SPORTS BETTING

• NLCS/ALCS Recap

  Posted on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT by GetChalk

  
  

  The World Series will be an East Coast affair with the New York Yankees and defending-champion Philadelphia Phillies colliding in the Fall Classic. However, before taking at look at what will happen when the NL's best meets the top team in the AL, take a look at how those teams won their respective pennants.
   
  In the National League, the Phillies became the first team to return to the World Series in back-to-back years since the 2001 New York Yankees by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 in the NLCS. The series started on the left side of the country, where most were pulling for a Dodgers-Yankees World Series – which would pit L.A. manager Joe Torre against his former club.
   
  Philadelphia took Game 1 in Los Angeles, holding off a late-inning push from the Dodgers for an 8-6 victory. Starter and last year's postseason hero, Cole Hamels, was on the mound for just over five innings, allowing four earned runs but still earning the win. Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez both hit three-run home runs to open the Championship Series.
   
  In Game 2, Los Angeles evened the series with a eighth-inning rally for a 2-1 victory at home. The Dodgers went scoreless through seven, but started rolling in the eighth after getting some lucky bounces. Reliever Hong-Chih Kuo earned the win after Pedro Martinez and Vicente Padilla went head-to-head on the hill.
   
  The NLCS then swung to Philadelphia, where the Phillies capitalized on their home-field advantage. The reigning champs opened at home with an 11-0 blowout victory that seemed to set the tone for the remaining games. The Phillies took that momentum into a hard-fought 5-4 win in Game 4, in which slumping leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins hit a walk-off two-run double with two outs in the ninth.
   
  Philadelphia's bats continued to stay hot, crushing the ball for a 10-4 series-clinching victory in Game 5. The Phillies got four home runs – two from outfielder Jayson Werth – and first baseman Ryan Howard was named NLCS MVP after hitting .333 with two home runs and eight RBI versus Los Angeles.
   
  In the American League, the Yankees had to wait an extra day to clinch their place in the World Series, winning the ALCS 4-2 against the Los Angeles Angels. New York is back in the Fall Classic for the first time since 2003, when they lost to the Florida Marlins. The Bronx Bombers, after winning four world titles in five years between 1996-2000, have lost in their two most recent World Series appearances.
   
  In Game 1 of the ALCS, New York handed the ball to ace CC Sabathia. The burly lefthander went eight innings, giving up just one run on four hits, to lead the Yankees to a 4-1 opening victory at home. The Angels added to their troubles by committing three errors in the ballgame, costing them two unearned runs.
   
  New York needed some extra-innings magic to win Game 2. The Yankees got an 11th-inning home run from Alex Rodriguez to keep the game alive, sending play into the 13th inning where New York would capitalize on a Los Angeles throwing error for a 4-3 win in extras.
   
  The series swung to Los Angeles for Game 3, where the Angels made the most of the familiar surroundings. The Halos got a two-out double from Jeff Mathis in the 11th inning to pull within one game of the Yankees with a 5-4 victory. Reliever Earvin Santana earned the win in just one inning of work.
   
  The New York bats came to life in Game 4 while Sabathia locked down the Los Angeles lineup for a 10-1 win. While the Yankees had their way with the Angels’ pitching staff the big story was the three blown calls from the umpire crew.
   
  In Game 5, the Angels would not bow down facing elimination. Down 6-4 in the seventh, Los Angeles scored three runs to pull ahead and stayed alive with a big hit from Kendry Morales and lights-out work on the bump from closer Brian Fuentes.
   
  The ALCS moved back to the Big Apple for Game 6, which was postponed a day because of heavy rains Saturday night. However, the bad weather moved on and set up a picture-perfect night in the Bronx on Sunday. New York got solid work from veteran arm Andy Pettitte and watched Rodriguez continue his October pace with two hits and an RBI, giving the Yankees a 5-2 series-clinching victory.
   
  Sabathia was named ALCS MVP after pitching two gems, allowing just two earned runs in 16 innings of work for two of New York's wins. He struck out 12 batters while walking just three in those starts.
   
  Game 1 of the World Series is scheduled for Wednesday night in New York. The Yankees turn to Sabathia, while the Phillies go with the red-hot Cliff Lee.