Dodgers Face Rays

By David A. Avila
Published: October 20th, 2020

Welcome to the 2020 World Series in Arlington, Texas where a neutral site serves as the battleground for a unique championship in this strange year of the pandemic. It’s the first time a World Series will be played on only one location since 1944.

Both teams made the World Series in starkly different ways.

While the Los Angeles Dodgers scrapped and clawed through three elimination games to survive a 3-1 deficit, the Tampa Bay Rays scrapped and clawed to a 3-0 lead and managed to survive a late rally by the opposition. Each were seven-game series.

The Dodgers are returning to the World Series for the third time in four years. They have yet to win a World Series since 1988.

The Rays return to the Series for the first time since 2008 when they played and lost to the Philadelphia Phillies. Both hinge their winning records on pitching, a strength that enabled them to become number one seeds in their respective leagues.

Pitching serves as the bedrock for both teams with strong starting and relief pitchers apparent for the Rays and Dodgers. They are both equally strong.

Defensively the Rays may be a tick better overall, but offensively the Dodgers are the stronger team and led the Major Leagues in homers. They can bang.

Ironically, the Dodgers and Tampa Bay share the same management DNA. Now with Los Angeles, Andrew Friedman formerly guided the Florida organization and helped establish their system used to select players and measure their effectiveness.

It’s not by accident both teams arrive in the final leg after 16 teams battled through a playoff never experienced before. Pennant battles suited their pitching-strong teams especially during the final two rounds of the playoffs that did not allow for any days off.

Pitching wins World Series and both teams are stacked.

Flip a coin.