The Nationals and Astros will face off tonight at 8:08 pm at Minute Maid Park for Game 1 potentially one of the best World Series of this decade. The Nationals will be playing for their first ever World Series title after breaking their spell of getting stuck in the NLDS for years on end and the Astros will be playing for greatness. 

This World Series will most likely be a pitchers duel, as it contains arguably some of the best matchups to ever play in the World Series. The Astros have the top two pitchers in Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander in the AL Cy Young race on the Cy Young predictor on espn.com and the Nationals have Stephen Strasburg who is in first place on that same list for the NL. That of course does not include Zack Greinke, Max Scherzer, and Patrick Corbin, who each posted an ERA of 2.93, 2.92, and 3.25 respectively. 

And of course, you can not talk about the Astros without talking about their high powered offense that seems to come through when needed most. Jose Altuve is arguably one of the best hitters in the game and has been red hot this postseason, posting a .348 batting average. Altuve will also be coming off of a walkoff home run in the ALCS to send the Yankees home. 

But it is not just the Astros with an offense that always seems to find a way. The Nationals have a talented Juan Soto, who has not been hitting too well this postseason with an average of .237 but he has managed to show up in clutch situations like the hit against the Brewers to advance to the NLDS and his game tying home run against the Dodgers. But that just might mean he is due. 

The Astros pitching staff probably beats the Nationals in the series, as the Nats have had a reliable bullpen in the postseason but have always struggled with it. And despite how good the Nationals offense is, the Astros have a lineup which has been proven to be a World Series winning offense. Both teams are solid defensively, with the Astros boasting a .988 team fielding percentage and the Nationals posting a .985. 

All signs point to the Astros winning the Series, especially if the rumors of them stealing signs are true. However, the Nationals had the second worst record in May and were counted out of the playoffs, and have defeated great odds every step of the way. Either way this series has the potential to be one of the greatest series of the decade, and should be worth a watch.