WORLD SERIES STATS

How a deep dive reveals some surprising facts about Astros-Braves World Series

How a deep dive reveals some surprising facts about Astros-Braves World Series
Zack Greinke is the highest-paid active Astro. Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Astros back up Greinke's impressive start to even series with A's

Baseball fans are arguably the most statistic-obsessed patrons of any major sport.

Anyone who's been at a game or sports bar has overheard or even experienced the accusation/questions, such as: "If you don't know how many home runs Barry Bonds hit in 2001, are you even a fan?"

With that very quirky quirk in mind, financial website WalletHub has released a slew of stats that will help fair-weather fans arm themselves against armchair MLB managers. One little tidbit from WalletHub's Best Baseball Cities/World Series list: Houston ranks No. 3 in performance level of an MLB team (well, duh).

But it's all about the Astros, right? So, some stats:

  • Combined length of the Astros' and Braves' World Series draughts: 30 years
  • Average ticket prices for 2021 World Series games in Atlanta: $2,691
  • Average ticket prices for 2021 World Series games in Houston: $1,702
  • Houston Astros value: $1.87B
  • Atlanta Braves value: $1.88B
  • Amount Astros paid per regular-season victory: $2.1M
  • 2021 Astros team salary: $199.8M
  • 2021 Braves team salary: $176.4M
  • Highest-paid active Astros player: $35M
  • Highest-paid active Braves player: $22.4M

Of course, there's only one stat Houstonians care about: one — as in one 2021 World Series title

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Kyle Tucker returns to Houston this weekend. Composite Getty Image.

Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.

The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.

The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.

On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.

Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.

It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.

The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.

How the mighty have fallen.

Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.

Screenshot via: MLB.com



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