This year’s MLB World Series comes down to the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants. Aside from making it this far, both teams have had very different playoff runs, and this will mark the first time in baseball history that the two have faced each other in the postseason. The 2012 World Series is scheduled to begin with Game 1 on Wednesday, October 24, at 8:00 p.m.
The Detroit Tigers will take the field Wednesday for the first time in almost a week since sweeping the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The Tigers should be well-rested to face the Giants, but fans are probably hoping that they haven’t lost their edge. According to Sports Illustrated, this is the fourth World Series matchup in which one of the teams swept their Championship Series and the other played all seven games of theirs. “In every case the team that had far more rest lost Game 1, and lost the World Series in four or five games.”
If Detroit is able to continue its streak, it would be the Tigers’ fifth World Series win, and their first since 1984. Due to the Tigers early wins against the Yankees, they get to arrange their pitching rotation to fit their ideal game plan. Right-handed Justin Verlander will likely start two games for the Tigers, hoping to increase his dominant run on the mound. Of Verlander’s last seven starts, he went 7-0 with 52 strikeouts. Other pitching starters include Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez, and Max Scherzer.
The San Francisco Giants made it to the World Series after a Cinderella run through the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series. The Giants were down 3-1 in the series against the Cardinals, but managed three consecutive wins to take out the defending champions. If San Francisco can pull out another four wins, it will be the team’s second World Series championship in just three seasons.
The Giants are 6-0 in elimination games throughout this year’s postseason, tying the current record. Left-handed Barry Zito will start Game 1 for San Francisco and the team has a surprisingly deep rotation to pull from throughout the series. According to Bleacher Report, this year’s World Series “has to turn into a matchup of bullpens, at least in the first two games,” and the Giants must put the ball in play often while avoiding strikeouts at the hands of Verlander.
Games 1 (10/24) and 2 (10/25) of this year’s World Series will be played at San Francisco’s AT&T Park. The National League’s team won this year’s All-Star game in Kansas City, giving the Giants a much needed home field-advantage after having only one full day off between their Championship Series against the Cardinals and game one of the World Series.
Games 3 (10/27), 4 (10/28), and 5 (10/29) if necessary, will take place at Detroit’s Comerica Park, with the remaining games (10/31, 11/01) going back to San Francisco if need be. According to the MLB, all games are scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. A search of StubHub has tickets available for several of the 2012 World Series games, with prices starting around $300.
