Based on their 107 regular season wins, the Astros should meet the Nationals in the 2019 World Series. Yes, the Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners are the only two MLB franchises currently playing which have never won their league’s pennant and have therefore never played in the World Series. The Nats, which Grandpa refers to as “the Gnats,” were known as the Montreal Expos from 1969 to 2004. They were Canada’s only major league team until the Toronto Blue Jays came along in 1977.
All of the team’s records are still listed as “Expos/Nationals” and neither team ever won a pennant. If the “Gnats” knock off the Cardinals this year and go to the series against either the Astros or Yankees, the Seattle Mariners will be the only team left on that lonesome list of World Series failures.
On the other end of that list are both the Yankees, the most successful team in all of baseball history, and the Cardinals, the most successful national league team. Number three on that list is the Oakland A’s with eight World Series titles.
Of the four possible matchups of the 2019 Series, the best would be a “David vs. Goliath” contest between the Yankees and Gnats, but that is also the most unlikely based on the facts.
If it’s true that baseball is a game of numbers, the 2019 World Series should feature the Houston Astros against the Washington Nationals with the orange-clad Texans winning in six games on Halloween night.
At least they’ll be dressed for it.
