2020 World Series to open on Oct. 21

It is the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers that will square off for the championship at the World Series of Major League Baseball, which begins at 9:09 a.m. on Oct. 21 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman played a huge role in building the Rays and the Dodgers. It was because of Friedman that the small market Rays have become a young and strong team and the Dodgers have maintained its status as one of the greatest teams in MLB.

Friedman became the General Manager for the Rays in late 2005 in his late 20s. He helped the Rays make their first World Series appearance in 2008 after rebuilding the team. Based on his success with the Rays, he became the President of Baseball Operations of the Dodgers in late 2014. The Dodgers have won the National League (NL) West title since 2015. Friedman nurtured young prospects including starting pitcher Walker Buehler and scouted big name players, such as right fielder Mookie Betts for the big spending Dodgers. But he has been unable to win the championship.

Experts think the Dodgers will win their first championship in the “Andrew Friedman Derby.” Five out of six expert panels for CBS Sports predicted Dodgers’ win at the World Series. Three out of five experts for Sports Illustrated said it is the Dodgers who will win the championship.

Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow will start for the Dodgers and the Rays, respectively in Game 1. Eyes are on how Kershaw will do at the World Series since he has had weak postseasons. Kershaw is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in his five WS appearances. Kershaw said there were 16 teams in the postseason this year and “there’s a lot of challenges that go into winning a championship this year. And, it’s still gonna be special.” Glasnow is 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA in four postseason starts.


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com