The start of the 108th World Series tonight between the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants. But who can make the difference on either side? Here's our pick of the key men taking to the field...
DETROIT TIGERS
Miguel Cabrera
The third baseman from Venezuela led the American League in batting average (.330), home runs (44) and runs batted in (139), making him the first winner of baseball’s Triple Crown since 1967, and the near-certain MVP of the American League.
Prince Fielder The Tigers guaranteed the chunky first baseman US$214 (Dh786m) over the next nine seasons, and he gave a return on that investment this season, launching 30 home runs, driving in 103 runs and reaching base 41.2 per cent of the time.
Justin Verlander The right-hander is perhaps the best pitcher in the game. He won both the Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards last season, and is likely to win the Cy again this year after leading in innings, strikeouts and complete games.
Max Scherzer Assuming the ace Justin Verlander is as tough as usual, starting pitcher Scherzer could give the Tigers an almost unbeatable two-man combination.
Phil Coke With Jose Valverde, the putative closer, unsteady, relief pitcher Coke has emerged as the man asked to get the final three outs. The 30-year-old journeyman has not allowed a run in 7.1 innings and saved two games in the sweep of the New York Yankees.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Marco Scutaro
The 36-year-old Venezuelan, a mid-season acquisition, appears in his first World Series as the surprise catalyst for the Giants’ offence and could steal a game for San Francisco.
Buster Posey At age 25, he is considered the finest catcher in the game. He also hits: 24 home runs, 103 runs batted in, a .402 on-base rate. Before he joined the Giants, they had not won a World Series since 1954; they are on the verge of two in three years.
Pablo Sandoval The Giants consider the podgy Venezuelan third base , nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda", as their prime source of power and he has been pounding the ball in October.
Matt Cain Some still believe the counter-culture hero Tim Lincecum is the best Giants pitcher, but Cain has been the San Francisco ace for at least two years. His 2012 season included a perfect game, on June 12, only the 22nd in baseball history.
Tim Lincecum The two-time Cy Young winning pitcher has had an erratic season, and now is as likely to appear out of the bullpen. If he can flash his old form, even as a reliever in tight situations in the late innings, he could be the X factor for the Giants.
