The stage is set for the 2022 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies, with Game 1 coming up on Friday night at Minute Maid Park. The Astros are a perfect 7-0 in the postseason going into the Fall Classic, while the Phillies are 9-2 and playing their best ball of the season at exactly the right time.
The Astros opened as a -175 series favorite, with the Phillies the underdogs at + 150.
Houston was 106-56 in the regular season and Philadelphia was 87-75 as the last team to clinch a playoff berth. The 19-win difference between the two teams in the regular season is the second-biggest gap in World Series history, trailing only the 1906 World Series between the Cubs (116 wins) and White Sox (93). The biggest difference in the modern era came in 2019 when the Astros were 16 wins better than the Washington Nationals. The underdog Nationals won the World Series in seven games.
The White Sox won that 1906 World Series championship as well, so we’ll see if the Phillies can defy the odds and do the same. The Astros do have home-field advantage, but the universal DH rule will not provide any sort of handicap for either team in this year’s championship round.
World Series Schedule
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 28 at Houston
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 29 at Houston
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 31 at Philadelphia
Game 4: Tuesday, Nov. 1 at Philadelphia
Game 5: Wednesday, Nov. 2 at Philadelphia (if necessary)
Game 6: Friday, Nov. 4 at Houston (if necessary)
Game 7: Saturday, Nov. 5 at Houston (if necessary)
World Series Odds
Houston Astros -185
Philadelphia Phillies + 160
World Series Exact Series Odds
Astros 4-0 + 850
Astros 4-1 + 500
Astros 4-2 + 340
Astros 4-3 + 390
Phillies 4-0 + 2000
Phillies 4-1 + 750
Phillies 4-2 + 700