World Series: Houston Astros take on old foes Atlanta Braves in the 117th edition
Houston Astros aim for a second World Series having defeated the LA Dodgers to win their first championship in franchise history in 2017; Atlanta Braves, the only franchise to have won the World Series in three different home cities, are aiming for their first title in 31 years
Last Updated: 25/10/21 10:14am
The Houston Astros return to baseball's biggest stage for the third time in five years against the Atlanta Braves, playing in the decider for the first time in 22 years.
The best-of-seven championship will renew a rivalry given the teams met in the National League Division Series five times from 1997 to 2005 over a nine-year span before the Astros moved to the American League.
Houston, who fell to the Washington Nationals in the 2019 World Series, will undoubtedly enjoy plenty of support from their fans but will get little to no backing from most observers, given a handful of players remain from the team that were found guilty of cheating for stealing pitch signs en route to the 2017 title.
"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 and team we are," said Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez.
"I wasn't here with the team in 2017, but I've gotten booed just as equal as anybody else. We all have the same mentality that we really want to win a World Series to demonstrate that we are just a great team."
An MLB probe revealed in January 2020 that Astros employees watched a feed from a centre field camera to decode signs, and banged on a trash can to tell batters what pitches to expect during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
The Astros received a maximum $5 million fine, forfeited first and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021, and their manager and general manager were each suspended one year before swiftly being fired by Astros owner Jim Crane.
Houston, now managed by 72-year-old veteran Dusty Baker, had the better regular season record and will host the first two games of the World Series on Tuesday and Wednesday before play shifts to Atlanta at the weekend.
They won the AL West with a 95-67 record and are led by diminutive second baseman Jose Altuve, shortstop Carlos Correa and pitchers Lance McCullers Jr and Luis Garcia.
The Astros beat the Chicago White Sox in the best-of-five Division Series and then took down the Boston Red Sox in the best-of-seven Championship Series to get to the World Series.
Atlanta punched their ticket to the showpiece by winning the NL East with an underwhelming record of 88-73, the fewest wins of any playoff team, before upsetting defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Braves will be competing for their first World Series since their defeat to the New York Yankees in 1999, but they will be aiming to land their first title since 1995, the only championship for the franchise while in Atlanta.
They are led by last year's Most Valuable Player first baseman Freddie Freeman, outfielder Eddie Rosario and starting pitchers Charlie Morton and Max Fried.
Game 1 is set for Tuesday, October 26, followed by Game 2 on Wednesday, both in Houston's Minute Maid Park. Games 3, 4 and 5 are set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Truist Park in Atlanta, and then Games 6 and 7 (if needed) will take place in Houston on Tuesday, November 2 and Wednesday, November 3.
