The Fall Classic is upon us, and two of the most storied teams in baseball are set to square off in Boston.
This time around, there are multiple Vanderbilt connections as former Commodore Walker Buehler is set to suit up for the Los Angeles Dodgers and David Price is part of the rotation for the Boston Red Sox.
As the series is set to get underway, the Vanderbilt Hustler sports staff shared its thoughts on the matchup.
Cutler Klein, sports editor
As a Yankees and Vanderbilt fan, I must ask an important question: is there a way for just Buehler or Price to win? Like literally just give one of them the title. No one else but one of them.
Prediction: A Vanderbilt player will win a ring and the Yankees will still have 27 rings.
Max Schneider, associate sports editor
Well, baseball really lucked out on this one. A Red Sox vs. Dodgers matchup couldn’t be better for ratings, and the MLB narrowly dodged (no pun intended) the horrifying prospect of a Brewers World Series berth that would have turned away everyone but Milwaukeeans and true baseball fans.
But I consider myself to be a true baseball fan, and this World Series matchup looks like a nightmare. These are two of the three teams with the highest payrolls in baseball, part of what makes them two of the most despised teams in the sport, and knowing that one of these two teams will bring home the trophy is sickening. I have found solace in the fact that if this series goes seven games, more games than not will feature a Vanderbilt starting pitcher. David Price and Walker Buehler have certainly done their part in getting their respective teams to the World Series, and one of them will receive the ultimate reward.
As for my series prediction, I think it’s extremely tough to not go with Boston here. This is the best offense I’ve seen in the past decade paired with the best defensive outfield I’ve ever seen. They may not have the bullpen to match, but it’s tough to outscore the Red Sox and their four-headed monster at the top of the order. Guys like Rafael Devers and Jackie Bradley Jr. have continued to burn pitchers after they get through that gauntlet at the top, and that shouldn’t stop against LA.
Betsy Goodfriend, senior writer
I think the only baseball game this year that I watched for a full nine innings was an Astros-Mariners game in August because I was at the game. So I am completely unqualified to give a prediction, but as with any person with a Twitter account, I’ll give my prediction anyway.
Simon Gibbs, senior writer
I feel like I’m about to watch Goliath vs. Goliath. What’s the fun in that?
In a matchup between the first and third highest payrolls in the MLB (a combined annual salary of $427,980,905!!!), I will elect to watch Netflix.
Until I can’t restrain myself anymore, though. Then I’ll watch the World Series. I’ll probably only miss an inning. Maybe two if I’m really distracted by my show.
Anyways, if I had to choose, I’d root for the Sox. I just want to see our Yankee fans Cutler and Max get really angry. Best case scenario, Buehler and David Price both get wins and Vanderbilt further solidifies itself as the hotbed for MLB talent.
Ben Seltzer, sports reporter
Okay, the Dodgers are obviously taking this one in four. Manny Machado and Yasiel Puig’s crotch-themed antics will power them through a Boston Red Sox team who is clearly tired of winning.
Henry Hunter, sports reporter
I’m looking forward to future Yankees third baseman Manny Machado continuing his career-long assault on the Red Sox.
Actually, after Machado’s behavior against the Brewers, assault may not be the right word.
As a Yankees fan, is it great that we’re about to give 400 million to a guy who openly admits that hustling isn’t who he is? No. But will Machado look great hitting between Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in less than 6 months? Yes.
Good luck to Manny Machado, my future third baseman. Also, Chris Sale had to go to the hospital because of his belly button ring? Dodgers in 6.
Alyssa Muir, sports reporter
This year’s world series features two of the league’s most hated teams. I really wanted to see Christian Yelich and the Brewers in the World Series. However, as a Vandy fan, its hard to complain about this matchup.
David Price and Walker Buehler will each get an opportunity to earn wins for their respective teams on the mound. The only thing that would make it even more fun is if the two were slated to face each other in the same game.
The Red Sox have been the best team in baseball for the whole season and it hasn’t even been all that close. They had an insane 68-30 record at the all star break and although they slowed down in the second half of the season, their talent is overwhelming. I think that Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez will continue their hot hitting and Chris Sale and Price will be too much for the Dodger offense. Sox in 6.
Side note: while Sale has definitely been amazing this season, as one of the few Tampa Bay Rays fans out there I have to say that Blake Snell deserves to be named the AL Cy Young, not Sale.
Justin Hershey, sports reporter
First, a little venting from a tortured, yet lately satisfied, Philadelphia sports fan. For the past two decades, Boston fans have been spoiled by the greatest football dynasty in history, one of the first superteams in NBA history, two World Series titles, and a Stanley Cup to top it all off. And once again, they have a chance to watch their team in yet another championship this coming week. My grandpa has seen nine real championships in Philadelphia since 1950…Boston has 10 since 2000. How do they do it?
Anyway, after one of the most historic seasons in MLB history, this iteration of Boston sports dominance features MVP frontrunners Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez plus a loaded rotation featuring Vandy’s own David Price. But this will not be enough for the young Dodgers. For years, Clayton Kershaw has been a dominant force in the National League and is missing one piece from a truly legendary career: a World Series. This year, he will win two big games and be the series MVP to derail what has been one of the greatest seasons in MLB history from the Boston Red Sox.
Last time Boston sent a team to a championship, my Philadelphia Eagles dethroned Belichick and Brady to win their first superbowl championship over the New England Patriots. The trend will continue.
Dodgers in 7.
