this weekend, the New York Yankees are set to clash with the Los Angeles Dodgers, reigniting a historic rivalry that stretches back over a century, marking their first encounter as the last World series.

The series’ third game at Dodger Stadium will feature a face-off between the previous season’s moast valuable player award winners: Aaron Judge from the American League and shohei Ohtani from the National League,both current frontrunners to win again. the game will be broadcast as part of “Major Leagues” of ESPN (Domingo, 7 pm et).

Last season saw the Dodgers edge out the Yankees 2-1 in their regular series, leveling their lifetime record at 11-11, before clinching a 4-1 victory in the fall classic. Historically, the Yankees have dominated the Dodgers in the World Series, winning eight of their 12 encounters.

Currently, New York (35-20) leads the american League East, holding a seven-game advantage over the Tampa Bay Rays (28-27).This is largely thanks to Judge’s extraordinary offensive performance, boasting a.391 average with 18 home runs, 14 doubles, 38 walks, 51 runs scored, and 47 RBIs.

Los Angeles (34-22) is narrowly ahead in the West division, with four of its teams among the top 10 in the National League for wins in 2025. The team is spearheaded by Ohtani, who leads the major leagues with 20 home runs and 59 runs scored.

Having already surpassed Roger Maris and Babe Ruth in terms of single-season home run records for the Yankees, Judge is now aiming to become the first player in the franchise’s history to hit .400 in a season, or at least to secure the batting title with the highest average ever produced by a Yankee.

In the recent series finale against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Judge went 0-for-2 with two walks, wich slightly lowered his batting average to .391. Despite this, it remains the fifth-highest average for the club in the first two months of a season.

Former outfielder and current yankees television commentator, Paul O’Neill, hit .428 by the end of May in 1994, while Mickey Mantle achieved .414 in 1956, lou Gehrig .413 in 1927, and Ruth .400 in 1931.

Judge, who recorded 62 home runs in 2022 (surpassing Maris, who had 61 in 1961, and Ruth, who had 60 in 1927), is striving to be the tenth Yankee to win the batting crown, the first since DJ Lemahieu in 2020. The Yankee batting champion with the highest average was Joe Dimaggio,who hit .381 in 1939.

Ruth holds the record for the highest average in a season for a Yankee (.393 in 1923), but the American League batting champion that year was Harry Heilmann (.403) of the Detroit Tigers.

judge, a six-time Star set selection, five-time Payment beats winner, and two-time most valuable player, is currently putting together what coudl be the best season of his career, surpassing his performances in 2022 and 2024, when he led the League in War (10.8) and won the MVP award each time.

“The Captain” has reached base in 42 of the Yankees’ first 55 games, leads baseball in all offensive averages, boasts a career-high OPS+ (245), and with a 4.2 War, aims to be the first player to exceed barry Bonds’ barrier of 11 from 2002 (11.7) and 2001 (11.9).

According to a recent Yankees press release,Judge is the first player in 66 years to reach 153 bases in the club’s first 54 games.

Throughout his career, Judge has performed well against the Dodgers, hitting .389 in 36 at-bats during the regular season. though, his performance in the last World Series is more memorable, where he went 4-for-23 with seven strikeouts, continuing a poor postseason trend in which he hit .141 (9-for-64) with 20 strikeouts and nine RBIs.

The Yankee batting champion with the highest average was Joe Dimaggio, who hit .381 in 1939.