The World Series rematch between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers got off to a perfect start, if you enjoy superstars doing what they do best.
Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, both reigning MVPs favored to take home the award again in 2025, traded home runs in the first inning of a three-game series between last year’s World Series participants. They were the opening shot of a dramatic 8-5 win for the Dodgers.
Judge struck first, going yard against Tony Gonsolin for his 19th homer of the season, tying him with Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh for the American League lead. Raleigh homered minutes later to take the lead back with 20.
Then came Ohtani, crushing a first pitch from Max Fried, something he is in the habit of doing these days, for his MLB-best 21st homer of the season.
Dodger Stadium was definitely enjoying itself, but the loudest cheers might have been coming from the MLB league office. Per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, it was the second game in MLB history that both reigning MVPs homered, joining Barry Bonds and Miguel Tejada in 2003.
Ohtani homered again in the sixth inning, his 22nd of the season and 15th of May. The latter mark ties him with Pedro Guerrero (June 1985) and Duke Snider (August 1953) for the most in a month in Dodgers history.
A year after MLB’s first 50-50 season, Ohtani is on pace for a 63-homer, 32-steal season, which would also be unprecedented. That homer was also the first run of the Dodgers’ four-run inning to take the lead in another comeback win over the Yankees.
Friday was the first game of a weekend series between MLB’s two premier franchises, and the Yankees’ first chance for some payback. As baseball fans might remember, the Dodgers beat the Yankees in five games in the 2024 World Series — with the Yankees beating themselves in Game 5 — and were not shy about how little they thought of their opponent over the offseason.
The Yankees took some umbrage, and are now off to a 35-20 start that has them atop the AL East by seven games. The Dodgers entered Friday sitting at 34-22 with a two-game lead in the NL West.
Friday also could have been the first MLB game to feature three MVPs in each lineup — Judge, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt vs. Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman — but a stubbed toe knocked Betts out for the game. He’ll undergo X-rays, with a chance to still make history this weekend if they come back clean.
Both teams have struggled with injuries this season, but as long as Judge and Ohtani are around, the series won’t lack for starpower.
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