So it has come down to this. The 2009 baseball season will conclude with a faceoff of two impressive 21st century powerhouses. On paper it looks as though the Phillies offense and defense have the upper-hand, but this series will likely come down to pitching. I’m not going to be looking for no-hitters or even complete game shut-outs. All I am going to be looking for is a pitcher who can pitch well enough to not get whiplash.
This series is going to be hard on the pitchers. Both teams play in minuscule ballparks where the right field fence is positioned about where the right fielder should be. In both parks, especially if the weather is warm, reaching the second deck in right field should be mandatory for anything more than a single. Instead, batters are awarded four bases for what is a fly-out in most other parks.
Both New Yankee Stadium (2.93 hr/ game) and Citizens Bank Ballpark (2.56 hr/ game) led their respective leagues in homers allowed per game during the 2009 season. That wasn’t because the home team’s pitching was bad however. The Phillies had a team ERA of 4.29 at home and 4.02 on the road (ranking sixth overall in the NL) and the Yankees had a 4.03 ERA at home but a 4.59 ERA on the road (ranking fifth overall in the AL). It’s almost like this match up was destined. Look for a slug-fest or two at Citizens Bank!
Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Howard have both been destroying the ball throughout the post season. The confrontation of these monsters should make for a greatly exciting series. Both teams have hit well over 200 homers this season and there is nothing that says that there will be any kind of power outage during the World Series.
Both of these teams have met in the World Series before, but the history isn’t the most interesting. Sorry. I’ll try to paint a remotely entertaining picture though. Since I can no longer pick winners with any credibility, I think I’ll stick to being the resident historian for grandcentralsports.net… kind of like a poor man’s Tim Kurkjian… but less dweebish.
The History:
The year was 1950 and the Yankees were the defending champions. The Bronx Bombers were coming off the inter-burrow beat-down of their rival Brooklyn Dodgers. It was only the second such meeting, but as we know, there were many more to come.
The Phillies, on the other hand, were coming off of just their third winning season since 1917. They had never won 100 games, but had lost 100 or more twelve times in that 32 year span. After finishing the 1949 season in third place the Phillies were poised for their big match-up with Joe DiMaggio and the mighty Yankees.
[Yankees - Phillies World Series Video ]
The Yankees came into the 1950 fall classic 12-4 in their 16 previous World Series appearances. Needless to say, the fightin’ Phils weren’t about to intimidate them. New York brought five future hall of famers to the series; there were two in the Philadelphia clubhouse.
The series lasted four games. Yogi Berra – from the Aflac commercials – and Joe DiMaggio – once married to Marilyn Monroe, the first playboy centerfold– both hit home runs in the series. The RBI totals from just those two hitters (4) could have just about beaten the Phillies by themselves. Philadelphia scored only five runs in the series.
Phillies’ twenty-game winner and hall of famer Robin Roberts received only one start in the series and with it took the game two loss. Richie Ashburn, the Phils other hall of famer, batted just .176 with one RBI against Whitey Ford, Vic Raschi and the rest of the Yankee rotation.
Back to the Present:
There was really no contest. The Yankees won the 1950 fall classic easily and damaged the Phillies’ psyche so badly that they didn’t return to the World Series for 30 years. (In those 30 years, Philadelphia did win 100 games though – twice. And they won the 1980 World Series.)
This year looks to be very different however. This time around it is the Phillies who are the returning champions. And the Yankees are coming off a season where they finished third (in their division). While that seemed a telling stat the first time around, there is no mismatch to be found here.
The Yankees have a powerful three man rotation with C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte. The Phillies have the reigning AL Cy Young winner fronting their staff however; with Cole Hamels and future hall of famer Pedro Martinez waiting behind him.
Both teams have hitters that can bust a ball at the seams. Both teams have gold glovers at shortstop; as well at other positions (Rollins, Jeter, Victorino, Teixeira, and ARod). There are a couple discrepancies however.
Bullpen to bullpen, I like Philadelphia’s: Chan Ho Park, J.A. Happ, and Ryan Madson over Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain.
The closer battle may be the most lop-sided duel of the entire series however. Despite having a hot hand in the playoffs and a perfect season last year, Brad Lidge might as well be a lunch lady at the Mariano Rivera School for Closers.
I think it will be exciting to watch the ball soar out of the match-book sized ballparks next week. I’m not about to pick a team to win – because they would undoubtedly wind up losing – but will just say I am ready for the displays of power that both teams promise to put on.
(go philly, sorry if I just jinxed you.)
