With their 9-8 comeback win early this morning which proved to be similar to their World Series game 7 last year, the Chicago Cubs are returning to the NLCS for the 3rd year in a row.
As a Red Sox fan first and a Cubs fan second I was overjoyed to hear that they will be returning to the championship series. Although they do face a strong opponent in the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Considering the ALCS game 1 is tonight I decided to go through the odds of each team winning the Fall Classic.
The Yankees are a team that many people, myself included did not think we be a serious contender until at least 2018 or 2019. They proved everyone wrong by beating the Twins in the wild card game and then coming back after being down 2-0 in the ALDS to beat the reigning AL champion Indians. They have obvious talent with sluggers Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, but also provide a solid rotation that includes All-Star Luis Severino. I know it's been a while for Yankees fans since their team won a World Series (a whopping 8 years) but they better be ready to wait another year because to me 2017 is not the year for the Bronx Bombers.
The other team in the ALDS is the team that just knocked of Boston which tells me that I don't have anyone to root for in this series. The Astros have some serious talent and a well-rounded team that includes MVP candidate Jose Altuve, slugger George Springer, defensive phenom Carlos Correa, surprise star Marwin Gonzalez, and former CY Young winner Dallas Keuchel. They have without a doubt the most well-rounded team in baseball, but they're still very young and from year to year they can be inconsistent with their record. That's why if they don't win this year, they could be waiting in line with the Yankees for their next shot.
Obviously out of the 4 remaining teams I want the Cubs to win, but I know that would be a challenging feat. They struggled throughout the first half of the season but they seemed to be on the right track after acquiring Jose Quintana. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russel and Jake Arrieta are just 4 of a slew of players who did this same thing last season, so they have that in their favor. They also have a bonus of facing the same team as last year, unfortunately for them, that team is much improved.
On record, the Dodgers are the best team in baseball, and they very well could be the best in a couple of weeks after winning the World Series. Stars from last season such as Clayton Kershaw, Yasiel Puig, Justin Turner, and Kenta Maeda were joined by Logan Forsythe and Cody Bellinger. Add postseason veterans like Chase Utley to the mix and this team is almost at the level of the Astros in terms of being well-rounded. They also seem to have better team chemistry than Houston which will definitely play to their advantage. This team along with the Cubs are so exciting to watch that it's no wonder I'm looking forward to the NLCS more than the ALCS.
These 4 teams are all so talented and it's amazing that all but one have to lose 4 games in the next few weeks. Each team has its pluses and minuses, so it's really anyone's game. Let me know who you want to win in a poll I will set up on the sidebar. After that turn on your TV at 8:00 and enjoy the October baseball.
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