Yankees Defeat Angels 5-2, Head to World Series

The New York Yankees have defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5-2 in game six of the ACLS, sending the Yankees on to the World Series.

The Angels scored first in this exciting game, thanks to a single by Bobby Abreu in the third inning that allowed Jeff Mathis to score. The Yankees wouldn't answer back until the bottom of the fourth, when Johnny Damon brought in two runs with a single to left field, followed by a surprising bases-loaded at bat for A-Rod, who walked on a 3-1 pitch and sent Jeter home. The Yankees maintained a 3-1 lead until the top of the eighth inning, when the Angels narrowed the gap to 3-2. Unfortunately, that was the closest the Angels would come to a comeback, and the Yankees widened the gap in the bottom of the eighth, maintaining a 5-2 score through the top of the ninth when Mariano Rivera held down the Angels and kept them from their final shot at taking the ACLS to game seven. After Gary Matthews struck out swinging, the celebration officially began for the Yankees fortieth pennant victory.

Which means, ladies and gentlemen, that this Wednesday will pit the Bronx against Broad Street.

The Philadelphia Phillies will make the trip to the new Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 for game one of the 2009 World Series. Besides being possibly the "Worst Fall Classic Ever" for Mets (and possibly Red Sox) fans-sorry, guys-this series matchup is definitely going to be a bruiser. I'm not just talking about all the fun new names we can come up with for the series this year; The Broad Street-Bronx Classic, The Cheesesteak-Cheesecake Classic; The Sinatra-Sinatra Series (the Yanks have his home, the Phils have his "High Hopes"); et cetera. No, I'm talking about the matching of what arguably proves to be the true best-of-the-best from this year's baseball season. The Yankees come to this series with something to prove. The Phillies won two of three games at Yankee Stadium this past May, which gives both teams and their respective fans a nice preview of what to expect during the series. Yes, the Yankees are the most successful club in baseball while the Phillies were once considered the losingest team in the sport with a record 10,000 loses. But it's hard to deny that both teams have their power players, which is bound to make it a gut-wrenching series.

The Yankees and Phillies haven't met for a World Series championship since 1950, when the Yankees beat the Phillies pretty soundly in a series sweep. The players, of course, are different this time around, as are the stadiums, but only time will tell if any of this will lead to a different Series outcome. There are several factors that could swing the series either way.

First, we'll be seeing a matchup between Alex Rodriguez for the Yankees and Ryan Howard for the Phillies. A-Rod was already emotional at the prospect of his first ever World Series, and from the way he's been playing lately it's not likely that he'll take the opportunity lightly. Rodriguez has been pulling punch after punch in the post season, with several big hits and clutch inning plays that have made him the man to watch. Despite hip surgery in March and the steroids debacle during Spring Training, A-Rod has since proved to be a contender at bat. Meanwhile, the Phillies have their newly named MVP, Ryan Howard, who made no small contribution to his team's NCLS victory with two home runs and 14 RBIs. The Yankees also have Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira, while the Phillies back up Howard with Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.

Meanwhile, when it comes to pitching, the Yankees have several guys the Phillies will likely be studying with the lights on; otherwise, they'd produce nightmares. I'm talking about CC Sabathia, the lefty pitcher who has dominated the post season. I'm also talking about Mariano Rivera, whose role as the closer for game six of the ACLS barely touches the surface of his chill-inducing status as a game closer. Then again, the Phillies won't let it slip by them that Rivera, despite a closer status that would put Kyra Sedgwick to shame, gave up a run in game six that almost led to a tied score; any slip-up is just another grain of hope. The Yankees, meanwhile, will probably be counting on the post season performance of Cole Hamels, who seemed to be in something of a slump during the last few games of the NCLS. For Hamels' slips, there is the threat of lefty Cliff Lee, who also dominated the postseason, making him a great match for Sabathia. The Phillies also have J. A. Happ, who provided great support during game six of the NCLS.

So how will this matchup go down? The Yankees will have home field advantage for games one and two, which might give them an early edge, but the Phillies come with the 2-1 May series memory and last year's World Series title for extra encouragement. It would be no surprise to see the Phillies start their lineup with Rollins, Victorino, Howard, and Utley, with added support from Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez. The Yankees will likely start off their lineup with Rodriguez or Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and Johnny Damon, with support from Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui. In terms of pitching, we could call this the Lefty Series, with Lee and Sabathia trying to fend off the respective opposition. The Phillies will also likely depend on Hamels to come out of his postseason slump, with the support of Happ and Pedro Martinez, while the Yankees will look to the arms of Andy Pettitte and A. J. Burnett.

No matter what team fans will be rooting for in this year's World Series, they can all agree on at least one thing. They'll be well fed for potentially the seven most exciting nights in their lives!