Why Yankees-Dodgers is exactly the World Series that MLB wanted

Major League Baseball has secured its dream matchup for the World Series as the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers will kick off the Fall Classic on Friday night at Chavez Ravine.

No offense to the New York Mets, Cleveland Guardians or any of the other 26 MLB franchises, but if MLB could have drawn up the perfect matchup for the 2024 World Series, it would have been this. With two of the league's crown-jewel franchises advancing to the World Series, MLB now has the chance to showcase its biggest stars on its biggest stage. That list includes two players who will likely earn the 2024 American League and National League Most Valuable Player awards in Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, respectively.

A West Coast versus East Coast battle featuring two of the league's most iconic franchises? It's easy to believe that MLB (and their television partner, Fox Sports) is giddy behind the scenes about what has transpired in October to make this a reality. It's expected that the stars driving the Yankees and Dodgers will continue what has been a rise of television viewership for MLB this postseason.

After all, the Yankees and Dodgers (both the Brooklyn and Los Angeles versions) have met 11 previous times in the World Series, but haven't squared off against each other for the title since 1981 (won by the Dodgers in a six-game thriller). Those 11 matchups over a 41-year span have included postseason moments for the ages, such as Mickey Owen's infamous dropped third strike for Brooklyn in Game 4 of the 1941 matchup, Brooklyn's Jackie Robinson stealing home in Game 1 of the 1955 World Series and New York's Don Larsen throwing a perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

Throw in Hall of Famers such as Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Pee Wee Reese and a multitude of other big names and these Dodgers-Yankees World Series have never lacked for star power. The same will be true this October with three former MVPs (Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman) leading the Dodgers against two former MVPs (Judge and Giancarlo Stanton) and four-time Silver Slugger winner Juan Soto in New York's most recent version of Murderer's Row.

A Yankees franchise that hasn't won a World Series since 2009 versus a Dodgers franchise looking for its first World Series ring in a non-shortened season since 1988? MLB has to be salivating over the storylines and possibilities with its perfect matchup ready to roll out under October's brightest lights.