Adversity. Uncertainty. Resilience. These traits perfectly describe the New York Yankees’ 2024 season, which was filled with injuries, mid-season additions, and incredible comebacks.  They are one of the best teams in the league, but many might not realize that when looking at the entire season.

As the Bronx Bombers are set to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday, Oct. 25, let’s look back at the team’s journey this season.

Regular season success

After not making the postseason in 2023, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman made a blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres and received the young superstar and World Series champion Juan Soto. In return, the Padres received veteran catcher Kyle Higashioka and up and coming starter Michael King, who is the cousin of prominent Utica University Lacrosse alumni Ben, Stevie and Joey Schoen. 

Juan Soto played incredibly from the start, which foreshadowed his future success in the Bronx. Aaron Judge, the captain, began his season extremely poor, only batting .207. However, Judge began to heat up during May and June. 

The return of the Yankees ace, Gerrit Cole, after suffering an elbow injury, was supposed to serve as a driving force for the Yankees. However, success did not come as quick as they would have liked. As Judge and Soto continued to succeed at the plate going into the dog days of summer, New York had a shocking 25-26 record going into the most crucial part of the season. 

Rumors of Jazz Chisholm Jr., a player known for his speed, and towering home runs, being traded to Yankees came to fruition and he fit in with the rest of the team.

The month of September became a tense period for the Yanks, because the tricky Baltimore Orioles were inching closer to overruling New York in the East. Thankfully, the Yankees defeated the Orioles in a late season matchup, to win the division.

American League Division Series 

The series had an electrifying start, as the Yankees hit a home run, a couple of RBIs, and a walk which allowed the Yankees to defeat the Cleveland Guardians. Game 2 was not a victorious night for New York, as they only scored two runs. The third and fourth games belonged to the Yankees, thanks to big hits by Stanton, Soto, and Gleyber Torres and outstanding pitching performances from Luke Weaver. 

American League Championship Series

The atmosphere of Yankee Stadium before Game 1 was electric, as the tradition of Roll Call commenced. Carlos Rodon pitched a strong game and Soto and Stanton hit homers to take a lead, however, the Yankees really took advantage of multiple defensive blunders the Guardians made. 

It finally came down to Game 5. New York could win the American League Pennant, and a trip to the World Series. After yet another game tying home run from Stanton, the Yankees forced the game to go into extra innings. Since Stanton had been dominant in this series, critics say it was a mistake from the Guardians manager to throw strikes to Stanton. This came back to bite the Guardians, as Juan Soto changed the course for the Yankees season with one at-bat. 

As Soto stepped up to the plate, he stared down the pitcher, Hunter Gaddis, as he did his famous shuffle in the batter’s box. Soto took advantage of one of Gaddis’ mistakes and hit a high fastball 402 feet into right center field. The Yankees dugout went into a frenzy as Soto stopped midway to first base to cheer with his teammate – the Yankees were heading to their first World Series since 2009.

What to expect in the World Series

Be sure to look out for soaring Giancarlo Stanton home runs, imposing Juan Soto at-bats, and intimidating pitching performances from the commanding starting rotation, relievers and closer, Luke Weaver. The Los Angeles Dodgers have an outstanding team, and it will definitely be a battle for the ages. Arguably the best players in the game, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, will face each other for the first time in the postseason, in each of their World Series debuts. 

Adversity. Uncertainty. Resilience. The Yankees have fought through thick and thin to be where they are today. Throughout the entirety of the season, each player has contributed in monumental circumstances. However, the story is not finished yet, and will hopefully end in a 28th World Series title for the New York Yankees.

Kate Gaffney is interning at The Tangerine and UticaTV through the BOCES Regional Program for Excellence. She is a senior at Whitesboro High School.