Goliath and Underdog... Dodgers "Finish It" vs Tampa Bay "One More Game"

2020 World Series Game 6 Tomorrow

Choi Ji-man (left), first baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, tags out Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers by catching a high throw in the top of the 8th inning during Game 3 of the Major League Baseball World Series held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, USA, on the 23rd (local time). (Arlington AP=Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Will it be a championship for the Los Angeles Dodgers, or a comeback for the Tampa Bay Rays?

The sixth game of the World Series, which decides the throne of this year's Major League Baseball in the United States, will be held at 9:08 a.m. on the 28th (Korean time) at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. In the best-of-seven series, the Dodgers lead 3 wins to 2 losses. Adding just one more win will bring them their first championship in 32 years since 1988 and their seventh overall. Tampa Bay, challenging for their first World Series title since the team's founding in 1998, desperately needs a victory in Game 6 to push the series to the final game on the 29th.

Dodgers Boast Stars Like Kershaw and Betts
A Wealthy Team with Total Salaries of 122.9 Billion KRW
One Win Away from First Championship in 32 Years

Before the first-ever World Series meeting between the two teams, the majority predicted the Dodgers would win. Among six experts on the American CBS Sports panel, five expected the Dodgers to take the title. Among five experts from the sports magazine Sports Illustrated (SI), three also predicted the Dodgers would come out on top. These predictions were based on objective indicators such as team history, total player salaries, and performance.

The Dodgers, founded in 1884, are a prestigious team representing the National League West division in Major League Baseball. They have appeared in the World Series 21 times to date. Korean pitchers like Park Chan-ho and Ryu Hyun-jin have played for the team, making them familiar to Korean fans. This year, the total player salary is $107.92 million (approximately 122.9 billion KRW), ranking second among the 30 MLB teams.

The combined salaries of ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw and star Mookie Betts amount to $26,308,642 (about 30 billion KRW), nearly matching the entire Tampa Bay roster's salary (about 32.4 billion KRW). Featuring these renowned star players, the Dodgers recorded their highest winning percentage in team history (0.717) with a 43-17 record in the regular season. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed his determination to clinch the championship in Game 6, saying, "I don't want to talk about Game 7."

Tampa Bay, Including Choi Ji-man, Total Salaries of 32.4 Billion KRW
Team Overhauls with Prospect Development, First Championship Challenge
"Writing a History of Upsets" Challenges the Dodgers

Tampa Bay is a team that pursues 'low cost, high efficiency.' Andrew Friedman, the current Dodgers president, served as Tampa Bay's general manager for nine seasons starting in 2005, adopting an approach focused on discovering potential players and achieving results, which remains effective today.

Friedman, a former player who entered Tulane University on a baseball scholarship, quit playing due to injury. He then majored in business administration and worked as a Wall Street investor before entering team management at the invitation of the Tampa Bay president he met on Wall Street. To improve the team, which was classified as perennial cellar-dwellers at the time, he employed a statistics-based 'value investing' strategy, acquiring undervalued players in the market and trading them when their value peaked, yielding effective results.

Choi Ji-man, the first Korean position player to appear in the World Series, struggled to establish himself for nearly 10 years after coming to the U.S. but has been showcasing his skills since being selected by Tampa Bay in 2018.

Tampa Bay's weapons include data-driven unconventional baseball strategies such as defensive shifts based on the direction of the opposing batter's hits and substituting players with the highest probability of success in specific situations. Their persistent competitiveness led them to victories in the American League Division Series (best-of-five) against the New York Yankees and the American League Championship Series (best-of-seven) against the Houston Astros, both extending to the final game. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash expressed hope, saying, "These previous experiences will help the players."