It's power against pitching as the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets meet in the National League Championship Series to decide which team will represent the Senior Circuit in the 2015 World Series.
Let's get one thing straight from the start: This is not 1969, and this series has nothing to do with that legendary baseball season. The Mets did not beat the Cubs in the playoffs that year. They passed them with a powerful surge in August and September because the New York pitching staff, led by Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, was superb, and the Mets had clutch hitting.
The Cubs had built a big lead during the spring and summer because of superstars like Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ferguson Jenkins. But manager Leo Durocher ran his stars into the ground, and they had nothing left in reserve once the Mets made their move.
The 2015 versions of these two teams have little to do with their predecessors. While both teams are good and bordering on great right now, the future is even brighter.
The Mets have a remarkable pitching staff, led by Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz, which should allow the team to stay at or near the top of the league for years to come.
On the other side, the Cubs feature a slew of great young hitters, led by Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and the powerful left-handed stroke of Kyle Schwarber. The Cubs seem to be ahead of schedule, considering they lost 89 games in 2014, and their young players have a chance to do a lot of damage in the future.
The Mets have their hitting stars in Yoenis Cespedes, Daniel Murphy, David Wright and Lucas Duda, but if they are going to advance, their brilliant pitching staff will have to carry them through.
The Cubs have Cy Young candidate Jake Arrieta leading the way among their pitchers, and former Red Sox World Series hero Jon Lester is backing him up. Both are capable of shutdown performances, but it will be difficult for manager Joe Maddon to have confidence in the rest of his starters.
Both of these teams transformed from good teams to legitimate National League contenders as a result of moves they made in the middle of the season, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark:
My column: It wasn't just the #Mets who remade themselves in midseason. The #Cubs transformed themselves too! http://t.co/NLMVq6CnAt
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) October 16, 2015
This figures to be a close, hard-fought series between two hungry teams that have not won a World Series in many years.
The Mets won their second and last World Series in 1986, taking the championship in seven memorable games against the Red Sox. Many New England baseball fans have never recovered from that loss, even though the Reds Sox have won three World Series titles in the last 11 years.
The Cubs have had a longer wait. They have not won the World Series since 1908, when they beat the Detroit Tigers. The Cubs have not even been to the World Series since 1945, when they lost to the Tigers.
This time around, Las Vegas linemakers are giving the nod to the Cubs. Chicago is a 20-29 favorite to advance to the World Series, while New York is a 5-4 underdog to win the National League pennant, according to Odds Shark.
This series should go six or seven games, and by the time the National League pennant has been won, the Cubs will be celebrating and going to their first World Series in 70 years.
They have the young slugging stars, enough starting pitching with Arrieta and Lester and the great mind of Maddon.
The team from the Windy City will make history.
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