As the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers clash in the opening game of a three-game series, the stars have come out to shine.
After Yankees captain Aaron Judge hit a home run in the top of the first to give his team the lead, Dodgers stud Shohei Ohtani came up to lead the bottom half of the frame. Ohtani answered Judge's bomb with one of his own, hitting Yankees ace Max Fried's first pitch of the night into the bleachers of Dodger Stadium. ClutchPoints posted the monstrous shot on their X, formerly Twitter, page.
It's not the first time Ohtani has led off a game with a first-pitch moonshot. As the debate over baseball's best player rages on between Ohtani and his Bronx counterpart, each man has shown in Friday's matchup why they are considered to be among the best in the world. At the moment, New York has a 5-2 lead on the hometown Dodgers in the fifth inning. Can they hold on and capture the first game of this World Series rematch?
Could Dodgers, Yankees meet in World Series once more?
At the moment, the odds are favoring Ohtani and Judge to capture their second straight MVP awards in their respective leagues. Another season ending in a Dodgers-Yankees World Series would likely be one of the least surprising outcomes of this season, at least in this instant. As two of the biggest stars on the planet trade shots into the Southern California evening, the baseball world watches with increased intensity. When the star power is as bright as it is in Los Angeles this weekend, anything can happen.
Will this series be the launching pad to another October clash? That is certainly the outcome that both clubs would hope for. For the Dodgers, it would be a shot at back-to-back titles. For the Yankees, a shot at capturing title number 28, extending their MLB record. For all of the players involved, another shot at postseason glory and immortality. For Judge and Ohtani, especially, this season could be yet another chance to write themselves into the history books.
