Batter Up! It's World Series time and the eyes of baseball fans across the country will be watching as the Houston Astros host the Atlanta Braves in game one tonight from Minute Maid Park in Houston.
The Astros return to the World Series for the third time since 2017 when they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers four games to three. They lost the World Series is 2019 to the Washington Nationals four games to three then of course the sign stealing scandal put a black eye on the organization but here they are, once again poised to win it all.
If you are the betting type then this might be interesting, the Astros are the slight betting favorite heading in. According to VegasInsider.com, the Astros are -145 to win the series, meaning it would take a $145 bet to win $100 if Houston comes out on top. The Braves are considered +120, meaning a $100 bet would pay out $120.
Upsets happen al the time in every sport so there really is no sure thing here. SportsLine ran 10,000 simulations, and the Braves won 50.5% of the time, and the Astros won 49.5%. So it could be a close one.
Another interesting fact is that Astros manager Dusty Baker is 72 years, 133 days old. And the only manager older to lead a team to the World Series is Jack McKeon, who was 72 years and 329 days old when he did it with the 2003 Miami Marlins.
Remember Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale? The Houston furniture store owner who loves betting on sports. He stands to win $20 million if the Astros win their second World Series title in four years, thanks to a $2 million bet he made at 10/1 odds with Caesars Sportsbook in June.
In fact, his $20 million payout would be the biggest in American sports betting history if he wins.
We shall soon see who the World Series Championship goes to as game 1 is tonight with first pitch at 7:09pm. As a Texan (and a Texas Rangers fan), I'm pulling for the Astros.