Tampa Bay, Boston and Atlanta are also in the hunt for the championship as this year’s regular season reaches its half-way mark.
Monday 12th July 2010
With just over half of this year’s Major League Baseball season completed, the New York Yankees still remain the bookmakers’ favourite to win the 106th edition of the World Series due to be held in October
With 27 World Series titles, the Yankees are one of the world’s most successful sports franchises and won last season’s best-of seven post-season contest by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.
After being listed in May by some bookmakers at odds as low as 21/10 to win this season’s World Series, StanJames.com now has the New York franchise at 5/2 while Bet365.com shows 13/5.
With the best record in baseball this season so far, the Yankees sit two games above its closest rivals in the American League East, the Tampa Bay Rays, in the race for the divisional title with SportingBet.com and PaddyPower.com offering odds of 11/4 on a 28th title come October.
Slightly longer, ToteSport.com, BetDaq.com, Ladbrokes.com, BoyleSports.com, WilliamHill.com, BetFair.com, SkyBet.com, WBX.com and Bwin.com currently show odds of 3/1 on the Yankees winning this season’s World Series while BetFred.com lists 10/3.
With the second best record so far this season, Tampa Bay has a good shot at making its second appearance in a World Series with Bwin.com offering odds of 5/1 on the Florida side being crowned champion.
The ‘Rays’ made it all the way to the World Series in 2008 only to lose by four games to one to the Philadelphia Phillies but are being offered at odds of 6/1 by ToteSport.com, SportingBet.com and Bet365.com to go one better this time around while PaddyPower.com, SkyBet.com, Ladbrokes.com and BoyleSports.com are going with 13/2.
The Tampa Bay Rays have only been in existence for twelve years but sit just below the Yankees with a record of 52 wins for 33 losses and punters can get odds of 32/5 from WBX.com on World Series success for the Floridians while BetFred.com and StanJames.com show 7/1. At the far end of the spectrum is Betfair.com showing 37/5 followed by BetDaq.com with 17/2 and WilliamHill.com proffering 8/1.
One of the biggest movers in baseball over the second quarter of the season has been the Atlanta Braves, who have gone on a great run and now enjoy a three game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East.
Atlanta won the last of its three World Series titles in 1995 and Bet365.com is currently offering odds of 13/2 that 2010 will see the Georgia side capture its fourth championship. This is followed by Ladbrokes.com and ToteSport.com with 7/1 while StanJames.com and PaddyPower.com list 15/2.
The Braves have not made it into the post-season since 2005 but could find some extra inspiration from the fact that this season will mark the final time influential manager Bobby Cox will be leading the team. The 69-year-old has won the National League’s Manager Of The Season award on three occasions and his side is being offered at odds of 8/1 by BoyleSports.com, Bwin.com and BetFred.com to win the 106th World Series.
Punters can get odds of 9/1 from WilliamHill.com, SportingBet.com and SkyBet.com on the Braves triumphing at this season’s World Series while WBX.com is going for 97/10 followed by Betfair.com and BetDaq.com with 109/10.
Another favourite for World Series success this season is the Boston Red Sox, who currently sit five games behind New York and two below Tampa Bay in the American League East division.
Boston has won the World Series on seven occasions including most recently in 2007 and is being shown at odds of 15/2 by WilliamHill.com to make it eight come October. Slightly longer are Bwin.com and SportingBet.com with 8/1 followed by BetDaq.com, SkyBet.com and Ladbrokes.com showing 9/1.
The Massachusetts team will need to improve in order to make it into the post-season as it currently sits three games out of the race for a playoff spot but WBX.com thinks an upturn is a definite possibility and shows odds of 46/5 on the ‘BoSox’ winning the World Series in 2010.
ToteSport.com, Bet365.com, Betfair.com and PaddyPower.com currently show longer odds of 10/1 on Boston winning the World Series while BoyleSports.com is going for 11/1, which is ahead of the 12/1 listed by StanJames.com and BetFred.com.
