Houston Astros vs Atlanta Braves: First game of the final should be for the home team

On October 27, the World Series kicks off in Houston, which will once again determine the strongest team in Major League Baseball. The strongest team of 2021 in world baseball. This time, the Houston Astros, who have accustomed their fans to success in recent years, and the Atlanta Braves, who have not been to the final series since 1999.

Houston are strong on offense. But in these playoffs, their pitchers are also showing great stats—especially the team’s starting youngsters. Ask Valdes, who pitched the decisive fifth game of the American League Finals series against the Boston Red Sox, about that.

Atlanta are a team against the odds. Against Acuña’s injury, against a rough start to the season, against Freddie Freeman’s anti-record start to the National League Finals. And just like that - against the odds - they are in the World Series.

So who will prove stronger in the first game of the series? Let’s take a look at what the teams approach this matchup with.

Since around 2015, Houston have consistently been one of the main favourites for the season. In 2017, they won the division for the first time. A win followed that (in the 2017 playoffs) in the American League. The teams advanced to the World Series, where, in a terrific battle, they proved stronger than the Dodgers, winning the league title.

Two years later, the Astros made it back to the MLB finals. But this time, they lost the title to the Washington Nationals. 4-3 in a series where not a single home game was won!

The team’s core was made up of superstars: Verlander, Cole, Greinke, Springer, Altuve, Gurriel, Correa, and many others. The team was led by one of the most talented coaches in modern baseball. And then a scandal erupted.

The coaching staff, led by A.J. Hinch and Alex Cora (Hinch’s assistant, who would win the title as Boston’s head coach) would be accused of cheating. It would appear that they stole the catcher’s signals using electronic devices (additional cameras installed in the home stadium) and transmitted those signals to their players on the field. One of the team’s leaders, Jose Altuve, was also implicated in the allegations. Altuve’s involvement in the hoax could never be proved, but Hinch and Cora were disqualified for a year. Hotheads demanded that the 2017 title be taken away from the Astros. But the MLB didn’t go for it.

Many teams would have broken down after a story like that. Many, but not Houston. The new head coach (manager) was Dusty Baker, a great coach with a perfect reputation.

Yes, the backbone of the team has changed. Verlander is injured. Cole and Springer are no longer in the lineup. But there are other stars. Talented pitchers have been added. The wild Yordan Alvarez came in.

Opponents didn’t want to shake hands, fans buzzed, and Houston played. And in 2021, they again secured a place in the finals by beating Boston 4-2 in the American League Championship Series.

The hottest players ahead of the World Series are Jordan Alvarez of Houston and Eddie Rosario of Atlanta. About Rosario later.

Alvarez won the American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player title with 12 hits with the Red Sox. Seven of those hits were against the opposition - a testament to Alvarez’s ability to hit anywhere in the field. There are simply no defensive overlaps against him.

Also, Alvarez doesn’t allow pitchers to get ahead in the count against him. He always tries to lead. And he’s capable of striking out an at-bat at any time.

He’s not intimidated by facing left-handed pitchers. He had a 61.5 slugging percentage with 1.077 slugging against left-handed Boston.

Alvarez is not afraid of fast pitches. In the semifinals against the Red Sox, he struck out 5 in 8 while pitching over 95 mph. In doing so, he had two doubles.

Cuban is only 24 years old, but he is already on the Olympus of success. He became the first designated hitter to win the American League Finals MVP title since the legendary David Ortiz won the trophy in 2004.

“I have a lot to say about this title. And I can say that it means absolutely everything to me. But the main work lies ahead!” - Says the lucky Most Valuable Player of the AL Championship Series.

The Atlanta Braves are one of the most popular teams in the US South. They have been playing in Atlanta since 1966, in which time the Braves only managed to win the league title once, in 1995. This, however, has had no impact on fan love.

The Braves’ best years were in the 1990s. From 1991 to 1999, Atlanta won the National League title five times. And in 1999, they reached the World Series.

That was a final against the great New York Yankees, which ended in a 0-4 victory for the latter. However, in several games, Atlanta put up a real fight.

Then there was a generational change and a search for a new identity. Dan Uggla and Brian McCann joined the team, but they were far from reaching the final.

That all changed when a new generation came in. One of the most talented generation players, Freddie Freeman, became the team’s foundation around which the mighty new Braves lined up.

The arrival of Albies, the young talent of Acuña, a decent pitching staff, and the excellent work of the coaching staff led by Brian Snitker have all become hallmarks of the new Atlanta.

Last year, the Braves stopped one step short of the World Series. They led the Dodgers 3-1 in the National League finals but lost three straight games. This year, history with the Dodgers could repeat itself. Again 3-1 in the semifinals, Atlanta rallied and won the series in six games after losing the fifth game.

One of the main reasons for this win was Eddie Rosario.

Rosario broke into the Atlanta lineup after transferring from Minnesota. There he was a solid foundation player, one of the important players in the lineup. But here, Eddie became a true star. His National League Finals record is 56%, 1.040 slugging percentage, 3 home runs and 5 extra-base hits.

He also stole bases, stole home, and earned an injury.

Most of the pitches Rosario strikes out go to the bottom of the strike zone. He’s comfortable playing balls out of his knees. But if a pitcher suddenly thinks he has Eddie figured out, he’ll punish him immediately for the high ball. And throwing to him in the middle of the strike zone is suicidal.

He’s great at bouncing off breaking balls. For example, Buehler has got it on his changewings and Urias and Knebel on his curveballs.

Add to that the fact that he’s excellent at two strikes against his opponents, and you get the idea that he’s a near-perfect batter.

And, of course, he has phenomenal speed, which allows him to fly the bases.

Right now, Rosario and Alvarez are the most dangerous players in the MLB. And the big question is which team will do better against them. And also: whose environment will prove stronger?

Houston Astros v Atlanta Braves: Current form

The Houston Astros rolled through the representatives of the American League Western Division. First, they beat the best team in the American League and last year’s finalist, Tampa (3-1 series score). Then they rested Boston 4-2 in the series.

The Braves were the winners of their division. That’s why they avoided an extra match in the Wild Card round and had home-field advantage in the NL final. In the Divisional round, Atlanta was stronger than Milwaukee (3-1 series score). And in the National League final, they beat the Dodgers 4-2.

In the first game of the World Series, Morton and Valdes will go up the mound. Both are incredibly good and reliable. Sometimes even just perfect! So let’s give equality here.

Despite all the talents of Riley, Freeman, Albies, and, naturally, Rosario, Houston’s offense seems to outperform its opponent. The best slugger in the American League comes only seventh on the Astros’ lineup (Cuban Yuli Gurriel was the best in the regular season with 32% at-bat). Doesn’t that speak volumes about the strength of Houston’s offense?

More importantly, the Astros are playing at home. It’s the awesome atmosphere of Minutes Maid Park and the fact that the Astros won’t have to find room on defense for their designated hitter, Yordan Alvarez, because the game will be played under American League rules. And he can only concentrate on the batting game. And that’s something he can certainly do.