By Alex Trickett BBC Sport Online

For all its intriguing irregularities, three things have held true in Major League Baseball for a very long time.

Pedro Martinez has thrown strikes, Barry Bonds has hit home runs and the New York Yankees have waltzed into October's World Series.

This year is proving a little different.

Pedro Martinez has been a pitching certainty

For the first time in what seems like an eternity, the Yankees will play no part in the latter stages of the play-offs.

The high-rolling "Bronx Bombers" were swept aside by the Anaheim Angels in the first round of the post-season on Saturday.

And, shockingly, they have been joined on the sidelines by defending champions, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Atlanta Braves and the red-hot Oakland A's.

In a sport that rarely turns up upsets, this is big news for the bemused inhabitants of America's sports bars.

So which team will now win baseball's biggest prize?

Anderson: A key to Anaheim success

No respecters of big reputations, their "thing" was good enough to dismiss the Yankees, and it may yet be sufficient to book them a place in the World Series at the expense of the Twins.

Garrett Anderson and Adam Kennedy carried the offensive firepower en route to a franchise-record 99 wins in the regular season.

And pitchers Jarrod Washburn (18-6) and Ramon Ortiz (15-9) put up solid numbers of their own.

Verdict: Angels to soar into World Seies.

The Twins were short-listed for contraction

Thanks to solid - if unspectacular - hitting down the order, the Minneapolis-based team ran away with the AL Central division.

The Twins, who edged the A's in a fifth-game decider, are a triumph for team will over individual flair.

"People keep underestimating us, but we've had our backs against the wall all year long. That's the way we like to live, and we're not done yet," claims catcher AJ Pierzynski.

Verdict: The dream to fade too soon.

Pujols has had a free-scoring year

Albert Pujols, Edgar Renteria, Jim Edmonds and friends had not read the script.

First they jumped all over the masterful Randy Johnson and then they edged out Curt Schilling to set up an incredible series sweep.

More of the same could be enough to crown St Louis champions for the first time since 1982.

And the city could do with the sporting cheer, having watched their Rams collapse to a dismal start in the NFL.

Verdict: Cards could go all the way.

Kent has never ducked his responsibilities

Ably backed up by second-base man Jeff Kent, the pair can ensure a steady stream of runs.

As ever though, San Francisco's pitching will come under close scrutiny and someone from the bullpen will have to step up to ensure success.

Chances: If Bonds keeps firing, the sky's the limit.

The American League conference final between the Angels and the Twins starts on 8 October. The National League match-up between the Giants and the Cardinals begins on Wednesday.