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World Series Predictions & Preview 2024: Who Will Step Up in Battle of Baseball Giants?

Mike Spector

Last Updated: October 25, 2024 8:52 AM EDT • 6 min 14 sec read.

Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts during the team workout prior to Game 1 of the World Series, and we're offering our World Series predictions for this exciting matchup between the Yankees and Dodgers.
Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts during the team workout prior to Game 1 of the World Series. Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea via Imagn Images.

The top seeds from both the American League and National League advanced to set up a star-studded heavyweight World Series matchup, as the 98-win Los Angeles Dodgers have homefield advantage over the 94-win New York Yankees.

  • This is the 12th time (but first since 1981) that the Yankees and Dodgers have met in the World Series, with New York winning eight of the previous 11
  • For the first time in World Series history, it features two players who each hit 50-plus home runs during the regular season (Aaron Judge with 58, Shohei Ohtani with 54)
  • The Dodgers are playing in their fourth World Series in the last eight seasons and are slight favorites to win it

The World Series action kicks off on Friday night from Dodger Stadium, with first pitch for Game 1 expected for 8:08 p.m. ET (FOX). It will follow a 2-3-2 format, with the first two and last two games (if necessary) being played in Los Angeles. 

Our Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series predictions expect Los Angeles to prove why it won the most games of any team in the regular season, and to help legitimize its 2020 World Series title from the COVID-shortened year.

We explored all the most exciting betting markets for this year's Fall Classic with our World Series odds and betting lines and made our Game 1 picks in our Yankees vs. Dodgers prediction.

And if you want to know what baseball analysts across the industry think will happen, be sure to check out our World Series expert picks, as well as our World Series staff picks for more on what the SBR team predicts.  

2024 World Series best bets

MLB odds via our best MLB betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale.

Market My pick Best odds
World Series winner Dodgers to win -120 via Caesars
World Series correct score Dodgers 4, Yankees 3 +475 via DraftKings
World Series MVP Mookie Betts +900 via DraftKings
My World Series best bet Gerrit Cole to record the most strikeouts in the series +270 via FanDuel

Who will win the World Series?

Dodgers ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds:  | Implied probability: 54.55%

Roberts’ best team?

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he believes this year’s Dodgers team is the best he's ever managed. That's saying something, considering this is his ninth season managing in Los Angeles, and he's had five teams win 100-plus games.

This 2024 team has the same nucleus of those Dodgers teams that entered the season having won 100 or more games in three straight years. And it added $1 billion worth of free agents, with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto ready to make the biggest impact among those in the Fall Classic.

The Yankees don’t have a big pitching edge

Most who are picking the Yankees with our World Series expert picks are doing so because they are citing New York’s edge in starting pitching.

Out of necessity, Los Angeles has had to mix in bullpen games regularly, with just three healthy starting pitchers it trusts at the moment (Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, and Walker Buehler). However, this is still the same Dodgers staff that tied the MLB postseason record with 33 consecutive scoreless innings in this playoffs, and one that has thrown four shutouts thus far.

One can also make the argument that the Dodgers’ bullpen is much deeper than the Yankees’, as New York manager Aaron Boone typically uses Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver in most high-leverage spots. However, it is fair to question those two righties’ mentalities entering this series, as each gave up key runs in big spots in the ALCS.

Dodgers getting production from all over the lineup

Los Angeles has three MVPs (Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman when healthy) batting atop its lineup, but it was an unsung hero in Tommy Edman who won NLCS MVP honors.

Edman batted .407 in the NLCS and became the third player ever with at least 11 hits and 11 RBIs in a single postseason series. But the team has also gotten key contributions from Enrique Hernandez (slashing .303/.378/.485 this postseason), as well as big home runs from Max Muncy (who also set a playoff record with 12 consecutive plate appearances reaching base) and Will Smith.

L.A.’s World Series odds are juiced as high as -130 (carrying a 56.52% implied probability) at Caesars and BetMGM. I am headed to FanDuel for this wager as it is the only one of our best sports betting sites at which one can back the Dodgers at better than -125 odds.

World Series correct score

Dodgers 4, Yankees 3 ⭐⭐

Best odds: | Implied probability: 17.39%

Plenty of World Series have gone the distance in the last decade

Though none of the last four World Series have gone the distance, four of the last 10 overall went to a decisive seventh game.

