The Houston Astros won the American League pennant on Saturday night, defeating the New York Yankees by a 4-2 margin in the best-of-seven Championship Series. The Astros advanced to the 2019 World Series to face the Washington Nationals. The Astros will have home-field advantage, meaning they'll host Games 1 and 2, and 6 and 7, if necessary.
It's lazy to paint the World Series as a battle of contrasts, but there is something to be said about the experience gap. Whereas the Astros are seeking their second title in three years, the Nationals had previously never won so much as a division series, let alone a pennant.
Still, the two sides do share something in common: dominant starting pitching. According to Baseball Reference's Wins Above Replacement metric, these two teams employ six of the 14 most productive pitchers in baseball this season: Justin Verlander (No. 2), Gerrit Cole (5), Stephen Strasburg (6), Max Scherzer (9), Patrick Corbin (10), and Zack Greinke (14).
This could, then, be one for the ages -- at least for those who enjoy good pitching.
Let's recap how both teams reached this point.
How the Nationals won the NL
It's easy to forget, but the Nationals started this postseason on the verge of losing the NL Wild Card Game to the Milwaukee Brewers. Were it not for a furious eighth-inning rally (thanks in part to a misplay by Trent Grisham), the Nationals would have been one-and-done.
The Nationals outlasted the top seed in the NL, the 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers, in the Divisional Series by overcoming a 2-1 deficit to win back-to-back contests -- including Game 5, which included another late comeback and extra innings.
The Nationals then made quick work of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Championship Series, sweeping them in four games in dominant fashion. To put it into perspective, the Nationals never trailed in the series. Not for a pitch, not for an at-bat, not for an inning.
Some of the top storylines and performers for the Nationals this postseason include their entire rotation -- the Cardinals didn't score an earned run against the foursome until the fourth inning of Game 4 -- with Strasburg standing out for his potentially historic efforts. Offensively, the two worth naming are Anthony Rendon and Howie Kendrick, who won the NLCS MVP Award for his contributions to Professional Hitting magazine (and for hitting .333/.412/.600 throughout the series).
How the Astros won the AL
The Astros didn't have to worry about playing in the Wild Card Game. They did, however, get taken to the limit in the Divisional Series by the Tampa Bay Rays. The Astros did prevail in Game 5, preventing a total collapse after staking out a 2-0 lead.
The Astros fell behind to the Yankees, 1-0, in the Championship Series. But won a nail-biting Game 2 and then prevailed in Games 3 and 4 to build a 3-1 lead. The Yankees won Game 5, but it was Houston who came out on top in Game 6 thanks to some late heroics by Jose Altuve, thereby clinching the pennant.
Houston's top performers this postseason include Gerrit Cole, who has allowed one run in 22-plus postseason innings, and Jose Altuve among others. Altuve has five home runs this postseason, as well as the highest Win Probability Added by an Astros hitter.
Schedule
Date | Matchup | Time | Location |
Oct. 22 | Washington at Houston | 8 p.m. | Minute Maid Park |
Oct. 23 | Washington at Houston | 8 p.m. | Minute Maid Park |
Oct. 25 | Houston at Washington | 8 p.m. | Nationals Park |
Oct. 26 | Houston at Washington | 8 p.m. | Nationals Park |
Oct. 27 | Houston at Washington* | 8 p.m. | Nationals Park |
Oct. 29 | Washington at Houston* | 8 p.m. | Minute Maid Park |
Oct. 30 | Washington at Houston* | 8 p.m. | Minute Maid Park |
* -- if necessary
All World Series Games will air on Fox and can be streamed with fuboTV (Try for free).
