No teams have met in the World Series as often as the New York Yankees and Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers.
From 1941 to 1981, they played in the Fall Classic 11 times.
It took more than 43 years for meeting No. 12 to be set, but it’s finally here.
The star power in this series is fabulous. The Yankees feature Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Gerrit Cole, three of the biggest names in baseball. The Dodgers feature Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, also huge stars.
But unsung heroes — such as Johnny Podres, who threw a complete-game shutout in Game 7 of the 1955 World Series for Brooklyn against New York, and Don Larsen, who threw a perfect game against the Dodgers the next season — tend to show up when these teams meet.
Here are four potential unsung heroes who could deliver in the 2024 World Series, which begins Friday night at Dodgers Stadium.
Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres
Torres has been a Yankee since making his MLB debut in 2018, so if you’re a baseball fan, you probably know who he is. Although he is a two-time All-Star, he isn’t thought of as a “star” the way some of his teammates are.
While fans were paying attention to the ALCS heroics of Soto and Giancarlo Stanton, Torres quietly got the job done. He hit .333 in the ALCS win over Cleveland, scoring five runs in as many games. That type of performance would be hard to ignore in the World Series, so if Torres can repeat that, look out.
Yankees RHP Clay Holmes
Although Holmes put up decent regular-season numbers — 3.14 ERA and 30 saves — there were far too many times when manager Aaron Boone trusted him to preserve a lead and he came up short. Holmes blew 13 saves during the regular season, four more than the next-closest Yankee (Luke Weaver, now the closer).
Holmes’ postseason has been a roller coaster.
In the ALDS against the Royals, he didn’t allow a run over five innings. In the ALCS, however, he posted a 10.13 ERA, pitching in four of the five games but only making it through 2.2 innings.
So Holmes could easily implode, but the two-time All-Star also has it in him to dominate. If he showcases “good” Holmes against the Dodgers, he could be an unexpected World Series hero.
Dodgers utilityman Tommy Edman
As with Torres, Edman is a player most fans know but is overshadowed by the stars on his team.
Edman was limited to 37 games out of 162 in the regular season due to injury. However, in the NLCS win over the New York Mets, he batted fourth, hit .409 with 11 RBI and was named MVP.
“It’s a crazy trajectory,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Sunday’s 10-5 victory over the New York Mets in Game 6, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. “I can’t say enough about the front office being able to acquire him [from the Cardinals] at the deadline. What he can do for us on the field, in the clubhouse — it’s just amazing.”
A great World Series would make up for a lot of lost time during the regular season, and he showed in the NLCS that he’s more than capable.
Dodgers RHP Jack Flaherty
It’s hard to write a list of potential unsung heroes in a Yankees-Dodgers series without having a starting pitcher on the list.
Like Podres in ‘55 and Larsen in ‘56, Flaherty is struggling going into this World Series. In three postseason starts, Flaherty is 1-2 with a 7.04 ERA. His most recent start was his worst yet. Against the New York Mets, Flaherty gave up eight runs — all earned — over three innings in a Game 5 loss in Queens.
But Flaherty had a quality regular season, going 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA. So he’s capable of greatness, and the World Series is the best place to showcase it.
