Houston Astros Moving to Palm Beach Gardens

World Series rivals share spring training space for the first time since 1942.

What happened in the 2019 World Series is unlikely to occur again anytime soon. Not in 2020 and maybe not until the 2090s. At least based on history.

As many Palm Beach County baseball fans likely know, the 2019 World Series featured the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals, who share the same spring training stadium, FITTEAM Ballpark in West Palm Beach.

The rarity of what happened last fall is so unusual that few fans alive today have strong or even vague memories of the last time teams who shared a spring training facility met in the World Series.

The year was 1942, when the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees, who played Grapefruit League games in St. Petersburg's Al Lang Field, met in the World Series.

The last time teams from the same spring training city met in a World Series before last year was also the year "Casablanca" was released and the No. 1 song in America was Bing Crosby's version of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas." Of far more import, of course, the globe was embroiled in World War II.

FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, spring training home to the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals. SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO

The 1942 World Series ended Oct. 5, two days short of 10 months since Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and propelled the U.S. into the war. It also was the year Muhammad Ali, Paul McCartney and Harrison Ford were born.

The Cardinals won the 1942 World Series in five games.

The Nationals won the 2019 World Series, which was odd for something else. It's the only one in which the visiting team won all seven games.

Now, the Nationals and Astros are back in Palm Beach County. Their spring training neighbors, the Cardinals and Miami Marlins, are back at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter.

Between Feb. 22 and March 22 these four teams will play 60 — count 'em — 60! — Grapefruit League games at their ballparks. That's a game every day for a month.

The Palm Beach County teams will play each other, of course, but teams from around Florida will bus into Palm Beach County for Grapefruit League games. That includes some of the sport's signature franchises, such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves, who trained in West Palm Beach from 1963 to 1997.

Technically and geographically, for the first three years of their time in West Palm, the team was still called the Milwaukee Braves because they were located in that Wisconsin city.

The Nationals return coming off the franchise's first World Series triumph, one they pulled off despite going into the playoffs as a wild card team. They finished second in the National League East behind the Braves.

The Nationals have lost one of their best players, third baseman Anthony Rendon. He signed a seven-year, $245 million free agent contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

But the Nationals return with one of the game's best teams. Heck, they won the World Series only four months ago.

Their wealth of talent begins with veteran starting pitchers Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin.

Washington features dynamic young outfielders Juan Soto and Victor Robles. Mr. Soto is only 21 and is coming off a season when he hit .282 with 34 homers and 110 RBI. His birthday is Oct. 25. So if the Nationals make it to the 2020 World Series, he can celebrate his birthday on the game's biggest stage. Again.

While the Nationals spent much of the off-season celebrating, the Astros are reeling from the fallout of one of the biggest scandals in the sport's history.

The sign-dealing scam they perpetrated in recent years may have helped them win the 2017 World Series. Major League Baseball dropped a hammer on the franchise in January. They were fined $5 million and general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A. J. Hinch were suspended for the season. That $5 million fine is the largest possible under baseball rules.

That same day, Astros owner Jim Crane fired both men. The Astros also lost their top draft picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts.

The tainted juggernaut also lost ace pitcher Gerrit Cole to free agency. Mr. Cole signed a $324 million, nine-year deal with the New York Yankees.

Despite the scandal and the loss of Mr. Cole, the Astros remain one of baseball's most talented teams.

The best of the bunch are second baseman Jose Altuve, third basemen Alex Bregman, shortstop Carlos Correa, left fielder Michael Brantley and centerfielder George Springer.

Rookie DH Yordan Alvarez hit .313 with 27 homers and 78 RBI in 87 games last year.

That pace computes to 50 homers and 145 RBI over a 162-game schedule.

Although the starting rotation lost Mr. Cole, it is still headed by formidable veteran Justin Verlander, who was 21-6 last year with a 2.58 ERA. Mr. Verlander turns 37 on Feb. 20 but based on his 2019 season is as good as ever.

He won the American League Cy Young Award last year and his 225 career wins rank first among active pitchers.

While the Nationals celebrate their first World Series title, Palm Beach County neighbors the Cardinals are looking for their 12th. Their 11 World Series championships, most recently in 2011, rank No. 2 all-time behind the Yankees' 27.

St. Louis should contend for a postseason berth again.

A strong everyday lineup of position players includes catcher Yadier Molina, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, second baseman Kolten Wong, third baseman Matt Carpenter, shortstop Paul DeJong and speedy young outfielders Tommy Edman and Harrison Bader.

A strong starting rotation Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, Dakota Hudson and Adam Wainwright should keep the Cardinals in the hunt all season.

Mr. Mikolas is a graduate of Jupiter Community High School.

While the Cardinals have won more World Series titles than any National League team and the Nationals won the 2019 World Series and the Astros are only three years from winning the World Series, Marlins appear light years away from October baseball.

They were 57-105 last year and finished 40 games behind the first-place Braves in the National League East.

The 2020 highlight for the team may come July 26 in an upstate New York village, when CEO and part-owner Derek Jeter is inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He was elected to the Hall of Fame with the second highest percentage ever. Mr. Jeter came up one vote short of being the second unanimous selection in Hall of Fame history.

The first was one of Mr. Jeter's teammates with the Yankees, relief pitcher Mariano Rivera.

The Marlins have finished last in the National League East each of the past two season and haven't posted a winning record since 2009, when they went 87-75.

The Marlins haven't been in the postseason since winning the 2003 World Series.

There likely will be few highlights this year in Miami.

But they probably won't have to wait until the 2090s to win another World Series. ¦

In the KNOW

Take yourself out to the ball game

HOUSTON ASTROS

» Where: FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, 5444 Haverhill Road, West Palm Beach.
» Ticket information: 500-HITS (4487).
» Website: www.FITTEAM ballpark.com.
» Prices: Range from a low of $15 for spots on the lawn to a high of $70 for home plate box seats.
» First home game: 6:05 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, vs. Washington Nationals.
» Final home game: 1:05 p.m. Friday, March 20, vs. the Atlanta Braves.

MIAMI MARLINS

» Where: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, 4751 Main St., Jupiter.
» Ticket information: 561-630-1828
» Website: www.roger deanchevrolet stadium.com
» Prices: Vary by game. Tickets start at $20.
» First home game: 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, vs. the Washington Nationals.
» Final home game: 1 p.m. Sunday, March 22, vs. Astros.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

» Where: Roger Dean Stadium, 4751 Main Street, Jupiter.
» Ticket information: 561-630-1828
» Website: www.rogerdeanchevroletstadium.com
» Prices: Tickets start at $20.
» First home game: 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, vs. New York Mets.
» Final home game: 6 p.m. Friday, March 20, vs. Mets.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

» Where: FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, 5444 Haverhill Road, West Palm Beach.
» Ticket information: 500-HITS (4487).
» Website: www.FITTEAM ballpark.com.
» Prices: Vary from a low of $15 for a lawn seat to a high of $70 for a home plate box.
» First home game: 1:05 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 23, vs. Astros.
» Final home game: 1:05 p.m., Sunday, March 22, vs. Cardinals.

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Source: https://palmbeach.floridaweekly.com/articles/history-repeating/

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