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Road to the World Series
by Donnie Elliott
On the heels of Barry Bonds' home run record and Ricky Henderson breaking Ty Cobb's career run
record, the 2001 baseball season has continued its exciting pace through the early stages of the
postseason.
Of the four first round match-ups, three have gone to a fifth and final game. Unlike the first
round divisional playoffs, the league championship series and World Series are a best of seven.
In today's game, with so much emphasis put on offense, it's always refreshing to watch a classical
pitching duel.
There was none better than the match-up between Barry Zito of the Oakland A's and Mike Mussina of
the New York Yankees in game three of their first round match-up. The Yankees won 1-0 on Jorge
Posada's solo home run in the top of the seventh. The Zito-Mussina duel was the third 1-0 game so far
in the 2001 playoffs.
Watching the first round of the divisional playoffs, it is apparent that the American League is the
stronger league. With the Seattle Mariners coming off an American League record 116-win season and
the Yankees featuring baseball's best pitching staff, the American League seems to have an advantage.
Since 1992, only twice has the winner of the World Series come out of the National League. The
Atlanta Braves won in '96, while the Florida Marlins captured the crown in '97.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have the best chance in the National League to win the World Series. With
22-game winner Curt Shilling and three-time Cy Young award winner Randy Johnson, the Diamondbacks
might make for an interesting World Series.
The Diamondbacks will win the NLCS in six games.
The Yankees and Mariners will face off in the American League Championship Series after both fell
behind in the first round of the divisional playoffs.
The Yankees lost the first two games to the A's before winning three straight to advance to the
ALCS. The Mariners lost the first and third games to the Cleveland Indians before winning game five
at home.
Although the Mariners are coming off a record-setting 116-win season, their lack of playoff
experience is a concern. Out of the four starting pitchers on their staff, only Freddy Garcia has ever
won a game in a league championship series.
If the Mariners are to beat the Yankees, then both Jamie Moyer and Aaron Sele must pitch well for
the Mariners for them to have a chance of reaching the World Series.
Not as strong as in years past, the Yankees are winners of four out of the past five World Series,
so they must be considered heavy favorites.
The key for the Yankees will be finding a way for them to keep Mariner leadoff hitter Ichiro
Susuki off the bases. All the right fielder did against the Indians in the divisional playoff series
was bat over 700.
The Yankees will find a way to neutralize Suzuki and advance to the World Series for the fourth
year in a row.
This should create a very exciting World Series between the Yankees and Diamondbacks. Once again,
pitching will be the key to both teams' success. It will be interesting to see how the Yankee bats
will do against both Shilling and Johnson.
Although the Diamondbacks have never reached the World Series, they do have the veteran leadership
to make up for their lack of experience.
This will be one of the more competitive World Series in the past several years. Although the
Diamondbacks will take the Yankees to a seventh game, the arms of Mussina, Roger Clemens, Andy
Pettitte and closer Mariano Rivera will be too much.
In the end, the Yankees will win their fifth World Series title.
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If the first round of the Major League Baseball Playoffs is any indication of things to come, the
2001 baseball season will go down as one of the most exciting ever.
They first must get past the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series. Although
the Braves have more postseason experience and the veteran craftsmanship of Greg Maddux and Tom
Glavine, the Braves do not have the offensive power to compete with the Diamondbacks.