World Series Pitching Matchups Set For Games 1 and 2

The matchup between 50-plus home run hitters Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge is historic. But when it comes to which team is going to emerge as World Series champion, the matchups on the mound are likely to have the biggest impact.

Game 1 – Friday at Dodger Stadium

Gerrit Cole – New York Yankees

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is the obvious choice to be the starting pitcher in Game 1. This is why the Yankees paid him $36 million this season, and it’s why he is under contract to make another $36 million for each of the next four years.

Cole won the Cy Young in 2023, he’s been an All-Star six times, and Friday’s start in Game 1 will be his 20th postseason start. He’s 11-6 all-time with an ERA of 2.98, and 1-1 in two career World Series starts. In this postseason, Cole has made three starts, pitched 16.1 innings, and given up six earned runs.

In 4.1 innings in his one start in the ALCS, Cole struck out four batters. His over/under on strikeouts in Game 1 is 4.5, and if he throws as many as seven strikeouts, you can get odds up to +295. He is paying +210 to get the win, and -300 to take a loss or a no-decision.

Cole is +2500 to win the World Series MVP

Jack Flaherty – Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are sending trade deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty to the mound in Game 1. He came to L.A. on July 30 from the Detroit Tigers, and while he wasn’t as good in his 10 Dodgers starts as he was in his 18 Tigers starts, his overall season was excellent.

Flaherty, who grew up in the L.A. area, won a career-high 13 games in his 28 starts. His 3.17 ERA was his best since 2019, and his 194 strikeouts in 162.0 innings was the best strikeout rate of his career. The Dodgers are his third team since he was traded last year by the St. Louis Cardinals, and this is the first time he will pitch in the World Series. He has seven career postseason starts, including three this year. He has not been great this postseason, giving up 12 earned runs in 15.1 innings pitched.

Flaherty’s over/under on strikeouts on Friday is 4.5, and he is at +265 to throw seven or more. Flaherty is +255 to get the win, and -380 to end the game with the loss or a no-decision.

Flaherty is paying +5000 to win the World Series MVP.

Game 2 – Saturday at Dodger Stadium

Carlos Rodón – New York Yankees

In Game 2 for the Yankees, they will put left-hander Carlos Rodón on the hill. He is another big-money signing for the Yankees. But unlike Cole, Rodón has not always pitched up to his contract. Before the 2023 season, he signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees, then spent the season in deep struggles, finishing with an ERA of 6.85.

Rodón has been better in 2024, going 16-9 over 32 starts with an ERA of 3.96. But he hasn’t been the pitcher he was for the San Francisco Giants in 2022 or the Chicago White Sox in 2021. A big reason for that, and a concern heading into the World Series, is the 31 home runs he gave up in 2024. It’s a continuation of one of his problems in 2023, when he gave up 15 home runs in 14 starts.

Rodón has made three postseason starts this year, giving up two home runs and seven earned runs in 14.1 innings. He had a bad outing in the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals. But he pitched well in his two starts in the ALCS, striking out 15 batters in 10.2 innings.

Rodón is paying +6000 to win the World Series MVP.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers outbid the Yankees, as well as everyone else, for the services of Japanese star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He signed with them this off-season for 12 years and $325 million, and for the most part, he was what the Dodgers hoped he would be.

Yamamoto finished the season with a 3.00 ERA and a strikeout rate of 28.5%. But he only made 18 starts. Yamamoto was out injured for almost three full months, and after he returned to the mound in September, he made it to the fifth inning only once in five starts.

He has made three starts in the postseason, and the Dodgers won all three. He was excellent in Game 5 of the NLDS, throwing five shutout innings in the series clincher for the Dodgers. In Game 4 of the NLCS, he gave up two earned runs in 4.1 innings, striking out eight Mets. The Dodgers won that game, 10-2.

Like Rodón, Yamamoto would be on schedule to make a second start in Game 6, should the series go that far. Yamamoto is paying +8000 to win the World Series MVP.