by The wait for the World Series to begin is finally over! Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on in the baseball world this weekend:
1. The 2024 World Series begins:
The World Series is scheduled to begin tonight when the Yankees take the field opposite the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. local time. In Game 1, New York will send the veteran ace and 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole to the mound opposite the Dodgers deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty. Cole missed the first half of the year with an elbow injury and hasn’t quite performed like himself this season, posting a solid but not exactly elite 3.41 ERA in 17 total starts. He has a 3.31 ERA in this year’s postseason put up similar numbers in three starts. In contrast, Flaherty had an excellent season this year with a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts split between the Tigers and Dodgers, but struggled this postseason to post a 7.04 ERA, including a blast in three innings and eight runs against the Mets in Game 5 of the NLCS.
2. Roster plans are finalized:
Of course, both teams must finalize their series rosters before the Fall Classics can begin. Manager Dave Roberts discussed some of his club’s roster plans with reporters yesterday and hinted that the Dodgers will likely have an experienced shortstop Miguel Rojas on their roster after having him sidelined for the NLCS as he battled an adductor strain and a sports hernia. It also looks like they are injured support staff Alex Vesia And Brusdar Graterol could be added to the club’s bullpen, bolstering an already excellent relief corps. On the other side of the series, the Yankees have fewer potentially impactful injured units but appear likely to activate the southpaw Nestor Cortes to pitch out of the bullpen despite the left-hander suffering a flexor injury late in the regular season. With the aforementioned quartet all apparently poised to be included in their club’s squads when they are announced later today, the main question that remains is which players will be cut from their team’s squad to accommodate the likely new additions.
3. Happy birthday, Juan Soto:
Star outfielder for the second time in his young career Juan Soto will play in the World Series on his birthday. The best free agent of the offseason turns 26 today, and although he has a little longer to wait for what will likely be a record-breaking payday, he and the rest of the Yankees will still try to give Yankees fans a gift of a different kind today: a Victory in Game 1 of the World Series. Five years ago today, Soto’s Nationals took on the Astros in Game 3 of the World Series on his 21st birthday, but lost the game 4-1 when Soto went an uncharacteristic 0-4 with a walk and three strikeouts at the plate. He’ll be hoping for better results today as he plays an absolutely dominant ALCS against the Guardians, where he hit .368/.478/.895 with three home runs and more walks (4) than strikeouts (3) in 23 plate appearances, including his Towerings, hit the go-ahead three-run home run in Game 5 of the series that ultimately sent the Yankees to the Fall Classic.
