The weather may have turned colder in New England this weekend, but in the few American League cities that are still playing baseball, things are about to heat up. Competitive division series pit a team that equaled the best record in the history of baseball, the Seattle Mariners, against a strong Cleveland Indians squad, and the defending world champion New York Yankees against the surging Oakland Athletics.
Seattle vs. Cleveland
Seattle was in a league of its own this year, and its pulverization of opponents likely won't end with the regular season. The Mariners (116-46) tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs for the Major League Baseball record for wins in a season, and despite Cleveland's September surge, it will take supernatural force for the Indians to break the Mariners' momentum.
For Seattle, the numbers say it all. The Mariners were the first team since the 1948 Cleveland Indians to lead the league in hitting, pitching, and fielding. They established an American League record for road wins with 59 and won 43 series.
And then there was Ichiro. The rookie, who doesn't even need a last name, led the AL in batting with a .350 average, hits with 242, and stolen bases with 56. He was second in runs scored with 127, and word has it that the baseball writers' association has already inscribed his name on the Rookie of the Year trophy.
Seattle's success was not just a product of Ichiro's effort, but of the combination of stellar efforts from the entire team. Bret Boone, a mediocre second baseman until this year, led the AL in RBIs with 141 and hit a career-high 37 home runs. Closer Kazuhiro Sasaki was near the top in the AL in saves, and pitcher Freddy Garcia lead the AL in ERA at 3.05.
While the Indians come off a solid season - they compiled a 91-71 record - they remain the weakest team in the AL playoffs, and their statistics pale in comparison to the Mariners. Seattle won the season series 5-2 against Cleveland this year and has the starting pitching to overpower the Indians.
Cleveland does wield some offensive strength, as Jim Thome was second in the AL with 49 homers this year, and Juan Gonzalez had another MVP-caliber season in which he batted .325 with 35 home runs. But their bats, as well as those of Roberto Alomar and Ellis Burks, will have to face three of the best pitches in baseball this season in Seattle's Garcia, Jamie Moyer, and Aaron Sele.
The Indians' pitching staff, on the other hand, has struggled this season. Bartolo Colon, who will start Game One against Garcia, had control problems; Game Two starter Chuck Finley is coming off an injury and will have to face Moyer, who went 11-2 with a 2.22 ERA after the All-Star break. Game Three, however, boasts the exciting match-up of Sele against Indians rookie C.C. Sabathia, a promising left-hander who throws in the 90-mph range and surprised baseball by recording a 17-5 record this year.
The only minor roadblock for Seattle is that shortstop Carlos Guillen is sick with tuberculosis and is not expected to play in either the division or championship series. But while Guillen is an integral part of the team, Mark McLemore should be an adequate replacement. In a best-of-three series that is spread out enough to give pitchers plenty of rest time, the strong rotation should give Seattle all it needs to dispose of Cleveland.
New York vs. Oakland
The Seattle-Cleveland series may seem like it's over before it begins, but the New York-Oakland match-up promises to give fans all the drama and suspense missing from the other pairing. The Yankees - winners of the last three World Series - have more playoff experience than the other three teams in the AL playoffs combined and have a reputation for stepping up when it really matters. The Athletics, however, have a better record, a strong pitching staff, and desire to avenge their close loss to the Yanks in the division series last year.
Oakland was second only to Seattle with a 102-60 record this year, while New York finished at 95-65. This series will be one of momentum against experience. Oakland was 58-17 after the All-Star break, the second-best winning percentage during that time next to the 1954 Cleveland Indians. After a horrendous start, the Athletics became the first team in history to win 100 games after being ten under .500.
Both teams have formidable pitching rotations, and the match-up of Oakland's Mark Mulder and New York's Roger Clemens in Game One will rank among the top pitching duels this season. Mulder (21-8) was one of the AL's three 20-game winners this year and had a solid 3.56 ERA, while Clemens (20-3) became the first pitcher in baseball history to earn a 20-1 record and could be on his way to a record sixth Cy Young award.
The trio of Mulder, Tim Hudson, and Barry Zito is one of the only sets in baseball who can rival the dominance of the Yankees' Clemens, Pettite, and Mussina. But pitching is one area where the Yankees' ability to perform under pressure may make the difference, as their arms have far more playoff experience than Oakland's.
New York, however, may have to play without pitcher Orlando Hernandez, who is scheduled to pitch Game Four on Sunday. The series doesn't start until Wednesday, which means that both teams will need a fourth solid starter - which Oakland has in Corey Lidle. Hernandez is 8-1 in the postseason, and while he threw four scoreless innings coming out of the bullpen on Sunday, he remains questionable for the start this week.
At the plate, New York and Oakland put up numbers this year that differ by only a few percentage points. The Yankees have a better team batting average by a mere .003 points, while the Athletics scored 80 more runs. For New York, rookie second baseman Alfonso Soriano broke into baseball in a big way and energized the team's running game. Derek Jeter had another solid year at shortstop, Tino Martinez put up his best numbers in the last four years (.280 batting average, 34 home runs), and Bernie Williams hit .307 with 26 home runs.
Oakland will be powered by first baseman Jason Giambi, who had an MVP-esquse season and led the team in every offensive category. Midseason pickup Jermaine Dye was just what Oakland needed to energize its offense, and he won the AL player of the month award for August. And three out of Oakland's four infielders - Giambi, Eric Chavez, and Miguel Tejeda -hit more than 30 home runs.
The Athletics also boast a formidable defense, with Dye, Johnny Damon, and Terrence Long in the outfield and potential Gold Glover Chavez at third. But the Yankees are a far more aggressive team and have a strong bullpen that is anchored by the game's best closer, Mariano Rivera.
Oakland is 6-3 against New York this season, and each team swept the home series against the other. This week's series should provide the excitement that was missing from the AL pennant races. And even if New York wins, this may be the year that the Yankees are dethroned - the Mariners would be up next.
