Whenever a World Series is about to begin, I think about all the people a championship is going to make happy. I’m a positive guy. Sports bring joy. I like to look at the joy.
With the World Series beginning tonight in Houston, let’s take a look at who is most happy, if each team wins.
If the Astros win …
Dusty Baker: The man has won more games than any manager in baseball history without a title. Players love him, fans love him, just about everybody who has ever come across him loves him. He’s 72 years old. It’s time for him to win one.
Zack Greinke: Earlier this year, I wrote about the best active players without a World Series ring. Greinke topped that list. He’s a future Hall of Famer. This is the one thing his resume doesn’t have.
Astros fans who never left the train: Let’s face it: It has been a rough few years for Astros fans. Their team is getting booed all the time, their organization has been turned upside down, sometimes people scowl at them on the street. But there’s no better light at the end of the tunnel than a World Series title.
If the Braves win …
Freddie Freeman: Freeman is the Uber-Brave, the guy who has been here through several incarnations of the franchise and is now being rewarded with his first World Series appearance the year after he won the MVP and battled a terrifying case of COVID-19.
Longtime suffering Atlanta/Georgia sports fans: This state lives in a perpetual state of sports fan terror: 28-3. Tua on second-and-26. The Infield Fly Wild Card Game. A 3-1 2020 NLCS lead. This is their chance to finally break through. (And if not: Hey, there’s always the Dawgs.)
Teams that go for it: Most people, myself included, gave up on the Braves when Ronald Acuña Jr. went down in July. But the Braves front office did what you’d want any front office to do: They filled the holes in their roster with Jorge Soler, Joc Pederson and NLCS MVP Eddie Rosario and promptly took control of the National League East … and the National League in total. You want your team to go for it. The Braves went for it.
The World Series is upon us. Every moment will be taut, and tense, and exhilarating. And at the end: There will be joy. There always is.
— Will Leitch
This morning’s top news
Your ultimate guide to World Series Game 1
Who will win it all? MLB.com experts weigh in
Bregman, Swanson rivalry runs deep
How the World Series teams were built
The story of breakout star Eddie Rosario
Framber Valdez is ready for the bright lights
6 important facts to know for World Series
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Atlanta @ Houston
Minute Maid Park | 8:09 pm ET
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Projected Lineups:
Charlie Morton, RHP #50
14-6 | 3.34 ERA | 216 K
Postseason: 0-1 | 3.77 | 19K
Framber Valdez, LHP #59
11-6 | 3.14 ERA | 125 K
Postseason: 1-0 | 4.20 | 13K
1. Eddie Rosario, LF
2. Freddie Freeman, 1B
3. Ozzie Albies, 2B
4. Austin Riley, 3B
5. Jorge Soler, DH
6. Joc Pederson, RF
7. Adam Duvall, CF
8. Travis d’Arnaud, C
9. Dansby Swanson, SS
2. Michael Brantley, LF
3. Alex Bregman, 3B
4. Yordan Alvarez, DH
5. Carlos Correa, SS
6. Kyle Tucker, RF
7. Yuli Gurriel, 1B
8. Chas McCormick, CF
9. Martín Maldonado, C
Who’s hot and who’s not?
Braves: Eddie Rosario has hit .474 (18-for-38) with a 1.313 OPS through 10 postseason games. Freddie Freeman has tallied three homers while constructing a 1.072 OPS. The Braves would like to get more from Dansby Swanson, Travis d’Arnaud and Adam Duvall, who each have a sub-.660 OPS. Swanson (.500 OPS) and d’Arnaud (.518 OPS) have been the least productive players.
Astros: Yordan Alvarez hit .522 with one triple, one homer, three doubles and tallied six RBIs en route to ALCS Most Valuable Player honors. Yuli Gurriel also made a push for the award by hitting .455 with one homer and six RBIs. On the flip side, Alex Bregman hit just .217 and Jose Altuve .125, though the latter hit two big home runs.
A few more things to see …
Drafting the best World Series roster
Will Leitch and Mike Petriello pick the best 15-man rosters using both teams. Correa or Freeman? Altuve over Alvarez? And most importantly, who gets Joctober?
MLB.com experts weigh in on all the possibilities, predictions and storylines that could make this Series one to remember.
53 seasons ago, Dusty Baker made his debut for the Braves against the Astros with Henry Aaron by his side. This year, he’ll try to win his first World Series … as manager of the Astros … against Aaron’s Braves.
A Snitker will be a World Series champion soon enough. But will it be Braves manager Brian Snitker? Or will it be his son Troy, the Astros’ hitting coach?
Who will be the next Taco Hero?
Taco Bell’s “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” promotion is back for the 2021 World Series, which means America’s next Taco Hero is soon to be crowned.
Today’s Trivia Question
Which pitcher has the lowest career World Series ERA (minimum 20 innings)?
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