Remember when playing the Yankees used to be a big deal for the other 29 Major League Baseball teams? Remember when the Yankees’ annual visit mattered in those 29 cities? Well, shift to the West Coast these days. The Dodgers wear the mantle now.
On Friday night, the Dodgers improved to 62-36 with a 2-1 victory over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers did what the Yankees of the ’90s used to do. They got timely hitting on Max Muncy’s seventh-inning two-run home run, and Roki Sasaki outpitched Gerrit Cole.
Today’s Dodgers look and feel like the Yankees of yesteryear. Who could forget hearing about the Yankees’ mystique and aura, and Curt Schilling mocking those buzzwords as dancers in a nightclub when asked about it in the 2001 World Series? That was when the Yankees instilled the fear of God in other teams, where a team had to play nine innings and get 27 outs to beat them. They always had that psychological advantage, too, especially in the late innings against an opposing team’s bullpen, as Arthur Rhodes, Armando Benitez, and Jorge Julio could attest.
That was when they won championships in the 1990s. But after winning their last championship in 2009, the Yankees have become a more ordinary team, despite the local media and their fanbase still insisting there’s plenty of greatness about them.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are now the team the Yankees once were and aspire to be again. A team that is in a position to three-peat. A team that gets all the stars now, such as Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and old friend Edwin Diaz. A team that we love to hate. A team that brings its star power. They have become a focal point for the potential baseball lockout in 2027, following the same player-buying strategies that Yankees owner George Steinbrenner used in his time. The Yankees, meanwhile, still carry their own star power and history, even if they are not that team right now.
The Yankees and Dodgers are the betting favorites to play in the World Series this year. Here’s the rub: Does anyone seriously think the Yankees can beat the Dodgers, especially if Aaron Judge may not play this season with a nagging rib injury?
The Dodgers have a strong roster, with depth in the starting lineup, starting pitching, and bullpen. Meanwhile, the Yankees’ lineup doesn’t scare anyone outside of Judge. With the Dodgers, there are no easy outs, and you can make a case that it’s tougher to pitch to Andy Pages, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernandez, and Tommy Edman than to Mookie Betts, Freeman, and Ohtani. Their role players know how to reach base and draw walks, the way the Yankees’ role players from their dynasty years used to.
Graphic courtesy Barstool Sports
It’s even when you compare both teams’ starting rotations. But if the Yankees can acquire Tigers ace Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline, they will have a better starting rotation than the Dodgers. Getting him should be a priority for the Yankees, even if he’s a rental. The Dodgers still have the edge for now, but the gap would narrow quickly.
The Yankees’ bullpen is beatable, while the Dodgers’ pen can finish out a game, even with Diaz on the injured list with elbow surgery. Put it this way. Does the Yankees closer scare anyone other than Yankees fans? Mariano Rivera isn’t walking through the door anymore.
Here are the other things that stand out when you compare both baseball monoliths:
The Dodgers spend money to put on a premium product. The Yankees tend to scrimp in certain areas, such as the bullpen. Both franchises still invest heavily, but they do it in different ways. Plus, the Dodgers know how to develop young players much better than the Yankees. The Yankees, though, still have their own strengths in building established talent.
Honestly, there’s a clear comparison. It’s understandable when Yankees fans and the local media overrate the Bronx Bombers here. Besides, the Dodgers and their fans don’t even take the Yankees seriously. That’s a sharp sign of the gap between them.
The Yankees haven’t scared anybody in a long time. What you see is a team plagued by country club disease, where winning championships is no longer the goal, causing players to become complacent. If George Steinbrenner were alive, there’s no way he would tolerate what has gone on over the last two decades. He would relish the challenge of doing whatever it takes to unseat the Dodgers on the scoreboard and get the best players.
Steinbrenner’s son Hal doesn’t have that desire. He’s making money. That’s the only thing he cares about. For him to say that two years ago was a success just for making the World Series is an insult to his father, who worked hard to make the Yankees his Mona Lisa. The elder Steinbrenner may not have been perfect, but no one can deny his passion for winning. By contrast, that passion is what the Dodgers seem to match right now.
The Dodgers just do everything better. They created a culture where winning is the only thing. Their young players follow the lead of the veterans in doing their job of winning games. It’s what the Yankees of the 90s used to do, and it’s what the Yankees still want to get back to.
That’s the difference between two proud franchises, even if they show it in different ways. It’s not just the scoreboard, but it’s the actions that tell you everything about both teams.
