The World Series makes its grand debut this Friday night, featuring a highly anticipated matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees, with the Dodgers slightly ahead in betting odds.
According to the BetMGM Sportsbook, the Dodgers are favored at -135, while the Yankees are listed at -110.
Superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, who is considered one of the most prominent figures in Major League Baseball, will be taking the field alongside Aaron Judge of the Yankees, who put up an impressive 58 home runs during the regular season.
The Dodgers and Yankees are two of baseball’s most illustrious franchises. The Yankees hold the record for the most World Series titles, boasting 27 victories, with their last championship occurring in 2009. In contrast, the Dodgers have claimed the title seven times, with their most recent win in 2020.
This matchup marks the 12th occasion that the two teams have faced off in the World Series. Halvor Egeland, a trading manager from the BetMGM Sportsbook, remarked, “Dodgers-Yankees is the ideal matchup for sportsbooks as we anticipate a significant amount of action on the series. Betting on the Dodgers to win in seven games, along with any player other than Shohei Ohtani to be named MVP, would be favorable outcomes.”
In terms of betting, recent figures indicate that 59% of the overall bets are favoring the Yankees, contributing to 38% of the total betting money. Meanwhile, the Dodgers account for 41% of the bets but attract a more substantial 62% of the total money wagered.
At the start of the season, Los Angeles was listed with +800 odds to win the World Series, while New York had odds of +1600.
For Game 1 of the series, despite a higher volume of money being placed on the Dodgers for the series overall, the Yankees are seeing more action for the opening game. New York is listed at +105 and is receiving 55% of the bets, along with 53% of the money wagered for Friday’s initial game.
The over/under line for total runs is set at 8.5, gaining considerable traction with 81% of the bets and 84% of the money favoring the over.
When it comes to prop bets, the most popular selection is for Aaron Judge to hit over 0.5 home runs at odds of +200, closely followed by Ohtani, who has odds of +210.
In the race for World Series MVP, Ohtani holds the shortest odds at +220, making him the favorite among bettors. He garners the largest share of bets (23.4%) and the highest percentage of money wagered (43%), while Judge is a far second, attracting 8.6% of the bets and 7.5% of the total money.
As the excitement builds for this nail-biting series, fans and bettors alike eagerly await an unforgettable World Series showdown.