So many mixed emotions. I’m of course very excited, but at the same time, deeply nervous. I kind of just want this week to be over, and hope we are crowned champions by this time next week.
Agree. With games in the NL you can't get away with no offense from the catcher position as easily and there will be more substitutions/pinch-hitting opportunities. I think not having a third catcher was at least a little part of the reason we didn't see as much of Castro in the LCS (although not the main one).
Charlie Morton, RHP, Braves What does he throw? Morton technically throws five pitches: a mid-90s fastball that he'll sink and sometimes cut, a curveball, and a seldom-used changeup. Morton's curveball is his most effective pitch at generating whiffs, coercing chases, and coercing soft contact. Is there anything distinctive about his pitches or his delivery? Morton's delivery features just a touch of crossfire action, as he lands closed after starting on the extreme first-base side of the rubber. He has a short, deceptive arm stroke and a low-three-quarters release point. Morton's fastball had the second-most horizontal break among right-handed starters this season, trailing only Aaron Nola. His curveball, meanwhile, ranked in the 99th percentile in spin rate. It also had the second most horizontal break among righties, behind Corey Kluber. What pitch does he prioritize when he's behind in counts? Morton leans heavily on his four-seamer when he falls behind a left-handed hitter. He'll also throw a curve to keep the batter honest, with his changeup and cutter making occasional appearances. Morton favors his sinker against righties, though he'll still throw plenty of four-seamers, cutters, and curves. Just don't expect to see him throw a changeup unless he has the platoon advantage. And when he's ahead? Morton essentially becomes a two-pitch pitcher when he's ahead in the count. He threw his four-seamer and curveball more than 90 percent of the time in pitchers counts against lefties, and about 75 percent against righties. Anything else? Morton allowed seven stolen bases on seven tries this season. What's more is that he failed to pick off a runner on 48 attempts. He did make three throwing errors, however, suggesting the Astros would be wise to bait him into taking action. How has he fared against the Astros? Morton's most recent outings against the Astros came as part of last fall's ALCS. He started twice in that series, tossing 10 2/3 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/2021-world-series-what-to-expect-from-braves-charlie-morton-astros-framber-valdez-in-game-1/
Just secured 2 tickets for me and my wife. It'll be both of our first World Series games. I'm so beyond excited. Today is gonna move by so slow.
The past 2 world series I've stolen Mike Tyson's creed "Whatever happens, happens." This one is so different. Failure is not an option! Win the 2 at home, steal game 3 and overwhelm them in game 4 or 5.
This is kind of where I’m at. Too many people seem overconfident. Astros haven’t won it until they do and it’s obviously not a given. My anxiety is pretty ridiculous.
It's the Astros in the World Series: if you're not some level of nervous there's something wrong with you.
What fans think isn't relevant to what happens. I'm highly confident the Astros are the better team. 7-game series limits the advantage of being the better team a lot, but still think the likeliest scenario is that the Astros offense scores enough runs that the Atlanta offense just can't match. Most of the time. I'm pretty chill pre-game. Granted, I expect my anxiety will hit 11 during the game even if the Astros have a 3-4 run lead.
I'm timing my day so I can kill 1 hour on the road driving to Blanco County and back, do ranch stuff for 6 hours or so to keep my mind occupied, hit the store for supplies, and get home around 30 minutes before first pitch.
