20 of the best vintage photos from the Yankees and Dodgers' storied history
Date: 2024-10-24
The Yankees and the Dodgers have faced off in 11 World Series.
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From 1941 to 1981, the Yankees and the Dodgers faced off in 11 World Series.
On Friday, the iconic franchises will meet again for game one of the 2024 World Series.
Here's a look at their historic matchups featuring stars like Jackie Robinson and Mickey Mantle.
The 2024 World Series is primed to be a battle of the coasts as the New York Yankees take on LA Dodgers.
But before 1958, both franchises called New York home, with the Yankees based in the Bronx and the Dodgers based in Brooklyn.
With Hall of Fame stars like Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Joe DiMaggio, and Yogi Berra, the Yankees and Dodgers enjoyed a decades-long rivalry, primarily from the 1940s to the '60s. In total, the teams have faced off in 11 World Series and crafted their legacies as some of the most dominant teams in Major League Baseball.
Today, they are the highest-valued franchises in the league, with the Yankees worth an estimated $7.55 billion and the Dodgers worth an estimated $5.45 billion, Forbes reported in March.
In their first World Series matchup in more than 40 years, two of the game's most dominant players — Yankee Aaron Judge and Dodger Shohei Ohtani — will look to add a new chapter to their team's winning history. (The Yankees have 27 World Series titles to the Dodgers' seven.)
Before they step up to the plate, here's a look at where it all started, from dedicated fans to action-packed plays.
The New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers' first World Series face-off was in 1941.Brooklyn Dodgers fans posed with a scoreboard in 1941.
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Brooklyn Dodgers fans celebrated their team's win over the St. Louis Cardinals and journey to the 1941 World Series, writing, "We're in!!! Bring on those Yanks" on a scoreboard.
At game one, even the bat boys got involved in the budding rivalry.Bat boys Tim Sullivan of the Yankees and Jackie Bodner of the Dodgers engaged in the rivalry.
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The Yankees won game one 3-2 with a home run from Joe Gordon in the bottom of the second inning and two scores from Charlie Keller in the fourth and sixth.
The Yankees went on to win the series four games to one.Yankee Joe DiMaggio slid home during the fourth game of the 1941 World Series.
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After the Dodgers tied the series 1-1, the Yankees rebounded with three straight wins to win the 1941 World Series for their ninth championship title.
Yankee center fielder Joe DiMaggio was named MVP of the American League that season, finishing with 193 hits, 122 runs, and 30 home runs.
Six years later, the Yankees and Dodgers took the 1947 World Series all the way to game seven.The Yankees and the Dodgers have faced off in 11 World Series.
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In 1947, 28-year-old Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers became the first player to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
Robinson and the Dodgers made it all the way to the World Series, going toe-to-toe with the New York Yankees and taking the series to game seven.
Though the Yankees ultimately won the final game 5-2, Robinson was named Rookie of the Year.
During the 1949 World Series, Brooklyn Dodgers center fielder and future Hall of Famer Duke Snider made an impressive catch in game five.Snider jumped to catch a ball during game five of the 1949 World Series.
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However, Snider's catch wasn't enough to give the Dodgers the win, as the Yankees finished the game 10-6 to win the series.
A few years later, Snider made another gravity-defying catch during game four of the teams' 1952 World Series matchup.Duke Snider leaped to catch a ball during game four of the 1952 World Series.
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The 1952 World Series was much more competitive than 1949's run, going all the way to game seven.
Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the Yankees once again won game seven with a final score of 4-2.
Home runs from Mickey Mantle and Gene Woodling, as well as scores from Phil Rizzuto and Gil McDougald helped lift the Yankees to a 4-0 World Series record against the Dodgers.
Dodger Pee Wee Reese and Yankee Phil Rizzuto were two of the league's best.Brooklyn Dodger Pee Wee Reese and New York Yankee Phil Rizzuto selecting sides during the 1952 World Series.
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Reese was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Dodgers retired his number in 1984.
Rizzuto was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Yankees retired his number in 1985.
Dodgers manager Chuck Dressen and Yankees manager Casey Stengel kept things friendly before game one of the 1953 World Series, with actor and comedian Sophie Tucker.Actor and comedian Sophie Tucker shared hugs and kisses with Dodgers manager Chuck Dressen and Yankees manager Casey Stengel.
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The Yankees won game one of the series 9-5, with four runs in the first inning.
Dodgers fans were ready for their team's 1953 World Series matchup.Brooklyn Dodgers fans ahead of game one of the 1953 World Series.
