After a successful run against cupcake teams, the Yankees will try to prove themselves to an all too familiar foe.
The first World Series rematch since 2002 features a first-place Yankees team that just completed an 11-2 stretch against the Astros, Orioles and Indians. On the other side will be a struggling Phillies team that has dropped nine of 13 and slipped from first place in the NL East.
“It’s going to be a fun series,” Nick Swisher said. “I always like interleague play, it’s a pretty cool thing. It’s started to become a good rivalry, but it’s the regular season.”
Most of the same cast from Game 6 of the 2009 World Series will be there tonight, but there are some noticeable changes. The biggest one is Roy Halladay, who is one of the few to consistently dominate the Yankees. Halladay, who threw a perfect game earlier this season, is 18-6 lifetime against the Yankees, including 11-1 over his final five seasons in Toronto. The lone defeat was last August and Halladay responded with a one-hitter, which was his third complete game over the Bombers.
“Just treat them like any other team,” Halladay said.
The Phillies, meanwhile, have been playing like any other team this season. Even though they carry the same batting average as last season, their run production is down from 5.06, which ranked fourth, to 4.45, which ranks 18th.
“They are [still] a very good team,” Jorge Posada said last week.