The Dodgers are the favorites in this series, but the Yankees should make it a battle given their better record against teams over .500. New York went an MLB-best 55-38 against winning teams this season, while Los Angeles was slightly worse at 51-41.

Bullpen games should even the playing field

Usually the Yankees bank on wins in Gerrit Cole starts, but they are as high as +110 underdogs in Game 1 with their ace on the mound. That will put more of an emphasis on winning the games in which Los Angeles uses an opener, and New York figures to have more options for pitchers to throw bulk innings with Nestor Cortes being added to the World Series roster.

Who'll be the World Series MVP?

Mookie Betts ⭐⭐

Best odds: +900 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 10.00%

Betts leads the team in several categories

Through 11 postseason games thus far, Mookie Betts leads all Dodgers hitters in total bases (29, eight more than the next-closest hitter), home runs (four), slugging (.659), and OPS (1.063).

Odds show great value

Betts has an innate ability to jump off the state sheet, just like he did in a Game 3 win in the NLCS, when he became the third Dodger ever to produce four or more hits and drive in four-plus runs in a postseason game.

There is a huge gap between DraftKings’ +900 odds and Caesars’ +625 odds for Betts to take home World Series MVP honors. And DraftKings is the only one of our best sports betting apps offering better than +750 odds for Betts to capture MVP honors.

Compared to Shohei Ohtani’s World Series MVP odds that are +200 at DraftKings, the much better value lies with Betts.

My World Series best bet

Gerrit Cole to record the most strikeouts ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: +270 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 27.03%

Cole has a great chance to make three starts

Cole is lined up to pitch Game 1, which means depending on how the series goes, he may be called upon to pitch on short rest in Games 4 and 7. That is a lot more feasible this year compared to other years, since Cole did not make his first start until late June this season and threw only 95 innings in the regular season.

Cole recorded four strikeouts in each of his three postseason starts to this point. But since I expect the series to go seven games, Cole is the most likely of any starting pitcher in this series to make three appearances.

Passing on the Dodgers’ pitchers

Jack Flaherty has the shortest odds (+240) of any pitcher in this market. And while his 11.2 K/9 rate with the Tigers this season was on pace to be his career-best, it dipped to a 9.9 K/9 rate in 10 regular-season starts with the Dodgers.

I was tempted to back Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s +440 odds, especially since he likely to make two starts if the series goes at least six games. While his eight-strikeout performance against the Mets in the NLCS was impressive, he has recorded 13 or fewer outs in two of three postseason starts, and has never pitched on less than five days’ rest this season.

2024 World Series info

Who's playing in the World Series?

The Yankees earned the top seed in the AL playoffs by winning 94 games and finishing three games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East. Many would argue that New York had one of the easiest paths to the World Series in recent memory, beating the Kansas City Royals in four games and the Cleveland Guardians in five in the ALCS.

The Dodgers won an MLB-best 98 games this season, though they did not put away the San Diego Padres in the NL West division race until the final series of the season. Los Angeles avenged an 8-5 regular-season series loss to the Padres by beating them in five games in the NLD before outlasting the New York Mets in six games in the NLCS.

Who's the World Series favorite?

The Dodgers have anywhere from a 54.55% implied probability to win the World Series based on Caesars' -120 odds to a 56.52% implied probability based on BetMGM’s -130 odds.

Where will the World Series be held?

The Dodgers have home-field advantage in the World Series by virtue of winning the most games in the regular season.

Games 1 and 2 will be played in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium on Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26.

The series then shifts to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for Games 3 and 4 on Monday, Oct. 28 and Tuesday, Oct. 29. If necessary, Game 5 is also at Yankee Stadium while the series would conclude with the final two games, Games 6 and 7, from Dodger Stadium.

All games start at 8:08 p.m. ET.

World Series schedule

  • Game 1: Friday, Oct. 25 (Dodger Stadium)
  • Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 26 (Dodger Stadium)
  • Game 3: Monday, Oct. 28 (Yankee Stadium)
  • Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 29 (Yankee Stadium)
  • Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 30 (Yankee Stadium)*
  • Game 6: Friday, Nov. 1 (Dodger Stadium)*
  • Game 7: Saturday, Nov. 2 (Dodger Stadium)*

Who won last year's World Series?

The Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games in the 2023 World Series to capture their first title in franchise history.

MLB betting odds pages

Here are our best MLB betting sites:

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* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

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Written By:
Mike Spector
Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”