MLB 2021 World Series Preview
After 162 regular season games, the wild card series, the divisional series and the championship series, the World Series is finally here.
The 2021 season was filled with competitive baseball from start to finish. However, the last two teams competing for the World Series are the Houston Astros out of the American League, and the Atlanta Braves out of the National League.
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are back in the World Series for their third time in five years. This Astros team consists of that same core from their infamous playoff cheating scandal. Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel are some of the big names in the Astros lineup.
This team doesn’t get the respect that they deserve due to their cheating scandal. This Astros team year after year gets deep into the playoffs. Whether they are cheating or not, they are a scary team when October comes.
They are a very playoff-experienced roster, and they are looking for their second World Series championship win in franchise history.
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves have come out of the National League as underdogs to win the World Series. Not many baseball fans would have guessed that the Braves would be this far during their rocky regular season.
The Braves needed the cold month of October to start heating up. The Braves continue to prove people wrong and look to do it once more with a World Series win.
In July, the Braves lost their best player Ronald Acuña Jr. due to a season ending ACL tear. At that point in the season, the Braves were around .500 in terms of win percentage, and it would have looked to the average fan that their season was over. Come trade deadline time however, the Braves were buyers and loaded up their roster.
With the acquisitions of Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario, Joc Pederson and Jorge Soler, the Braves were prepared to replace Acuña with a whole new outfield. These players have had some of the biggest impact on their playoff run. For example, Rosario was the championship series MVP. So, the Braves made key moves to get where they are and they should not be as overlooked as they are.
Matchup Predictions
This World Series will not disappoint, as there are alot of storylines coming into the series. For example, MLB fans outside of Houston are eager to see the Astros fail. The Astros are known as cheaters around the MLB, and fans have booed and booed them all year, but here they are in the World Series.
On the other hand, the Braves have been the ultimate underdog. Every series they are underdogs and nothing has changed for the World Series.
The Braves have a next man up mentality and they have been scrappy. The Braves have what it takes to win, and with the team they have, there are no holes. They are just as good as the team in front of them, but the thing that they have that the Astros do not, is the underdog mentality.
The Astros want to prove themselves as non-cheaters, the Astros want to show the world that they are not frauds, therefore they have something to lose. The Braves on the other hand, have nothing to lose. They are missing their best player, yet they have come this far and won’t look back.
Winner: Atlanta Braves
MVP: Freddie Freeman
Max Savitt is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email mrs6929@psu.edu.
