One of the things I mentioned in my prediction on the Starting Nine was how lopsided the odds of the series were, presumably because of the fourteen-game difference in the Astros’ and Nationals’ records. Granted, that’s not everything (for example, the last time the betting odds were this lopsided were 2007, which was only a 6-game gap, even if the Pythagorean records of the two were bigger), but it still feels like a big split for two World Series teams.
So I decided to check it historically. As it happens, 2019 marks just the tenth time in history that the two pennant winners’ records were separated by 14 game or more.