World Series Game One: 25 Years in the Making

There is always something about the first game of the World Series. Actually, there's always something about the first game of the World Series, NBA Finals, and the Stanley Cup Final. It's that aura; the feel that this is a definitive and epic end of the season. In the case of the World Series, it's the American League's best versus the National League's best in a battle for all of the marbles. This is the 117th World Series in baseball's modern era, with only 1904 and 1994 not seeing the Fall Classic occur. This year, it's the first-ever Fall Classic meeting between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves.

The Astros are in their 3rd World Series in the last five years, and are looking to erase any doubt that they can win a World Series fair and square. As for the Braves, this is their first Fall Classic since 1999, and it got off to a good start for them very quickly. Jorge Soler, back in action after dealing with COVID-19, sent the Series' overall third pitch over the fence, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead just like that. This was a first; yes, firsts can still happen in baseball in spite of how long the sport has existed. This was the first true lead-off World Series HR in MLB history. By that, I mean that this was the very first time that the first plate appearance of the Series resulted in a home run.

The Braves gave starter Charlie Morton two runs in the first frame, but after pitching a perfect first inning, Morton fractured his fibula in the second inning and had to leave the game--it was later reported that he would be out for the remainder of the Series. It didn't hinder the Braves one bit; they gave their relievers all sorts of support; scoring five runs in the first three innings, capped off by a monster two-run homer from Adam Duvall to make it 5-0. The five runs were more than enough; Luke Jackson, Tyler Matzek, and Will Smith shut down the Astros the rest of the way, only surrending two runs and racking up eight strikeouts between the three of them in the final 6 2/3 innings. The Braves won Game One by a score of 6-2, drawing first blood in this year's World Series.

For the Braves, this win was a long time coming. The last time the Braves won a World Series game, you have to go all the way back to 1996--October 21, 1996 to be exact. On that evening, the Braves (who were the defending champions at that time) defeated the New York Yankees in Game 2 of that year's World Series to go up two games to none. The Braves lost the next four games of that Series, and were swept in the 1999 Series against the Yankees--eight straight losses overall. This Game One win erased a 25-year itch for the Braves, and now, they are three wins away from their fourth championship, and their first since 1995.

For the Astros, they have now lost Game One in all four of their World Series appearances, including 2005--their lone appearance as a National League franchise. The game saw Jose Altuve go 0-for-5 and strike out three times, Carlos Correa went 0-for-3 but drove in one of Houston's two runs, and Alex Bregman went hitless as well (0-for-4). The only core member of Houston's tainted 2017 championship to record a hit was Yuli Gurriel, who went 2-for-4.

Game Two is Wednesday in Houston.

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