A Quick Guide to The World Series

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The world series is an annual competition where the best teams from the National League and American League play against each other. This is a brief guide about the series’ origins and key teams involved. 

Major League Baseball (MLB) is arguably the biggest baseball league in the world, with the origins being as old as some commonly played stick and ball games. This is a quick guide to the world series, with some history and more significant record breaks that the World Series has seen. The MLB originally came into light when the American League (AL) and National League (NL) began to compete against each other in an attempt to gain the title as the world’s best baseball championship. Seven playoffs involve intense levels of athleticism and demonstrate impressive sportsmanship in an attempt to achieve the iconic Commissioner’s Trophy. 

It’s no surprise that betting is so intense with the move to the modern era. Check out Fanduel’s MLB picks for accurate predictions, and up-to-date detail about the latest fixtures. 

Origins

It could be argued that baseball is one of the earliest adaptations of traditional stick and ball games that first came into light in pre-Christian eras. The ancient game has evidence of being played in many cultures across the world, and the basic concept was some form of hitting a ball using a stick. Like most children’s games, the basic equipment was modernized as culture developed. This is one of the reasons why baseball bats and balls are what they are today. Point systems and structured sets of rules originated somewhere along the way, and the concepts of baseball grew in popularity. More people began to pick up the relatively simplistic sport and enjoy playing against teams. 

In 1882, the American Association came into existence, which provided competition for the NL. This was criticized for being disorganized, and a big part of the nineteenth century is recognized as a prologue to modern baseball. The American Association was less than successful, and collapsed in 1891, leaving the NL as the only major baseball league. Thanks to the later introduction of the American League (AL) in 1901, the next decade saw immense change for the World Series. There was a conflict of interest between the two which saw a lot of business clashes that were mostly driven by player raiding. 

Interleague games then became more prominent, and the Pittsburgh Pirates went against the Boston Americans in the 1903 World Series that took place in Huntington Avenue Grounds. This then set the way for annual competitions, which saw teams on top of the AL playing against the NL’s top teams. Of course, there have been a series of scandals and boycotts throughout the years, but the display of sportsmanship is something that should be celebrated as a part of American culture. 

Modern World Series

Nowadays, the World Series has seen some immense sporting careers, consisting of many record breaks and professional players. These are some of the more consistent members of the world series who have helped see some record breaks and momentous gains. 

Boston Red Sox

Historically, the Red Sox have been a big part of the World Series, often coming out on top. Having been founded in 1901, the Red Sox were definitely a big contributor to the immense success of baseball and helped make it such an essential part of American culture. Some of their most impressive gains within the World Series were seen in 1916, 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018. Sadly, they faced an 86-year-long drought from the series, known as Babe Ruth’s “Curse of the Bambino”. 

San Francisco Giants

Another addition to the world series comes from the San Francisco Giants, who live up to their name by competing in five world series championships when based in New York. It is widely considered the oldest and most successful franchises within professional baseball. This team had the second most world series championships within the NL. The Giants went through a similar drought period to the Red Sox, although theirs was notable shorter, at 56 years. 

Houston Astros

An underdog of the world series is the Houston Astros, who did not see their first world series win until 2017. However, their reputation exceeds them somewhat. Team members were rumored to have used technology to steal their opponents teams’ promotional advertisements. This saw some intense sanctions issued by MLB, and the Astros experienced a lot of player suspensions following this. 

New York Mets

As a result of formerly New York based teams moving their bases, the New York Mets were founded in 1962, and are a member of the East Division of the NL. In spite of being less successful in the recent decades, the Mets have a promising past and will continue to work hard to regain their title in the world series. Some of this will be a direct result of the new management. 

Media Presence

Another way in which the modern world has made some changes to the world series is the immense media coverage that contributes to the growing popularity. Advertisers and brand sponsorships add to players’ growing salaries, as well as the integration of technology. The age of the internet means that it is easier to watch baseball games regardless of where you are. The world series can be seen across the world, on TV channels like FOX. This is another reason why betting is so intense and more popular than ever within baseball, because people can get accurate information and stay regularly updated on the latest developments. 

In summary, the world series is one of the most impressive baseball championships that sees some of the leading teams compete against each other every year. High levels of athletic abilities and disciplined teams are some of the reasons why more people are able to watch the games than ever before. Not to mention, the immense coverage from the media that has allowed players to promote other products and brands. On the flip side, this might have been a disadvantage to the Houston Astros, who decided to take matters into their own hands. The history of modern baseball is what has made it what it is today, and there are a lot of changes and developments from the last century that created the MLB world series. Check out the link above for more information.