Sometimes having all that money really helps.

The high-stakes Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees will meet in a matchup of World Series heavyweights starting Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Yankees ranked second in payroll this season at $311 million while the Dodgers were third at $266 million, according to MLB’s latest projections.

The two franchises are among the most successful in sports. The Yankees just won their 41st American League pennant and the Dodgers their 25th National League championship.

New York is seeking its 28th World Series title, but first since 2009, the Dodgers their eighth and second in five years.

Here’s a look at some things to watch for as the series begins:

Ohtani vs. Judge

The series pits two of this generation’s great sluggers against each other: LA’s Shohei Ohtani vs. New York’s Aaron Judge.

Ohtani became first player in baseball history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a regular season and reached the milestone on September 19 with his second of three homers against the Marlins. He has largely kept up that production in the playoffs, hitting .286 with three homers and 10 RBIs.

Judge had another gigantic regular season, leading the major leagues with 58 homers. He also hit .322 with 144 RBI. The 32-year-old has been a bit quiet in the playoffs, hitting .161 with two homers and six RBI.

Unsung heroes

The matchup between Ohtani and Judge is sure to get the most attention, but both teams have other players who have played so far in October.

Veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton is having an excellent postseason, hitting .294 with five homers and 11 RBIs, earning the AL Championship Series MVP. The 34-year-old has struggled with injuries and inconsistency since joining the Yankees in 2018, but could cement his place in franchise lore with a big World Series.

The Dodgers are going through October with an unlikely threat in the middle of the order – the 5-foot-10, 193-pound Tommy Edman.

Edman was acquired at the trade deadline from the Cardinals and has been invaluable this postseason. He is hitting .341 and clubbed a two-run homer in the team’s NLCS-clinching victory over the Mets on Sunday. He won the NLCS MVP.

Hot ticket

It will take deep pockets to make it to this year’s Fall Classic – for the teams and for the fans.

The lowest asks fare on the resale market for any game has hovered in the $1,200-$1,300 range, according to Stubhub.

StubHub said Monday that sales surpassed last year’s final numbers and were four times the pace for the 2022 series. Sales for Games 3-5 in New York were 40% higher than for Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 in Los Angeles.

Rule changes

Many of baseball’s latest rule changes are still in effect in the postseason, including the pitch clock, a ban on extreme infield shifts and a limit on the number of times a pitcher can disconnect the rubber. The pitch clock has been a huge game changer for the sport and has been widely praised, cutting playing time by about half an hour.

There is one rule that doesn’t make the postseason: the automatic runner in extra innings.

During the MLB regular season, if a game goes to extra innings, a runner is placed on second base to start the 10th inning when each team bats. That doesn’t happen in the postseason. Extra rounds will be played just like the previous nine.

Betting favourites

The Dodgers (-130) are the current betting favorites to win the World Series, according to BetMGM Sports book. The underdog Yankees are at +110.

How to watch

All seven games will be broadcast on Fox. They are also available on Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV and YouTube TV.

World Series schedule

Game 1: New York at Los Angeles, Friday, 8:08 p.m. EDT

Game 2: New York at Los Angeles, Saturday, 8:08 p.m. EDT

Game 3: Los Angeles at New York, Oct. 28, 8:08 p.m. EDT

Game 4: Los Angeles at New York, Oct. 29, 8:08 p.m. EDT

Game 5: Los Angeles at New York, Oct. 30, 8:08 p.m. EDT (if necessary)

Game 6: New York at Los Angeles, Nov. 1, 8:08 p.m. EDT (if necessary)

Game 7: New York at Los Angeles, Nov. 2, 8:08 p.m. EDT (if necessary)

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AP baseball writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB