I know I haven't posted in a while (more on this developing story later) but I wanted to be "on record" for this World Series so I'll do a quick rundown of what could be a very compelling championship series.
The 2009 World Series between the American League Champion New York Yankees and the defending World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies will be an instant classic if a few things happen. And since there are seven games in a series, the following will be the seven key factors (in reverse order of importance) for this matchup...
1) Shane Victorino/ Johnny Damon - Both are the 2 hitters for their respected teams and which ever player hits better will give his team the edge
2) Jayson Werth - The Phillies right fielder has been hot so far this post season giving the Phillies a big hitting right handed batter in their lineup. If he can hit the Yankee's lefties then the Phills will have a huge advantage.
3) Cole Hamels - Hamels was last years playoff darling but has struggled so far this post season. Hamels had a baby in the first round of the playoffs so that may be a reason for his struggles but he will need to pitch well at home in game 3.
4) A-Rod/ Ryan Howard - Both are the sluggers for their teams and each will be forces to be reckoned with. The question here is will A-Rod continue to contribute at the level he currently is? And if so, what will Howard do in response? Chicks dig the long ball.
5) Mark Teixeira - The Yankee first basemen has been struggling this post season and has only hit one home run while batting around .200. For the Yankees to win, they need him to drive guys in and not leave it all to A-Rod (that is weird to say).
6) Game 2 - Game 2 will feature Pedro vs AJ Burnett and the game has come under a bit of scrutiny. Cole Hamels would have been the logical choice to start game 2 if you were a logical person. Only this isn't a game of logic, it's called baseball. Pedro was signed for this moment. Of course he isn't the Pedro of old but he is still Pedro and he will handle pitching a World Series game in New York much better then a struggling Cole Hamels would. This has been the topic that has caused much debate but this is a no brainer. This game will become that much more important depending on who wins game 1.
7) The most important factor for this years World Series is....Game 1 - Who ever wins Game 1 is in the drivers seat. First off, you have both ace's on the mound (Cliff Lee for the Phillies and CC Sabathia for the Yanks) so which ever team wins will have confidence the next time around. Also, which ever team wins will have the upper hand in what will be a race to win 3 games.
Who do I have winning? Yankees.
Why do I have them winning? Because they are the best team.
How many games will it go? 7
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