Dodgers, Yankees Making World Series Shines Positive Light on Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds swept both the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees during the 2024 regular season, replicating a rare feat they achieved in 2023.

May 25, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez (37) talks with Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) during a stop in play in the second inning at Great American Ball Park. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are gearing up for the World Series, while the Cincinnati Reds have been at home for the past three weeks.

And yet, the Reds got the upper hand on both pennant winners this season.

The Reds and Dodgers faced off in Los Angeles from May 16 to May 19. After winning game one 7-2, the Reds lost games two and three by four runs each then lost on a Shohei Ohtani walk-off in the finale.

But when the two teams went head-to-head in Cincinnati a week later, the shoe was on the other foot.

The Reds beat the Dodgers 9-6, 3-1 and 4-1 over Memorial Day Weekend.

That sparked a 14-5 run for Cincinnati, boosting their playoff odds from 5.8% to 26.7% over a three-week span, per FanGraphs. By the time the Reds traveled to the Bronx at the start of July, though, that figure had dropped back down to 7.4%.

Still, Cincinnati rose to the challenge and handled the first-place team in the AL East. The first two games came down to the wire, with the Reds winning 5-4 and 3-2, but they stomped out the Yankees 8-4 in the finale.

The Reds' 7-3 combined record against the Dodgers and Yankees is the best across all of MLB this season. No other team swept the eventual AL and NL champions in 2024.

It wasn't a first for the Reds, however, considering they also went 7-3 and swept the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks before they went to the World Series in 2023. The Houston Astros also swept the Rangers and Diamondbacks last year, although they had four chances to do so against the Rangers.

Despite their success against the best of the best, Cincinnati hasn't converted that into wins in October just yet. The club's only playoff appearance over the last 11 years came in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and they got swept out of the NL Wild Card Series anyways.

Perhaps new manager Terry Francona can help the Reds turn things around in 2025, bringing them to the ceiling that they have shown flashes of over the past few years.

Full playoff schedule in real time

• MLB POSTSEASON SCHEDULE: The 2024 playoffs are finally coming to a head, with the AL and NL pennant-winners now set in stone. Here is the latest on the schedule, with dates, game times, TV information and pitching matchups. CLICK HERE

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