The World Series gets under way in Phoenix Saturday as the Arizona Diamondbacks host the New York Yankees in a match up that will pit one of major league baseball's newest franchises against its most legendary.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are hoping the so-called "Desert Heat" pitching duo of Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson can prevent the defending champion Yankees from collecting a fourth straight World Series Title.
The Yankees also rely heavily on their pitching, and have scheduled Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte to start the weekend games in Phoenix.
While the Diamondbacks won their first pennant in just their fourth year of existence, the storied Yankees captured their 38th American League title. New York has won 26 World Series championships, including four in the last five years. Manager Joe Torre says this year's team compares well to other Yankees dynasties.
"I think we should rank up there with any one of them. I mean, to get to the World Series four years in a row, five out of six years, we take a back seat to no one," he said.
Arizona rookie manager Bob Brenly will try to become the first manager to win a title in his first year since the Yankees Ralph Houk in 1961.