8.26.19
This past weekend, the two teams with the best records in the National and American Leagues met in a rare interleague matchup in Los Angeles. Two of baseball’s most historic franchises in the Los Angeles Dodgers (86-47) and New York Yankees (86-47) played a three game series in what many consider to be a preview of what’s to come in late October. Both teams feature tremendous depth in all phases of the game. Both offenses rank very high in notable offensive categories. Both teams are in the top 5 in Runs per Game, wRC+, and Home Runs in their respective leagues. Both lineups also put tremendous strain on pitchers as they both rank high in Average Pitches Seen per At-Bat.
| Stat | Yankees | Dodgers |
|---|---|---|
| Runs/game | 5.85 (1st) | 5.45 (4th) |
| HR | 241 (2nd) | 227 (3rd) |
| Walk rate | 9.2% (10th) | 10.0% (1st) |
| Pitches/PA | 4.05 (2nd) | 4.01 (5th) |
| Chase rate | 30.5% (22nd) | 28.4% (27th) |
| wRC+* | 117 (3rd) | 119 (2nd) |
Fans in LA were treated to excellent offensive outbursts as well as brilliant pitching performances. On Friday, Dodgers ace and Cy Young Award front runner Hyun Jin Ryu surrendered 3 home runs including a grand slam by shortstop Didi Gregorious to break the game open.
Saturday was a contrast of Friday, as both pitching staffs held the opposing offense at bay. In the 9th it was closer Kenley Jansen shutting the door on the Yankees leaving the bases loaded.
Sunday featured future hall of famer in Clayton Kershaw deuling against young phenom in Domingo German. In that game, it was the Yankees offense coming out on top.
The Dodgers and Yankees have met 11 times in the World Series. This is far more than any other two franchises have met in the Fall Classic. In this series it was Aaron Judge who stood out, hitting a home run in each of the three games. It is notable that the Yankees offense is notorious for hitting well off left handed pitching, and most of the Dodgers rotation is composed of left handed starters.
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