Neutrals should root for …
The same as always: whoever’s playing the Yankees. The Evil Empire may technically be marginal underdogs (48% chance of winning) with the bookmakers but are you really going to root for the team that already has 27 of these things? As well as the bigger payroll (at least technically)? Or are you going to get behind baseball’s best boy, Shohei Ohtani? AE
The Yankees due to the improbable success of their bullpen, and specifically Tim Hill. Hill is the ultimate MLB rags to riches story. Released from the White Sox (who would go on to record the most losses in a season in modern MLB history) in June, the 34-year-old lefty has sidearmed his way to some huge outs in these playoffs. MJ
The Yankees. The good people of New York are still reeling from the indictment against their beloved (OK, maybe not that beloved) mayor, Eric Adams. The city needs a psychological boost in a time of trauma. Plus, with a World Series drought dating to 2009, the Yankees are a quasi-underdog story. AK
Six games is solid, but seven is what you want, complete with ultra-tight, competitive ballgames loaded with juice and bad blood. The Dodgers throwing inside to Aaron Judge. Jazz Chisholm talking smack to anyone and everyone. Belligerent Bronx bleacher creatures taunting Dodger right fielders. And of course, a healthy dose of late inning heroics, bringing us the most complete Fall Classic we’ve had since the Cubs ended their title drought in 2016. DL
What the Yankees need to do to win …
Keep walking. The Yankees walk more than any other team in baseball (10.8% of plate appearances, 4.22 walks per game), and the top two in the lineup, Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto, get more walks than most. Particularly in early innings, that puts pressure on opposing teams – you never really want to pitch to Judge but especially not with men on base. AE
Related: Shohei Ohtani: how the LA Dodgers’ humble, normcore megastar reached baseball’s biggest stage
Continue dialing up the pressure early and often. The Dodgers are their toughest test yet but if the Yankees keep up their sensational on-base percentage, watch out. Torres has reached base in the first inning of eight of the nine Yankees’ playoff games. Also, it’s time for Judge to step it up. MJ
Get a few more innings out of their starting pitchers. The Yankees’…