World Series analysis: Despite so much star power, Yankees-Dodgers could be decided by role players

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Gerrit Cole.

Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

No doubt, many of baseball’s biggest names will be center stage when the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers square off in a dream World Series matchup between two of the sport’s most successful and storied franchises.

Huge payrolls, massive media markets, enormous fan bases. New York with the best regular-season record in the American League at 94-68, and Los Angeles tops in the National League at 98-64.

But even with all that star power on the field, this Fall Classic could be decided by the less-celebrated players batting in front of Soto and Judge, and the grind-it-out guys hitting behind Ohtani and Betts. Or the unheralded arms coming out of the bullpen to replace Cole and Yamamoto on the mound.

Some things to watch for when the Yankees and Dodgers meet in the World Series for the 12th time overall and first in 43 years. Game 1 is Friday in Los Angeles:

Leading Off

Yankees: Second baseman Gleyber Torres, who can become a free agent this fall, is playing inspired ball in October after looking lackadaisical at times the past few years. His .400 on-base percentage from the leadoff spot in nine postseason games has been critical to New York’s offensive production, forcing opposing pitchers to face the likes of Soto, Judge and ALCS MVP Giancarlo Stanton with runners aboard. That leaves less margin for error and means fewer opportunities to work around any of the big sluggers.

Dodgers: Ohtani has struck out 17 times in his first postseason, but the $700 million superstar has scored 12 runs in 11 games. He’s batting .286 with three homers, 10 RBIs and a .934 OPS. He homered on consecutive swings at Citi Field in the NLCS, including a leadoff shot in Game 4. What he hasn’t done yet is steal a base, after swiping 59 bags during the regular season to go with his 54 homers, making him the first major leaguer with a 50-50 season. The Yankees have a few left-handers they can use to try to neutralize Ohtani, including starter Carlos Rodón, relievers Tim Hill and Tim Mayza — and Nestor Cortes if he returns from an elbow injury as anticipated.

Who’s on first?

Yankees: After missing the Division Series against Kansas City because of two fractured fingers on his right hand, first baseman Anthony Rizzo returned in the AL Championship Series versus Cleveland and batted .429 (6 for 14) with a double and two walks. The 35-year-old Rizzo has played in 54 postseason games and won a World Series ring with the 2016 Chicago Cubs.

Dodgers: Hard to know what Freddie Freeman can provide even after six days off going into Game 1. The popular first baseman has been playing with a badly sprained right ankle that caused him to miss three NL playoff games, including two of the final three in the NLCS against the Mets. Los Angeles is averaging 9.3 runs per game without him in October. Can that possibly continue? Freeman, an eight-time All-Star and the 2020 NL MVP, is batting .219 with one RBI and no extra-base hits during the postseason. If he sits, the flexible Dodgers could again move Max Muncy from third base to first and put Kiké Hernández at third.

Short story

Yankees: Gold Glove shortstop Anthony Volpe had nine hits and eight walks for a .459 on-base percentage during the AL playoffs — a huge improvement over his .288 career mark in two major league seasons. Volpe’s newfound patience at the plate toward the bottom of the order has helped turn the lineup over and provide RBI chances for the hitters at the top.

Dodgers: Tommy Edman was acquired from St. Louis in late July and played in only 37 games this season because of wrist surgery and a sprained ankle. Filling in at shortstop for injured Miguel Rojas, the switch-hitter found himself in the cleanup spot a couple of times during the NLCS — an unusual choice at 5-foot-10 and 193 pounds with 59 regular-season homers in six big league seasons. But boy, did he deliver. Edman batted .407 with a home run, 11 RBIs and a 1.022 OPS to earn NLCS MVP honors. All-Star catcher Will Smith and slugging outfielder Teoscar Hernández didn’t get going against the Mets until Game 6. And with Freeman struggling or sidelined throughout the series, Edman’s at-bats behind Ohtani and Betts were pivotal. Maybe they will be again.

Arms race

Yankees: New York’s rotation is lined up with Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, likely followed by Rodón, Clarke Schmidt and rookie Luis Gil. Yankees manager Aaron Boone also likes his bullpen, with former castoff Luke Weaver flourishing in his new closer role. Tommy Kahnle has allowed three hits in seven shutout innings this postseason, and Hill has a 1.59 ERA in seven appearances. Big names or not, they all will have their work cut out for them against a powerful and patient Dodgers lineup that drew 42 walks from the Mets — a record for any postseason series.

Dodgers: A rash of pitching injuries has left manager Dave Roberts with just three healthy starters. Jack Flaherty, a July 30 trade acquisition from Detroit, will get the ball in the Series opener. Yamamoto, the $325 million rookie from Japan, goes in Game 2. Besides that it’s Walker Buehler (1-6, 5.38 ERA) and at least one bullpen game in the best-of-seven series. Flaherty is 1-2 with a 7.04 ERA in three postseason starts — though he dominated the Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS. Yamamoto is 1-0 with a 5.11 ERA, also in three outings. Buehler is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in two starts totaling nine innings. Perhaps all that gives the Yankees an advantage on the mound. But the Dodgers won two of their three bullpen games during the NL playoffs — when facing elimination in San Diego, and the NLCS clincher against the Mets. Anthony Banda, Ryan Brasier, Ben Casparius, Daniel Hudson, Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips and Blake Treinen keep getting it done. Don’t sleep on them.

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