Best MLB Bets Today: Yankees vs Dodgers Predictions for Game 1 of the World Series (Oct 25)

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After a long wait this week, the 2024 World Series will begin on Friday as the New York Yankees head to Los Angeles to get things started.

(Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

As both offenses continue to club the ball with ferocity, do either Gerrit Cole or Jack Flaherty stand a chance here after some shaky starts this postseason?

Let's get right into things and hand out our MLB Best Bets for Friday, October 25.

NEW YORK YANKEES VS LOS ANGELES DODGERS PREDICTION

This will be a highly-watchable series given the state of both offenses. The Yankees may be sitting at just .237 for the postseason with a pedestrian .176 Isolated Power, but it's been largely due to the fact that they faced the top defense in the NBA during the ALDS when they took out the Kansas City Royals and another top-10 defense in the Cleveland Guardians.

• New York's Expected Batting Average stands at .279, and their Expected Slugging Percentage at .494, beating out the Dodgers and promising more offense against a team that was below average in the field this year.
• In walking in 13.9% of its plate appearances and continuing to limit strikeouts, this team should heat up against Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty.

The right-hander closed the season on a sour note, walking 10.8% of the batters he faced in September as his strikeout-heavy approach missed the mark, and in the postseason his walk rate has remained poor at 10.6% while he's struck out just 12.1% of batters.

Flaherty's xBA is well above .270 dating back to the start of the season's final month, and with an easier defensive outlook and continued success in hitting the ball hard, the Yankees should have no issues breaking out at the plate here.

• On the flip side, however, I'm concerned for Gerrit Cole, who's had some issues of his own in the walks department and issued four free passes in his last start against the Guardians.

L.A. is the only team which has come close to matching New York in walks per plate appearance, and while this Dodgers lineup hasn't quite reached the levels of the Yankees in terms of the expected numbers they're fresh off a series where they scored 46 runs in six games against some good pitching.

With Cole struggling for strikeouts like his counterpart, and two bullpens behind these starters which lack depth, I think we'll see a slugfest break out in Game 1.

Best Bet: Over 8.5 (-120 at BetMGM)

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MLB PLAYER PROPS FOR YANKEES VS DODGERS

I'm heading back to the well here with Gleyber Torres to score a run, something he's done in seven of his nine games this postseason.

Torres has now scored nine times in nine games, and if not for an irresponsible send home by third base coach Luis Rojas in Game 6 of the ALDS he'd be sitting here with 10 runs scored in all.

The Yankees' starter at the keystone now owns a .400 on-base percentage for the postseason, sporting an excellent xBA to boot, and he's 1-for-3 in his career against Flaherty with a .531 xBA in those plate appearances.

Given Torres' excellent numbers out of the leadoff spot this year, his ability to work walks, and th fact he's stepped to the plate five times in every game in the playoffs, I love his chances of scoring here.

Flaherty's issues with command should mean Torres is on base, and with Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton running hot behind him in the order he'll certainly cross the plate in a high-scoring game.

Best Bet: Gleyber Torres Over 0.5 Runs Scored (+100 at DraftKings)

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MLB NRFI PREDICTION FOR YANKEES VS DODGERS

We've covered the shortcomings of both pitchers here, and while Cole has struggled he's still shut out his opponent in the first inning of each game. He was a bit fortunate with a bevy of deep flyouts in those three first frames, and his offense put a run on the board in two of those games.

• As it stands, these two have a combined 1-5 NRFI record this postseason, and in Flaherty's case two of those were his own doing.

The Dodgers and Yankees have both been machine-line in their ability to cash the YRFI this postseason, and the top of the Yankees' order looks formidable even with Aaron Judge struggling to get things going at the plate.

• Cole's struggled in his career against Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, to boot, while Gleyber Torres owns excellent numbers in a small sample against Flaherty as well.

I think the YRFI is the way you want to go here, considering both offenses are primed for a big night.

NRFI Prediction: Yankees vs Dodgers YRFI (+100 at DraftKings)

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