Neither of these teams were supposed to be here.
During the regular season, the Oakland A’s, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels were seen as the most likely AL representatives for the World Series. Detroit had a big-name starting rotation and two of the best hitters in the game in Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. The A’s raced out to the best record in baseball and traded for three starting pitchers, including Jon Lester, but stumbled badly late in the season. And the Angels finished with more wins than any team in baseball, led by perhaps the deepest lineup in the game.
The Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles were not supposed to be fighting for a spot in the World Series. But starting tonight, that is exactly what is going to happen. One of these two franchises is going to be playing for the chance to win their first world championship since before the Iran Contra scandal was even a thing.
