dodgers, gave up three walks and seven hits, which tied for the most he has ever given up in his career, and was knocked out by the Yankees after just three and a half innings.