It hadn’t really hit me how long it had been since the Dodgers and Yankees met in the world series. It came when the question to Mookie Betts on the Fox post game was framed with “A match up that hasn’t happened in your life time”. That’s a long time.
In the eleventh series between the two, and the last, the 1981 Fernando Valenzuela rookie season Dodgers won for just the 3rd time against the Yanks, they were previously 2-8. Los Angeles had lost back to back in 1977 and ’78. That was forty-three years ago.
In game six of the the ’77 series, Mr. October became Mr. October. Reggie Jackson, Three home runs, three pitchers, three straight pitches as the Yankees closed out the Dodgers again. Notable as well as Billy Martin’s only title as a manager.
In 1963, Sandy Koufax went all MVP in a Dodgers sweep, the lefty going the distance in both games one and three days later in Game 4. The Dodgers had been 1-6 previously vs the Yanks.
1955 had been the only other Dodgers victory and their only series win in Brooklyn. It had been torture getting there. They had been bested by the Yankees in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953.
Jackie Robinson set the tone in game one, stealing home, called safe, much to the protests of Yankees catcher Yogi Berra.
It didn’t take long to wipe that away. The next season the Bombers beat them again. Then nothing until the series in 1963.
But 1955 was a special time at Ebbets Field, the Dodgers neighborhood Park in Brooklyn. Great Dodgers won their only world series together. Roy Campanella, Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo and Don Newcombe.
The Yankees grabbed everything else around that Brooklyn win, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and solid pitching from a Whity Ford led pitching staff.
Yankees owned world series 1949-1964
The Yankees missed only two world series between 1949 and 1964, take a moment to read that again. Other than Cleveland in 1954 and the White Sox in 1959. From 1949 to 1964. they played in fourteen world series in 16 years.
For all those world series they have played with or without one another, both have fallen on lean times when it comes to flying a series winning banner,.
The Dodgers 2020 Pandemic title was their only one since 1988. The Yankees last won in 2009, their record 28th and their only one since 2000. One title in 24 years.
They are about to match up for a record 12th time, America’s largest cities talking baseball. Talking Ohtani, Mookie, Judge and Soto. Dodgers/Yankees. You love them, you hate them, I’m betting you’ll watch them.
