Astros are favored to recapture World Series trophy
Fresh off their completely dominant league-championship series-capping victory, the Houston Astros are a -145 favorite to win the World Series that opens Tuesday evening at their Minute Maid Park.
Tipico Sportsbook listed the newly minted National League-champion Atlanta Braves as a +125 underdog.
The Braves eliminated the defending world-champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night 4-2, with Eddie Rosario continuing his Mr. October act with a three-run home run in the fourth inning.
Braves reliever Tyler Matzek inherited a no-out jam in the seventh with runners on second and third and struck out all three Dodgers, including Hall of Fame-bound Albert Pujols and Mookie Betts.
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Atlanta’s odds to win the World Series bulged to 50/1 at various sportsbooks on the Las Vegas Strip as late as July, when it appeared the Braves couldn’t recover to win the National League East.
Houston, which opened as a 22-1 underdog to win the World Series before the break of spring training, holds home-field advantage in the series ahead of Tuesday’s Game 1.
The Astros won their third American League pennant in the last five years by eliminating the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 on Friday. Series MVP Yordan Alvarez and pitcher Luis Garcia paced a 5-0 victory capped by Kyle Tucker’s home run.
The fresh faces have recast the nationally disdained roster that cheated its way to the 2017 World Series in the eyes of the many who heartily booed Carlos Correia, Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel and Alex Bregman during road games this season.
Pitchers Garcia, Framber Valdez and Jose Urquidy have complemented the offensive dominance of Alvarez and Tucker, both members of the 30-home-run club this season.
Houston and Atlanta were formerly National League West rivals before parting ways in 1993. The Braves last won the World Series in 1995 and last appeared in the Fall Classic in 1999.