Yankees vs Dodgers World Series Odds, Prediction, Expert Pick

For the first time since 1981, the Dodgers and Yankees will face off in the World Series in a battle of MLB Goliaths.

The teams, which entered the season as favorites to win their respective pennants, lived up to the hype by clinching their league’s top seed in the playoffs.

Presumptive league MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani will square off, but they’re far from the only headliners.

The series features five former league MVPs, including Ohtani, who won the AL award twice with the Angels.

The list does not include Juan Soto, who appears poised to earn a historic contract with his incredible postseason run.

The Yankees slugger is my pick to win World Series MVP.

What’s missing between those two rosters are top starting pitchers, at least relative to most teams heading into the Fall Classic.

As we saw in Cleveland in the ALCS, the Dodgers are unlikely to get many innings of work from starters Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler.

Dave Roberts deployed his bullpen expertly against the Padres and Mets, but it’s a big question mark whether his bullpen can continue to be as effective while working so many innings.

The Dodgers’ pitching staff has thrown to a 4.36 ERA this postseason, and their xFIP of 4.97 is the worst of any team to make the playoffs.

While not quite overwhelming, the Yankees’ starting rotation still looks deeper and more formidable than the Dodgers’ three-man unit entering the series.

Gerrit Cole deserves to be viewed as the best starter available to either side and the supporting cast beyond him has significant upside.

According to Stuff+ ratings this season, the Yankees have the four best starting arms in this matchup.

Carlos Rodon pitched well against Cleveland and had the best Stuff+ rating (122) of any starter on either side.

Clarke Schmidt’s 116-thing+ rating ranks second, while Luis Gil’s 110-thing+ rating ranks fourth.

Even Nestor Cortes, who seems likely to make the World Series roster and return from injury, would be the Dodgers’ third-best starter right now if he returned to the level he pitched in the regular season.

The Yankees were the best team in MLB against right-handed pitching this season with a wRC+ of 120, which sets them up well, with Yamamoto, Buehler and Flaherty all right-handed.

The Dodgers bullpen has been incredible and they will likely have to rely heavily on that strength in this series.

In 57 innings, Dodgers relievers have a 3.16 ERA in the postseason with a 3.16 xFIP.

This series could turn into something of a war of attrition, as both lineups have shown elite plate discipline in the playoffs and will increase pitching numbers from opposing pitchers.

Yankees hitters have a wRC+ of 117 in the postseason, rank first with a BB/K ratio of 0.64 and have a hard hitting rate of 36.6 percent.

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The Dodgers have a slightly deeper lineup, which has posted a wRC+ of 120 in the playoffs.

They rank second with a BB/K ratio of 0.62 and have a hard hitting rate of 30.8%.

The Yankees’ deepest starting rotation looks like the clearest edge either side has going into Game 1 on Friday night.

Based on that lead, I don’t think the Yankees deserve to be an underdog.

With more money, I see value in backing the Bombers to win what should be a spectacular World Series.

Pick: Yankees to win World Series (+115, FanDuel)

Why trust New York Post betting

Nicholas Martin breaks down the NHL, MLB and NFL for the New York Post. It strives to include relevant game notes in articles to help bettors come to their own conclusions, but also increases 180 units on verified picks in a sports betting app. You can find Nick at X @nickm_hockey.