This past week was filled with excitement and hype for baseball fans across the world. The entire Major League Baseball (MLB) season has led up to this point, with Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers facing Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees in a 7-game series. Although they only played 5 out of the 7 games, they played remarkable baseball and made watching the series worthwhile. The series was filled with exceptionally talented players, some of whom are the best in the game of baseball.
However, many believe that the matchup between Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani was nothing less than a disappointment. Fans for both teams were eagerly waiting for a thrilling display of power hitting. Instead, the fans were disappointed, with neither Judge nor Ohtani producing explosive performances. Yankees fans are angered at the “lack of effort” the Yankees staff put into the World Series. One Yankee fan, in particular, interfered with the game through his unacceptable behavior. He attempted to pry the ball out of the glove of Los Angeles Dodgers Right Fielder Mookie Betts. The interference created chaos on the field, with both teams being frustrated. The incident reminded fans that they need to respect the game, even if they are passionate about their team.
Here, at Morris Knolls, opinions about the series were a myriad of emotions. Many opinions on the subject were expressed, with Yankees fans showing their disappointment after losing 4 out of the 5 games in this series. Social media was flooded with disappointment from the fans, and criticism of both the manager and bullpen was out of control. This struggle left a lasting impact on not only Yankees fans but fans of the sport in general. Jack Carney, a Junior, shared his opinion on the World Series.
He shared, “The talent of the Dodgers did not win the World Series, but it was the mishaps of Aaron Boone who lost the World Series. A lot of hot hitters at the time were underperforming, like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.”
The remarks made by Jack were shared by many. Although the Dodgers did have an exceptional roster, their talent alone was not the entire reason why they won the World Series. Their journey throughout the season was filled with ups and downs, and it required the team to be headstrong when handling unexpected situations. However, the Yankees did not put up much of a fight against the Dodgers. According to Junior Jack Whitney, the Yankees’ effort was “poor”. While watching the series, it seemed that the Yankees were unable to match the intensity and energy of the Dodgers, which are two crucial factors in winning a baseball game. The team missed several opportunities, was inconsistent with their pitching, and struggled to keep pace.
Ten students from Morris Knolls who were fans of the sport filled out a survey consisting of 2 questions.
The first question asked, “Who do you think will win the World Series?” All of the ten respondents stated that the Dodgers were going to win the World Series, even though some of the participants were Yankees fans. The second question asked, “Who do you want to win the World Series?” which is seen in the picture to the right. As shown, 70% of the respondents wanted the Yankees to win. The results were interesting, to say the least. Many students from the Morris Knolls community were rooting for the Yankees in the World Series, but they were not confident that they would win, given the team’s history in the ALDS (American League Division Series) and ALCS (American League Championship Series). Even with the limited data shown, the results express the opinions of Morris Knolls on the 2024 World Series. It is evident that the World Series, despite some being negative, brought about strong emotions among all baseball fans.
In the end, the 2024 World Series incited a rollercoaster of emotions for baseball fans worldwide. Despite the excitement surrounding the matchup, the series was disappointing because it did not meet anyone’s expectations. Even though the Dodgers won the World Series through hard work and determination, the Yankees did not perform to the best of their ability. For now, the Dodgers will end 2024 with a World Series win. Will next season be a road to redemption for the Yankees?
