2024 World Series: Yankees vs. Dodgers

Star Pitchers Rodon (NC State), Phillips (UNCW)
Play Huge Roles For New York, LA, Respectively


By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network

(NOTE: This article was published prior to the surprising Friday afternoon news that Phillips will miss the World Series because of an arm injury suffered during the National League Championship Series.)

Amidst the exciting backdrop of Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon’s 2023 declaration regarding his desire and efforts to bring a Major League Baseball expansion franchise to Raleigh, professional baseball fans can enjoy a much-hyped 2024 World Series, complete with two North Carolina high school and college products playing crucial roles.

The National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the American League champion New York Yankees, who also had the best regular-season records in their respective leagues this season, begin their best-of-seven matchup Friday (8:08 pm, FOX) at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers and Yankees, who now represent the United States’ largest media markets and most populous cities (prior to 1958, the Dodgers were based in Brooklyn), previously have met in the World Series 11 times, although this is their first championship series against each other since 1981.

The Yankees won eight of the 11 previous World Series matchups between the two teams. During this year’s regular season, though, the Dodgers won two of three games against New York, in a series played at Yankee Stadium.

According to several providers on the secondary ticket market, this Yankees-Dodgers matchup could become the most expensive World Series ticket in history. Earlier this week, the average resale ticket price for Game One in Los Angeles was about $1,700, and the lowest price for a standing-room-only ticket to Game Three in New York was about $1,500.

The demand for World Series tickets is particularly impressive considering that 56,000-seat Dodger Stadium is baseball’s second-highest-capacity venue, and 46,537-seat Yankee Stadium is sixth.

The North Carolina-based stories to follow in this year’s championship series are those of Los Angeles Dodgers closer Evan Phillips and New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon.

Rodon, who started 32 games (16-9, 3.96 ERA) for the Yankees during the regular season, is scheduled to start Game Two on Saturday (8:08 pm, FOX).

After starring at the high school level here in the Old North State, Phillips and Rodon both signed with prominent in-state college programs. Phillips played three seasons (2012-13 through 2014-15), mostly as a starting pitcher, at UNC Wilmington. Rodon played three seasons (2011-12 through 2013-14), also as a starting pitcher, at NC State.

The Dodgers and Yankees have long been considered among the favorites to win the World Series this year, and both Phillips and Rodon are playing very important roles.

During the regular season, Phillips went 5-1 with a 3.62 ERA and converted a team-high 18 saves in 22 opportunities for the Dodgers. In the playoffs, he has tossed six and two-thirds scoreless innings (2-0, 0.00 ERA) in five appearances, sometimes in high-leverage situations during the middle innings.

Game Two will mark Rodon’s fourth postseason start (1-1, 4.40 ERA, 14.1 innings) this year. On Oct. 14, in the Yankees’ American League Championship Series opener against Cleveland, he was the winning pitching after giving up only three hits and one run in six innings, with no walks and nine strikeouts.

From the North Carolina high school (but not college) ranks, the most prominent player in last year’s MLB playoffs was Texas shortstop Corey Seager, who ultimately led the Rangers to the 2023 World Series title as the championship series’ Most Valuable Player.

Seager starred at Northwest Cabarrus High School in Kannapolis before jumping straight into professional baseball. The 18th overall selection in the 2012 MLB draft, Seager first became a World Series champion and World Series MVP in 2020, while with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s also a five-time MLB All-Star, including this year, his second with the Rangers after signing a 10-year, $325 million contract in 2022.

Now Phillips and Rodon have a chance to continue to play starring roles during their teams’ respective runs toward the 2024 World Series title.

Phillips, 30, played for Clayton High School before signing with UNCW. A 17th-pound draft pick of Atlanta in 2015, he made his MLB debut in 2018 with the Braves. A waiver-wire pickup by Los Angeles in 2021, he gradually has worked his way into the team’s closer role and has led the Dodgers in saves in each of the past two seasons.

Rodon, 31, played for Holly Springs High School before signing with nearby NC State. A first-round pick (#3 overall) of the Chicago White Sox in 2014, he made his MLB debut in 2015 and later represented the White Sox (2021) and San Francisco (2022) in the MLB All-Star Game. Rodon signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees as a free agent before the 2023 season.

2024 MLB Playoff Participants
(NC Division One Programs)

Campbell (1)

x-Cedric Mullins, CF, Baltimore

Duke (1)

Marcus Stroman, P, NY Yankees (included on ALCS roster)

East Carolina (1)

x-Jeff Hoffman, P, Philadelphia

NC State (2)

Carlos Rodon*, P, NY Yankees
x-Trea Turner, SS, Philadelphia

UNC Wilmington (1)

Evan Phillips*, P, LA Dodgers
*-also listed below (both high school and college in NC)

NOTE: North Carolina’s other Division One baseball programs are at Appalachian State, Charlotte, Davidson, Elon, Gardner-Webb, High Point, North Carolina, North Carolina A&T, Queens, UNC Asheville, UNC Greensboro, Wake Forest and Western Carolina.