Baseball fans think Yankees will win the Fall Classic

The Bronx Bombers are favored by
fans to win the Fall Classic.

Baseball fans think the Bronx Bombers will win their 28th World Series this year, according to a new Marist poll. 

More than one in five -- 22 percent -- think the New York Yankees will round the bases into their 28th championship, 16 percent say the Philadelphia Phillies will take the win, and only six percent believe the Boston Red Sox will slide into victory.

It's worth noting that this poll was conducted Sept. 13 and 14. Way back then, the Red Sox were 5 1/2 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the American League Wild Card. Today? The Sox are in a tie with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Angels have been eliminated from contention.

Last year’s World Series champions, the San Francisco Giants, are favored to repeat by just three percent of baseball fans -- but they've also been eliminated from the playoffs. The same proportion -- three percent -- thinks the Texas Rangers, the Atlanta Braves, or the Detroit Tigers will steal the title. 17 percent believe another team entirely will take the title, and 26 percent are unsure.

A similar situation happened in the National League that happened in the AL Wild Card race. On Sept. 14, the Braves were a solid 4 1/2 games up on the Cardinals. Today? Atlanta only has a one-game advantage.

While more baseball fans sit behind the Yankees dugout, their arch rivals, the Boston Red Sox, have fallen from grace in the eyes of baseball fans. When Marist last reported this question in July, 17 percent favored the Bronx Bombers while 15 percent boasted the Red Sox. 10 percent touted the Phillies while four percent cheered on the Giants. Now out of the top five, four percent thought the St. Louis Cardinals would go all the way. 23 percent, then, said another team would be crowned the champions of baseball while 27 percent were unsure.