The two players not only best in the game today but likely the best in over half a century. No hyperbole here. None. To find a series featuring opposing players of this stature, I think you have to go back to 1909, when Honus Wagner’s Pittsburgh Pirates played Ty Cobb’s Detroit Tigers.
The franchises of course are storied, as is their rivalry in the Fall Classic over multiple decades, multiple generations of passion for America’s game. If this doesn’t excite you, you should report immediately to the ER to make sure you are still alive.
I mean, wow!
So coming off its awe-inspiring success in forecasting the A- and NLCS series (okay, that’s a tad hyperbolic!), BBCS-imulator 9000 is back to tell us what to expect in this upcoming World Series. But what it’s saying is extremely guarded!
Characterizing this as the closest of any of the matchups it has analyzed so far, the –imulator is rating the Yankees as the tiniest of favorites. Based on the same model and simulation strategy previously employed, the Yankees prevailed in 51% of 2,500 computer-generated best-of-7 contests. But to illustrate how tight the projection is, consider that the Dodgers are predicted to win in either 6 or 7 games 32% of the time, essentially the modal outcome.
Here’s an interesting twist though. Whereas the –imulator’s estimations were pretty close to the bookmaker’s for the League Championship Series, it is actually considerably more pro-Yankees than are the professional handicappers. Right now, the Dodgers (-123) are implicitly 53% to 47% favorites over the Yankees (+105).
Still, with the hold, a bet on the Yankees has to win 51% to break even. No value to be had in wagering.
But there’s one sure thing proposition here: we’re all sure to enjoy a huge emotional payoff in viewing this series for the ages!
