They are staples of October baseball, both in modern times and in previous generations. But this year’s interleague series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers was extra special. Each team had the best record in its respective league, and it’s possible that the weekend three-game series, which ended on Sunday Night Baseball, was a preview of a much bigger series in a couple of months.
The Yankees beat the Dodgers in two out of three games, bludgeoning them 10-2 on Friday night and using the long ball again in a 5-1 victory Sunday. In between, the Dodgers squeaked out a 2-1 victory Saturday, stranding the bases loaded in the ninth inning.
It was high-quality baseball, and that was obvious. Whether it was just a random August series between contenders or a prelude to the World Series? That remains to be seen.
#StartSpreadingTheNews, East Feast pic.twitter.com/rYQeAyj5WR
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 26, 2019
How did they do it?
The Yankees spent the week leading into this series suffering a sweep at the hands of the Oakland Athletics. The Dodgers swept the Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers also came in 51-16 at home with 12 walk-off victories — as close to unbeatable as you get in baseball.
But, as the old saying goes, momentum in baseball is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher. And that was the key to the Yankees’ series win. Yes, they hit the long ball nine times in three games, but they also held the powerful Dodgers to just two.
James Paxton on Friday, CC Sabathia on Saturday (who only went four innings but kept the Yankees in the game) and Domingo German on Sunday all were effective and allowed the New York offense to do its thing.
Yankees starting pitching vs. the best record in baseball, Dodgers, on the road in Los Angeles:
James Paxton, CC Sabathia, Domingo German – 16.2 IP, 5 ER, 23K, 3BB
— Jake Montgomery (@JakeM0NTGOMERY) August 26, 2019
Not so fast
Before we get too carried away calling this a World Series preview, remember that there are other contenders in both leagues.
The Houston Astros are actually betting favorites to win the championship, and the Yankees must go through them. The Atlanta Braves might be the hottest team in baseball, and the Dodgers will face them.
There are plenty of other contenders who could cause problems: The slugging Minnesota Twins, the well-rounded Cleveland Indians and Washington Nationals and the experienced Chicago Cubs all come to mind. And October is always full of surprises.
But for a weekend, Dodger Stadium had a special feel.
“It was absolutely exciting,” Dodgers infielder Max Muncy said, according to ESPN.com. “It’s hard not to let it creep into your head that this could be a preview of something in the fall.”
ESPN just ran a feature hyping a potential Dodgers-Yankees World Series (following their series this weekend). All the dramatic music & sound from the players saying it’d be great to see them again in October-type stuff. Then they showed this graphic at the end. #Astros pic.twitter.com/EKtNwQfCHU
— Adam Wexler (@KPRC2AdamW) August 26, 2019
