The baseball postseason is here and for many, it’s the most exciting month of the sports calendar. Starting Friday, fans will see great game after great game until we are crowned a World Series champion. Many people are making their World Series predictions but here, we like to have some fun.
Instead of making predictions, let’s look at some fun possible World Series matchups. Not the best per se, or the one that everyone’s picking but the fun ones. Not all the fun ones will be included (sorry if you were looking forward to the “Jamie Moyer Memories Series” which is Phillies-Mariners) but a lot will be, or the five best at least.
So, let’s dive into some of the possible World Series matchups that we can see.
Braves-Mariners: Rookies of the Year
It’s not the matchup that many are expecting and not the fun one you first thought of (unless you’re a random baseball nerd like myself). However, this would be fun for two reasons, specifically two players. It would pit the American League rookie of the year (inevitably) and the National League rookie of the year (inevitably) against each other.
The Seattle Mariners are back in the postseason for the first time since 2001. While they are carried by their pitching staff, they have also been carried by power-hitting Julio Rodriguez. Aside from being exciting, Rodriguez has been valuable to the Mariners lineup, slashing .284/.345/.509 with a 6.0 WAR, all of which, lead the team.
The Atlanta Braves meanwhile have two rookies that have helped propel this team to the second-best record in the National League, Spencer Strider, and Michael Harris. While Strider is dealing with an injury, Harris remains essential to the Braves’ success and ability to repeat as World Series champs. He patrols center field and helps round out the lineup with speed and contact in the back half of the order.
This matchup would also be exciting with the star power on both teams. However, the highlight will be the two (or three) young players taking on major roles on their respective teams.
Cardinals-Yankees: World Series History Fatigue
Did you know that the New York Yankees won 27 World Series titles? Did you know that the St. Louis Cardinals won 11 titles, second-most to the Yankees? Well, if these two teams face each other, you’ll hear about this and the history of these two franchises, a lot.
Interestingly, the last time these two teams met in the World Series was in 1964 when the Cardinals won in a seven-game series. However, some of the most iconic moments in baseball history have happened between these two teams, and honestly, both teams are due for a title (the Cardinals haven’t won one since 2011 while the Yankees haven’t won since 2009). These two teams would also give us more than enough storylines with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Albert Pujols, and Paul Goldschmidt to name a few, all in this matchup (so for what it’s worth, we’ll also get a few 62 and 700 mentions, homer wise).
Cardinals-Guardians: Destiny vs Curse
As mentioned previously, the Cardinals are a team of history. This year, they also seem to be a team of destiny and are putting together a special season. Pujols is having his home runs surge, Adam Wainwright is having a good year on the mound, and Yadier Molina is having a great year as a catcher, by the way, all three players are retiring at the end of the year. Aside from the swan song, the Cardinals have two National League MVP candidates in Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt.
The Cardinals are a team of destiny but if they face the Cleveland Guardians, they will be facing a team looking to end the longest title drought in baseball history. The last time the Guardians won the World Series was 1948, 74 years ago. This year, they got a sleeper team that can make a run. Knowing fate, however, if these two teams face each other, the Cardinals will sweep the series and the Guardians’ drought will continue.
Guardians-Mets: Lindor Trade Revisited
In the 2021 offseason, the Guardians traded away shortstop Francisco Lindor, one of the best and most exciting players in the league. Fearing they wouldn’t be able to re-sign Lindor, they traded him the New York Mets, where he signed a massive contract right before the 2021 season began.
Well, that turned out to be one of the biggest win-win trades in recent memory. The Mets not only found their shortstop, but they also have one of the more valuable players in the game. Lindor, who leads off one of the best batting orders in baseball is leading the team this season to a playoff spot (they also got Carlos Carrasco in the deal and he’s been a reliable backend rotation starter).
The Guardians meanwhile received Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario, and two prospects in return for Lindor. While the prospects have yet to make their mark on the major league team, Gimenez and Rosario have been two key players in the infield and the lineup, helping the Guardians win the division and reach the playoffs.
If these two teams face each other in the World Series, the winner of the trade will be determined by the winner of the series. That is clearly how things work.
Mets-Yankees: Subway Series
The Subway Series is a thing of baseball legend. While the Yankees and the Mets only faced each other once in the World Series (the Yankees took the series in five games to win their fourth title in five years) the history of baseball in New York and the matchups has a unique part in the game.
The Bobby Thompson “Shot Heard Round The World” was a game that sent the New York Giants to the World Series by defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers but few care about the subsequent series where the Yankees played the Giants in a Subway Series. From 1947-1956, the Yankees faced the Giants or Dodgers seven times (interestingly, the Giants won the 1954 World Series, not against the Yankees but for Willie Mays‘ only championship in his career).
Ok, enough old-time history for now. A Mets vs Yankees World Series would cap off a season where both teams (for the most part) looked like championship-caliber teams but it would also be a fun series. The series would also likely receive high TV ratings but people outside of the New York area will probably shrug and not care much for it.
Fun World Series Rematches
Aside from the themes, there are a lot of interesting World Series rematches that we might see. Among the possibilities are.
- Astros-Dodgers (2017 rematch)
- Astros-Braves (2021 rematch)
- Braves-Yankees (1996 & 1999 rematches, also the battle of the 1990s as well)
- Braves-Guardians (1995 rematch)
- Blue Jays-Braves (1992 rematch)
- Blue Jays-Phillies (1993 rematch)
- Dodgers-Yankees (a lot of 1940s, 50s & 60s, most of which, the Yankees won)
- Dodgers-Rays (2020 rematch)
- Phillies-Rays (2008 rematch)
- Yankees-Padres (1998 rematch)
- Yankees-Phillies (2009 rematch)
The bottom line is that there are a lot of possible intriguing matchups. The postseason looks to be a memorable one to cap off a great year for baseball fans at large.
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