ESPN: Yankees vs. Dodgers: A crucial test for the $218 million star.
The stadium not only trembles when two titans clash, but also reverberates across baseball history, and this weekend is no exception.
In a game that feels more like a late-October teaser than a June series, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers will square off.
Even if there won’t be champagne and trophies involved, this rematch is still significant, and the Yankees are prepared for it this time.
A story about two candidates with varying rates of momentum
The Dodgers, who are still among the best in the league despite a mounting injury list and rotation issues, bring a 34–22 record to Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees, however, have been on fire, dominating opponents and winning nine of their previous 10 games, including a five-game winning streak.
Los Angeles is hobbling into the Bronx with a weak starting and an unreliable bullpen behind them after losing three of their past five games.
The Yankees, who have the firepower and can sense blood in the water, have a clear opportunity to seize it.
The tone of the series is established by Max Fried.
Sending out your ace is a very decent way to make a statement if the occasion calls for it.
Friday night’s opener will be started by Max Fried, who has a perfect 7-0 record and a brilliant 1.29 ERA over 70 innings.
This season, he has been absolutely dominant, giving the Yankees the advantage in a competition for the top spot among starters.
Tony Gonsolin, who has a 4.68 ERA over 25 innings and got beaten up in his most recent start against the Mets, will be his opponent.
Given their previous performance and aggressive batting style, the Yankees’ offense ought to be licking their chops in this game.
Ohtani versus. Judge: The greatest baseball battle
Some rivalries are fabricated. Others, like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, write themselves with broken scoreboards and booming swings.
Judge’s.391/.488/.739 slash line is producing alien-level numbers, and he’s playing the greatest baseball he’s ever played.
Never to be understated, Ohtani is still slicing and in MVP form. .648 with 20 home runs and 292/.394/.
Although he is ahead of Judge by two long balls, Judge’s recent ball-spotting has changed; it’s almost unfair.
With pyrotechnics anticipated each time one of them onto the field, the Bronx fans will have front-row seats to baseball’s greatest two-way extravaganza.
An opportunity for early-season retaliation
Even if this isn’t the World Series, the intensity of the atmosphere is expected to be just as high since the Yankees don’t forget October agony lightly.
Winning this series might change the storyline going into the second half of the season, but it won’t change history.
A decisive series victory would solidify the Yankees as not only a contender but also the best club in baseball.
