Now this is what the fans want to see: The Yankees ripped Detroit 10-1 in Game 4 on Tuesday to set up a winner-take-all spectacular in Game 5 tonight. And now, the seasons of two teams that combined to win 192 regular-season games will come down to just one. It will be a rematch of game 1 starters, Ivan Nova for the Yanks and Doug Fister for the Tigers. Who are you backing to hold their nerve and book a ticket to the ALCS against the waiting Rangers?
We here at World Series Heroes headquarters don't really have a solid feel for this game. The Yankees fought all year to get home field advantage and would like to see it pay off, however, history slightly favors the Tigers. Road teams are 8-6 in Division Series Game 5's (factoring in the AL and National League) since baseball went to the eight-team playoff format in 1995. And the Yanks haven't won a decisive game (be it a Game 7 or a Game 5) since Aaron Boone connected off Boston's Tim Wakefield in Game 7 of the 2003 AL Championship Series.
As the writer and creator of this blog, I should note that I am a Yankee fan and have been since a little kid, so I will definitely be pulling for them. Personally, I will not have a stake in this game, but we always like to look at the numbers and give our thoughts. It's pretty tough to go against a pitcher(Nova) who hasn't lost since June, but he is a rookie and from a bettors perspective it's hard to ignore the numbers that Fister put up in the final two months of the season. The 27-year-old right-hander ranked first in the AL in ERA (1.79), second to Verlander for the league lead in wins (eight) and led all Major League pitchers in strikeout-to-walk ratio (11.40). So, we will give a slight lean toward the Tigers and their 6'-8" pitcher Doug Fister, who struggled and lost game 1 of this series, but overall has been a rock for Detroit.
Here's to hoping this is one time we're wrong !? :)
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