1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Friday “World Series Preview-Notebook”
“Fall Classic-Notebook”
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WORLD SERIES…It’s not the Dodgers-vs-Yankees, surely not the Red Sox-vs-Mets. But what it is are two teams that earned their way into the Fall Classic.
ASTROS…History calls them cheats, but there’s hardly anybody left on the roster from the group that was fined 5M-by the Commissioner, and saw it’s top three execs fired from their jobs, never to resurface.
PHILLIES…They met in 1980 in what was then the NLCS, because the Astros were still in the National League. The Phillies won it and 4-of the games wound up in extra innings. The Mike Schmidt-Joe Morgan series.
HOME RUN DERBY…That’s what I project, since both Minute Maid and Citizens Bank Park are hitters havens. The Phillies hit (.282) at home against the Padres with 7-homers and 13-extra base hits. The Astros (.257) with 116-home runs in home games this year. Bombs away.
POST SEASON…The Astros, coming off a 106-win season, went (7-0) in the postseason, powered by 12-homers. They swept the upstart Mariners and then wiped out the Yankees four straight. The Phillies won in St Louis, eliminated Atlanta, then took out the Padres, and are (9-2) in the playoffs.
WHO’S HOT…Not many but virtually all the hitting stats on each team in post season are way down. Not for Bryce Harper, man on a mission, with a (.419) postseason average. Kyle Schwarber is hitting homers, but batting just (.200)..The same for Rhys Hoskins, whose HRs are wrapped around a (.180) average. For the Astros, yes that is Jose Alttuve is at a career low (.094) average. Of course, Alex Bregman (.333)..Jeremy Pena (303) and Yuli Gurriel (367) lead the Houston hit parade.
ON THE MOUND..Likely Cy Young ace Justin Verlander went (14-3). Add in young starter Framber Valdez (1.42) and Chris Javier (1.35) and Houston looks so strong. The Phillies counter with ace Zach Wheeler (1.78)…veteran Aaron Nola (3.12) and youngster Ranger Suarez (2.00). The wildcard could be Noah Syndegaard, the ex Met, with strong (1.69) numbers.
STORYLINES….The Phillies have gotten there thru a slow rebuilding process. GM-Dave Dombrowski spent big free agent money to compliment all the young players they developed. Houston no longer has Charley Morton, George Springer, Carlos Correa, or Michael Brantley. The newcomers from within arrived with Kyle Tucker, Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Pena and a host of young arms. It was a remarkable rebuild.
SIDE STORY…They play Friday-Saturday, but take Sunday off. No World Series game on Sunday? The MLB does not want to go head to head against Sunday Night Football. They then play 3-in Philadelphia. The final two would be back in Houston. The first time since 1947 though-no Sunday Series baseball.
SIDE STORY…For the first time since 1950, there are no US-born African Americans on either roster. A great array of minority Latinos and Pacific Rim players, but no US-blacks.
WHO WINS…Bet it goes seven games, I think Houston has more hitters, the Phillies need homers because they don’t have the hitters top to bottom.
Astros in seven.
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The Cheating Astros got to keep their title. The actual cheaters got their rings, bonuses, and walked away clean. Meanwhile shoeless Joe who was allegedly not part of the Black Sox cheating scandal is not in the HOF. The only message here is that justice is blind.
Agree…no sanctions for the cheats…forever stains Astros