Pitching wins championships. This dictum has determined the winner of the World Series for the last 100 years. We saw it last year when the Yankees lost to the Marlins. We saw it in 2001 when the D-backs squeezed past the Yankees. And, we saw it in 2000 when the Yankees decimated the Mets.
This year will be no different; the Twins, Red Sox and Yankees all have at least three dominant pitchers. The Twins have Brad Radke, Joe Nathan and Johan Santana whose ungodly numbers (2.61 ERA, 13-0 since the all star break) propelled them to first place in the AL Central.
The Sox have the ever-dominant Curt Schilling, Keith Foulke and the struggling-as-of late Pedro Martinez. The Yankees boast El Duque, the ever-dangerous workhorse Mike Mussina and the close-them-down, the-game-is-over-when-I-come-in Mariano Rivera in relief.
The Angels' pitching staff, however, is suspect. Just squeaking into the playoffs, the Angels have only Kelvim Escobar to head their pitching staff, as Bartolo Colon and company struggled throughout the whole year.
This leaves the AL with a three-team race that includes the two most exciting and hated/loved teams in all baseball, the Red Sox and the Yankees. The Yankees, having swept the Twins in their last series in September, seem like a lock for another ALCS berth, but Ron Gardenhire kept his starters to a strict pitch count in that series, allowing the Yankees to climb into the lead in all three games.
Despite this, the Yankees offense is just too dominant. With five all-stars in their offensive starting lineup (possibly four if Giambi is too unhealthy to play), they have just too much fire power for the Twins, who only have Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau and Jacque Jones as viable contenders in the batter's box. However, the Sox have arguably the best offense in baseball. They boast lethal swingers such as David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, as well as Orlando Cabrera, Johnny Damon and Bill Mueller.
By the looks of it, America is going to witness another epic ALCS: Yankees vs. Red Sox, the best possible match-up for major league baseball. This ageless rivalry draws flocks of fans to the television, inciting hours upon hours of useless and bitter debate. The Sox lead the Yankees 11-8 in the regular season matchup, with most of those wins coming at the beginning of the year, before either team went on a serious tear.
Each team has its share of fire power on offense, neutralizing that matchup and calling for a bunch of exciting, high-scoring games. Pitching, for both teams, has been struggling as of late; Pedro is 0-4 in his last four starts and the Yankees have been unable to find their rhythm all year long.
The true match-up is in the relievers. Averaging one and a half strikeouts per nine innings less than the Yankees' closers, Boston's Foulke, Timlin and Embree aren't exactly the guys Terry Francona can put in at the end of the game to assure himself a victory. The Yankees, on the other hand, have, arguably, the greatest postseason reliever of all time, Mariano Rivera, and the game's best setup man, Tom Gordon, ahead of him.
So, will the Sox break the curse this year or will the Yankees crush the hopes of New Englanders everywhere? Because of the Yankees' better relievers and 26 rings, I'm going to have to give them the edge. The Sox, however, could pull this one out, inciting joyful rioting and drawing millions of drunken Northeasterners onto the streets of New England, marking the end of an 86 year-old curse.