Scheduled to start on October 22, the 2008 World Series is one that many oddsmakers didn’t see coming. 2008 will mark the Tampa Bay Rays’ first World Series appearance and the Philadelphia Phillies’ first Series appearance since their heartbreaking six-game loss in 1993 to the Toronto Blue Jays.
different paths
Heading into the 2008 season, Tampa was considered one of the poorest teams in baseball. Very few sports writers and tipsters ranked them higher than fourth in their own division, the American League East. So it was a huge surprise to most when the Rays not only ranked above fourth in the division, but won the division outright. The Rays’ payroll is about a third of that of the Boston Red Sox, the team they would face in the American League Championship Series. After a tough seven-game series, the Rays are now in position to win their first World Series title.
In early August, the Philadelphia Phillies were considered the flops of the 2008 season. They were trailing the New York Mets by more than five games. But the Phillies worked their way up the standings and were able to get past the Mets in the final week of the season to win the NL East title. In the playoffs they had little problems with either of their opponents, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 2008 World Series
This leaves us heading into a World Series with many unknowns. Neither team has played in the national spotlight of a World Series for 15 years. Vegas Odds puts the Tampa Bay Rays as the favorites for the series, although this is the closest betting line in more than five years. Can you predict who will win?