By Canadian Press

Braves vs Astros: A World Series 6 decades in the making

Oct 23, 2021 | 10:08 PM

Freddie Freeman swinging onto baseball’s biggest stage for the first time, Jose Altuve & Co. back for more. Luis Garcia, Framber Valdez and a fresh set of Houston arms facing Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and these eager, young Atlanta bats.

And the endless quest for Mr. Dusty Baker.

Braves-Astros, a lot to savor in this World Series — even a father facing his son.

A matchup six decades in the making, pairing former National League rivals who’ve squared off more than 700 times, including five playoff meetings. Think of The Hammer and The Toy Cannon teeing up home run derby at the Astrodome, or Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz vs. Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio on a June evening on TBS.

Because of scheduling and COVID-19, the Astros and Braves haven’t seen each other since 2017. They’ll now meet for Game 1 on Tuesday night in Houston.

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But before we begin, let’s just say it: There are many fans who might not be thrilled to see either team here.

Altuve and Astros teammates Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel will forever wear the label of cheaters after being part of a team that devised an illegal, sign-stealing scheme on its way to the 2017 championship.

At Minute Maid Park, they’re cheered. At every other ballpark, they’re heckled — and worse — as the game’s worst villains.

“Ever since the news came out, the bad news that we’ve had to deal with about what happened in 2017, I think we’ve all wanted to prove what kind of class of players that we are and team that we are,” AL Championship Series MVP Yordan Alvarez said.

“I wasn’t here with the team in 2017, but I’ve gotten booed just as equal as anybody else. So I think we all have the same mentality that we really want to win a World Series to demonstrate that we are just a great team,” he said.

The Astros are in the World Series for the third time in five years and got there minus ace Justin Verlander, who missed the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The Braves overcame a season-ending knee injury to dynamic star Ronald Acuña Jr. in July and surged after being stuck at 52-55 in early August, boosted by the acquisition of Eddie Rosario and others. Manager Brian Snitker’s team is making its first appearance in the Fall Classic since 1999.

Yet while the roster and stadium have changed, the sights and sounds in Atlanta still remain. Throughout the NL Championship Series, fans at Truist Park emphatically chopped and chanted during big moments for the Braves.

In an era of social reckoning that saw the Cleveland Indians change their name to the Guardians and Washington’s NFL team get rid of a nickname considered racist, the scene in Atlanta is sure to draw increased attention.

On the field — and the bench — a lot of eyes will be on Baker.

He won the World Series as a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981 and has taken five teams to the playoffs as a manager but never won the crown.

Baker took this job in 2020 in the wake of Houston’s cheating scandal — “there’s a few things I still hadn’t accomplished” — and at 72, with a lifetime of credentials, gets another chance.

“Last year I felt like a substitute teacher, really. I was an outsider,” Baker said. “But this year, they made me feel like I was one of them and they were definitely always one of me. That’s what it’s all about. Everybody talks teamwork, they talk about a team, but it’s a feeling that you get for each other.”

Baker’s history in this matchup runs especially deep. Playing with Braves great Hank Aaron in 1968, he got first major league hit at the Astrodome in a loss to Jimmy Wynn and Houston.

Over the years, these teams met a lot, starting when the 1962 expansion Houston Colt .45s took on the Milwaukee Braves. There were the days of catcher Joe Torre trying to throw out young Joe Morgan, the Niekro brothers pitching against each other and fireballing Nolan Ryan facing Dale Murphy.

The .45s became the Astros in 1965 and from 1997-2005, the clubs played five times in the NL Division Series, with Atlanta winning three of the matchups. Houston moved from NL Central to the AL West in 2013.

Snitker certainly followed all of them. The 66-year-old Atlanta manager has spent four decades in the Braves’ organization as a player, coach and skipper.

He tuned in Friday night when the Astros — with his son, hitting coach Troy Snitker — beat Boston in the clinching Game 6 of the ALCS.

“That was neat. Proud of him. Got to FaceTime with him. Watched the celebration,” he said, hours before the Braves finished off the Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS.

“I told him the first time, it’s not this easy, you know, it’s really hard to get there, as we’re seeing. But it’s been a great experience for him and I’m happy for him. I said, I hope I can join you,” he said.

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Ben Walker, The Associated Press