World Series: Megamatchup, megastars, but then there’s the potential for an unsung hero to have his moment
by Cary Osborne
This is the world wanted — the megamatchup of arguably baseball’s two most storied franchises: Dodgers-Yankees.
It’s the megamatchup of presumptive league MVPS: Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge; and past MVPs including Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers and Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees.
But within the matchup is opportunity for someone else to lift one of these teams to a World Series championship.
Throughout World Series history, some of the greatest players of all time have become World Series heroes, including Sandy Koufax for the Dodgers (1963 and 1965) and Reggie Jackson for the Yankees (1977).
Other times, it’s been the unexpected hero, like when journeyman Steve Pearce stunned the Dodgers in 2018 and emerged as the unexpected power puncher for the Boston Red Sox. Those times happen, like in 1988 when utilityman Mickey Hatcher hits one home run the entire regular season then hits two critical homers for the Dodgers in the World Series to help them beat the Oakland A’s.
Freeman pointed to the National League Division Series win against the Mets as another example.
He brought up utilityman Tommy Edman and reliever Brent Honeywell.
Edman — a six-year veteran and outstanding fielder with a glue-guy reputation — tied the Dodgers’ NLCS record with 11 RBI and delivered two of the biggest hits for the Dodgers in the Game 6-series clinching victory. Brent Honeywell, the once top-tiered Minor League prospect who went through four elbow surgeries in his pro career and was twice designated for assignment in 2024, twice saved Dodger pitching with bulk-inning performances in the CS.
“There’s always the unsung hero or heroes throughout the course of the year, the guys that pick you up,” Freeman said. “There’s going to be so many different guys that do different things throughout the course of the series that are going to help you hoist the trophy. … There’s so many things where guys not starting could make a massive impact coming late into the game. And it proves itself over and over again in playoffs.”
For the Dodgers, it’s a deep roster of tested veterans surrounding the superstars — man who have had past postseason moments.
Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernández for example.
Hernández hit a home run in Game 5 of the National League Division Series in the Dodgers’ 2–0 victory that sent them to the NLCS. He hit a clutch home run in Game 3 of the NLCS in a two-strike count. Of course, he hit three home runs in NLCS Game 5 in 2017 to send the All-Star-studded Dodgers to the World Series.
Taylor hit a walk-off homer in the 2021 NL Wild Card Game in a game where he entered in the seventh inning.
“I think you never really know who the hero is going to be or who’s going to step up, right?” Taylor said.
It could be said that the Yankees’ version of that this postseason is Luke Weaver.
Weaver had a career 5.14 ERA coming into the 2024 season in eight big league years with six different teams. He got hot in September and struck out 24 batters over 11 innings from Sept. 6–29. He has ridden that into the postseason where the right-handed reliever has earned four saves and shut Cleveland out over the final two innings in the Yankees’ American League Championship-clinching Game 5 win.
Stanton was the ALCS MVP, but Weaver’s contributions weren’t without notice.
“Monumental. That dude basically carried the bullpen,” said Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle.
On the other side it’s the Dodger bullpen which has logged 57 innings in the postseason, won two bullpen games and backed up Dodger pitching for at least four innings in three of their wins.
In the mega-matchup of the World Series, the Dodger bullpen comes in wearing hero capes.
Who’s next to wear one?
The Dodgers feel it could be numerous choices.
“We are one unit, right? And, yes, there are big names and stuff like that. But also, everyone cares, everyone wants to contribute, and that’s why we’re so successful,” said Dodger reliever Alex Vesia. “There are no big egos with the big names. We have the most genuine guys around. And you saw it with the celebration when ‘Tommy Tanks’ gets all the hits and everything, and we celebrate that. That was huge for us. Top to bottom, we have a very genuine group of guys. And we fight for one another.”
World Series: Megamatchup, megastars, but then there’s the potential for an unsung hero to have… was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.