The Yankees and Red Sox are not just 1-2 in the AL East standings, the two teams are also viewed as the favorites to win the World Series this fall by Las Vegas oddsmakers.
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“It’s the usual suspects,” said Jay Kornegay, the executive director of the Las Vegas Hilton sportsbook. “There is no doubt we think the Yankees and Red Sox have the best pitching staffs in baseball. They’re the favorites despite the Dodgers having the best record.”
The Hilton has the Yankees at 4-to-1, just below the Sox at 7-to-2. The Dodgers are 5-to-1.
At the MGM Mirage, the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers are all 7-to-2 to win the Fall Classic.
The odds on the Yankees winning it all increased during their early-season struggles, but their number has come back down as they played better lately.
“They started off slow, then caught fire,” said Jeff Stoneback, the sportsbook manager at MGM Mirage. “Now, A-Rod’s back. No matter what happens to their roster people are still going to bet the Yankees. They’re such a public team.
“It’s hard for them to go up significantly because there is so much money on them at the beginning of the season and there is potential for them to turn it around.”
Kornegay said the Hilton had the Yankees as high as 8-to-1 during their early-season struggles, and the casino took a good amount of action on the Bombers at that price.
For Vegas, the Yankees are a team like Notre Dame football and the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL — they always gets a lot of action because of their large fan base.
Surprisingly, though, the Yankees are 10th at the Hilton in total tickets written. The Cubs are tops on the list, with the most people picking Lou Piniella’s crew to end their title drought.
Even the Mets have gotten more bets than the Yankees. Jerry Manuel’s banged-up crew is 20-to-1 at the Hilton and 10-to-1 at the Mirage.
Kornegay said the Mets have gotten as high as 30-to-1 as they’ve floundered in the first half of the season. Many bettors have gambled the Mets will turn it around once their fleet of injured stars returns, getting a high price that could cost Vegas a fortune.
“We certainly, as a book, don’t need the Mets to win the World Series,” Kornegay said. “I’m pretty calm with that, though. That doesn’t scare me a bit.”
The bookmakers are watching the Roy Halladay sweepstakes closely. If a team acquires Halladay, their odds will automatically drop, Stoneback said. The Yankees odds could drop to 3-to-1 with Halladay on board.
The short distance from Los Angeles to Las Vegas causes a large amount of money to be bet on Joe Torre’s Dodgers, who have the best record in baseball at the All-Star break. At the Hilton, they still are a tick below the Yankees and Red Sox.