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Shohei Ohtani & Aaron Judge Combining To Make World Series History As Players With 50 Home Runs

Matt Borelli
3 Min Read

The 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees will have plenty of star power, with Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts and Juan Soto set to showcase their talent on baseball’s biggest stage.

Ohtani and Judge both enjoyed historic seasons and should be the overwhelming favorites to win the MVP Award in their respective leagues at the end of the year.

Judge led all of baseball with 58 home runs, falling four shy of the American League single-season record he set in 2022. Ohtani led the National League with 54 home runs and also stole 59 bases to become the first player in MLB history to join the 50-50 club.

Thus, Judge and Ohtani have combined to make World Series history as the first time each team will have a player who hit at least 50 home runs during the regular season. The closest MLB has come to this feat was the 1956 World Series, when Yankees legend Mickey Mantle hit 52 home runs and Brooklyn Dodgers All-Star Duke Snider had 43.

The 2024 World Series also represents the sixth time that each league’s home run leader will face off against each other. The last time it happened was in 1956, when Mantle and Snider were on opposing sides.

Game 1 of the World Series is set for Friday night at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will also host Game 2 before the Fall Classic shifts to Yankee Stadium for Games 3 and 4, and a fifth matchup if necessary.

The World Series would return to Dodger Stadium for a potential Game 6 and 7.

Aaron Judge praises Shohei Ohtani

Judge recently praised Ohtani for all that he is able to do on the field. “I feel like everything is obvious,” answered Judge when asked what he admires about Ohtani that wouldn’t necessarily be so clear.

“Hits for average, hits for power, the speed. Doing what he did this year with the 50 stolen bases, it got talked about a lot, but I don’t think it got talked about enough. He’s an impressive athlete and the best player in the game.

“What an ambassador for this sport.”

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Matt Borelli covers the Los Angeles Dodgers as a staff writer for Dodger Blue and holds similar responsibilities for Lakers Nation, a sister site with an emphasis on the Los Angeles Lakers. He also contributes to RamsNewswire.com and RaidersNewswire.com. An avid fantasy sports player, Matt is a former 2014 MLB Beat the Streak co-champion. His favorite Dodgers moment, among a list of many, is Clayton Kershaw's no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies in 2014. Follow him on Twitter: @mcborelli.