4:23 AM UTC
David Adler
@_dadlerNEW YORK -- First place vs. first place. Rival vs. rival.
The Yankees-Dodgers series at Yankee Stadium this weekend has already begun with a classic, and there will surely be more memorable moments before it’s all said and done. It's one of baseball's most historic rivalries. There are MVP candidates on both sides. And both teams are powerhouses in 2024.
In Game 1 of the series, a pitcher’s duel broke out amidst two of the most powerful lineups in the game. Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed seven scoreless innings, yielding just two hits while walking two and striking out seven. Cody Poteet started for the Yankees and threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings before giving way to the bullpen, which continued to shut down the Dodgers’ vaunted lineup for another 5 1/3 frames.
Finally, in the top of the 11th, Teoscar Hernández broke the stalemate with a two-run double that proved to be the difference in a 2-1 Dodgers win.
Even with the loss, the Bronx Bombers own the best record in the American League at 45-20. They're led by their captain, Aaron Judge, whose 21 home runs are the most in MLB, and whose 1.091 OPS is the best in MLB. Juan Soto -- who was out of the starting lineup on Friday with left forearm inflammation -- is second in the AL with a .318 batting average and second in the Majors with a .424 on-base percentage.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, are in first place in the National League West once again at 40-25. They're the reigning division champions, and they are looking for their 11th NL West title in the last 12 seasons. They have a trio of MVPs in Shohei Ohtani, who is batting .312 with 15 home runs and a .955 OPS, Mookie Betts, who's batting .312 with 10 homers and a .924 OPS, and Freddie Freeman, who's batting .291 with eight homers and an .880 OPS.
When the Yankees and Dodgers clashed last season at Dodger Stadium, the Yankees took two of the three games. Until Friday night, the two teams hadn’t faced off at Yankee Stadium since 2016; the Dodgers took two of three in that series. Since they first met in regular-season Interleague play in 2004, the series is even at 10-10.
Of course, there are also the 11 World Series meetings between the longtime rivals, of which the Yankees have won eight. Will this series in New York be a preview of No. 12 in 2024?
Here are the matchups for every game of Dodgers-Yankees this weekend, plus how to watch.
Saturday -- 7:35 p.m. ET on FOX
Dodgers: RHP Gavin Stone (6-2, 2.90 ERA, 47 K)
Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (3-4, 3.46 ERA, 74 K)
Stone is having a breakout season in his first full year in the Los Angeles rotation. The 25-year-old has allowed one run or fewer in six of his last seven starts, and he is coming off back-to-back scoreless outings against the Mets and Rockies.
Nasty Nestor loves pitching in front of the home crowd at Yankee Stadium. Cortes is 3-1 with a 1.12 ERA and 40 strikeouts in six starts in the Bronx this season, compared to 0-3 with a 6.17 ERA and 34 strikeouts in seven starts on the road.
Sunday -- 7:10 p.m. ET on ESPN
Dodgers: RHP Tyler Glasnow (6-4, 2.93 ERA, 104 K)
Yankees: RHP Luis Gil (8-1, 1.82 ERA, 85 K)
The series finale is a marquee pitching matchup: one of baseball's most dominant strikeout artists vs. a breakout Cy Young candidate.
Glasnow leads MLB with 104 strikeouts in his debut season with the Dodgers. He's the only pitcher in the Majors who's already over the century mark in K's.
Gil stepped in with ace Gerrit Cole injured and has led the way in the Yankees rotation. The electric 26-year-old is even in the Triple Crown mix -- Gil leads the AL in ERA, is tied for second in wins with teammate Carlos Rodón and ranks fifth in strikeouts.
Friday -- Dodgers 2, Yankees 1 (11 innings)
Yamamoto was brilliant over seven scoreless innings, but the Yankees, between Poteet’s start and a stellar effort by the bullpen, matched the Dodgers on the scoreboard with zeroes until the fateful 11th inning. That’s when Hernández came through with a two-run double to left-center field off Yankees reliever Ian Hamilton.
The Yanks got one back thanks to an RBI single from Aaron Judge in the bottom of the 11th, but Yohan Ramírez struck out Giancarlo Stanton and got Anthony Rizzo to pop-out in foul territory to end a thriller of a Game 1.
