MLB Betting Odds: Dodgers Favored over Yankees -

By Angelina Splendido

The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers both won enough games in their respective leagues to advance them into the World Series this past weekend.

The New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) on October 19 . In the tenth inning, Yankees right fielder, Juan Soto hit a three-run home run, sending the Yankees as the first team into the World Series. The following night, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets 10-5 in the National League Championship Series (NLCS). With the Dodgers center fielder Tommy Edman hitting a double in the first inning, the Dodgers managed to keep the lead and secure their spot in the World Series.

Since the start of the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason, the Dodgers have been slightly favored and continue to be favored in spread betting, money line betting, over/under betting, and correct scores. As of October 21 of this year , spread betting, which is betting on the marginal win between the teams, for the Dodgers is -1.5. The negative number represents that the Dodgers are the favorite, and the number itself means that the Dodgers must win two games, rounded up from one and a half, for the bet to be successful.

Along with the betting spread, money line betting, which is simply betting on which team will win, also points in favor of the Dodgers. The Dodgers have a -122 compared to the +104 for the Yankees. The negative and positive signs represent the favorite and underdog, respectively.

Money line betting is scaled by $100 for ease of calculating individual profit, but an individual does not have to bet $100 at minimum. On the scale, if an individual bets on the Yankees and they win, they will need to bet $125 to win $100. On the other hand, if an individual bets on the Yankees and they win, they will need to bet $100 to receive $105. In both situations, if the team wins, the betting individual will also receive their original betting money back.

For over/under betting, individuals wager on whether the combined runs for the teams will amount to over or under the chosen number. The over/under-betting number for this World Series is eight and a half. Should the combined runs equate exactly to eight, there would be a push, and the companies would refund the individuals.

Lastly, there are betting odds for correct scores, the exact final score of the game. Higher numbers represent a higher amount of money betted on, demonstrating the corresponding score is less likely. Collectively, the betting prices for the Yankees are higher, indicating a larger risk and a smaller chance of the team winning the World Series compared to the Dodgers.

For the Dodgers, there is a $1100 bet for a 4-0 final score, $600 bet for a 4-1 score, $380 bet for a 4-2 score, and $425 bet for a 4-3 score. For the Yankees, there is a $1500 bet for a 4-0 score, $700 bets for a 4-1 score, $500 bets for a 4-2 score, and $475 for a 4-3 score.

These odds are based on the previous wins for the teams for the Dodgers that qualified them for the World Series and also highlight player performance. For the Dodgers,their designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hit 54 home runs and scored 130 RBIs this season. These statistics are among others, such as his impressive .310 batting average, that have him nominated for the 2024 All-MLB Team and named as a finalist for the Players Choice Awards.

For the Yankees, their right fielder, Aaron Judge hit 58 home runs and scored 144 RBIs this season. Like Ohtani, Judge has an impressive .322 batting average that also nominated him as a Players Choice Award Finalist. According to MLB, Ohtani and Judge playing against each other will “mark the first time since 1956 that the American League and National League home run leaders have played against each other in the World Series.”

All of these betting odds will vary slightly as the first World Series game approaches on Friday, October 25.