Game 1 of one of the most hotly-anticipated Major League Baseball World Series in recent years kicks off on Friday evening – that’s Saturday morning in Europe for all the night owls – with the New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Dodgers and it is going to be absolutely must-watch TV.
Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts on one side. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto on the other. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Our sabermetric soothsayer Peter Sharland takes a look at some tips for the Game 1 of the World Series…
World Series Game 1 Tips
New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Dodgers Bet Builder
Total Runs in Game – Over +8.5
Mookie Betts to hit a home run
Either team to win by 3 runs or fewer
- A bet builder with these selections pays at approximately 16/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP.
New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Dodgers Bonus Bet
Shohei Ohtani to record +4 base hits
New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Dodgers
GAME 1: Saturday, 26th of October, 1:09am
WHERE: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
TV: TNT Sports
Total Runs in Game – Over +8.5
We mentioned it at the top but there is a LOT of firepower here and a lot of big names who are only getting hotter as the playoffs go on.
The Dodgers have had nine games hit the over already in eleven postseason matches and every single one of their last six have hit the over.
Yes, they will be going up against the best pitcher in the series in Gerrit Cole but this is a Dodgers team that has already shown their mettle against strong pitching staffs in the Padres and Mets. Plus they will welcome Freddie Freeman back after he missed the final game of the LCS.
On the flip side the Yankees have only had four games out of nine hit the over but it’s pretty important to consider that for a large chunk of that Judge was in a very weird slump that he has now finally broken out of.
And unlike the Dodgers they are going against an extremely volatile starter in Jack Flaherty. He was magnificent on October 13 in a 9-0 win over the Mets, going seven innings with just two hits and no runs. But in his next outing he went just three innings giving up eight runs, all of them earned. The Yankees will fancy their chances of getting after him in Game 1.
Mookie Betts to hit a home run
One of the so called “Big Four” of this series is going to explode in Game 1. We’re backing Betts who batted .346 and had nine hits (with two homers) against the Mets.
On top of that he has a pretty impressive record against Cole (6-14 in 15 games) and whilst as we said Cole is the best pitcher in the series there is a pretty good chance that the Dodgers will come out aggressive in front of their fans and try and put him under real pressure early to force Yankees manager Aaron Boone into his pen.
Either Team to win by 3 runs or fewer (Tri-Bet 3)
Nobody wants the evil empire to win a World Series, and even fewer people want the global franchise derby between the Dodgers and the Yankees, but it’s headed that way.
Apart from having significantly more big-moment players, even allowing for the hilarity of Aaron Judge’s postseason blues, the Yankees rotation is well-placed to pick up a weak link if they need to.
They’ll likely role with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil, but having Marcus Stroman, who’s struggled in the early part of his starts as a middle-inning eater, could be highly beneficial.
And while some might have been wary of their bullpen, the heroics performed against Kansas City have them breathing ever so slightly easier now.
- A bet builder with these three selections pays at approximately 16/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP
Bonus bet – Shohei Ohtani to record 4+ Total Bases 7/4
Ohtani was electric against the Mets with eight hits and nine walks, recording a ludicrous OPS of 1.185.
Teams are starting to walk Ohtani at times when they feel it is prudent to try and attack other parts of the line-up and you can see a world in which Boone doesn’t want to show Ohtani too many of his relievers too early in the series.
On top of that if the series goes long we will almost certainly see Cole pitch again and given this will be the first time that Cole and Ohtani have ever faced each other, plus with the L v R match-up already in favour of the Dodgers’ star you might see a bonus walk push Ohtani up to four or more.
Yankees @ Dodgers Game 1 Tips
New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Dodgers Bet Builder
Total Runs in Game – Over +8.5
Mookie Betts to hit a home run
Either team to win by 3 runs or fewer
- A bet builder with these selections pays at approximately 16/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP.
New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Dodgers Bonus Bet
Shohei Ohtani to record +4 base hits
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
Read More
- World Series MVP Tips: Juan Soto is a great value play at 5/1
- Read More on Major League Baseball at Paddy Power News
- What is baseball betting and how does it work?
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