Yankees-Dodgers midsummer set barely resembles highly anticipated World Series

The Yankees and Dodgers met for a three-game set June 7-9 in The Bronx, with Los Angeles taking the first two contests before the hosts won the finale.Here’s a look at some takeaways from the series: While the Aaron Judge-Shohei Ohtani matchup still headlined their three-game set in early June, it lacked other stars who will shape the World Series.

Juan Soto had exited the Yankees’ previous game on June 6 with left forearm discomfort and didn’t play.Clarke Schmidt’s right lat strain had prompted a trip to the injured list.

Gerrit Cole was around 10 days away from his season debut.Carlos Rodon’s turn in the rotation missed the Dodgers by a day.

Jack Flaherty — LA’s Game 1 starter Friday and almost a Yankees acquisition at the deadline — still pitched for the Tigers. The most notable difference in the Dodgers’ Game 1 lineup will involve Mookie Betts.His shortstop experiment was still ongoing during those June games, but it ended in August with a shift back to right field.

That, paired with a Miguel Rojas injury in the NLDS, eventually led to the postseason emergence of NLCS MVP Tommy Edman, hitting .341 in October, at shortstop. The sample size was small — just three games compared to 12- or 13-game splits against divisional foes — but Judge collected a higher OPS (2.351) against the Dodgers than any other 2024 opponent.He went 7-for-11 with three homers and five RBIs.

Ohtani went just 2-for-13 in the series. Giancarlo Stanton added to his playoff legacy with a four-homer, MVP-winning ALCS, but the designated hitter’s October tear will collide with a pitching staff he didn’t record a hit against in 2024 (0-for-14, seven strikeouts).Anthony Rizzo went 0-for-9.

But Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, hitless in the NLCS until his two singles in the clincher, could benefit from facing the Yankees again.He went 6-for-12 — and matched Judge’s three homers — during their regular-season series. In a glimpse of the Dodgers’ ince...