World Series Preview

The first World Series was played in 1903.

Will Ichiro be enough to get Seattle past the Yankees?

Will the Yankees fourpeat? Will the Mariners keep rolling along? Will the Atlanta Braves choke yet again? These are all questions which are about to be answered as the 2001 World Series gets underway.

The Matchups
The National League
Atlanta vs.Houston
Arizona vs St.Louis

The American League
Seattle vs Cleveland
New York Yankees vs Oakland

Players to Watch

The Big Unit - In a short series, great starting pitchers make all the difference. If Randy Johnson's fastball is going at top speed, Arizona could go all the way.

Ichiro - This guy's amazing. Whether it's bunting, drawing a walk, running out a single or taking a pitch in the butt - Ichiro always finds a way to get on base. He has great speed and is the main cog in Seattle's offensive engine.

The Rocket - Roger Clemens is a tired, old man with a real mean streak. But the guy can still pitch. The Rocket went 21 - 2 for the Yankees during the regular season and shows no signs of slowing down.

Mac Attack - Mark McGwire has spent most of the season hobbling around on his sore knee and swinging at pitches way out of the strike season. Barry Bonds took away his homerun record, so Mark will want to have strong playoffs for St.Louis and show everyone he's not a washed up has-been who should retire.

Favorites

New York Yankees - They're the defending champs with an allstar lineup which includes Derek Jeter, Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Jorge Posada... the list goes on and so does the Yankees' string of championships.

Seattle Mariners - They had the best record during the regular season and Ichiro and Bret Boone could both win the MVP title this year.

Arizona Diamonbacks - With Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, the D-Backs have the best pitching combo in baseball. If Luiz Gonzalez can give Arizona some punch, look out.

For more on strikeouts and homeruns, head to Baseball.

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