This World Series has no Goliaths but plenty of Davids who play a different brand of baseball
The best team in the National League and the best team in the American League have advanced to the World Series, which nonetheless qualifies as a stunner considering those teams’ identities.Welcome to the Brewers-Rays World Series, in which, regardless of the result, an organization that scrimps on roster payroll and prides itself on outthinking its opponents will win its first championship.Milwaukee has only played in one other Fall Classic — way back in 1982, 44 years ago — and Tampa Bay lost in 2020 and 2008.Finally the brains, more so than the brawn, of one of the clubs will pay off in a matchup that begins Friday in Wisconsin.If this battle of technically sound and remarkably athletic players supported by brilliant baseball minds does not excite masses who wanted Goliaths such as the Yankees and Dodgers, maybe savor the game at its best while it is being played.Which brings us to another storyline of the 122nd World Series …The league’s billionaires soon will shutter the sport to argue that significant steps — namely, a salary cap — must be taken to achieve better competitive balance.
Because how could a team like the Rays — with the 28th-highest payroll, according to Spotrac — and the Brewers — No.19 — compete with the Yankees and Dodgers?So yes, the owners’ case would have more greatly resonated if the annual winter winners became the October winners, perhaps with the Dodgers three-peating.But to get this far, the Rays and Brewers acted differently than the bigger-market behemoths who more freely throw money at free agents.
Each market and each owner operates distinctly in a system with a soft salary cap and no salary floor, and money spent is an inarguable advantage.It is not just that they act differently, but …They score differently than most.The Rays led the majors in singles, and the Brewers were second.The Rays swing differently.
They excel in putting bat on ball, best in the majors in strikeout rate and tops in bunts — fo...