Going into the World Series, the Houston Astros were heavy favourites over the Philadelphia Phillies. They had the best record in American League, and the second best in the entire MLB. They breezed through the playoffs beating Seattle and the New York Yankees without losing a single game. They had incredible pitching, with maybe their hitting being a bit of a weakness.
The Phillies, on the other hand, barely made it into the playoffs as the last Wild Card team in the National League. They had to run through a murderer’s row of teams to reach the World Series.