Posted by David Kull
7:07 p.m. ET
Here are some of the best nuggets from the pregame packets:
• Tonight's Game 1 marks the second time that two former Cy Young Award winners,
CC Sabathia and
Cliff Lee, will face off in the first game of the World Series. According to Elias, the only other time came in Game 1 of the 1995 World Series when Atlanta's
Greg Maddux faced Cleveland's Orel Hershiser. It's also the second time former teammates will oppose each other in Game 1 of the World Series; the last time came in 2005, when Houston's
Roger Clemens faced Chicago's
Jose Contreras. Clemens and Contreras were teammates on the Yankees.
• Yankees starters own a 2.55 ERA in the 2009 playoffs, and opponents are batting .219 off Yankees starters. In addition, Yankees starters have allowed three earned runs or fewer in 19 of the past 21 games since Sept. 21, including eight of nine in the playoffs.
• According to Elias,
Alex Rodriguez's three game-tying home runs in the seventh inning or later in the 2009 postseason are the most such HRs ever for a player in his postseason career.
• The Yankees are looking to become the third team among MLB's current 30 franchises to win the World Series in the first season of their current stadium (the others are the 2006
St. Louis Cardinals and the 1912
Boston Red Sox).
• The Yankees are 4-0 against left-handed starters in the 2009 postseason and were 36-18 versus lefties during the regular season, the second-best winning percentage in the majors against lefties.
• The Phillies' bullpen has gone 4-1 with a 2.88 ERA with one homer allowed during the playoffs.
•
Chase Utley, who went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in his first-ever playoff game, has reached base safely via a hit or walk in every postseason game he's played in since then. His 25-game on-base streak is a National League record and tied for the longest streak in MLB history with Boog Powell (1966-1971).
• In the 2009 postseason, the Phillies lead all MLB clubs in OBP (.363), runs (55), RBI (54), triples (4) and extra-base hits (31).
• The Phillies went 48-33 on the road this season, tied with the
Los Angeles Angels for the best road record among all MLB teams.
