With the World Series coming near, here’s what you need to know about the Braves and the Astros. The Atlanta Braves have been waiting for this opportunity for so long considering the last 3 seasons they made the playoffs and not one ended with a World Series appearance. The Houston Astros on the other hand are comfortable with their ranking and stats. This year they will be making their 3rd World Series appearance within the past four years. Last season they didn’t make a playoff appearance at all, but they came back strong and ready to win. Because both teams have come up short in the previous season, this should make for an entertaining series, and a shocking result no matter who the winner may be. 

The Braves are sadly missing a big piece of their puzzle, his name is Ronald Acuna Jr. He was arguably having the best season of his career, but it was sadly cut short due to a torn ACL. Acuna suffered this injury in July and was ruled out for the rest of the season indefinitely. Despite this setback, the Braves are still in a very good spot at the moment. They are currently beating the reigning champion Dodgers 4-1 in the NLDS. 

On the other hand, the Astros don’t have any significant setbacks coming into the World Series with a current record of 95-67, however, they did take a hit when star player, George Springer, left Houston in the offseason. The Braves are more than likely going to be the “Fan Favorite” coming into this series. The reason for that is that many baseball fans in states other than Texas are still pretty mad about the Sign Stealing Scandal of 2017. This was something that was committed by the Astros in the 2017 World Series. They paid someone in the center field stands to look at the catchers’ signs and relay the message to the dugout, then the Astros players would hit a trash can depending on the sign so the hitter would know what pitch was coming next. Therefore the Astros may not necessarily be getting as many fans as the Braves this go around.

The Braves haven’t been to the World Series since 1995, so this is a big turning point for them as an organization. My personal opinion is that the Braves will win this series mainly because they were able to beat the reigning champs with ease, winning that series 4-1. On the other hand, the Astros definitely have the edge on World Series experience with going twice in the last four years. They also beat the Dodgers in the 2017 World Series so who knows what could happen. They might know how to handle the pressure compared to the Braves who might not. I am sure others, and myself, are excited and ready to watch this series. I think it’s going to be one for the books, no matter the results.