The stage is set for the big series, which begins Friday night in Houston.
I remember looking on social media before the postseason started, reading Alex Rodriguez’s bracket. He had the Astros in the World Series vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Dodgers winning the series. Things have changed a bit since then.
The Dodgers were knocked out early by the San Diego Padres in the Divisional Round. A surprise team, the Phillies–a team that finished 14 games off the pace in its division– advanced to the Big Dance. They did it by beating the Cardinals, Braves, and Padres. The Astros, on the other hand, cruised by the teams they played, the Mariners and the Yankees, and went undefeated along the way, 7-0.
Interestingly, the World Series competitors met on the diamond recently, in Houston at season’s end, with the Astros taking two of three games.
So, here we are–the upstart Phillies against the juggernaut Astros–and Houston is a big favorite to win it all. Why not? The Astros have a 20-game winning edge over their East Coast rivals.
Good luck to both teams, but you know for whom this Texan will be rooting.
GO HOUSTON!