By Nicolas Mezzaucella
Two of baseball’s most historic franchises will face off in the World Series for the 12th time. Both teams entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seeds in their respective leagues and have rosters led by some of the game’s biggest stars.
The University of Tampa students have back and forth feelings about their predictions on who will win the World Series. In addition to asking students their predictions, there were questions surrounding who they think will play the hero, and their answers did not disappoint.
“I think the Yankees get it done in six,” said sophomore Nic Van Leeuwen. “Both teams have had great offenses throughout the playoffs, but the Dodgers haven’t seen starting pitching like the Yankees. I also think the Yankees are finally getting the production from the bottom of the order they need to win. If anyone’s going to play the hero for them, I think it’s going to be Anthony Volpe. He’s been great throughout the playoffs, and his timely hitting may end up winning a game for the Yanks.”
The Yankees, led by expected American League MVP Aaron Judge, will look to win their first World Series since 2009 and the 28th in team history. The team finished with a record of 94-68, granting them the No. 1 seed in the American League for the playoffs. Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton have had historic playoff runs so far, along with the Yankee pitching staff, which has led the team to series wins over the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians.
“I’m from New York, and I grew up a Yankees fan, so I think the Yankees will finally bring it home,” said sophomore Lorenzo Rogliano. “I feel like both teams are pretty evenly matched, I mean they both have great lineups led by three all time greats … I think that Aaron Judge is finally going to get his signature Yankee moment and cement himself as one of the all time Yankee greats in this series.”
The Dodgers enter the World Series looking to win their eighth Commissioner’s Trophy, their first since the 2020 shortened season. Just like the Yankees, the Dodgers are led by expected National League MVP Shohei Ohtani, and their supporting cast of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto helped lead the team to an MLB-best record of 98-64. The Dodgers have had a tougher time in the playoffs so far, being pushed to game five by the San Diego Padres in the division series before beating the New York Mets in six games to advance to the World Series.
“I want the Yankees to get it done, but I think the Dodgers are going to be too much for them,” said junior Louis Varsames. “With the way they’ve been hitting in the playoffs, I can see their lineup overwhelming the Yankees pitching. We’ve seen what happens when the Yankees bullpen hits a rough patch, and I think one bad game could cause the bullpen to implode for the whole series. This is also the biggest spotlight Ohtani has played in, and I can see him having an all-time great series. I think he finally gets the ring to prove to himself and the fans that he’s one of the all time best players to step on a diamond.”
The Dodgers won Games 1 and 2 of the World Series to take a 2-0 lead. Game 3 will take place at Yankee Stadium on Monday night.
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Photo courtesy of MLB.com