Class of NL's Past Decade Clash for Shot at Yet Another World Series Ring

Here we are in the Championship Series round, and in the National League, the two teams going head to head for a shot at the World Series are the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants.

What? You were expecting someone else?

Sure, the Pittsburgh Pirates were one of the hottest clubs over the final month of the regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers had the highest payroll in baseball and the Washington Nationals finished with the most wins in the NL. But none of those three are around anymore—and maybe we should have seen this coming.

After all, the Cardinals and Giants might as well rent dugout space for themselves in mid-to-late October.

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press/Associated Press

With the NLCS set to begin Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, St. Louis has reached this stage for a whopping fourth straight season, while San Francisco is here for the third time since 2010. Put another way: Eight of 11 NLCS series have included either the team from The Arch or the team from The Bay.

And because these two are up against each other, it's guaranteed that at least one of 'em will make it to the Fall Classic for a fifth consecutive year.

If you feel like going back even further, the World Series will feature either the Cardinals or Giants for the eighth time in 13 years dating back to 2002. And whichever team advances will have a chance to win it all for a combined fifth time in that span.

SEASON	NLCS WINNER	NLCS LOSER
2014	Cardinals/Giants	Cardinals/Giants
2013	Cardinals	Dodgers
2012	Giants*	Cardinals
2011	Cardinals*	Brewers
2010	Giants*	Phillies
2009	Phillies	Dodgers
2008	Phillies*	Dodgers
2007	Rockies	Diamondbacks
2006	Cardinals*	Mets
2005	Astros	Cardinals
2004	Cardinals	Astros
2003	Marlins*	Cubs
2002	Giants	Cardinals
* = Won World Series

No wonder Giants first baseman Brandon Belt said of the Cardinals, via Lyle Spencer of MLB.com: "They remind me a lot of us. They've had a lot of success in the postseason."

That line could just as easily have come from the mouth of any Cardinals player talking about the Giants.

This year's showdown will mark the third time since 2002 that these teams will play against each other in this round of the postseason. The Giants won both previous encounters, in '02 and '12, which means the Cardinals have some catching up to do—and perhaps a little revenge to exact.

Especially after that crushing loss in the 2012 NLCS that went the maximum seven games after St. Louis blew a 3-1 series lead and missed out on the possibility of defending its 2011 title.

Bringing even more weight to this matchup, San Francisco has won 11 of its last 12 games in October, starting with those three in a row to get past the Cardinals that year.

Not surprisingly, given all the success they've had, the two franchises have quite a bit in common. Spencer puts it best:

"

Their manager is a former catcher with a commanding presence and a track record of bringing out the best in his players when the stakes are highest. Their most valuable player is their catcher, an unquestioned field leader who handles multiple defensive assignments with intelligence and toughness while consistently driving the offense with clutch hits.

Their rotation is a fine blend of confident veterans who have been through it all, and a young gun who can blow offenses away. Their bullpen is deep and resourceful with a history of handling late-game anxieties with a cool assurance. Their offense might not look intimidating on paper, with only a few power sources, but it can erupt at any time to seize control of a game. Their defense, unspectacular but fundamentally sound, rarely makes the critical mistake that can unhinge the pitching staff and turn victory into defeat.

These are the San Francisco Giants, World Series champions in 2010 and '12 and positioned to make it three crowns in five seasons. These also are the St. Louis Cardinals, planning to turn their fourth consecutive National League Championship Series appearance into a World Series title run to match their unforgettable 2011 journey.

"

To get here time and again over the past decade or so, both the Cardinals and Giants have drafted well early (Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Shelby Miller, Kolten Wong), found some underrated gems late (Trevor Rosenthal, Matt Adams, Sergio Romo), developed their players (Matt Carpenter, Pablo Sandoval), made key trades and/or signings when needed (Matt Holliday, Adam Wainwright, Hunter Pence, Jake Peavy), and held on to their top talent as long as it was on their terms (sorry, Mr. Pujols). All of which enabled them to extend their run of NL domination for this long.

That's the sign of a good plan and a successful organization. Or in this case, two of 'em.

In a way, it's a shame one side has to lose.

Statistics are accurate through Oct. 9 and courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

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