The biggest impact players in the 2024 World Series

By Lachlan Wellington November 05, 2024 14:55

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Many thought that the 2024 World Series between two of the biggest franchises in the sport, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees, would be one for the ages. While there was a lot of attention paid to the series, in terms of a contest this was a no show, the Dodgers triumphing easily 4-1.

This Fall Classic was billed as two heavyweight juggernauts facing off with an abundance of talent on offer. While some of the biggest stars in today's game were on show for both sides, some took this series by the scruff of the neck and others did not- I’m looking at you Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

However, despite some superstars putting up disappointing performances there were plenty of players who did show up. Here are some of the biggest impact players of the 2024 World Series…

Freddie Freeman-

Freeman was voted as the 2024 World Series MVP for a reason. The first baseman set the tone for the series with his walk off Grand Slam off Nestor Cortes in Game 1. Freeman and the Dodgers never really looked back from there. Freeman held a .300 batting average through five World Series games going 6-20 with 12 Runs Batted In (RBI), four home runs, two walks, a .365 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage. In addition to the walk off in Game 1, Freeman made it 4-1 with his solo shot in Game 2, got the scoring started with a two-run shot in Game 3 and brought the game to within two runs at 5-3 in Game 5. He even homered in the one defeat the Dodgers suffered. Without Freeman, the World Series could have been a lot different. His 12 RBI’s tied the Yankees Bobby Richardson from 1960 for most in a World Series.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto-

A lot of expectation and pressure was put on the Japanese star when he joined the Dodgers from the Nippon Baseball League where he played for the Orix Buffaloes. While he struggled on debut Yamamoto came back to hold a 7-2 record with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Yamamoto’s major World Series contribution came in his only start and appearance in Game 2. However, he made the most of this opportunity by outdoing the Yankees Carlos Rodón to put the Dodgers in a commanding position. The Japan native went 6.1 innings allowing only one hit, one earned run, two walks alongside four strikeouts. In stark contrast Rodón only lasted 3.1 innings allowing four earned runs including three home runs, pretty much sealing Game 2 defeat for the Yankees.

Teoscar Hernández-

Teoscar Hernández was an offensive production machine for the Dodgers in the World Series. The left fielder batted .350 average across the five games going 7-20 with one home run, four RBI’s, one run and one walk. The Dominican native finished with a .381 OBP and a .550 slugging percentage.

Tommy Edman-

Talk about a player for the big moments. Edman scored the most runs out of any Dodger in the World Series with six total. Edman also finished with a batting average of .294 and the highest OBP of any player in the World Series with a whopping .400. The man for the moment hit the go ahead homer in Game 2 off Carlos Rodón and scored twice in the Game 5 for the victory. Edman walked three times across the five games, his patience in the pressure cooker a major reason he was able to score so many times.

Walker Buehler-

Buehler was an unlikely World Series hero for the Dodgers. He had struggled in the regular season with a 5.84 ERA and dealt with several injuries keeping him out for several months across the season. However in Game 3 against the Yankees he out-did his opponent Clarke Schmidt with his staline of five innings pitched for two hits, no earned runs, two walks and five strikeouts. We also cannot forget that Buehler came back in for Game 5 and closed out the World Series 7-6 for the Dodgers with two strikeouts to clinch the Championship.

Gerrot Cole-

The only player who makes this list for the Yankees is their ace Gerrit Cole. Despite losing both games that he pitched in going 0-2, Cole put the Yankees in a position to win both games he started- Game 1 and Game 5. The Yankee star only gave up one earned run across the two games with a 0.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP allowing eight hits and four walks across 12.2 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts. Unfortunately defensive errors and his bullpen let him down in both games.