Prospectus Matchups

The 10 Biggest Mismatchups in World Series History

by Jim Baker

Any team that follows the rules and beats all comers in the first two rounds of the playoffs deserves to be in the World Series. That the team does so in spite of having the worst third-order percentage ever for a World Series participant make it more or less of an accomplishment? The Cardinals, at .471, have gotten this far in spite of pushing down hard on the lower perimeter of Series participation (lowering the standard by 17 points from previous the low team, the 1987 Minnesota Twins); it's something of a wonder as well as a testament to the foibles of short series participation.

Beginning tonight, they find themselves aligned against a team that is nearly 100 points higher in third-order winning percentage. Detroit's mark of .567 puts them 96 points ahead of St. Louis and lands them squarely on the list you see below: the 10 biggest mismatchups in World Series history as defined by third-order won-loss records. Because of this disparity, can we assume the outcome of the Series? Let's take a look at what happened the previous 10 times before answering that.

138: 1906 -- Chicago Cubs (.715) vs. Chicago White Sox (.577)
Result: White Sox 4-2

The lesson was given very early in the postseason process and yet, it still doesn't seem to have sunk in 100 years later. A century ago this month, the team with the best winning percentage ever mustered in the so-called modern era was taken down by a team that won 23 fewer games during the regular season. There it was for all to see: anything can happen in a short series. In just the third World Series played in the 20th Century, Exhibit A was made available for inspection for the jury: bad things can happen to great teams. In this case, Mordecai Brown of the Cubs had the misfortune to have one of the worst starts in his career in Game Six, putting them down 7-1 after two, a deficit from which they never recovered. The White Sox were known as the "Hitless Wonders" but did manage a league average 3.70 runs per game during the regular season. Regardless, they scored eight runs twice against the Cubs.

117: 1939 -- New York Yankees (.713) vs. Cincinnati Reds (.596)
Result: Yanks 4-0

The rest of this article is restricted to Baseball Prospectus Subscribers.

Not a subscriber?

Click here for more information on Baseball Prospectus subscriptions or use the buttons to the right to subscribe and get access to the best baseball content on the web.

Already a subscriber? Click here and use the blue login bar to log in.

0 comments have been left for this article.

<< Previous Article

World Series Prospectu... (10/21)

<< Previous Column
Prospectus Matchups: N... (10/18)

Next Column >>

Prospectus Matchups: B... (10/24)

Next Article >>

World Series Prospectu... (10/22)

RECENTLY AT BASEBALL PROSPECTUS Checking the Numbers: The 2009 Platoon Split... Prospectus Today: The Opening Bell Voting for Real Fantasy Focus: First Base Rankings Review Early Career Splits Prospectus Q&A: Lou Marson and David Huff Future Shock: Indians Top 11	MORE FROM OCTOBER 21, 2006 World Series Prospectus: Detroit Tigers vers... Prospectus Today: The Series
MORE BY JIM BAKER 2006-10-31 - Prospectus Matchups: Ask, and You Shall Be A... 2006-10-27 - Prospectus Matchups: Pop Quiz, Hotshot 2006-10-24 - Prospectus Matchups: Breakin' the Law 2006-10-21 - Prospectus Matchups: The 10 Biggest Mismatch... 2006-10-18 - Prospectus Matchups: Nobody Knows Anything 2006-10-14 - Playoff Prospectus: The Best and Worst of Me... 2006-10-12 - Prospectus Matchups: The All In-Spite-Of Tea... More...	MORE PROSPECTUS MATCHUPS 2006-10-31 - Prospectus Matchups: Ask, and You Shall Be A... 2006-10-27 - Prospectus Matchups: Pop Quiz, Hotshot 2006-10-24 - Prospectus Matchups: Breakin' the Law 2006-10-21 - Prospectus Matchups: The 10 Biggest Mismatch... 2006-10-18 - Prospectus Matchups: Nobody Knows Anything 2006-10-12 - Prospectus Matchups: The All In-Spite-Of Tea... 2006-10-06 - Prospectus Matchups: October Musings More...