The oddsmakers are scratching their heads with how the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees is unfolding. No one in their wildest imagination would have thought the Yankees would lose all three games, including one at home, to start the World Series.
That has turned the World Series odds upside down. The bookies seem all but certain that the Yankees will be swept on Tuesday. The Dodgers are given -2000 odds, while the Yankees are given +1000 odds for Game 4, per Draftkings.
For those not much into sports betting, the -2000 odds for the Dodgers suggest that the bettor needs to bet $2000 to win an additional $100 if the Dodgers win. As for the +1000 odds for the Yankees, it means if you bet $100 on the Yankees, you will win $1000 in profit if they win.
According to these odds, the Dodgers have a 95% chance to win Game 4, while the Yankees have a 9% implied probability to win.
What if the Dodgers sweep the Yankees 4-0 in the World Series? Would it be the first time?
The New York Yankees have appeared in the World Series 40 times (excluding the 2024 World Series), winning 27 times, the most by any MLB club.
A World Series means two of the best teams from each league (AL and NL) face each other in the brightest of lights. So, a lopsided sweep is almost never the case. But that doesn't mean teams haven't been swept, let alone the Yankees never getting swept.
The Yankees have previously been swept three times. The 1922 New York Giants vs. Yankees (4-0-1), 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Yankees and 1976 Cincinnati Reds vs. Yankees were the rarest of those matchups.
With the World Series on the line, the Yankees face an uphill task to come back from a 3-0 deficit, which is unprecedented in MLB history.
In some respite to Yankees fans, the Edmonton Oilers erased a 3-0 deficit against the Florida Panthers in last season's NHL Stanley Cup Finals. But the Panthers eventually prevailed. Maybe the Yankees could look for motivation from another sport.