The Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros made quick work of their opponents in the NLCS and ALCS, respectively, setting up an intriguing World Series matchup. Read on for our Phillies-Astros MLB picks for Friday's Game 1.
Houston's ALCS sweep of the New York Yankees was historic, as the Astros became the first team in MLB postseason history to sweep a best-of-seven series while recording 50-plus strikeouts. Interestingly, per ESPN Stats & Info, the Astros are the third team in the Wild Card era (since 1995) t o sweep their way to the World Series, joining the 2007 Colorado Rockies and 2014 Kansas City Royals.
However, neither the Rockies nor the Royals won the World Series that year. Will the Phillies ensure that trend continues, or will the Astros write their own version of history?
Here are my MLB picks and predictions for Friday's World Series Game 1 between the Phillies and Astros (odds via BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).