World Series Preview:Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Yankees

by Mike Trovato

2009 World Series

Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Yankees

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The stage is set for the 2009 World Series. After four days of waiting after clinching their second consecutive National League pennant, the Philadelphia Phillies finally have a World Series opponent, the $208 million New York Yankees. The Series begins Wednesday night at the brand new Yankee Stadium.

That $208 million number is not an exaggeration, in fact it's an understatement. In typical Steinbrenner fashion, the Yankees 2009 payroll totaled an astronomical $208,097,414. That's more than the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres and Oakland A's combined, more than the combined salaries of the Twins and Angels, the two teams the Bronx Bombers beat en route to their 40th World Series appearance.

Although a Yankees-Dodgers World Series would have been ratings friendly- the underlying Joe Torre/Manny Ramirez storyline, not to mention the storied history between the two franchises- the Philly-New York tilt has its own intrigue.

Historically, there are many differences between these two clubs. On the surface, the mascotless, overpaid Yankees with their clean-shaven babyfaces, their nameless jersey backs are the embodiment of class and tradition, or, depending on your perspective, pomp and arrogance. The Phillies are a cockier bunch, calling out division rivals in the preseason and making flat out predictions on television, but backing it up on the field, all while their mascot disrespects stereotypes of opponents between innings. Each team has their legendary voices. Derek Jeter is introduced by a recording of Bob Sheppard, the only Yankee who actively honors the voice of the Yankees. The Phillies hang a suit worn by the late Harry Kalas in their dugout during every game, and have an HK decal on the left-center field wall at Citizens Bank Park.

Beneath the surface, the way they go about their business sets them apart, and historically that shows as well. The New York Yankees are the winningest franchise in the history Major League Baseball, both in terms of championships and winning percentage. The Philadelphia Phillies, on the other hand, have the worst winning percentage of any franchise, discounting two younger clubs- the Tampa Bay Rays (1998) and Texas Rangers (1961). Yet, in all that separates the Phils from the Yanks, the similarities between them- their fans, their fields, and their play on those fields- cannot be denied.

True fans from both New York and Philadelphia are outspoken die-hards whose passion is unmatched by fans from any other baseball town. No matter how small the confines of Citizens Bank Park or New Yankee Stadium are, the fans came without fail; only the Dodgers put more local bodies in the hometown seats in 2009. The teams they came to see did not disappoint either, both winning their respective divisions, both leading their respective leagues in home runs, extra base hits, and slugging. Perhaps it's only fitting then that the defending champion Phillies are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back World Series since who else? The New York Yankees.

The similarities don't end there. In fact, there is an eerie similarity between the individual performances this season. Here's how the Phillies and Yankees match up stastistically:

PHI 1B Ryan Howard- .279 BA, 45 HR, 144 RBI, .931 OPS
NYY 1B Mark Teixeira- .292 BA, 39 HR, 122 RBI, .948 OPS

PHI- 2B Chase Utley- .282 BA, 31 HR, 93 RBI, .508 SLG
NYY- 2B Robinson Cano-.320 BA, 25 HR, 85 RBI, .509 SLG

PHI- SS Jimmy Rollins- 100 R, 21 HR, 77 RBI, 31 SB
NYY- SS Derek Jeter- 107 R, 18 HR, 66 RBI, 30 SB

PHI- RF Jayson Werth- 36 HR, 99 RBI, 20 SB
NYY- 3B Alex Rodriguez- 30 HR, 100 RBI, 14 SB

PHI- LF Raul Ibanez- .272 BA, 34 HR, 93 RBI
NYY- DH Hideki Matsui- .274 BA, 28 HR, 90 RBI

PHI- SP Cliff Lee- 7-4, 3.39 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 0.8 HR/9
NYY- SP C.C. Sabathia- 19-8, 3.37 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 0.7 HR/9

PHI- SP Joe Blanton- 12-8, 4.05 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 30 HR allowed
NYY- SP A.J. Burnett- 13-9, 4.04 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 25 HR allowed

Phillies- 119 Stolen Bases, 81% Stealing, .987 Fielding Pct.
Yankees- 111 Stolen Bases, 80% Stealing, .985 Fielding Pct.

The Phillies led the Majors with 116 home runs on the road. The Yankees were second, with 108.
The Yankees hit 55.7% (136) of their 244 home runs at home.

Phillies Bullpen- 3.91 ERA, 1.38 WHIP
Yankees Bullpen- 3.91 ERA, 1.25 WHIP

http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/article/2009-10-22/marino-rivera-ryan-franklin-named-sporting-news-2009-relievers-year
The knock on the Phillies throughout the regular season and into the postseason has been their "weak" bullpen. However, in looking at the numbers it appears that the Philadelphia bullpen, though not what it was last year, is not as bad as people think. Many will point to the Phillies' blown saves, Mariano Rivera (right), likely the best closer ever to play the game, converted a remarkable 44 of 46 save opportunities, while Brad Lidge was the polar opposite of his perfect 2008 stats, blowing 10 saves with a 7.21 ERA. On the season, the Yankees blew just 15 saves to Philadelphia's 22, but New York's relievers led the majors allowing a whopping 72 home runs to the Phillies' 46.

