World Series Game 1 starters: Gerrit Cole of the Yankees and Jack Flaherty of the Dodgers square off

The biggest names between the star-studded Yankees and Dodgers are in the lineups, but in most cases, October pitching counts. Bullpens are crucial, but both World Series teams will make sure their starting rotations set the tone throughout the series.

The Yankees’ rotation didn’t have a particularly weak link in 2024, but the dominance just wasn’t there. Gerrit Cole missed about half the season and struggled to regain his 2023 form when healthy, while inconsistency from Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman was offset by a breakout year from Luis Gil and a comeback from Nestor Cortes Jr.

The Dodgers’ roster grew thinner as the season progressed, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone missing time. The final three have been ruled out of the postseason, but the addition of Jack Flaherty at the deadline and a stable bullpen have helped ensure Los Angeles is in the Fall Classic.

Who will get the ball for the Yankees and Dodgers in Game 1? Here’s a look at the starting pitchers and how they compare.

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Yankees-Dodgers Game 1 starting pitchers

Gerrit Cole will kick off the Yankees in Game 1 while Jack Flaherty will take the mound for the Dodgers.

Cole was the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner and has World Series experience from his time with the Astros, but has not won a championship.

The longtime star didn’t make his season debut until June 19 of this season after missing nearly three months with elbow inflammation. He wasn’t the same pitcher he was last season, but Cole was still steady and showed flashes of dominance. For the Yankees, who feared Cole would suffer a season-ending injury in spring training, having their ace on the mound down the stretch was a huge sigh of relief.

It’s been less than a year since Flaherty signed a low-risk, one-year deal with the Tigers after a rocky season between the Cardinals and Orioles. It worked out better than anyone could have imagined, and the Dodgers are lucky that Detroit decided to sell before the deadline. Los Angeles acquired Flaherty less than an hour before the deadline, bolstering its rotation with a pitcher who will make money this offseason.

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Gerrit Cole statistics

The Yankees were fortunate to get something out of this season after Cole’s injury scare in the spring, but it hasn’t been the year the Cy Young winner is used to.

Cole posted a 3.41 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 95 innings, perfectly good marks but a step below the 2.913 ERA and 0.99 WHIP averages from 2018 to 2023, although the 2024 pitching was better across the league was. The 34-year-old’s strikeout rate of 9.4 per nine innings was also his lowest since 2017, although he was just one step better in his Cy Young season last year.

Cole did not face the Dodgers in 2024, returning after the two powerhouses met in early June, but he has a career 5.01 ERA in eight starts against Los Angeles and a 4.71 ERA in five starts with the Dodger Stage.

Cole’s career postseason ERA is 2.98 with 146 strikeouts in 20 starts, so his October track record is strong, even if he has struggled at times.

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Gerrit Cole vs. Shohei Ohtani stats

Here are Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s career numbers against Cole:

Ohtani hit Cole deep once in 20 at-bats, but he only has four hits and a .638 OPS against the Yankees ace.

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Jack Flaherty stats

Flaherty struggled mightily in 2023, but enjoyed a resurgent season between the Tigers and Dodgers, posting a 3.17 ERA and 194 strikeouts over 162 innings.

A strikeout-per-nine rate of 10.8 was Flaherty’s highest for a full season since 2018, and his walk rate of just 2.1 per nine set a new career high.

The postseason was mixed for Flaherty. He was dominant in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Mets, but was torched in Game 5 and was inconsistent in the NLDS. Flaherty has a career 4.91 ERA in eight postseason starts, a mark that worsened this October.

Flaherty pitched six shutout innings in his only career start against the Yankees last year, allowing two hits and striking out four.

Jack Flaherty vs Aaron Judge stats

Flaherty has never played against Yankees star Aaron Judge. The right-hander’s only career start against the Yankees came in July 2023 while Judge was on the IL recovering from a toe injury.

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Yankees-Dodgers Game 2 starting pitchers

The Dodgers will start Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, while the Yankees have not yet named a starter. With everyone but Cole fully rested, Carlos Rodon is likely the favorite to take the ball for New York after starting Game 2 of the ALDS behind Cole.

Yamamoto has made three starts this postseason, although he has appeared only once in the NLCS as Dave Roberts looks to strictly pitch him every five days or more after he missed part of the season with a shoulder injury. That would put Yamamoto in a position to start a possible Game 6 as well.