Possible World Series Matchup Rankings
As of this moment, there are now only four possible World Series combinations remaining. To a neutral observer, three of the four participants wouldn’t be so bad. The Braves, Dodgers, and Rays were three of the best teams in baseball this season and would all make deserving champions. It’s also been quite a while since any of those fanbases celebrated a championship. The Braves haven’t won it all since 1995 and the Dodgers since 1988. The Rays– established in 1998– have never lifted the World Series trophy.
Then we have the Astros.
At a time of immense societal and political upheaval, the one great unifier is pure hatred of the Astros. They last reached the World Series just a year ago when their front office made misogynistic asses of themselves. They won the championship as recently as 2017 when they were cheating and their first baseman was racist. Then they botched all the apologies in Spring Training and thereafter, settling into a comfortable “underdog redemption” story arc despite not being an underdog whatsoever and having made no real attempt to redeem themselves.
The Astros are going to win the World Series. We know this because it’s 2020 and that’s how things work now. The most appropriate ending would be if all baseball fields in the world were overtaken by daleks and the World Series was determined by a coin flip in Houston’s favor. Despite the near-certainty of the most hated team in baseball winning the championship following a 29-31 regular season, we’re going to rank possible World Series matchups anyway.
1. Dodgers vs. Rays
In spite of the grotesquely expanded playoff field that, in retrospect, feels custom-tailored to accommodate the Astros, a matchup of the best team in each league would be a flower growing in a minefield. This was the original purpose of the World Series when it was founded in 1903– let the two best clubs duke it out for the right to call themselves champs. When they have to sludge through four playoff rounds to earn that right, the crown becomes all the more solidified. Let’s see how the Dodgers’ all-star and MVP laden lineup fares against Tampa Bay’s “stable of guys who throw 98.” Wouldn’t that be fun?
2. Braves vs. Rays
The Braves last reached the World Series 21 years ago. They made the postseason 12 times since then. It’s a cruel joke that they finally win two playoff rounds in 2020… and still haven’t reached the Fall Classic. They’re the Sisyphus of baseball, never quite reaching the mountain top before they have to start over next season. They watched their division rival from Washington win it all last year despite finishing ahead of them in the regular season. It would be especially gratifying for their fans to see them finally take home the prize after so many early exits.
3. Braves vs. Astros
No one outside of Harris County wants to see the Astros prevail, but at least this would be a unique matchup. The Braves have faced the Yankees, Indians, Blue Jays, Twins, and (way back in 1914) the Athletics in the World Series. Instead of everyone taking sides, it would be fascinating to have the entire baseball world rooting for the Braves.
4. Dodgers vs. Astros
Boring! We just had this matchup three years ago, and it ended with an ill-gotten Astros championship. There’s nothing interesting or special about this pairing. The only saving grace is that the 43-17 Dodgers are one of the best teams we’ve ever seen, so they stand a good chance of crushing Houston this time around…
…But the Astros are going to win again. We all feel it coming like the onset of the flu. The ALCS is just the first sniffle, followed inevitably by several weeks of misery.
