The Yankees-Dodgers World Series is already exciting Tim Kurkjian

ESPN's Tim Kurkjian spoke Sports Illustrated a few hours before Game 1 of the World Series on Friday. He's always passionate about baseball, the game he's covered better than pretty much anyone for decades. But he was particularly excited about the possibilities of a classic between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. And given the epic events at Dodger Stadium, capped off with a walkoff grand slam from Freddie Freeman, the incredibly high expectations may be exceeded.

Sports Illustrated: Your colleague Jeff Passan said this the other day He had waited his whole life for a Yankees-Dodgers World Series. They were there to see some of those great matchups of the '70s and '80s. What comes to mind when you think about it?

Tim Kurkjian: The 1981 World Series, the last time these two teams faced each other, was sensational. Fernando Valenzuela, who was just passing by, was one of the stars of that World Series. There were stars everywhere. I grew up in a time where Dodgers-Yankees was the way to go. This is the twelfth time these two teams have met. I wasn't in college until 1977 and 1978, but I remember like it was yesterday when Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in Game 6 off three different pitchers on a total of three different pitches. The 1978 World Series was spectacular and I actually managed one of the games in the 1981 World Series, so I know what it's all about a little better than most. Not only was I alive for them, I was also covering baseball in 1981 and it was a time when the game reached incredible levels of popularity. Now I think we're looking at possibly the best World Series since given the star power we have here.

SI: The explosion of skill in baseball in recent years is astounding. The players have never been better and the jump is just so clear. Does it even feel like baseball has been preparing for a moment like this?

TK: Yes, it has. We will have five former MVPs in this World Series. There have never been five in any World Series, and one could argue that all five are nearing the peak of their careers. I think if you count Clayton Kershaw, seven future Hall of Famers could play in this series, which would also be a record. I'm not sure when we last saw the two MVPs, who are likely to win unanimously and are the biggest players in the game with Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. I think you have to go back to 1980 when George Brett and Mike Schmidt played each other in the World Series. Before that, if you're looking for the game's biggest stars competing against each other – Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle in 1957, and perhaps even further back in 1946 when Ted Williams took on Stan Musial. That's the kind of star power we're seeing. Shohei vs. Judge is just a ridiculous matchup, and yet what makes it so beautiful is that the best hitter this postseason may not be Judge or Ohtani, but Juan Soto. Give me another World Series where you can say that. That's why it will be so big and so special.

SI: Or the way things are going, that could be Kiké Hernández. Who knows?

TK: Or it could be Tommy Edman, who just had 11 hits and 11 RBI in a postseason series. The last person to do that was David Ortiz in 2004. That's why baseball is the greatest game of all time. I love basketball with all my heart, but in basketball Jordan-Bird-Magic-LeBron all decide who wins. In baseball, however, Tommy Edman might be the best player in the postseason. That can't happen in basketball. Steve Kerr was a great NBA jump shooter and one of my favorite players I've ever seen. But it's impossible for him to win Finals MVP if Jordan plays in the Finals. It just can't happen. But in baseball it can happen.

SI: In that sense, it's a kind of testament to the game that this duel hasn't happened in over three decades. Considering the payroll and all the great players that have played on the coasts. Baseball is a meritocracy, but a meritocracy with a fair amount of luck and chance.

TK: The 12th player in an NBA game is never on the court for the final 10 seconds of the game. And when he's on the pitch, he never takes the last shot. The 25th man on the roster could decide the World Series. That's something beautiful about this sport. You have to get 27 outs and everyone has to hit about the same number of times to get a champion or winner. That's why when we watch this series, we have no idea what will happen next. There are stars everywhere and runs are scored because of both teams' offenses, but after that it's a crapshoot.

SI: When you were a kid watching the World Series, did you ever imagine you would be a part of so many?

TK: There was no chance that would happen. As I sat there with my father, one of the greatest baseball fans of all time, and my two brothers, who were college players, it never occurred to me that one day while watching the 1966 World Series, would have something to do with it. Here it is, many years later, and I love it more than ever. It just proves how seductive this game is. It hit me when I was literally four years old. Growing up, baseball was the primary language spoken in my house. When I think back to those days, I couldn't wait to get home and watch the World Series. In 1967, our sixth grader told us to put down our pencils and put down our books because we were going to watch a Red Sox-Cardinals Series game at 1:30 in the afternoon on a school day. Well, that would have happened every time in my house, considering how much my dad loved baseball. But that was a revelation for me. My teacher told us that there is something more important than school right now. I knew then that this would be hugely important in my life.

SI: Last one here for you. What do you think is the ceiling for Ohtani when it comes to how big of a sports star he can become with a magical run in the World Series? There are so few historical comparisons for what he does.

TK: He is the most notable player in baseball history. Note that I'm not calling him the best player because he simply didn't do enough. I truly believe that if Babe Ruth had been allowed to use the DH in 1920 and pitch 30 games a year, he would have won 20 games and hit 50 home runs. Even Babe Ruth wasn't as good as this guy when it came to throwing a pitch at 100 mph, hitting a pitch at 100 mph, and achieving an exit velocity of nearly 120 mph. The first time I saw him play, at spring training seven years ago, I watched him run and went Oh my God, how can he be a pitcher-hitter and run like that? There is no ceiling for this guy. It's almost as if he said it Okay, I can't pitch this year, so what should I do that no one else has done? And then he hits 50 home runs and 50 steals with margin. He gets his team to the playoffs, the first time he's ever been to the playoffs, then reaches the NLCS 17 times. I just think there's a part of him that will say it Now I have to do something in the World Series that no one has ever done. I don't think anyone would trust him at this point.