Head-to-head this season, the Phillies took 2 out of 3 games from the Yankees in New York, which is impressive given the Bombers outstanding 57-24 home record. More impressive was th "troubled" Phils' bullpen, which without Brad Lidge's numbers was perfect, allowing 0 runs and just 5 base runners in 7 innings. Lidge was the lone disaster, giving up 4 earned runs in 1.1 innings of work, 3 of which came in a blown save that gave the Yankees their only win of the series.

Many analysts give the Yankees starting pitching the edge for the Fall Classic, but if the 3-game regular season series is any indicator, they may want to re-crunch those numbers. The Phillies faced New York's top 3 arms- Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte- during the regular season, tagging them for a total of 12 runs in 21 innings. Philly put 26 men on base against the $37 million worth of Bombers starters, including 10 in 6 innings against A.J. Burnett. The Phillies 3 starters- Hamels, Happ and Myers- walked a grand total of 0 Yankees, yielding 20 hits in 20 innings for a collective WHIP of 1.00.
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Granted, when the Phillies came to Yankee Stadium back in May, things were very different. The Yankees were in third place, a game and a half beind the first place Toronto Blue Jays, while the Phillies held just a 1.5 game lead over the second place New York Mets. The Yankees ended the regular season on an absolute tear, winning over 70 percent of their games (52-22) after the All-Star Break, and didn't lose more than 9 games in any month after June. The Phillies were not quite as hot, but made several huge acquisitions over the summer, trading for the reigning American League Cy Young Award Winner Cliff Lee and signing Pedro Martinez (left) at the bargain bin price of $1 million.

Both Lee and Martinez have been brilliant in Philadelphia; Lee contributed three complete games with a ridiculous 74 to 10 strikeout to walk ratio, posting a 7-4 record with his new club. Martinez, a 3-time Cy Young Award Winner, went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in 9 starts for the Phils, were the only team willing to take a chance on him. That chance has paid massive dividends, adding not just depth, but quality depth to the Phillies pitching staff, along with a terrific presence in the clubhouse. After being unsigned for half the year, Martinez now finds himself back at the top of a World Series rotation, and will start Game 2 on Thursday for Philadelphia.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/poll/2009/oct/28/yankees-phillies-world-series-baseball
Both teams have their aces. The Yankees have Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter (right). The Phillies have their own solid home-grown nucleus. Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher, two Yankee catalysts during the regular season, have struggled in the postseason. The same goes for the Phillies Raul Ibanez and Jimmy Rollins. Center fielders Melky Cabrera (.314, 4 RBI) and Shane Victorino (.361, 3 HR, 7 RBI) have been spectacular. Ryan Howard (.355, 2 HR, 14 RBI) has been on a tear throughout the playoffs. Alex Rodriguez (.438 5 HR, 12 RBI) has been even hotter, breaking his career-long October slump. In all of the fanfare surrounding those stars, perhaps the most overlooked player on either side has been Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz has batted .346 with 7 runs batter in, adding 7 walks for an absurd on-base percentage of .500. Only A-Rod has reached base at a higher rate (.548).

So, when the question "Who will win this year's World Series?" arises, the response is about as hard to determine as it is for a Mets fan to determine which to root for without jumping off of the Brooklyn Bridge. Here's how I see it playing out:

Game 1: Cliff Lee vs. C.C. Sabathia- A faceoff between the last two AL Cy Young Award Winners is a fitting way to kick off the 2009 World Series. The Phillies haven't played in a week, and while I think the rest will does well for Cliff Lee's arm, the Phillies bats may have a bit of waking up to do. C.C. gets the better of his former Indians teammate.
Yankees (1-0 NYY)

Game 2: Pedro Martinez vs. A.J. Burnett- Martinez returns to the "Who's your daddy?" chants at Yankee Stadium, and relishes in it. Since losing his father, Pedro has been brilliant, and is again brilliant in Game 2. Burnett struggles and with Molina in the lineup, Posada or Matsui get the short end of the stick.
Phillies (1-1)

Game 3: Andy Pettitte vs. Cole Hamels- Hamels, he 2008 World Series MVP, has had a down year. The trip back to the Fall Classic may rejuvenate him, but Pettitte has had a solid postseason and pitches better in 6+ innings here. However, anything less than 7 innings means Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, spelling a come from behind Phillies rally, a pivotal turn in the series.
Phillies (2-1 PHI)

Game 4: TBA, Sabathia vs. Lee- Down 2-1, Girardi takes no chances and turns to C.C., while Manuel retaliates with Lee. This time around the Phillies bats are alive and well, and Lee outshines the Yankees ace in Philadelphia.
Phillies (3-1)

Game 5: TBA, Burnett vs. Happ- As much as I'm inclined to think the Phillies would like to stick to their order and follow Lee with Martinez, I believe Charlie Manuel will throw lefty J.A. Happ at home, preserving Martinez for a more pressure-filled road start, if necessary. I do like Happ, but I can't see the Yankees going down yet, not without more of a fight.
Yankees (3-2 PHI)

Game 6: TBA, Martinez vs. Pettitte- To go against Pettitte at Yankee Stadium seems crazy. To think Pedro Martinez will win 2 games on the road may be just as crazy. Call me crazy.
Phillies (4-2)

Phillies in 6
World Series MVP: Pedro Martinez