Ranking the four remaining possible World Series matchups, from least to most interesting
We’re two rounds into this riveting postseason, where dreams are crushed, legacies are destroyed and a whole lot of did-he-really-done-that?!?! home runs crushed. Along the way, we’ve seen 32 potential World Series matchups disappear, like Marty McFly’s fading family photo in “Back to the Future.” Turns out it’s a Philadelphia Phillies/Baltimore Orioles rematch just wasn’t our density this time.
We’ll say it again: every match is fascinating in its own way, and many unusual combinations – for example Minnesota Twins – Atlanta Braves from 1991 or St. Louis Cardinals – Texas Rangers twenty years later – have left indelible marks in history. But now that we’re down to four options, let’s see what remains of our rankings from the beginning of this crazy month, and how things look now.
Previous ranking: 16
Previous matchups: Cleveland won in 1920
It’s not exactly a first matchup, but it’s safe to say no one remembers that yet the last from 1920. The World Series was then a best-of-nine, Bill Wambsganss turned in an unassisted triple play and spitballs were still legal – at least for Hall of Famer Stan Coveleski, who went 3-0 for Cleveland with three complete games.
A modern clash would be more of a bullpen battle; both teams removed their starters from shutouts during the clinchers of their division series, the Guardians after two innings, the Dodgers after five, and neither team pushed a starter beyond 5 1/3 innings in either game.
Not that bullpen games are bad — overpowering short relievers deserve love, too — but they force us to recalibrate our concepts of pitching greatness. Among the position players, however, this series would have some undoubtedly greats, including Cleveland’s heartbeat, José Ramírez, and a few one-name Dodgers – Shohei, Mookie and Freddie – who together make about $20 million more (in average annual salary) than the entire Cleveland selection.
Previous ranking: 7
Previous matchups: never
The last time Francisco Lindor came to bat in the World Series, in Cleveland in 2016, he had the opportunity to be Bill Mazeroski. Second of the ninth inning, Game 7, tie. Home run wins the World Series. Every child’s dream. Lindor could have ruined the Chicago Cubs’ fairytale. Instead, he flied out, and the Cubs quickly took the crown.
The Indians are now the Guardians and Lindor is a Met. Their World Series reunion would be an inescapable subplot of this game, but the bigger draw would be the fans’ desire.
Any other combination in this century would feature a team with a championship. This pits a club that has waited 38 years against another that has lasted twice as long. The Mets last won the World Series in 1986, with two losses since then (2000, 2015). Cleveland last governed in 1948, with four losses since then (1954, 1995, 1997, 2016).
Brayan Rocchio doubles off Francisco Lindor in a game between the Mets and Guardians in May. (David Richard / USA Today)
Five franchises have never won a title, but all have gone home for the winter: Colorado, Milwaukee, San Diego, Seattle and Tampa Bay. Of the other 25, Cleveland has had the longest drought at more than three decades, namely 76 years.
A Mets win would be cathartic for their fans as well. But Cleveland has already helped ease the pain of the Cubs faithful. The Guardians would rather stay out of the Mets highlights forever.
Previous ranking: 6
Previous matchups: Yankees won in 2000
Look, we understand. It would be terribly selfish of New York City to keep the World Series all to itself. But it’s not like any other region is in a position to pull this off. The party planning committee isn’t meeting in Chicago anytime soon. The Dodgers always show up, but the other team in the LA area, the Los Angeles Angels, have the longest playoff drought in the majors. The Washington Nationals have been struggling in the Beltway for half a decade, and the Oakland A’s have unfortunately routed the Bay Area.
So it’s up to New York to organize autumn madness within the city, something we don’t see often anymore. And this would be a treat. The energetic Mets discover that they are made for the spotlight, where the Yankees always live. Two captivating superstars – Francisco Lindor and Aaron Judge – are chasing their first championship. Two others, Pete Alonso and Juan Soto, will get a chance at one final flourish before free agency.
The storylines would be endless. So would the hype. Maybe you hate New York – Hey, it’s not for everyone – but if you look away from this World Series, you’ll miss a lot of fun.
1) Yankees vs. Dodgers
Previous ranking: 1
Previous matchups: Yankees won in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1977, 1978; Dodgers won in 1955, 1963, 1981
Once upon a time, there were regular meetings of the MVPs in October. In the first 50 seasons of the modern award, from 1931 through 1980, the National and American League MVPs faced each other in the World Series 24 times. It happened again in 1988 when the winners did big things in the opener: Jose Canseco hit a grand slam for the A’s, and Kirk Gibson made the impossible possible at the end.
We’ve had wild card teams in the postseason since 1995. And guess what has almost disappeared since then: those World Series matchups between MVPs. It’s happened just once in the past 29 seasons, when Buster Posey’s San Francisco Giants swept Miguel Cabrera’s Detroit Tigers in 2012.
Let’s assume Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani win the Most Valuable Player award next month. And let’s make another crazy guess that Judge and Ohtani will end up in Cooperstown at some point.
How cool would it be for future Hall of Famers to make their World Series debuts against each other, both coming off MVP regular seasons? In other words, all-time greats, after all-time great seasons, sharing their World Series debuts. It’s pretty special and almost unprecedented.
It’s happened only once before, in 1980, when Mike Schmidt’s Phillies defeated George Brett’s Kansas City Royals in six games. The final game of that World Series scored a 40.0 rating, the highest in World Series history.
Nothing on television gets that rating anymore, at least without a concert in the middle and a Lombardi trophy at the end. And diehard fans shouldn’t care about ratings anyway; we’ll be watching no matter who’s playing. But it is always good for the health of the sport if many people pay attention.
Judge vs. Ohtani would do that. They are the best sluggers in the world, one with the ability to play center field, the other with elite speed on the bases and, just maybe, a chance to pitch in relief. The Dodgers drew the most fans in the majors. The Yankees attracted the most fans in the American League.
Yes, they pay a lot for their rosters, much more than most teams. But the historical echoes would be palpable here, and the teams haven’t met in the World Series in 43 years. It’s time to reignite the best October rivalry with the biggest stars we have.
(Top photo of Shohei Ohtani sliding home against the Yankees: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
