WSJ: Stars and Stats Align for the Yankees

Seen my pretty Mallis in every crystal ball
Mallis, Dallas Green Mallis

As the World Series gets under way in New York, we asked an astrologer, a statistician, a Las Vegas oddsmaker, a computer, a former major-league manager and a baseball analyst to predict the outcome of the series. The Yankees are favored from Las Vegas to Mars, but not in Philadelphia.

Sports astrologer Andrea Mallis studied charts and saw positive signs for Yankees manager Joe Girardi and several New York players. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who has had an excellent postseason after previous struggles, may win the Most Valuable Player award, she says.

“Mars is in Leo,” says Ms. Mallis, “A-Rod is a Leo. It’s a supercharged time for him.”

Wayne Winston, professor of decision sciences at Indiana University, analyzed the games statistically, looking back at each team’s season with a logistic-regression model. Assuming both teams use a four-man rotation, he concluded that the Yankees have a 65% chance of winning the title. The most likely outcome: New York in six games, which occurred in 21.7% of his simulated series. AccuScore, which uses a computer program that simulates games 10,000 times, says the Yankees will win in seven. Each team was favored to win its home games, but Game 5, featuring CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee (AccuScore assumed Joe Blanton and Chad Gaudin would pitch Game 4), was a virtual wash.