ESPN’s extensive coverage of the 2017 Major League Baseball World Series between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers begins today. Dan Shulman and Aaron Boone will have the call of every pitch starting with Game 1 at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN Radio’s pre-game coverage starts at 7 p.m.).
In addition, a full team of MLB voices will be providing all the latest news and insights across pre and post-game coverage, Baseball Tonight, SportsCenter, ESPN.com and more.
Before tonight’s first pitch, Front Row caught up with the experts to get their predictions for the Fall Classic.
Mike Skarka and Shelby L. Lacy produced the video.
| TALENT | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Boone | Dodgers in 7 | I’ll take the Dodgers because they have home field and an outstanding bullpen that’s very well-balanced and structured. |
| Jerry Crasnick | Dodgers in 6 | They've regained the form that helped them get off to a 91-36 start. A superior bullpen puts them over the top. |
| Tim Kurkjian | Dodgers in 7 | They are playing like the team that got to 55 games above .500. Their starting pitching is exceptional. In this postseason, their bullpen has been even better. |
| Jessica Mendoza | Dodgers in 5 | Corey Seager returns to an already deep offensive lineup, plus this is the best bullpen the Dodgers have had in the postseason which allows more flexibility and less pressure with an already solid starting rotation. |
| Buster Olney | Astros in 7 | I think they'll ride their momentum from the ALCS into the World Series, and Dallas Keuchel, Justin Verlander, Charlie Morton and Lance McCullers are all throwing very well. |
| Eduardo Pérez | Astros in 5 | Watch video above. |
| Marly Rivera | Astros in 7 | If the Astros regain their regular season form at the plate, that might be too tall a task for the Dodgers pitching staff. |
| Karl Ravech | Dodgers in 6 | The patience of the Dodgers hitters will force the Astros to their bullpen quicker than they will like this series. |
| Mark Teixeira | Astros in 7 | Their offense will continue to hit like they did the last two games in the ALCS. Justin Verlander will dominate and they will get two wins from the combo of Dallas Keuchel, Charlie Morton, and Lance McCullers. |
| Adnan Virk | Astros in 6 | I'm blatantly cheering for our old friend [former ESPN MLB analyst] Alex Cora, current bench coach for Houston and future Boston Red Sox manager. |
