Michael Dixon
If it seems like the 2017 World Series is featuring a lot of new blood, it’s because it is. With the exceptions of Justin Verlander and Carlos Beltran of the Houston Astros, and Chase Utley of the Los Angeles Dodgers, no player on either team has World Series experience.
That’s the smallest combined number since the 1906 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. That was the first Fall Classic in either team’s history and only the third modern World Series ever.
INCREDIBLE from @EliasSports: 3 players on WS rosters w/WS experience (Verlander/Utley/Beltran) that's fewest in any WS since 1906! (3rd WS)
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 24, 2017
For some perspective, the 2017 World Series is the 113th ever. It’s the first for the Astros since 2005 and the first for the Dodgers since 1988. Given that both teams feature largely home-grown talent, it’s no surprise that so few players have experience on the game’s brightest stage.
It will be interesting to see which team adapts to the big stage quickest.
