This was the last meeting between teams from New York City and Los Angeles for a major professional sports championship until the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers reached the NHL's 2014 Stanley Cup Finals,[1][2] as well as the last meeting between the Dodgers and the Yankees in the World Series until 2024.

The expanded playoffs led to Game 1 of the World Series being pushed back to October 20, the latest starting date for a Fall Classic up to that time.

The Dodgers got to the Series with help from Mexican-born rookie phenom Fernando Valenzuela, who won his first eight games including five by shutout.

The core of the position players remained intact with perennial all-star Steve Garvey at first, Davey Lopes at second, Bill Russell at shortstop, and team leader in home runs with 13, Ron Cey at third.

Budding star, Pedro Guerrero, would move to the outfield becoming a regular starter for the first time in his career, in place of the aging and often injured Reggie Smith.

Manager Tommy Lasorda was looking for his first World Series win in his fifth full season with the Dodgers after losing to the Yankees in 1977 and 1978.

The Yankees, managed by Bob Lemon (in his second stint, having replaced Gene Michael), had a losing second-half (25–26) but won the first-half (34–22) to qualify for the playoffs.

Yankee third baseman Graig Nettles suffered a hairline fracture of his left thumb when he made a diving stop.

The Yankees pushed across two more in the eighth off Steve Howe on a RBI single by Bob Watson and a sacrifice fly by Randolph.

In both innings, Valenzuela issued two-out intentional walks to number 8 hitter Larry Milbourne in order to pitch to Dave Righetti and George Frazier.

He issued a one-out walk to Mike Scioscia and gave up a pinch-hit homer to Jay Johnstone to make the score 6–5.

In the seventh, Dusty Baker led off with an infield hit off George Frazier and went to third on a Rick Monday liner that got past center fielder Bobby Brown when he tried to make a shoestring catch.

Yankee manager Bob Lemon then brought starting pitcher Tommy John out of the bullpen instead of Gossage.

Steve Yeager, hitting for Scioscia, promptly gave the Dodgers the lead when he drove home Baker with a sacrifice fly and moved Monday to third.

John managed to strand Guerrero in scoring position to end the seventh and pitched the last two innings, but closer Gossage never got in the game.

Jackson brought the Yankees closer with a home run in the eighth off lefty Steve Howe, capping a 3-for-3 day.

Needing a win to stop the Dodgers' momentum in this series, the Yankees trotted out their ace, Ron Guidry.

Reggie Jackson, continuing his torrid hitting, helped provide Guidry a lead by doubling to left in the second off Jerry Reuss, moving to third on a Davey Lopes error, and scoring on a Lou Piniella infield single.

After fanning Dusty Baker, Guidry surrendered back-to-back solo home runs to Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager.

After he had struck out, Baker suggested to Yeager and Guerrero that they move up in the batter's box to take away Guidry's late breaking slider.

After Hooton retired the next two batters, he intentionally walked Larry Milbourne to face John (there was no designated hitter in this series).

[13] In the fifth, George Frazier, who relieved John, gave up an RBI single to Ron Cey and a two-run triple to Pedro Guerrero.

Guerrero would cap a five-RBI night, and the Dodgers' World Series win, by blasting a solo home run in the eighth off Yankee reliever Rudy May.

[14][15] The Yankee owner was criticized by players and press alike for doing so, as many people felt losing a World Series was not something for which a team needed to apologize.

The Yankees lost Reggie Jackson (who left in free agency), Graig Nettles (traded to the San Diego Padres in 1984), Goose Gossage (left in free agency in 1984, also to the Padres, only to play once more with them in 1989), and Tommy John (traded away to the California Angels in 1982 before returning in 1986), among others.

The lone World Series appearance in the 1980s meant it was the first decade in which the Yankees did not win a title since the 1910s, and the first ever since the live-ball era, which would not happen again until the 2010s.

[17] With a stronger farm system and adding valuable players via trade or free agency, they did win division titles in 1983 and 1985, while narrowly missing in 1982.

The only other pitcher to lose that many was the Chicago White Sox's Lefty Williams, who intentionally lost his three starts in the infamous 1919 World Series.

ABC's coverage was simulcast over the Yankees' and Dodgers' local TV outlets, respectively WPIX in New York City and KTTV in Los Angeles.

After the series, Johnstone, Yeager, Reuss, and Rick Monday of the Dodgers recorded a cover version of Queen's "We Are the Champions" under the name "Big Blue Wrecking Crew".