This is a serious World Series throw down.
Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke vs. Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin -- all of them All-Star starters who are pitching at their peak.
The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals are armed for the Fall Classic.
"We've got the best pitcher in the world going. And then after that, we've got the best pitcher in the world going, too. And then after that, we've got the best pitcher in the world going, too," Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."
Bregman and fellow MVP candidate Anthony Rendon of the Nationals certainly did their parts offensively. And Jose Altuve lit up Minute Maid Park with his walk-off home run to beat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series late Saturday night.
But the World Series focus is on the rotations.
Cole is set to throw the first pitch Tuesday night in Houston. He led the majors with 326 strikeouts, was second to Verlander in the big leagues with 20 wins and topped the AL with a 2.50 ERA.
He also is 19-0 in his past 25 starts. That includes 3-0 in the playoffs, where he's allowed 1 earned run in 22 2/3 innings while fanning 32.
Cole was acquired by the Astros a few months after they won the 2017 World Series. He has fit in fine with his Houston teammates and also has gotten acquainted with some of the Washington aces -- the teams share the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches spring training complex in Florida.
"I know a few guys in their rotation, and I'm personally excited that they're in this position, and I'm just very excited to get in there," Cole said. "I'm looking forward to the challenge."
Like when he faces Washington's big bopper.
"Anthony Rendon is one of the greatest hitters in the game right now," Cole said. "There's no real way to get him out. You just kind of hope that he misses some balls or he scorches them right at your guys, I guess."
The clubs saw each other back in February when they played in the exhibition opener, and Scherzer gave up a home run to the first batter of the game.
Eight months later, they meet for real. The 107-win Astros are trying to capture their second crown in three years, while the wild-card Nationals are making their World Series debut.
"The World Series comes through Houston. I like the sound of that. I think it should be that way for many years to come," Bregman said.
In an era when teams search for new pitching strategies, the two clubs left figure to rely heavily on their starters.
That's fine by Houston Manager AJ Hinch.
"Philosophically, whether it's about the new-age opener or pulling guys the third time through, most of the people that support that haven't had Verlander or Cole on their team," he said.
The Nationals stack up just fine, too. Consider their staff includes Anibal Sanchez, who took a playoff no-hit bid into the eighth inning.
The Astros set a franchise record for wins. Their playoff path was more of a struggle, beating wild-card Tampa Bay in the deciding Game 5 of the AL division series and then stopping the 103-win Yankees on Altuve's pennant-winning home run off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning.
The Nationals, who started out as the Montreal Expos in 1969, took the reverse route.
A season after letting slugger Bryce Harper leave as a free agent, the Nats were just 19-31 in May. The slow start prompted speculation that Manager Dave Martinez would be fired and management would sell off stars at the trade deadline.
Instead, the Nationals bounced back. They earned a playoff spot, eliminated the favored Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL division series and swept the St. Louis Cardinals behind NLCS MVP Howie Kendrick.
For Washington, the city gets its first World Series since the Senators played in 1933.
The Nationals will have a full week between games while the Astros get only two days off.
Martinez isn't worried about rust.
"These guys have played unbelievably. I think they needed a break. Some guys really needed a break," he said. "Heal their bodies a little bit."
Sports on 10/21/2019