It all comes down to two teams. At this stage, the stakes are now at its highest, and every misstep, pain and failure will be the last. It takes four wins to decide the world champion of baseball. This is the World Series. Here is the matchup to end all matchups.
Detroit Tigers vs. San Francisco Giants
Season Series: Did Not Meet
Road to the World Series
Detroit - def. Oakland 3-2 in ALDS; def. NY Yankees 4-0 in ALCS
San Francisco - def. Cincinnati 3-2 in NLDS; def. St. Louis 4-3 in NLCS
It is only fitting that the batting champions of the American League and the National League will meet at this stage of the postseason. Miguel Cabrera, owner of the first batting Triple Crown since 1967, face Buster Posey, the NL's batting champion, in a World Series matchup no one had ever dreamed of. In fact, it's been a long time since the batting champions of both leagues squared off in the World Series, and this year's edition should bring out the best in both Cabrera and Posey. But this is not the only story.
This is the first postseason meeting between the Giants and the Tigers, two storied franchises looking to add another World Series title to their resume. The Tigers arrived here with a mission, after adding Prince Fielder in the offseason. Though they had some glimpses of struggle, the Tigers were able to defend their AL Central title with an 88-win campaign. Then they had to overcome the younger Oakland Athletics in five games, all thanks to Justin Verlander, before capitalizing on a sluggish and aging Yankee bat in a four-game sweep. Meanwhile the Giants returned to form by winning the NL West with a 94-win campaign, but were pushed to the brink by Cincinnati and St. Louis both times before escaping elimination and eventually winning both series. To both Bruce Bochy and Jim Leyland's credit, both teams deserve to be here because they had the qualities of a winning team: prolific offense, strong pitching, formidable defense, and experience.
The Giants would need only a day's rest, but who cares. They thrive with their backs to the wall, and by winning six elimination games, they showed that they are no pushovers. The offense will be backstopped by the batting champion Buster Posey, along with NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro, Pablo Sandoval, Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence. Leading the way for the staff will be Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong, Barry Zito, Jeremy Affeldt, Sergio Romo and Tim Lincecum. For the Giants to win, they need both parts to work together, but if one part malfunctions, it is their series to lose.
The Tigers will enter the series well-rested, but they only hope that rust will not affect them. Pitching is the Tigers' bread and butter, led by Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister and Anibal Sanchez. However, their bullpen has been suspect at times, with Jose Valverde not coming close to his dominant 2011 self. Nevertheless, if the starting rotation can work at least eight innings, the Tigers may have a chance to win. The offense for Detroit will be carried by the Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, ALCS MVP Delmon Young, offseason addition Prince Fielder, Austin Jackson and Alex Avila. The Tigers always thrive in close games, and if they keep the scores low and close, they can win.
This year's World Series may be the most intriguing in a long time, so expect a long, tough series between the two teams.
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