Come one, come all and join me in celebrating the greatest event of the fall season!
No I’m not talking about the introduction of Starbucks seasonal Pumpkin Spiced Latte’s. I’m talking about the Fall Classic! Yes ladies and gentleman, baseball is still going on and even if you’ve been using it all summer as background noise to your mid-day naps, it’s still not too late to tune in. 4860 total baseball games topped with 8 additional playoff series have led us to this magical moment and it is finally time to see the game’s best battle it out for baseball’s ultimate glory.
Now I know what you’re thinking – “Matt, I’ve barely paid attention to baseball all season. I’d be lucky to name 3 players on each squad. I don’t have time to sift through 6 and a half months of headlines. HELP!”. Have no fear fellow sports fans, I am here to assist. Ya see…I know that in this day in age we as a society like things fast. People want the cliff notes on things, not the 10 page article detailing why the sky is blue. Give us the general basis of what’s going on so that we have enough to get by in conversation. As your baseball aficionado I understand that, because here at Front Stoop Sports, we serve the people, giving them what they want, when they want, and how they want it. So with your interest in mind, here is your TMZ/Sparknote take on this year’s World Series.
The Houston Astros enter this contest looking to secure their first ever World Series championship. They come here via an American League Division Series (ALDS) win against the Boston Red Sox and an American League Championship Series (ALCS) win against the New York Yankees. They bring with them one of the most dangerous offensive units in the major leagues, ranked 1st in the AL in Runs, Hits, RBI, and Batting Average, and cap things off with two former C Young Award winners manning the rubber. Together, their offense and defense maintains a balance that overwhelms opposing squads and is a major contributor to their 101 wins this season, good for 2nd in the American League and 3rd best in baseball. Let’s see what’s cookin’ in Houston.
August 25, 2017 – Hurricane Harvey, a category 3 hurricane ravishes through the city of Houston, Texas killing 77 people and causing an estimated $150 billion worth of damage. Similar to the rallying cry created in Boston after the Boston marathon terrorist attack, the Houston Astros have and will continue to serve as a beacon of hope for the city of Houston. To commemorate the tragedy, the Astros have incorporated the “Houston Strong” patch on each of their uniforms bringing unity to a city that is still suffering the effects of such a terrible storm.
Jose Altuve - the 7 year vet and 5x All Star is the leading candidate for this year’s AL MVP. The second
baseman, who was once told to go home by the Astros during a tryout in his native country of Venezuela due to his lack of size, led the AL in Batting Average for the 3rd time in his career blasting a barbaric .346 while hitting for a career high in home runs (24) and runs scored (112). Altuve is the heart and soul of this Astros team and will be asked to set the tempo game in and game out in order to keep Houston ahead in the series.
Justin Verlander – the former Cy Young award winner and 2017 ALCS MVP has been nothing short of brilliant since being traded to Houston from Detroit at the August 31st trade deadline. Verlander is 9-0 since coming to Houston and has been lights out during the postseason posting a 1.46 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 4 games. He is Houston’s hottest pitcher and will be called upon more than once in the series to pull out a W for the ‘Stros. Be sure to keep your eye out for a Kate Upton sighting as well. The SI Swimsuit Model is not only Verlander’s finance, but an avid and electric baseball fan. Her loving support may be the juice Justin needs to get through this Dodger lineup.
For the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers hold court after posting the best record in the MLB at 104-58 during the regular season which was followed up by a thrashing of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs in the NLDS & NLCS. The Dodgers will be competing for their franchises 7th World Series title with a roster that is arguably the best in the league. LA is coming off a series where they outscored their opponent by 20 RUNS and are backed by a bullpen that hasn’t allowed a run in 17 innings of work. Over the past 29 seasons since the franchises last title, the team has reached the postseason 11 times…the longest streak without winning a title in MLB history. Here’s how it’s looking in the City of Angels.
Clayton Kershaw – the southpaw is arguably the best pitcher of our generation. Notorious for collapsing during the postseason, Kershaw will look to bring his CY Young worthy regular season numbers to the series (18-4, 2.31 ERA, and 202 strikeouts). Watch out for his terrorizing 12-6 curveball that makes even the smartest of hitters buckle up. The pitch falls off the table, dropping directly from top (12 o’clock) to bottom (6 o’clock – get it, 12-6) like nobody’s business and is quite frankly just rude. If you’re a novice fan looking to casually watch, be sure to tune in when Kershaw runs the mound as he’ll have batters dancing like it’s 1999
The Young Bucks – amongst the heart of the LA offense are two of the youngest players in the MLB, Corey Seager (23), and Cody Bellinger (22). Both players play years above their age causing havoc for opposing pitchers and producing a large majority of LA’s run support. Prior to Seager’s missed NLCS due to injury,
the 2x All Star was batting .357 with an on base percentage of .500 … best on the team by a mile, and a stat you’d only see in backyard whiffle ball league (to put that into perspective, the average on base percentage for a major leaguer is .300). Cody Bellinger, the surprise star of the NL, who wasn’t even on the Dodger roster to begin the season will be counted on to tap into more moon real estate this series like he did during the regular season, posting 39 homeruns as a rookie (2nd behind Aaron Judge). The first baseman has struggled to find much power thus far but has still remained consistent gathering 10 hits this postseason, good for 3rd on the team.
Justin Turner – the pride of California, Turner is playing like a monstar from Space Jam, putting up numbers that could only come from a galaxy far, far away. The former Oriole and Met cast off is batting .371 with 14 RBI on 13 hits and 4 home runs. The Red Rocket has undoubtedly been the fuel to this Dodger team and will be one of the biggest players to look out for during this series. Turner plays each game like he has nothing to lose, and why wouldn’t he? The third basemen was found by the Dodgers while playing in a Cal State Fullerton alumni game after being ruled dead weight in New York… That’s basically like me getting picked up in my company’s softball league by a scout in the Phillies organization… Alright, not really, but his story is great nonetheless. From beer leagues to possible MVP’s, Turner is a player everyone can get around.
All in all, we as fans have been granted a great matchup. For the first time since 1970, two teams with win totals of over 100 will be squaring off in the World Series. Both teams have been regarded as the best in their respective leagues all season, each winning their divisions and knocking off the best both the American and National League had to offer to get here. Alpha vs Alpha ladies and gentleman, no scrawny underdogs to be found here. Grab a cold one, find a special seat on the couch, and let’s celebrate another great year of baseball!
