The conclusion to the 2017 MLB season will play itself out over the next week or so. The seven match World Series will start on October 24th and the final game, if needed is set for November 1st. This will be the 113th edition of the famous championship series which this season sees the National League champions the Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the American League champions the Houston Astros.
Things were changed up a little this year and the 2017 World Series will be the first where home advantage was settled by the regular season record. It is the Dodgers who get home advantage because of a superior record over the course of the season to that of the Astros, which means that they get the opening two fixtures of the World Series at the Dodger Stadium and should the series need that seventh game, then it will also be hosted in LA. This will be the first time the Dodgers and the Astros have been in the World Series together.
The LA Dodgers are batting of as 4/6 favourites to sweep the title with Bwin, leaving the Astros playing a bit of catch up at 7/5.
LA Dodgers
It was a bit of a strange season overall from the Dodgers who were pounding out the wins for most of the season before they suddenly appeared to run out of steam totally, losing eleven straight games as they struggled to finish the regular season on a positive with 20 losses in their last 25 games played. But they managed to get themselves back together for a strong final run in, responding with eight wins in their final ten games to clinch the National League West. It just shows how strong of a start they had to the season which proved crucial and they actually set a new club record for most wins in a season (104). The Dodgers got past the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series and then took out reigning champions the Chicago Cubs in the Championship series to get through to the World Series.
This is their first time back in the World Series since 1988 and this is their 19th appearances in the World Series having posted a W6 L12 record from their previous appearances. Their overall record in the regular season was 104-58
Houston Astros
Back in 2013, the Astros made a move from the National League over to the American League and so for the first time as an American League representative they have made it the World Series having won their first ever American League title. They did that by getting past the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series and then needed seven games to see off the New York Yankees in the Championship series. Their only previous appearance in the World Series happened back in 2005 when they were brushed aside early in four matches by the Chicago White Sox. So they are looking for their first “Fall Classic” title. The Astros finished the regular season with a 101-61 record.
Key Players
Second baseman Jose Altuve for the Astros should have a big impact in the series. He is actually the shortest player in the MLB and again showed his quality this season. Three times in the last four season he has posted the best batting average in the league. With the Astros built on batting power, he’ll have a big hand.
Justin Verlander, the new Astros pitcher was a tremendous coupon for the Astros on trade deadline day. They were cruising to the division pennant but just didn’t sit back, instead going out and getting Verlander, one of the best pitchers in the game. He’s a superstar of the game and went and posted a 9-0 win/loss record on his arrival at the club.
The Dodgers getting Corey Seager back fit could be crucial to their chances in this one. This is the kind of extra strength from the bullpen that could tip things in their balance. Getting him back to chip in with those runs could provide vital to their batting line up.
Cody Bellinger is the bigger hitting scorer of the powerful Dodgers batting line up and this is a series where he could really take things to a new level. He scored more runs than any other dodger this season as well as posting 39 home runs across the season.
Clayton Kershaw, pitcher for the Dodgers is part of the reason why they were so successful throughout the postseason. Overall, the Dodgers produced 23 consecutive scoreless innings heading into the World Series.
Predictions
The Dodgers are the financial powerhouses of the game and the weight of their depth has been shown this season. This is first series between the two since 1981 and just the eleventh between them (only the second post-season overall). The Dodgers showed tremendous mental character in fighting back from their major slump to still set records and of the two, over the series the tailing factor could be the extra quality and depth that they have to call upon. It could be a longer series so look for the Dodgers in six. You can take six games in the World Series at 9/5 with Bwin and a 4-2 correct score in favour of the Californians returns a price of 7/2. They won’t get it all their own way but can end their drought.
