The 2024 MLB playoffs have been a whirlwind of both emerging and established postseason heroes stepping up in clutch moments, elite closers blowing saves at unprecedented rates, and superstitions taking center stage in the most unexpected ways (especially in the realm of big, purple McAbominations). But as Grimace drew his final breath, 28 fanbases groaned in unison as their greatest fear materialized: a New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers World Series. 

And yet, despite the unsurprising horror at the sight of two coastal powerhouses duking it out on the big stage, baseball could not be in a better position to smash recent ratings records. Immediately during the first two days of the Division Series, MLB saw a 41% boost in viewership compared to prior years. Fox Sports averaged 3.64 million viewers for its National League Division Series coverage, marking the highest ratings since 2014, while TNT Sports saw a 21% increase in viewership for its American League Division Series games, averaging 2.6 million viewers. This rise in viewership comes despite competition from college football and the NFL. The wild-card round also saw a 25% boost in viewership from last year, the best since the expanded version of the round started in 2022.

In large part, this surge can be attributed to the markets making deep runs this season compared to 2023: heavyweights like the Dodgers, Yankees and New York Mets will intuitively attract more viewers than the less popular and less historic Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers. But alongside domestic viewers, this year’s playoffs have generated a substantial foreign audience built off the Japanese stardom getting their time in the limelight. Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres National League Game 5 saw the Nippon Professional Baseball League (NBP) legend Yoshinobu Yamamoto face off against fellow former NBP star Yu Darvish, with Shohei Ohtani headlining the Dodgers’ offense. The game shored up a record-shattering 19.2 rating in Japan, translating to about 13 million viewers. Keep in mind, the game was broadcast at 9:08 a.m. Japan standard time on a weekday. 

But the postseason debut of these Japanese icons was not the only storyline that has enhanced this season’s playoff ratings. On the American League side of things, the Detroit Tigers put together a scrappy Cinderella run, sweeping the heavily favored Houston Astros in an impressive Game 2 comeback despite having a payroll ranked comfortably in the bottom five of all MLB. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the open-wallet Mets were finally able to put together a quality postseason run after an abysmal 0-5 start to the season, riding McDonald’s magic a mere two games short of the World Series. A heated Dodgers-Padres rivalry series saw players taunting fans, trash being lobbed into the outfield, and two fiery offenses tallying up runs galore — until the “little brother” Padres offense went cold and their season died on a whimper. The Cleveland Guardians, boasting one of the best bullpens in recent history, experienced one of the worst bullpen collapses in recent history, as closer Emmanuel Clase seemingly mistook the playoffs for batting practice and surrendered more runs in the five-game Championship series than he had all season. At the very least, though, the Guardians can fly to Cancún, Mexico, knowing they won the most exciting game of the postseason thus far in a 7-5 extra innings thriller versus the Yankees. 

Perhaps shocking to longtime Yankees fans, the Boone-led Bronx Bombers have looked utterly dominant, riding impressive performances from sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto. Newfound closer Luke Weaver has locked down saves behind a mostly effective pitching staff, where ace pitcher Gerrit Cole will be headlining Game 1 of the World Series. But the Dodgers, after a rocky three game start put them one loss from elimination, have had a relatively smooth run themselves. The team managed to go 33 innings without allowing a run — tying the MLB postseason record — behind a steady bullpen in spite of their shaky starting pitching, and the bats of Tommy Edman, Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernandez have been heating up in the clutch. Fortunately for the Yankees, pounding elite bullpens has been a recent specialty, and wearing down the Dodger’s big four of Treinen-Kopech-Hudson-Phillips will be crucial in seeking their 28th ring. Unfortunately for the Yankees, the bats of key players like Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. have resembled pool noodles, and the general sloppiness of the Yankees’ defense and baserunning simply won’t cut it versus Los Angeles. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and one of these famously unclutch rosters will have to overcome their reputation as “choke artists” for good. 

So, in what has been another fantastic season of baseball, it all boils down to this: Ohtani vs. Judge; Roberts vs. Boone; West Coast vs. East Coast; the “Yankees of Baseball” vs. the actual Yankees. The 2024 World Series has the potential to be an all-time classic, as two of the most iconic franchises in history meet again on the big stage for the first time since 1981. Even if you despise both teams, I implore you to enjoy the sights, fights and push-and-pull of what will hopefully be a bloody seven-game October Classic. If you feel so inclined, take the 4 train a few stops southbound next Thursday and enjoy Yankee stadium at its rowdiest, loudest, most fantastically obnoxious: or, if the now $1000+ nosebleed tickets dissuade you, find a screen and pick a team you love-to-love or love-to-hate.