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Duke Snider and Mickey Mantle pose together before the start of Game 2 of the 1955 World Series. (Photo via/Getty Images)

No two teams have met in the World Series as often as the Dodgers and Yankees.

When the series kicks off Friday night, it will mark the 12th World Series game between the two juggernauts. The Yankees own the all-time lead at 8-3.

The then-Brooklyn Dodgers first faced the Yankees in October 1941. The crosstown rival Yankees took the series 4-1 in what would begin a lopsided run. The Yankees defeated the Dodgers in the first five series between the two teams, from 1941 to 1953. In total, the Dodgers and Yankees competed in seven Subway Series before the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles.

The Dodgers’ first series victory came in 1955 when Gil Hodges drove in two runs in a 2-0 Game 7 victory. After dominating World Series matchups for sixteen years, the rivalry became less frequent when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. The two teams met four more times between 1963 and 1981, splitting the series 2-2 during that time.

It’s been 43 years since we last saw a Dodgers vs. Yankees tilt. This fall’s edition ties the record for most championship meetings between two teams in North American sports, matching the Celtics-Lakers rivalry.

In addition to the history of these two historic ball clubs, there are several examples of unique historical angles in the 2024 Fall Classic. These teams feature two of the more star-studded lineups we’ve seen in the world series in recent years, with household names like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts and Juan Soto, as well as others signed on each lineup card.

This is both Ohtani and Judge’s first World Series, and international interest may be as high as it’s ever been. The two transcendent superstars from the two largest markets in the United States will go head-to-head with the ability to change the game with a swing.

Check out some historical tidbits below, including some courtesy of the wonderful Sarah Langs.

Historical hits

• This will be the sixth time each league’s home run leaders have met in the World Series and the first since 1956. The previous games took place in 1956 (Mickey Mantle vs. Duke Snider), 1937 (Joe DiMaggio vs. Mel Ott), 1936. (Lou Gehrig vs. Ott), 1928 (Babe Ruth vs. Jim Bottomley) and 1921 (Ruth vs. George Kelly). To put this in historical perspective, we’ve seen a World Series no-hitter more times in the last 68 years than we’ve seen the two home run champions face each other.
• This marks the first time that two players with 50+ home runs will face each other in a World Series.
• Judge and Ohtani are leading favorites to win the MVP award in their respective leagues. This would be the 26th time each league’s MVPs have faced off. However, it has become increasingly rare since divisional play began in 1969, having only occurred twice since 1984. The last time two MVPs faced off in the Fall Classic was 2012, when Miguel Cabrera’s Tigers fell to Buster Posey’s Giants.
• Soto joins rarefied air in this series. He joins just five other players who have played in a World Series with two different teams before the age of 27.

• This series is perhaps the most impressive of the MLB Statcast era. It includes the top four leaders in barrels per plate: Judge (14.9), Ohtani (14.1), Soto (12.8) and Giancarlo Stanton (12.4) are ranked one through with four.
• Judge, Ohtani, Stanton and Judge are also among the top five in average exit velocity and top 16 in maximum EV this season. Among balls put into play at 95+ mph this season, Ohtani ranks first (288), Soto third (262), Judge sixth (238), while Stanton ranks 99th, but he is the only hitter to rank in the top 100 in hard-hit balls with fewer than 300 balls in play in 2024.

• If Soto, Freddie Freeman or Anthony Rizzo homer, they will join the following list of players who have homered for multiple teams in the World Series:

Bill Skowron
Roger Maris
Reggie Jackson
Frank Robinson
Joe Gordon
Reggie Smith
Mitch Moreland
Matt Williams (3 franchises)
Manny Ramirez
Enos slaughter
Eddie Murray
Corey Seager
Rudy York
Mookie Betts
Miguel Cabrera
Matt Holliday
Lenny Dijkstra
Kirk Gibson
Kiki Cuyler
Joe Morgan
Jimmy Ripple
Jim Eisenreich
David Freese
Dave Henderson
Darren Daulton