Sports

Major League Baseball playoffs get on their way

After 162 games, the Major League Baseball Playoffs are set.

A team must win three out of five games to win the division rounds.

The following series, a team must win four out of seven games.

The National League (NL) won the All-Star game, which gives them home-field advantage in the World Series.

The New York Yankees are trying to win their 28th world title.

The Yankees travel to play the Minnesota Twins. C.C. Sabathia (21-7, 3.18 ERA) of the Yankees will face Francisco Liriano (14-10, 3.62 ERA) of the Twins in game one.

Justin Morneau, the Twins All-Star first baseman and 2006 American League (AL) Most Valuable Player will be out for the entire post-season.

Morneau is recovering from a concussion he received on July 7th.

“I think the Yankees have the best chance of winning it all again because they are the Yankees and winning is a tradition,” said junior Jon Knoll of Clarion University.

“They have the talent, as long as the pitching can hold up.”

The Tampa Bay Rays (96-66) have the best record in the AL.

They host the Texas Rangers in the first round.

The Rays will send David Price (19-6, 2.72 ERA) to the mound vs. Cliff Lee (12-9, 3.18).

Lee played with the Philadelphia Phillies and pitched in the World Series a year ago.

He was picked up by the Seattle Mariners in free agency before the season.

He was then traded to Texas in a deal that sent Justin Smoak and three minor leaguers to the Mariners.

He won the 2008 AL Cy Young Award with the Cleveland Indians.

The Philadelphia Phillies have made it to the World Series two years in a row.

They brought in Roy Halladay in the off-season to be their number one starter in the postseason.

They also acquired pitcher Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros.
In return, the Astros received J.A. Happ and two minor leaguers.

The Phillies host the Cincinnati Reds. Roy Halladay (21-10, 2.44 ERA) will face Edinson Volquez (4-3, 4.31 ERA).

This is the first time the Reds have made the playoffs since 1995.

The San Francisco Giants won the NL West on Sunday edging out the San Diego Padres.

The Giants host the Atlanta Braves on Thursday at 9:30 p.m.

Game one starters will be Derek Lowe (16-12, 4.00 ERA) of the Braves vs. two time NL Cy Young Tim Lincecum (16-10, 3.43 ERA).

Bobby Cox, manager of the Braves, will be retiring after the season. Cox, has been the manager of the Braves for 20 straight seasons, and also managed the team from
1978-1981.

“I think the Phillies are going to win it because of their pitching and experience the past few years,” said Craig Wiltrek, a junior at Clarion University.

“They are playing real well right now. But I am rooting for the Braves since Cox is retiring.”

The Phillies are looking to become the first NL team to make it to three straight World Series since the St. Louis Cardinals did it from 1942-1944.

Last night the Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay became the second pitcher in history to throw a no-hitter in the postseason.

Halladay struck out eight batters while allowing only one walk in the 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Game two is set for Friday night at 6:07 p.m. at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia.

The Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays started off the 2010 postseason with an afternoon game in Tampa Bay.

The visiting Rangers and starting pitcher Cliff Lee defeated the Rays, 5-1.

Lee picthed seven innings while striking our 10 batters.