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Dodgers fans' excitement didn't last long, as a lone Yankee fan's sign proved to be right once again with the words, "Bad news again, Dodger fans. Wait till next year."
The Yankees won the 1953 World Series 4-2 for their fifth straight title.
The Dodgers' Jackie Robinson stole home in game one of the 1955 World Series in one of the most iconic plays in baseball history.Jackie Robinson slid home during game one of the 1955 World Series.
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Despite Yankees catcher Yogi Berra's insistence that he'd tagged Robinson, the umpire called Robinson safe in an unforgettable play.
The Yankees still managed to edge out a win 6-5.
But the Dodgers finally got the last word, winning the series in game seven.Brooklyn Dodgers players swarmed around Johnny Podres after the team's 1955 World Series win.
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The Dodgers won game seven 2-0 with scores by Roy Campanella and Pee Wee Reese to bring the team its first-ever World Series title.
Campanella was named the National League MVP in 1955, while pitcher Johnny Podres was named the MVP of the World Series.
This was Jackie Robinson's only championship win of his career.
Yankees pitcher Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history during game five against the Dodgers on October 8, 1956.In 1956, Yankee Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history.
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Larsen threw 97 pitches in his record-making performance in game five.
"They can never break my record. The best they can do is tie it. October 8, 1956, was a mystical trip through fantasyland. Sometimes I still wonder whether it really all happened," Larsen reportedly said, per the MLB.
The New York Yankees went on to win the series in game seven with a 9-0 win, and Larsen was named MVP.
Center fielder Mickey Mantle was a key part of the Yankees' 1956 run.Mantle slid during the 1956 World Series as Pee Wee Reese threw the ball.
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Mantle played a critical role in Larsen's no-hitter, with a catch against Gil Hodges, representing a landmark year for the center fielder.
According to the Yankees, he had "one of the greatest seasons ever at the plate," winning the Triple Crown with 52 home runs, 130 RBI, and a .353 average. He was also the American League MVP.
The Yankees retired Mantle's number in 1969, and he was inducted into the Hall of Hame in 1974.
Five years after moving to Los Angeles, the Dodgers faced the Yankees in the 1963 World Series.LA Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax.
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Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax threw a record 15 strikeouts to win game one of the series 5-2.
The Dodgers went on to sweep the Yankees and win the World Series.Koufax and the Dodgers swept the Yankees to win the 1963 World Series.
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Koufax finished the 1963 season as World Series MVP, National League MVP, and winner of the Cy Young Award, which is given to the best pitchers.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972.
The Yankees and Dodgers wouldn't meet in a World Series again for more than a decade. They reunited in the championship in 1977.Yankee Reggie Jackson hit three home runs during game six of the 1977 World Series.
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The 1977 World Series belonged to Yankees right fielder Reggie Jackson, who earned the nickname "Mr. October" for his performance in series-winning game six on October 18, 1977.
Jackson hit three home runs on three consecutive at-bats against three different pitchers, and the Yankees won the game 8-4.
He was named World Series MVP.
Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles made a shocking catch during the 1978 World Series.Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles during the 1978 World Series.
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In 2021, the MLB listed the 1978 Yankees as having one of the "best postseason pushes" in league history to make it to the World Series.
Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda had a heated exchange with an umpire during game four of the 1978 World Series.Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda argued with the umpire during game four of the 1978 World Series.
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The Yankees ultimately won game four 4-3 and later won the series four games to two for back-to-back championship wins.
Lasorda and the Dodgers got their revenge in the 1981 World Series.Steve Howe, Steve Yeager, and Steve Garvey of the Dodgers celebrated their 1981 World Series win.
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Just as the Yankees rallied in 1978, the Dodgers did the same during their 1981 World Series run, winning the series four games to two and marking the last time these two powerhouses faced off in the championships.
Los Angeles finished game six with a decisive 9-2 victory and the team named three MVPs of the series: Steve Yeager, Pedro Guerrero, and Ron Cey.
For the first time in 40 years, the Yankees and Dodgers will meet again in the World Series.Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani hope to lead their teams to victory in the 2024 World Series.
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Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge and Dodgers pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani are two of the most dominant players in the league, with 58 and 54 home runs during the season, respectively.
They're also two of its highest-paid players, as Ohtani signed a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December 2023 and Judge signed a nine-year, $360 million contract with the Yankees in December 2022.
Judge told reporters on Tuesday that the Dodgers are "a great ball club" and a "complete team," adding that they're fast, athletic, and dynamic.
He also described Ohtani as an "impressive athlete" who's "the best player in the game."
"Definitely looking forward to this matchup," he concluded.
