The year 2021 is moving along pretty quickly, with Major League Baseball’s World Series ready to kick off. The competition for baseball’s biggest prize will begin this Tuesday, pitting the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros against each other in what should be an exciting week of high-quality baseball.
This particular World Series throws up quite a lot, including some family rivalry. Brian Snitker, manager for the Braves, has a son who is coaching hitters in Houston in Troy Snitker. And, whichever way this falls, there will be a trophy in the Snitker family when this is over.
“It’s like the Snitkers are going to have a World Series trophy in their house here,” Brian said this past weekend. “I don’t know who is going to own it, but we’re going to have one. So that’s a pretty cool thing, too.”
The Braves manager watched Troy and the Astros beat the Boston Red Sox to reach the final hurdle on Friday.
“That was neat. Proud of him. Got to FaceTime with him. Watched the celebration,” he revealed.
“I told him the first time, it’s not this easy, you know, it’s really hard to get there, as we’re seeing. But it’s been a great experience for him and I’m happy for him. I said, ‘I hope I can join you.”
He led Atlanta past the Los Angeles Dodgers mere hours later.
The Braves and Astros have played over 700 times, also facing off in five postseason series, but they haven’t gone up against each other since 2017 due to scheduling, and then COVID-19. That’s set to change this week as the Astros are to host Games One and Two on Tuesday and Wednesday before heading to Atlanta for the third and fourth games scheduled for Friday and Saturday.The baseball odds have the Astros as favorites for Tuesday’s opener and they are tipped to win the whole thing. That isn’t particularly pleasing to fans not associated with either team.
For Houston’s part, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, and Yuli Gueeiel will never drop the reputation of cheaters on the back of their involvement with a team that came up with an illegal sign-stealing method on the way to winning the World Series in 2017. They’re the most hated players in baseball right now and are reminded of that fact at every away game.
“Ever since the news came out, the bad news that we’ve had to deal with about what happened in 2017, I think we’ve all wanted to prove what kind of class of players that we are and team that we are,” hitter and outfielder Yordan Alvarez said.
“I wasn’t here with the team in 2017, but I’ve gotten booed just as equal as anybody else. So I think we all have the same mentality that we really want to win a World Series to demonstrate that we are just a great team.”
A lot of the focus will be on manager Dusty Baker, who took over following the 2017 scandal. Baker won the World Series as a player with the Dodgers in 1981 but has failed to do so as a coach, having taken five teams to the playoffs.
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“Last year I felt like a substitute teacher, really. I was an outsider,” he said. “But this year, they made me feel like I was one of them and they were definitely always one of me. That’s what it’s all about. Everybody talks teamwork, they talk about a team, but it’s a feeling that you get for each other.”
The Astros are headed to their third World Series in five years and have made it there without Justin Verlander. The star pitcher has been out for the entire season as he recovers from Tommy John Surgery.
Meanwhile, Atlanta has been made to get by without key outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who underwent a season-ending operation on his knee in July. Despite the odds, the Braves are headed to their first World Series since 1999.
While fans will be displeased with the Astros’ presence due to cheating, they’re likely going to be against the Braves due to their name. The Cleveland Indians have changed their name to the Cleveland Guardians, at least they will be called that next year, and the NFL’s Washington Redskins are going with the Washington Football Team for the time being. Atlanta’s name remains unchanged.
In terms of a prediction, logic certainly points to the Astros, much like the odds. After all, they have been here a lot as of late and with the core of players in their ranks, it’s going to take a whole lot to shake them. They also have the home-field advantage in this matchup and, given that four of the last seven World Series went to seven games, it could be a huge factor.
