It's not in every job that you get three chances to be wrong, but that's what we can do here at Eye On Baseball as we predicted the outcome of the World Series in April, at the beginning of October and now on the eve of the Series. As you might note, one of us -- senior writer Scott Miller -- has stuck with his pick of the Tigers over the Giants all season.
So, how did we come up with these wild guesses? Here's a little bit of thought (and yes, there was some) behind each pick:
Scott Miller
Tigers in 6
This Tigers team reminds me of the 2010 Giants on the mound. Then, San Francisco rolled to a World Series win because, nearly every single night, the Giants' starter was as good or better than the other guy's. This October, Detroit's staff has been even more dominant than the 2010 Giants. All credit in the world to the Giants for what they've done so far, but I like Detroit's pitching better than San Francisco's. Verlander, Fister, Sanchez, Scherzer, they bring power and they're pitching with confidence. Cain and Lincecum have earned their postseason stripes, but they're not at their best. I think Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder flex a little AL muscle, and San Francisco's tightwire act finally comes to an end.
MVP: Miguel Cabrera
Danny Knobler
Tigers in 5
Sorry, Giants fans. I know I (wrongly) picked against your team in 2010. I know I (wrongly) said your team was going to lose to the Reds in the Division Series this year. I know I've been plenty wrong on them (even though I did rightly pick them to win the National League West this year). I know I'm risking being badly wrong on them one more time. But I have no choice. Back in spring training, I picked the Tigers to win the World Series, and it's so rare that one of my World Series picks gets this far (I had Red Sox vs. Braves in 2011!), that I have no choice but to stick with them now. So I'm saying the Giants run into the same problem that their good friends, the A's, did in the Division Series. They'll lose to Justin Verlander in Game 1. And when they lose two of the next three, Verlander will be there to send them home in Game 5 in Detroit.
MVP: Justin Verlander
John Heyman
Tigers in 7
Detroit’s starting pitching has just been too good and is lined up too well. The Giants are hard to beat in an elimination game, but at some point they might run out of miracles.
MVP: Justin Verlander
Matt Snyder
Giants in 7
On paper, the Tigers' starting pitching is just too imposing -- much like we've said about the Giants before, no? -- but at some point you give up with the paper and shred it. The Giants won't die, just like the Cardinals team that they just beat wouldn't die last season. The Tigers have their excellent starting pitching lined up perfectly, so they'll jump out to an early lead (2-0? 3-1?). Then the Giants will find a way to crawl back, just as they've done in the first two series. And this time, the Giants' faithful get to celebrate the World Series championship with their team in AT&T Park.
MVP: Buster Posey
C. Trent Rosecrans
Tigers in 5
As great of a story as the Giants have been this postseason, there's just something about Barry Zito vs. Justin Verlander in Game 1 that makes my choice for me. The Tigers have had a chance to set up their rotation while the Giants are still just trying their best to figure out who can fill out theirs. Add Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, and the Tigers are just too much for the comeback Giants.
MVP: Prince Fielder
Dayn Perry
Tigers in 7
The story will be how much better the Detroit rotation is right now. The Giants have enough of an edge on defense and in the bullpen to make a series out of it. But in the end, Detroit's starting pitching will prove to be the determinating factor. It'll go seven, and the Tigers will claim the belt and the title for the first time since 1984.
MVP: Doug Fister
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