Firepower on display as Yankees, Phillies meet in World Series
Postseason baseball always comes down to the man on the mound. So often over the previous 105 installments of the World Series, big, powerful lineups lumber in with swagger only to be cut down by so many Orel Hershisers or Curt Schillings or Bob Gibsons.
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It doesn’t seem like that should change when the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees begin the Fall Classic on Wednesday night in the Bronx. After all, two recent Cy Young Award winners will start Game 1 — Cliff Lee for the Phillies and CC Sabathia for the Yankees.
* If necessaryThe Examiner predicts …Even if the Phillies’ top starting pitchers — Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels — throw well, New York’s lineup is deep and patient enough to wait them out and take advantage of a shaky bullpen. Melky Cabrera bats ninth and had 13 homers during the season. That’s too much for any one pitcher to wade through. With the incomparable Mariano Rivera closing things out in the late innings, chalk up title No. 27 to the Bronx Bombers.Yankees in 6
But those men — and the pitching staffs they anchor — haven’t seen anything like these offenses. New York led all of Major League Baseball with 915 runs scored. The Phillies were tops in the National League and fourth overall with 820 runs. It’s enough to give any pitcher heartburn.
“When you have power and home run friendly ballparks, pitchers will pay for their mistakes,” said TBS baseball analyst Cal Ripken. “The Phillies have speed at the top of their lineup that the Yankees don’t. But these are clearly the two best teams in baseball so scoring runs is not an issue for either side.”
Seven of New York’s nine regulars have an on-base percentage of .363 or better. That means they almost all understand the strike zone. The two that aren’t as good in that department — Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera — still combined for 38 home runs despite batting seventh and ninth.
Of course, this is the same Philadelphia lineup that mashed its way to the 2008 title. The Phillies hit 224 homers, tied for second behind New York (244). The No. 3, 4, 5 and 6 batters each finished with 31 homers or more. Slugger Ryan Howard led the way with 45. Only Mark Teixeira (39 homers) cracked baseball’s top 25 for the Yankees, who admittedly have a deeper reserve of power bats.
That depth may be what wins out for New York. Because while the Phillies are almost as good at generating runs, their ability to get on base — a huge asset in a short series because it gives teams more opportunities to score — isn’t nearly as good. Philadelphia ranked 14th in team on-base percentage (.334), trailing even the Nationals (.337).
Examiner media columnist Jim Williams contributed to this report.
