World Series odds have had the New York Yankees as the favorites all year long, and now they’re almost to their destination: the Fall Classic. By Wednesday morning, they could very well be up 3-1 heading into Game 5. How are they doing it? Here are the three players that are leading the way.

1) C.C. Sabathia

Much was made about Sabathia’s massive contract, but the burly southpaw has quieted the critics, winning an AL-leading 19 games in the regular season, and he’s been a beast in the postseason. In his first two starts ahead of Game 4 on Tuesday, Sabathia had gone 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA. Sounds like a good investment to me.

2) A-Rod

Speaking of massive contracts, Alex Rodriguez (aka Mr. $252 million) is wrapping up an insane year filled with steroid admissions with the best postseason performance of his career. A-Rod has four homers and nine RBIs with a .348 average in his six games, looking to finally knock the monkey off his back of not coming up big in the playoffs. What’s more than the numbers, is that A-Rod is delivering in clutch situations.

3) The Captain

What would a postseason run be without Jeter proving that he’s one of the best Yankees to ever wear the pinstripes? Jeter has three homers and five RBIs with a .308 average and is proving to be a great counterpart to A-Rod’s power. And you can never doubt his presence in the clubhouse.