Just as a certain handsome, genius blog writer predicted at the beginning of the MLB season, the Phillies and Yankees will meet in the World Series. Needless to say, this World Series matchup has a little more juice to it than last year's Phillies-Rays series. This is Philadelphia vs New York, two cities that absolutely hate each other. It's the current champs against the all-time greatest baseball franchise. It's Kevo vs. Barr.
So, here's a breakdown of the matchup, position by position:
Starting Pitching
You can't ask for a much better matchup for game 1 than Cliff Lee vs CC Sabathia. Both are former AL Cy Young award winners, both with the Indians oddly enough, and both are coming off stellar seasons and even better postseasons. Lee and Sabathia pretty much cancel each other out, so the rest of the starters will decide this one. For game 2, it will either be Cole Hamels or Pedro Martinez vs AJ Burnett. We know what Hamels can do in the postseason, but he hasn't been good this year, where Pedro has been very good as of late. Burnett has been solid, but nothing spectacular for the Yankees. Game 3 for the Yankees will go to Andy Pettite, vs either Hamels or Pedro, and Joe Blanton will go in Game 4 for the Phillies and the Yankees will probably go back to Sabathia. Overall, there isn't much separating the starting pitching staffs. If Hamels pitches the way he can, the edge goes to the Phils. But for now, it's too close to call.
Advantage: Push
Bullpen
Brad Lidge seems to have straigtened things out, which will be huge for the Phils. But no matter how good Lidge is, he can't match the mystique that is Mariano Rivera. Rivera has been simply masterful in all of the Yankees postseason runs. When you add Joba Chamberlain to the mix for the Yanks, they get the edge here.
Advantage: Yankees
1st Base
Ryan Howard vs Mark Teixeira, it doesn't get much better than that. Normally I would say this is a push, but with the way Howard has been hitting this postseason, and the way Teixeira has not been hitting in the postseason, the edge goes to Howard.
Advantage: Phillies
2nd Base
Chase Utley vs Robinson Cano. As we all know, Chase Utley is the man. However, Cano is very underappreciated and lost amongst all the big names for the Yankees. Utley has struggled a bit this postseason, but at the end of the day, there's still no second baseman I would rather have.
Advantage: Phillies
Shortstop
Jimmy Rollins vs Derek Jeter. Jimmy Rollins has always been the Phils' catalyst. If he hits well in this series, the Phils have a great chance of winning. However, it's Jeter, it's the postseason. I hate to do this.
Advantage: Yankees
3rd Base
Pedro Feliz vs Alex Rodriguez. Since we all know where this is going, A-Rod is a cheater and all-around jerk.
Advantage: Yankees
Left Field
Raul Ibanez vs Johnny Damon. This is a tough one to call. Ibanez has the advantage in power and driving in runs, whereas Damon is better at getting on base and setting the table for the powerful lineup. However, the one area in which Ibanez was supposed to struggle at, defense, has been surprisingly good for him this season. We all know how Damon struggles in the outfield. So,
Advantage: Phillies
Center Field
Shane Victorino vs Melky Cabrera. Cabrera has looked good in the postseason, but Shane is entirely different player in the playoffs. Shane gets the edge offensively and defensively. Easy choice.
Advantage: Phillies
Right Field
Jayson Werth vs Nick Swisher. Swisher is hitting .125 in the playoffs. Werth set a team record for home runs in the postseason, and could beat the all-time record. Next.
Advantage: Phillies
Catcher
Carlos Ruiz vs Jorge Posada. Chooch has been very impressive this posteason, both at the plate and behind it. Still, there's no doubt that Posada has the postseason experience and bat to be the choice here. Sorry Chooch.
Advantage: Yankees
Designated Hitter
Matt Stairs/Ben Francisco vs Hideki Matsui. I imagine Charlie Manuel will use Stairs against righties and Franciso against lefties. Stairs can hit it out at anytime, obviously, and Francisco has done well for the Phils. Still, they're not everyday hitters like Matsui is.
Advantage: Yankees
So, position by position, it's a 5-5 tie. Scientifically, this means the Phils will win the World Series in six games. Listen, you can argue and call me a homer all you want, but there's no denying that the Phils have been a better team this postseason than the Yankees have been. And remember, most of this current Yankee team has not been to World Series; the Phils were just there last season. The Phils will be loose, rested, and as the best road team in the majors this year, certainly not scared of Yankee Stadium. Get ready to celebrate again, Philly, just not like this guy:
