The MLB playoffs are upon us, and what better way is there to greet the fall classic than with some prophetic predictions? At midseason I wrote a column forecasting award-winners and playoff participants. Awards aside, as the last day of the regular season begins, I find myself three for four in playoff teams for each league.
In the AL, Oakland, the Yankees and Detroit are all headed for October baseball, but the Twins have outgunned my original wild card pick, the White Sox. In the NL, the Mets, L.A. and St. Louis look like locks, but a late-season collapse by Cincinnati ruined my bracket. Not bad, but not perfect. It is now time to redeem my errors by flawlessly predicting every possible playoff scenario.
With the Astros' loss and the Padres' win yesterday, the brackets are determined, and I will examine all possible playoff match-ups and give the winner of each one. Let's start with the AL...
The Yankees will have home-field advantage through the ALCS and will take on the wild-card winner in the division series. Their opponent will either be the Tigers or Twins. Whichever of those two teams wins the Central will play the Athletics in the other best-of-five.
Although Yankee fans are praying for a Detroit loss and a Minnesota win on Sunday, the Tigers will take care of business in Kansas City and clinch the Central title, pitting the Bronx Bombers against the scariest team not from New York in this year's playoff picture and Detroit versus Oakland.
Yankees-Detroit, ALDS:
The Yankees, the most veteran team in the playoffs, will clinch an ALCS birth for the eighth time in eleven years by defeating the Tigers in four games. Chien-Ming Wang, supported by baseball's most potent offense, will blast through Detroit for a 1-0 series lead. Detroit's lone bright spot will be a game two victory on the shoulders of expected Rookie of the Year Justin Verlander, representing the promising future of this young team. Randy Johnson will follow up the disappointing home loss with a return to his old form, beating Detroit hitters for six innings of strong work. The Yanks will wrap up the series in Detroit as Wang is helped out of a shaky performance on short rest by 10 or more runs from the New York offense. Yankees over Detroit, 3-1.
Oakland-Minnesota, ALDS: Oakland stands little chance against Cy Young favorite, and the best pitcher of the last three years, Johan Santana, in game one, despite home field advantage and Barry Zito. Game two will feature the forceful combination of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau as the Twins return home on the verge of sweeping the A's out of the postseason. The Twins will fail to clinch an ALCS birth in game three, as Carlos Silva will bow to Oakland's vengeful offense, and Minnesota will see its series lead cut in half. Nevertheless, Johan Santana will return on short rest in game four to power the Twins into the championship series for a head-on collision with the awaiting Yankees. Twins over Oakland, 3-1.
Yankees-Twins, ALCS: The Yankees, will make a triumphant return to the World Series after a two year hiatus by defeating the Twins -- but it won't come easy. Mike Mussina will get the better of Brad Radke in game one followed by another ineffective performance from Silva who will not contain the Yankees' offense, giving New York a 2-0 advantage. As the series shifts to Minnesota, Santana will come roaring back with a complete game stunner, giving Minnesota a home win. Radke will then redeem himself as Minnesota's offense finally clicks to tie the series at two games apiece. The Yankees will jump all over Silva once again, though, in game five, bringing themselves within one game of the World Series. Santana, proving once and for all to be the best pitcher in the game, will delay the inevitable one last time for his Twins, outdueling Wang in game six. But Mussina will end it the following game, propelling the Bronx Bombers past the Twins. Yankees over Minnesota, 4-3.
And now for the NL...
The Mets, like their Bronx counterparts, will have home field throughout the National League playoffs. San Diego, who holds the tiebreaker with the Dodgers, will win the West and St. Louis will hold on -- barely -- in the Central. This sets up Mets-Dodgers and Padres-Cardinals in the division series.
Mets-Dodgers, NLDS: Baseball analysts have been quick to write off the National League's best team ever since the loss of Pedro Martinez last week. Yet these critics have seemingly forgotten that New York has gone 88-52 without Pedro and has dominated an admittedly weak NL with a makeshift pitching rotation of rookies, outcasts and seasoned veterans. The Mets will answer their detractors with a first-round offensive explosion, sweeping the Dodgers in three games. Propelled by the most raucous playoff atmosphere in baseball (as Mets fans have come to understand that their team makes the postseason once per decade), New York will shrug-off starts by Derek Lowe and Brad Penny at Shea Stadium in games one and two, completing the sweep against former nemesis Greg Maddux in game three. Mets over Los Angeles, 3-0.
San Diego-St. Louis, NLDS: San Diego will take advantage of home-field with victories in games one and two, putting the Cardinals on the brink. But the Cards will finally remember why they were picked in the preseason by the majority of analysts to come out of the NL. Behind a gutsy game three performance by Jason Marquis, St. Louis will steal the momentum right from under the Padres, taking games four and five as well. St. Louis over San Diego, 3-2.
Mets-St. Louis, NLCS: This year's NLCS will be a mirror image of 2000, when the Mets and Cardinals previously faced off in the championship series. New York will be salivating at the opportunity to face three consecutive right-handed pitchers, and will allow the Cards only a single game -- game four in St. Louis -- before completing its march to the World Series. The Mets' bats will prove once again that pitching is not necessarily the key to postseason success. Mets over St. Louis, 4-1.
Mets-Yankees, World Series: Subway Series II will have the potential to be Mets fans' worst nightmare, as a second consecutive loss to their cross-town rivals would be devastating. After losing game one at Yankee Stadium, the Mets will come back to tie the series on a gem by Tom Glavine. The Mets will then take two of three at Shea, sending the least-watched World Series in television history back to Yankee Stadium with the hometown-favorite Bombers trailing 3-2. Randy Johnson will once again prove his worth, winning a closely-fought game six. The most exciting World Series since 2001 will end in the 11th inning of game seven when David Wright hits a game-winning double, scoring Jose Reyes with two outs in the top of the frame. Mets over Yankees, 4-3.
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. No need to even turn on your TVs now.
