Danielle Solzman
As Major League Baseball opens up the 2025 season, fans have a chance to revisit last year’s Dodgers-Yankees series in Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are two of the most historic teams in Major League Baseball history. The Dodgers were founded in Brooklyn in 1883, joining the National League in 1890 as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. It wouldn’t be until 1932 before the settled on the Brooklyn Dodgers. As for the New York Yankees, their history starts in Baltimore as one of the founding American League teams in 1901. The Baltimore Orioles would be defunct after the 1902 season. Frank Farrell and Bill Devery subsequently purchased the franchise rights and moved the club to the Big Apple. They started out as the New York Highlanders in 1903 and were renamed the New York Yankees in 1913.
Until 2024, the last time the two teams had battled it out in the World Series was back in 1981. They have a lengthy history of playing in the Fall Classic to the point in which their playoff rivalry is the most iconic in MLB history. After all, they’ve played each other 12 times! When the dust finally settled and the first pitch was thrown, fans were in for a treat. By the end of Game 1, first baseman Freddie Freeman joined Kirk Gibson in walk-off home run history. Only Freeman’s grand slam was the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. How about that?!?
After 80 years of highlight films, MLB changed it up this year. Usually an hour long, some include bonus features–the 2011 highlight film included the full NLDS Game 5 between the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. What we have with Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series is different. This is a three-part documentary streaming exclusively on Apple TV+. It’s not available through the MLB app as is the case for previous World Series highlight films. MLB chose to partner with Imagine Documentaries–who brought the idea to Cutler and This Machine Filmworks–in taking the highlight film to the next level.
Filmmaker R.J. Cutler, with the help of a gazillion credited editors, is able to tell the World Series story with intimate access in Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts are a big part of their team’s story as are their families. Freeman’s backstory especially becomes something of a human-interest story that Cutler focuses on. Outside of their families, there’s quite a bit of access in the clubhouse and on the field. Cutler and company are there when Shohei Ohtani gets injured during Game 2. There’s also the incident involving the Yankees fans interfering with the game. Of course, you can’t help but feel for Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton being disappointed.
Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series is not the traditional talking head documentary and most interviews end up being weaved in as voiceovers. Unlike when FOX broadcast the 2024 World Series last October, the film is not marred by a number of transphobic ads. Thank G-d!
As I said, this is a three-part documentary. The first part is focused–as it should be, of course–on the historic Game 1 that ended with Freeman’s grand slam. Games 2-3 are the focus of the second part. The third and final part focuses on Games 4-5 as the Dodgers won the World Series. Once the series moves to New York, Cutler zooms in on the Yankees Bleacher Creatures. Maybe it’s because MLB took things to the next level but the access in Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series is rather intimate. As it should be, of course. I’m curious as to if the 2024 film will ever get a physical release.
Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series is for Los Angeles Dodgers fans first and foremost, but any baseball fan will appreciate what it takes to get to the World Series. One might even come off looking at players like Freeman and Betts with a different perspective. While I can admire Apple TV+ for wanting to time the film’s release to Opening Day, I would have released Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series earlier so as to not compete with baseball’s opening weekend.
DIRECTOR: R.J. Cutler
FEATURING: Mookie Betts, Walker Buehler, Tommy Edman, Jack Flaherty, Freddie Freeman, Brandon Gomes, Teoscar Hernández, Shohei Ohtani, Dave Roberts, Will Smith, Blake Treinen, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman, Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Brianna Betts, Diana Collins, Joe Davis, Chelsea Freeman, Alden Gonzalez, Jack Harris, Chris Kirschner, Kirsten Watson
Apple TV+ will release all episodes of the three-part Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series on March 28, 2025. Grade: 4/5
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