World Series: How to watch Dodgers-Yankees, betting odds, ticket prices and more

Sometimes, it really does help to have all that money.

The big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees will meet in a matchup of World Series heavyweights starting Friday night at Dodger Stadium. The Yankees ranked second in payroll this season at $311 million while the Dodgers were third at $266 million, according to MLB's latest projections.

The two franchises are among the sport's most successful. The Yankees just won their 41st American League pennant and the Dodgers their 25th National League championship.

New York is seeking its 28th World Series title but first since 2009, the Dodgers their eighth and second in a five-year span.

Here's a look at some things to watch as the series begins:

The series pits two of this generation's great sluggers against one another: LA's Shohei Ohtani vs. New York's Aaron Judge.

Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a regular season, reaching the milestone Sept. 19 with his second of three homers against the Marlins. He's largely kept up that production in the playoffs, batting .286 with three homers and 10 RBIs.

Judge had another mammoth regular season, leading the big leagues with 58 homers. He also hit .322 with 144 RBIs. The 32-year-old has been a little quiet in these playoffs, batting .161 with two homers and six RBIs.

The Ohtani vs. Judge matchup is sure to command the most attention, but both teams have other players who have starred so far in October.

Veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton is having an excellent postseason, batting .294 with five homers and 11 RBIs, earning the AL Championship Series MVP. The 34-year-old has struggled with injuries and inconsistency since joining the Yankees in 2018 but could cement his spot in franchise lore with a big World Series.

The Dodgers are pushing through October with an unlikely middle-of-the-order threat — the 5-foot-10, 193-pound Tommy Edman.

Edman was acquired at the trade deadline from the Cardinals and has been invaluable this postseason. He's batting .341 and clubbed a two-run homer in the team's NLCS-clinching win over the Mets on Sunday. He won the NLCS MVP.

It'll take deep pockets to get to this year's Fall Classic — for the teams, and for fans.

The lowest asking ticket price on the resale market to any game has hovered in the $1,200-$1,300, range according to Stubhub.

StubHub said Monday that sales outpaced last year’s final figures and were four times higher than the pace of the 2022 Series. Sales for Games 3-5 in New York were 40% higher than for Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 in Los Angeles.

Many of baseball’s recent rule changes are still in effect during the postseason, including the pitch clock, a ban on extreme infield shifts and a limit to how many times a pitcher can disengage from the rubber. The pitch clock has been a huge change for the sport and widely celebrated, cutting game times by about a half-hour.

There is one rule that doesn’t make the postseason cut: the automatic runner in extra innings.

During the MLB regular season, if a game goes to extra innings, a runner is placed at second base to start the 10th inning when each team bats. That doesn't happen in the postseason. Extra innings will be played just like the previous nine.

The Dodgers (-130) are the current betting favorites to win the World Series, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. The underdog Yankees are at +110.

All seven games will be broadcast on Fox. They're also available on Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV and YouTube TV.

Game 1: New York at Los Angeles, Friday, 8:08 p.m. EDT

Game 2: New York at Los Angeles, Saturday, 8:08 p.m. EDT

Game 3: Los Angeles at New York, Oct. 28, 8:08 p.m. EDT

Game 4: Los Angeles at New York, Oct. 29, 8:08 p.m. EDT

Game 5: Los Angeles at New York, Oct. 30, 8:08 p.m. EDT (if necessary)

Game 6: New York at Los Angeles, Nov. 1, 8:08 p.m. EDT (if necessary)

Game 7: New York at Los Angeles, Nov. 2, 8:08 p.m. EDT (if necessary)

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers' Tommy Edman celebrates after their win against the New York Mets in Game 6 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. The Dodgers will face the New York Yankees in the World. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton holds up the MVP trophy after Game 5 of the baseball AL Championship Series Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. The Yankees won 5-2 to advance to the World Series. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez )

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani celebrates after their win against the New York Mets in Game 6 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. The Dodgers will face the New York Yankees in the World. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge holds the American League Championship trophy after Game 5 of the baseball AL Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland. The Yankees won 5-2 to advance to the World Series. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

CARY, N.C. (AP) — Clayton Kershaw isn't done pitching just yet, agreeing Thursday to join the U.S. team for this year's World Baseball Classic.

The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner wanted to pitch for the Americans in the 2023 tournament but was prevented because of insurance issues. He had a $20 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the time.

“I was too broken for the insurance to cover my arm and everything,” Kershaw said on MLB Network, “so now that it doesn't matter I get to go and be a part of this group.”

A left-hander who turns 38 two days after the March 17 championship game, Kershaw announced last September that he was retiring at the end of the season, his 18th in a stellar career for the Dodgers. He won his third World Series title and finished 223-96 with a 2.53 ERA and 3,052 strikeouts.

“I just want to be the insurance policy,” Kershaw said. “If anybody needs a breather or if they need me to pitch back-to-back-to-back or if they don’t need me to pitch at all, I’m just there to be there. I just want to be a part of this group.”

Later Thursday, new Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman announced he will join the U.S. team.

When Kershaw received a call from U.S. manager Mark DeRosa, he thought he was being invited as a coach.

“I didn't have a whole lot of interest in picking up a baseball again," Kershaw said. “I started throwing 10, 12 days ago and it doesn’t feel terrible, so I think I’ll be OK.”

Kershaw joins a U.S. pitching staff that includes right-handers David Bednar, Clay Holmes, Griffin Jax, Nolan McLean, Mason Miller, Joe Ryan, Paul Skenes and Logan Webb along with left-handers Tarik Skubal and Gabe Speier.

The American roster also includes catchers Cal Raleigh and Will Smith; infielders Ernie Clement, Gunnar Henderson, Brice Turang and Bobby Witt Jr.; outfielders Byron Buxton, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Aaron Judge; and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.

The U.S., which lost the 2023 championship game to Japan, opens March 6 against Brazil at Houston, part of a group that also includes Britain, Italy and Mexico.

Shohei Ohtani struck out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to end Japan's 3-2 win in the 2023 championship. Kershaw doesn't anticipate facing Ohtani, his teammate for the Dodgers' World Series titles in 2024 and 2025.

“I think something will have gone terribly wrong if I have to pitch against team Japan in the finals or something. I think we got plenty of guys to get that guy out and not me,” Kershaw said. “But if that happens, I'll be nervous. I'll be nervous at this point.”

AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw celebrates the end of the top of the 12th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of baseball's World Series, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)