The Yankees have been one of the most dominant teams in all of sports. After a drought in the '70s and '80s, the Bronx Bombers took control of the American League and are 4-1 in World Series since 1996. They will be the team to beat again this year, to make it to the October classic.
The Yankees have a veteran team that has been in this position before. The Yankees are one of the better teams in both hitting and pitching. However, the expectation of being in the postseason may diminish the intensity.
The Bronx Bombers of today are still that over-powering offense that earned the name decades ago. The Yanks combined to hit 230 homers, fourth in the majors.
Roger Clemens will make his last postseason appearance. The high-tempered, wild throwing pitcher will try to end his career with another World Series ring.
The Twins did not dominate the AL Central Division as they did last year. The team took a lot of bumps and turns to get where they are now. In April, the Yankees completed a seven-game series sweep against the Twins and the two have not played each other since they both revamped their teams.
The Twins' pitching will need to shut down shortstop Derek Jeter and the Yankees' bats in order to win. The Twins' offense, lead by newly acquired outfielder Shannon Stewart, needs to get on base early and often against New York's pitching. The team has been the hottest team since the All-Star break.
After a slow start, the offense became one of the toughest teams to get out in baseball. The acquisition of Stewart in July helped the offense after the All-Star game with a .323 average since joining the team and is a AL Most Valuable Player candidate.
Starting pitching for the Twins has not been solid through the year. Along with the hitting, the pitching also improved when the team desperately needed it with big help from Johan Santana. After being moved from the bullpen to a starter, Santana was 11-2 with a 2.20 earned run average.
