After 162 regular season games and 11 playoff matchups each for the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros, they now take each other on in a best of seven series to see who can ascend to baseball’s summit and become World Series champions.
The Astros are 20/31 and the Braves are 13/10 to be victorious.
How they got here
The Houston Astros have reached their third World Series in the last five years after they topped the AL West with a 95-67 record, five games clear of rivals Oakland Athletics.
In the American League Division Series, Houston completed a 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox to reach their fifth consecutive American League Championship Series.
The Boston Red Sox stood between the Astros and the World Series and Houston clinched the AL pennant with a 4-2 series win to return to the World Series.
In the National League, the Atlanta Braves topped the NL East with a 88-73 record, before beating the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 in the National League Division Series to return to the NLCS for the second season running.
Unlike the year before, Atlanta managed to come out on top over the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning 4-2, to get back to the World Series for the first time since 1999.
This Series
This year’s World Series opens with two games in Houston, before three in a row in Atlanta and, if necessary, Games 6 and 7 will be back on Astros home soil at Minute Maid Park.
The Astros are 10/13 to take Game 1, with the Braves priced up at 6/5 to open the series with a road win.
Both teams are at different stages in their success. Houston are almost certainly on the verge of a rebuild in the near future, having kept their team together for the last five years amid controversy and success.
The Atlanta Braves, on the other hand, have rebounded from the long term injury to their superstar Ronald Acuna Jr with a squad that lacks the big names of the Astros, but have managed to make up for the absence of their star.
The Astros’ experience and star power may well see them come out on top.
Key men
Both bullpens will be crucial, with relievers throwing the majority of innings this postseason with 54 per cent. The Astros are above that average, with 57 per cent usage compared to the Braves’ 49 per cent.
In the MVP conversation, the Astros’ core of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman have been key to their success over the years and if the Braves are to win they must limit their offensive output.
For the Braves, they will be hoping for outfielder Eddie Rosario and Joc Pedersen to continue their strong playoff hitting. Rosario recorded a record-equalling 14 hits against the Dodgers in the NLCS and is a 12/1 shot to follow up his MVP in that series with another here. Freddie Freeman and the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez are both in at 17/2 to scoop the award with Altuve 10/1.
At the prices, the 11/1 shot Carlos Correa may be of interest. The shortstop has been a clutch player throughout his time with the Astros but looks likely to leave at the end of the season. He might be worth backing to depart as MVP.
*All odds correct at time of writing
