The reigning World Champion Philadelphia Phillies’ roster is stacked from top to bottom.  They own the arms, they boast the lumber, and their defense isn’t too shabby either.  They possess all the swagger a World Series team should have.

To top it off, they’ve managed to capture the best record over a 20-game span by a National League team in postseason history (16-4)  with the hopes of becoming the first NL club since the Big Red Machine (1975-76) to win back-to-back World Series Championships.  However, they still have one towering hurdle to leap before they get there: the shiny, pricey New York Yankees.

Phillies ace Cliff Lee has been damn near unstoppable this postseason, compiling a 2-0 record and 0.74 ERA with 20 strikeouts over three starts.  He’ll have his hands full though when he faces the loaded bats of Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter and of course, Alex Rodriguez, who has hit .438 with five home runs and 12 RBIs through the playoffs thus far. A-Rod is about as giddy as they come about making his very first trip to the Fall Classic.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a 5-year-old boy to play in the World Series.  In order to win the World Series, you have to get there and we’ve done that now,” he said.

ALCS MVP lefty CC Sabathia’s day on the hill will be no picnic either, when he faces monster hitters Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth, just to name a few.  CC — who knows his opposing pitcher all too well from his days as a fellow Tribe member – has been ruthless in October as well, going 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA and 20 Ks in three starts. 

With the New Yankee Stadium proving to be just as big of a tater-friendly ballpark as Citizen’s Bank, we could see the longball sweeping fall fashion if these two hurlers make even the slightest of mistakes.

Either way, this is sure to be one of the most exciting World Series in recent history.  Game 1 is scheduled for this Wednesday evening in the Yankees’ new abode at 7:57pm ET on FOX.

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