Debate: 2009 World Series Best in Last Five Years?

Charlie Klein

The 2009 Major League Baseball World Series is the best World Series for a neutral fan to watch since the 2002 World Series in which the Los Angeles Angels defeated the San Francisco Giants in seven games. This statement is unquestionable given a simple glance at the World Series of the past seven years. No World Series has gone seven games since 2002. No Series has gone more than five games since 2003.

Game Six of the 2009 Fall Classic is tonight in the Bronx at the Stadium. Personally, I despise both of the participants this season and yet I have not been able to take my eyes away from any of the games thus far. All of my gripes about exorbitant payrolls aside, these two teams are a match made in heaven. Both teams are very similar as much as their fans would prefer to think otherwise.

The New York Yankees led MLB in homeruns with 244 and Philadelphia led the National League with 224 bombs. The two teams have the best lineups top to bottom in the AL and NL. Both teams have two Cy Young Award winners from the Cleveland Indians. Both have first baseman that were in the top ten in MLB in homeruns who also are candidates for a Gold Glove in the field.

This World Series has also had better story lines than any in recent memory. Tonight's pitching match up (Pedro Martinez vs. Andy Pettite) is a throwback to all of those classic Red Sox Yankees games in years-gone-by. As a baseball fan I enjoyed Game Two just so that I could hear the reaction of Yankee fans to Pedro's return to the Stadium in a World Series game. Could Chase Utley win the World Series MVP even if the Phillies lose tonight? While I despise Chase Utley and wonder how he can ever take off his hat without it getting stuck to all of that hair gel, I have to respect his incredible power numbers in this series. Is Joe Girardi good enough to manage a team like the New York Yankees? My thing with Girardi is that sometimes he is guilty of overmanaging, but that is not unique to him. Seeing my Yankee fan friends joining facebook groups calling for his dismissal seem ludicrous considering how close the Bronx Bombers are to claiming No. 27.

I do think that this World Series will go seven games. Andy Pettite has not pitched on three days rest after throwing 100 pitches since 2001 and has not thrown on three days rest period since 2006. I feel like Pedro will have learned from his last start in Yankee Stadium and will show the crowd who their Papi is this time around. What will be interesting to watch in this game is whether or not Mark Texeira and Ryan Howard can break out of their slumps and give their teams some much needed power.