Need to bluff your way through a Yankees game? Here are 7 cool World Series facts

Start spreading the news! The New York Yankees are back in the World Series after a 15-year hiatus.

The Bronx Bombers, who lead all baseball teams with 27 World Series titles, face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers starting Friday to see who will be crowned Major League Baseball's champion in 2024. Will they earn number 28?

It will be a clash of epic proportions in this revisiting of one of baseball's oldest rivalries . American League vs. National League. East Coast vs. West Coast. Ohtani vs. Judge. New York intensity vs. California cool.

To prepare for this matchup, here are seven (as in the 7-game World Series) things for people to know about the Yankees in the World Series, past and present.

So if you're invited to a watch party or hanging out at a sports bar, but don't know a thing about the Yankees — keep these facts handy.

You'll sound like a genius.

5 Yankees been to the Series before

Five current members of the Yankees have played in the World Series: Brad Ausmus, Aaron Boone, Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rizzo, and Juan Soto.

• Ausmus, the team's bench coach, played in the 2005 World Series as a member of the Houston Astros.
• Yankees manager Boone played in the 2003 World Series with the Yankees, which lost the series.
• Cole and Soto played in the 2019 World Series on opposing sides: Soto with the winning Washington Nationals and Cole with the losing Houston Astros.
• Rizzo played for the Chicago Cubs, which won the 2016 World Series after 108 years since their previous one.

This 'Godzilla' was unstoppable in 2009

Before Shohei Ohtani, another Japanese star player seized the World Series spotlight — Hideki Matsui. The former Yankees outfielder, known as Godzilla, had a monster 2009 World Series. He hit .615 (8-for-13) with three home runs and eight RBIs as the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. His performance earned him the World Series MVP Award, making Matsui the first Japanese-born player to do so.

These Yanks were fans before they were players

Several Yankees grew up idolizing the team before they wore the pinstripes as teammates. Gerrit Cole was 11 years old when he attended Game 6 of the 2001 World Series in Phoenix with his family, where he was photographed holding a sign that read, "Yankee fan. Today. Tomorrow. Forever." Juan Soto grew up in the Dominican Republic following the Yankees to keep up with his favorite player, Robinson Cano. On the flip side, Giancarlo Stanton, a California native, was a fan of the Dodgers in his youth.

His name was Elston Howard

Eight years after Jackie Robinson became the first African American player in professional baseball in the modern era, Elston Howard debuted as the Yankees' first Black player in April 1955. The longtime Teaneck resident played on four World Series-winning teams during his 13 years with the Yankees, including several as backup to star catcher Yogi Berra and later his replacement. He would later serve as a coach when the Yankees were the World Series champions in 1977 and 1978. Howard passed away at 51 in December 1980.

Boone in unique company

Yankees manager Aaron Boone can boast of some interesting distinctions. He is a third-generation member of the Boone family who played in the World Series, preceded by his grandfather Ray, who played in the 1948 World Series for the then-Cleveland Indians, and his father Bob, who played in the 1980 World Series for the Philadelphia Phillies. Boone is also the first former Yankees player who has played for and managed the Yankees in the World Series since Joe Girardi, who played in 1996, 1998, and 1999 and won the 2009 World Series as manager.

Yogi brought his rings to Montclair

When checking the list of players who won the most World Series, one name is at the top: Yogi Berra. The Yankees Hall of Fame catcher possessed 10 World Series rings for being on the winning side and played in the October Classic a total of 14 times. While playing in Major League Baseball's championship for most of those years, Berra, his wife Carmen, and their three sons made Montclair their home. They lived first on Wayside Place , then moved to Highland Avenue in the 1970s. Berra died in September 2015 with his funeral held in Montclair.

From Jersey to the Bronx

Anthony Volpe, who grew up in Watchung in Somerset County, was eight years old when he attended the parade for the Yankees after they won the 2009 World Series. Now, he is playing in it 15 years later as the team's starting shortstop. But the path from fan to player went through New Jersey. Volpe was a star player during his high school years at the Delbarton School in Morristown, which led to his selection by the Yankees in the first round of the 2019 MLB draft. He debuted for the team last year.

Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com

Twitter/X: @ricardokaul

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Need to bluff your way through a Yankees game? Here are 7 cool World Series facts