World Series 2016: Betting odds, trends and more
By Jeff Glauser
Hell has frozen over. The curses have been lifted. And, against all odds, two of sports’ most tortured franchises are in the World Series. Here’s what the odds actually say.
As far as predicting which long-suffering fan base will finally get to exorcise decades of demons, NJ.com reports Chicago has a 2-3 chance while Cleveland has 3-2 odds of no longer saying “maybe next year.”
However, the leading contender for World Series MVP comes from the slight underdogs: Opening Night starter Corey Kluber at 4-1. He is followed by Cubs sluggers Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.
Other prop bets (and there are plenty) include: Odds to hit first grand slam (Bryant at 5-1), the first player to aggressively flip a bat (Javier Baez at 6-1), to even the odds that Steve Bartman throws out the first pitch at Wrigley (15-1).
For Game 1 tonight, SportsBookReview, which features Las Vegas’s top 11 bookmakers, shows the Cubs as a consensus road favorite ranging anywhere from -102 to -105.
This will be the Cubs’ first appearance in the Fall Classic since 1945, and they have famously not won one since 1908, when they beat the Detroit Tigers for their second consecutive title. It was the third of what would be four World Series appearances in five seasons. Those were the days!
The Indians, who finished as runner ups in 1995 and 1997 (including a heartbreaker against the Florida Marlins on the final at bat), haven’t captured the crown since 1948, when they knocked off the Boston Braves in six games.
However, with both teams playing frontrunners for most of the season and finishing with 197 wins between the two of them, this match-up is hardly a fluke.
Next: World Series 2016 live stream: how to watch online
This will be the 16th consecutive year that a new champion will be crowned and the fourth straight time the defending champs didn’t even make the postseason.