MLB Week in Review (October 20-26)
The MLB has been a league of streaks for a number of years with postseason always circling around the potential to end a massive streak.
Last year it was all about the worst drought in professional sports as the Chicago Cubs ended a century-long championship drought.
It was all of the talk for the last few years as the Cubs looked like they were getting better and could begin to challenge for the title.
Everyone wondered when they would be able to finally break through or even if they could breakthrough as talks of curses took hold.
It may have taken over 100 years but they did eventually get there in 2016 when they broke the streak and took home a title.
It was a massive win and one that ended the talk of the loveable losers as they were finally defending champions.
What the Cubs win also did was erase the only drought that made all other droughts bearable.
There were plenty of teams with long streaks that could look at the Cubs and say, at least it’s not as bad as the South Side of Chicago.
That ended and the pursuit to break other droughts began as everyone wanted to be the next team to bring a long-awaited title to their city.
Last year, against the Cubs Cleveland, had a shot at breaking the next longest drought in baseball but came up short.
Despite a great record this year they couldn’t get back and their drought now stands at 69 years without a title.
That didn’t stop the drought talk from taking over the World Series though as there may be longer droughts but both the Dodgers and the Astros have seen a long wait to be on top.
The Dodgers have long been one of the premier franchises in the MLB and with their current ownership, they have only gotten bigger.
Their long history gave way to a long period in between World Series titles though as they last made the World Series in 1988 which was also the last time they won the title.
The team has been one of the biggest teams in the league for years and is a massive part of the storied history of the league.
Yet they have remained on the outside as a team with plenty of means but little action for a number of years.
It may only be 28 years and pales in comparison to others but for some reason, it just seems longer and more painful than others for the simple reason that they do have the history behind them of being a great team.
They finally made their way back to the World Series and will look to break that drought by bringing the World Series back to L.A.
To do that they hope to beat the scrappy Houston Astros who evened the series in a wild Game 2 that could be the difference.
The Astros are entirely different though as they don’t have that same history as the Dodgers but their drought is far longer.
Houston has never seen the World Series title in their time in the MLB and had only been to one other World Series as a franchise.
For their entire 56-year existence they have not been able to find a title and they hope to end that streak.
If they can end the 55-year drought they will take their names off of the list of teams who have never won a championship.
There are six teams that are on that list and the Astros are the second oldest team on that list followed by their in-state rival Texas Rangers.
If they can win they will provide a little bit of healing for a city that has gone through a lot this year and will provide them all with something to celebrate for the first time in a long time.
Although the worst drought in the history of North American sports is over it doesn’t stop the talk about the droughts.
Both Los Angeles and Houston are looking to end their own droughts and although they are not the longest and nowhere near 100 years they are still relevant to the franchises and their fans.
So far the battle to end the droughts has been a good one as the Astros seemed a little overwhelmed in Game 1 but snapped back in Game 2.
If the rest of the series works out the same it could be a really close seven games with thrilling ends in store.
As the series heads back to Houston where the Astros are next to unbeatable things could get even more interesting.
If the Astros can display that dominance at home they may knock off the Dodgers but if the Dodgers can win at least one they will bring it back to Los Angeles for a chance to take their own title.
Extra Innings
New York Vacancy
This week the Yankees shocked everyone when they announced that Joe Girardi wasn’t going to return as the manager next season. This comes after a year where a young Yankees team made it to the ALCS and fought right to the end against the Astros. It was far more than anyone expected from them but it wasn’t enough for Girardi to keep his job. Now the Yankees will look for a new manager in the biggest market in the league while Girardi seems to already be getting a lot of interest from other teams around the league.
Award Season
The awards are beginning to be handed out as the league announced the finalists for the Gold Glove Awards. Meanwhile, the league announced the winners of the first awards of the season when they announced the Hank Aaron Award winners for the top offensive performers in the NL and AL. For the American League Jose Altuve claimed the award after putting up some impressive numbers this year in every category. In the National League, the award went to Giancarlo Stanton after his 60 home run pursuit.
Captain Missing
The Boston Red Sox are going to enter a new season with a lot going on as they will see a young team look to new leaders. They fired their manager bringing in a new leader on the bench to start the next season. They will also now likely see a new leader on the field next year with Dustin Pedroia undergoing surgery on his knee. That surgery will keep him out of action for seven months meaning he might miss the start of the 2018 season leaving the Red Sox without their unquestioned leader.
The Sport Addiction 