"Do you think you'll be able to get Otani?", Most pundits say the Phillies will win the Dodgers in October...ESPN survey

Sep 12, 2024

'Do you think you'll be able to get Otani?', Most pundits say the Phillies will win the Dodgers in October...ESPN survey
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani runs to first base after hitting a double play in the bottom of the third inning against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on the 11th (Korea time). AP Yonhap News
'Do you think you'll be able to get Otani?', Most pundits say the Phillies will win the Dodgers in October...ESPN survey
Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber as Philadelphia Phillies pair players. AFP Yonhap News
If you look at the ranking table in September, you will find something interesting.

As of the 11th (Korea time), the first to third places in the winning rate of both leagues are all National League (NL) teams. The Philadelphia Phillies are in first place with 87 wins and 58 losses (0.600), and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in second place with 86 wins and 59 losses (0.593). There is only one game between the two teams. The Milwaukee Brewers are then ranked third with 83 wins and 61 losses (0.576).

In the American League (AL), the New York Yankees in the east and the Cleveland Guardians in the center are tied for first in the league with 83 wins and 62 losses and tied for fourth overall. At the end of the season, Philadelphia and the Dodgers are showing off their strongest power.

Naturally, the two teams are bound to be the favorites in October's fall baseball. The scenario is likely that Philadelphia and the Dodgers will compete for NL supremacy, and the winning team will advance to the World Series and win. In this regard, ESPN, a sports channel, conducted a mini survey of officials, scouts, and players from each Major League club.

There are two questions. One is 'Which of the two teams with the highest winning percentage will win baseball in October?', The other is 'So which team is the most threatening to the Phillies and Dodgers?After all, he asked the Philadelphia Phillies or the Dodgers to choose the most likely team to win the World Series and the most likely team to stop them.

'Do you think you'll be able to get Otani?', Most pundits say the Phillies will win the Dodgers in October...ESPN survey
Philadelphia Phillies ace Jack Wheeler. AP Yonhap News
In response to the first question, nine pointed to Philadelphia and four pointed to the Dodgers. The opinion that Philadelphia is likely to win was overwhelmingly dominant. ESPN responded, `The increase in Philadelphia's support is due to a series of injuries in the Dodgers' rotation. Last week, Gavin Stone was placed on the injured list (IL) with a shoulder sprain and will be rehabilitated with Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw. Uncertainty has increased for the starters as the postseason is imminent.'

However, regardless of the Dodgers' injuries to the starting lineup, the opinion that Philadelphia has the strongest power and has a high probability of winning is more prevalent. Chicago Cubs pitcher Jameson Tyyon said, `Phillies has a strong starting rotation, so I think he is likely to win the championship. He has a strong bullpen and a powerful lineup that can win the playoffs. Philadelphia is the favorite in my opinion."

ESPN is 'While Juss relies on star power, the Phillies rated the roster's perfection as high-scoring and significantly less weakness than before. In other words, Philadelphia is the best in terms of power.

An AL team official said, `There seems to be no regularity or rule in the playoffs these days, but I feel like the Phillies are going to work.'"The Phillies starters are third in pitching innings, and the bullpen is second in strikeouts." The bullpen power, which is not put into the game until at least the sixth inning, induces a lot of swings and misses by opposing batters, which is a good winning formula.

'Do you think you'll be able to get Otani?', Most pundits say the Phillies will win the Dodgers in October...ESPN survey
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani. ImagesYonhap News
As of today, Philadelphia's starting ERA (3.64) and pitching innings (818) are third after the Seattle Mariners (3.39-844) and Kansas City Royals (3.54-831), and the bullpen's average strikeout in nine innings is 9.92, ranking second after the New York Mets (10.50). This means that the mound's power is superior to that of the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are only 16th overall with a 4.09 starting ERA. At least, Yoshinobu Yaamoto returned on the day and showed off his good performance with four innings of eight strikeouts and one run against the Cubs, and Glasnow is also preparing to return next week, so the starting lineup is expected to be better at the end of the season and in the postseason.

ESPN said, `Philadelphia has a structure in preparation for the postseason. However, the Dodgers are Shohei Ohtani. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman Trio have too much power to overcome against his opponent in the postseason.

A scout from the AL club said, `I don't know if I can rack my brains to defeat those three guys in the postseason. If Los Angeles can find a pitcher to throw in the best-of-five series, it is likely to win the championship," he said, predicting the Dodgers' dominance.

In the end, it is the same as a debate about which of the starters in Philadelphia or the MVP trio of the Dodgers is more dominant. Philadelphia built a strong rotation with four starters, Jack Wheeler (14-6, 2.59), Aaron Nola (12-7, 3.41), Ranger Suarez (12-6, 3.05), and Christopher Sanchez (10-9, 3.33) making double-digit wins.

For the second question, the San Diego Padres received eight, Milwaukee and Baltimore Orioles five each, New York Yankees and Cleveland three each, and the Houston Astros one each. They say San Diego is the strongest team that can keep Philadelphia and the Dodgers in check.





jhno@sportschosun.com