LOS ANGELES: Even 8-year-old Charlie Freeman is excited about a Dodgers-Yankees World Series.

“He’s at Universal (Studios) right now with a couple of his buddies, but he goes, ‘Daddy, I can’t wait for the World Series to start tomorrow,’” Los Angeles first baseman Freddie Freeman said at the last workout before Friday’s opener. “He’s on YouTube and seeing all the videos about Yankees-Dodgers. So you’re starting to get a hint of how big this could be.”

This will be the 12th Dodgers-Yankees matchup and the first in 43 years. The rivalry dates to 1941, when the Dodgers were in Brooklyn and Joe DiMaggio’s Yankees were seeking their fifth title in six years.

“You can be the best player. You can do whatever you want,” Yankees star Juan Soto said, “but at the end of the day, people remember you because you won a World Series.”

Broadway vs. Hollywood has produced the starriest Series in decades, if not ever. The League Championship Series had the highest US TV ratings since 2017, and that’s been dwarfed by viewership of the Dodgers from Japan driven by interest in Shohei Ohtani.

“You could easily argue that on a global scale, the Yankees and the Dodgers are the most followed, the most supported, the most visible,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said.

This figures to be the first World Series featuring five MVPs: the Dodgers’ Ohtani, Freeman and Mookie Betts, and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. There has not even been a Fall Classic with four since 1971.

Ohtani and Judge are the likely MVPs this year, marking the first Series to feature both since San Francisco’s Buster Posey and Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in 2012. This will be the first Series with a pair of 50-home run hitters in Judge (58) and Ohtani (54).

In an age of expanding playoffs, this is just the fifth World Series since the Wild Card Era started in 1995 involving the teams with the best records in each league.

“I’m sure I’m going to feel how special it is,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.

Players practiced in 85-degree weather as the sun highlighted Dodger Stadium’s sky blue, yellow, light orange and sea foam green seats. Freeman, slowed by a bad ankle, insisted he will be in the lineup for the opener.

While the Dodgers are seeking their eighth title and second in five years, the Yankees are in the World Series for the first time since winning No. 27 in 2009.

“This is where the real fun starts,” Judge said.

Judge realizes a title is necessary for membership among the Yankees’ greats.

“They definitely got a different aura walking around here when you got a couple of rings on your fingers,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing, is that you see that they’re battle-tested. They’ve been through the grind. They’ve been through the ups and downs and they came out on top.”

Old rivals

Roberts and Yankees manager Aaron Boone have faced each other since April 3, 1992, when Roberts’ UCLA Bruins beat Boone’s Southern California Trojans’ 11-1 UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium.

“As we all know in here, you’re a Trojan for life. You’re a Bruin for four years,” Boone said playfully.

Told of Boone’s shot, Roberts said: “Ouch! That hurts” and “absolutely disagree, 100 percent.”

Boone texted a Yankees emoji to Roberts when New York’s charter flight landed Wednesday.

“There was another emoji I thought about sending him with one finger, but I didn’t,” Roberts said. “I just gave a laughing emoji back.”

For starters

Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty, who starts the opener against the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole, was high school teammates with Max Fried and Lucas Giolito at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. Three years ago, Flaherty was at Houston’s Minute Maid Park for World Series Game 6 along with Giolito to watch Fried get the win that finished off the Atlanta Braves’ World Series title.

“It’s a funny feeling watching that,” Flaherty said, “because you’re excited for one of your best friends and you’re incredibly happy for him, also at that same moment you’re a competitor and you want to be in that situation, you want to be on the field.”

Flaherty is 1-2 with a 7.04 ERA in three postseason starts this year. Cole is 1-1 with a 3.31 ERA in three starts.

Like Roberts, Cole went to UCLA. The pitcher’s college rooting aligns more with the Dodgers manager than his own.

“Aaron and I don’t always agree on everything,” he said.

Memories

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner was 7 years old in 1977 when the Yankees won their first title under his father, George. New York clinched the title over the Dodgers with a Game 6 win in the Bronx as Reggie Jackson hit three homers on three straight swings.

“I’d say my two most prevalent memories are Reggie’s third home run, and of course the final popup that was caught by (Mike) Torrez and the pandemonium that ensued,” he recalled this week. “Was a great day!”

ISTANBUL: Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho was sent to the stands as his new side held his former club Manchester United 1-1 on Thursday to extend the English giants’ wait for a Europa League win.
United have drawn all three of their European games this season and a point does little to ease the pressure on under-fire manager Erik ten Hag.
Christian Eriksen fired a depleted United in front on 15 minutes, but Fenerbahce had the better of the chances and got their reward when Youssef En-Nesyri equalized early in the second half.
A point leaves United languishing in 21st of the 36-team table and with their chances of securing a top-eight finish to progress directly to the last 16 fading.
Fenerbahce are in 14th on five points, with a top-24 finish enough to qualify for the playoff stage.
United were without 10 players, including captain Bruno Fernandes, due to suspension or injury.
Ten Hag said the players available to him were still capable of getting the job done but their failure to do so means United have not won a European game for a full year.
In Fernandes’ absence, defender Noussair Mazraoui started in an unfamiliar attacking midfield role and had a part to play in an impressive opening goal.
Manuel Ugarte dispossessed former United midfielder Fred to launch a counter-attack that involved Alejandro Garnacho and Mazraoui before Joshua Zirkzee teed up Eriksen to blast home from the edge of the area.
Marcus Rashford was inches away from doubling the visitors’ lead with a low shot that clipped the outside of the post after a jinking solo run.
However, for the third time in three Europa League matches, Ten Hag’s men failed to build on taking the lead.
Ugarte has struggled to establish himself since arriving in a £50 million ($65 million) deal from Paris Saint-Germain in August.
But the Uruguayan showed the defensive awareness that attracted United’s interest with a brilliant goal-saving challenge to deny Dusan Tadic a tap in.
United also needed an excellent double save from Andre Onana to parry two En-Nesyri headers to protect their lead at half-time.
It was wiped out within four minutes of the restart as more sloppy defending allowed En-Nesyri to head in Allan Saint-Maximin’s inviting cross.
Fenerbahce were furious moments later when penalty appeals for a foul on Bright Osayi-Samuel were waived away.
Mourinho took his protestations too far as he was dismissed by experienced French referee Clement Turpin.
United had the better chances to snatch all three points in the closing stages as Dominik Livakovic was forced into saves from Mazraoui and Rasmus Hojlund.
There remains plenty of time for United to dig themselves out of trouble with five more favorable looking Europa League fixtures to come against PAOK, Bodo Glimt, Viktoria Plzen, Rangers and FCSB.
However, whether Ten Hag will still be in charge for all of those fixtures remains a major doubt after winning just four of United’s opening 12 games of the season.