For the eighth time in franchise history, the Los Angeles Dodgers are world champions. The Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in five games to claim their second World Series trophy in the last five seasons.

L.A. has become one of MLB’s better franchises over the last decade. They’ve run into postseason trouble during that span. But winning in October isn’t easy. That’s what makes winning so satisfying. The Dodgers had been bashed for their playoff stumbles. Now, they’re on top of the baseball world, yet again.

For the Yankees, it was a tough way to end their season. They were appearing in their first World Series since 2009. There wasn’t much that went right for New York. Outside of a few innings in Games 4 and 5, the Yankees didn’t look good. It was surprising to see.

With that, here are three takeaways from the 2024 edition of the Fall Classic.

Yankees defense, yikes.

During the regular season, the Yankees were one of the better defensive teams in baseball, according to advanced metrics. Per FanGraphs, they finished the year with 31 defensive runs saved and nine outs above average. But their defense in the World Series wasn’t so good. It cost them, big time.

Defensive miscues in Game 1 haunted the Yankees. Juan Soto misplayed a pair of fly balls and made a questionable throw in the eighth inning. Two innings later, a bad play by second baseman Oswaldo Cabrera resulted in a hit. A few batters later, Freddie Freeman walked the game off with a grand slam. New York gave L.A. extra bases, and outs, resulting in runs.

The defense cost the Yankees yet again in Game 5. Up 5-0 in the fifth, three errors opened the floodgates. Aaron Judge couldn’t squeeze a ball in his glove for an out. Anthony Volpe made a bad throw to third base, all runners were safe on the play. With the bases loaded and two outs, a groundball off the bat of Mookie Betts should’ve ended the inning. It didn’t. As Anthony Rizzo fielded the ball, nobody was covering first base. Rizzo was expecting help. Miscommunication led to a Dodgers run. Four more scored, tying the game.

In the eighth inning, catcher’s interference by Austin Wells gave Shohei Ohtani first base. Betts drove in a run – the series-clinching run – on a sac fly in the next at-bat. Extra life was given to the Dodgers again.

All the small things matter, especially in October. Not being able to make simple defensive plays hurt the Yankees at the worst time possible.

Freddie Freeman, wow.

Late in the season, Freeman suffered an ankle sprain. It was bad. He tried to play through the pain, but he missed some games prior to the start of the World Series.

Through the NLCS, Freeman was 7-for-32. All his hits were singles. His ankle wasn’t allowing him to drive the ball. But things changed in the World Series, starting with his first at-bat.

Freeman tripled in the first inning of Game 1. There was a clear hitch in his step as he hustled around the bases. There was a clear hitch in his step later in the night, too. Freeman launched a ball into the right-field seats for a walk-off grand slam. He limped as he circled the bases.

Game 1’s magic stretched throughout the remainder of the series. Freeman homered again in Game 2. And again in Games 3 and 4. Freeman’s home run in Game 4 was his sixth straight World Series game with a home run, a new record.

Altogether, Freeman drove in 12 runs in the series, going 6-for-20 with five extra-base hits. He deservingly won series MVP.

Freeman’s 2024 World Series performance will always be remembered by Dodgers, and baseball fans, everywhere.

Letting the bidding begin.

In the World Series, Soto continued to show why he’s going to sign a contract for a lot of money sometime in the next few months. He went 6-for-16 with a home run. He hit .327/.469/.633 in the playoffs. Now, we wait.

Soto had a great walk year. He hit a career-high 41 home runs, drove in 109 runs, and posted a .989 OPS. He’s one of the best hitters in baseball. And, at just 26 years old, his market this winter is going to be fascinating to follow.

When asked about his free agency after Game 5,  Soto told reporters, “I don’t have any doors closed. I’m gonna be available for all 30 teams.”

Wise words. That’s business talk. In reality, all 30 teams will not bid for Soto’s services. But the more doors you keep open in negotiations, the more money you may be able to squeeze out of a team.

Let the bidding begin.

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