MLB Betting - World Series Odds and Props

Fall Classic baseball betting gets underway Wednesday night when the defending World Series champs, the Philadelphia Phillies, head to the Bronx to face the American League winning New York Yankees in Game 1.

The BetUS oddsmakers have tagged the Yankees as -170 home favorites for the opener, but baseball bettors have more than just single-game moneylines or totals wagers to choose from. The World Series offers a ton of prop and alternative bets, which you would expect from an event this size.

Former teammates Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia take the mound for their respective clubs in Game 1. Both pitchers have been stellar this postseason. Lee is 2-0 in three starts with an 0.74 ERA, while Sabathia has won all three of his playoff appearances and has a 1.19 ERA this October.

There are odds on whether either pitcher will give up a home run, and odds for their total number of strikeouts on Wednesday night. Sabathia has an over/under of 6.5 strikeouts for Game 1. He sat down just five batters in his most recent start but ranked seventh in total strikeouts this season and has 20 Ks in his three postseason starts.

Lee is looking at a strikeout total of 4.5. The crafty lefthander is coming off a 10-strikeout performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers and also has 20 Ks in October. Since joining the Phillies at the trade deadline Lee has 74 strikeouts in 12 starts for more than six Ks per game. He faced the Yankees twice this season, both times as a member of the Cleveland Indians, and totaled nine strikeouts in those starts.

On the other side of the plate, both teams have been fueled by their star players. Philadelphia is riding the red-hot bat of first baseman Ryan Howard, who is hitting .355 this postseason. He's had seven extra-base hits and 12 RBI in nine games but has only hit two home runs. The oddsmakers have priced Howard hitting a home run in Game 1 of the World Series at +300. He's totaled 45 dingers on the season but went without a big fly in the series win over Colorado and hasn't gone yard since Game 4 against Los Angeles.

The Yankees are getting inspired play from third baseman Alex Rodriguez. He's put his October slump in the past and is leading New York with a .438 batting average. A-Rod has found the outfield bleachers five times this postseason, including hitting home runs in three straight games against the Los Angeles Angels. He hasn't gone yard in the last two games but hit 18 of his total 30 dingers inside Yankee Stadium this season. BetUS has priced A-Rod hitting a home run in Game 1 at +250.

Baseball bettors can also wager on player matchups, betting on which player will have the most total bases in Game 1. The BetUS oddsmakers have paired Phillies second baseman Chase Utley (+120) with Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter (-150) in the most intriguing matchup.

Jeter has compiled 22 bases in the playoffs, with 13 of those coming against the Angels in the ALCS. Utley has totaled 13 bases in the postseason but only had four of those versus the Dodgers in the NLCS. In the regular season, Utley had 290 total bases while Jeter managed 295.