This year’s World Series betting odds will obviously depend heavily on the pitching of each team, and much was made about the New York Yankees’ decision to stick with a three-man rotation of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte. How would the Phillies respond?

Philadelphia will also go with a three-man rotation, as Cliff Lee squares off against his former Cleveland teammate and fellow Cy Young winner Sabathia in Game 1, while last year’s World Series MVP Cole Hamels will go in Game 3 opposite Pettitte. But who will Burnett face? None other than Pedro Martinez, who has been on the other side of some epic battles with the Yankees while he was in Boston. It was only in 2004 that Martinez referred to the Yankees as his “daddy”, which sparked “Who’s your daddy” chants all over New York, and will no doubt be brought up again on Thursday. Martinez, however, is 11-11 in 32 starts against the Yankees, and he’s 8-4 with a 2.95 ERA in 16 starts in New York (at the old Yankee Stadium). His experience in these kind of situations gave Phillies coach Charlie Manuel enough faith that he would handle the New York crowd better than Hamels, who has had his problems this year, and Game 2 is a game you NEED to watch. New York’s rotation against their Philly counterparts will probably decide the Fall Classic.