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World Series to Feature Dodgers, Rays

VOA News

   The Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays will face off in Major
   League Baseball's World Series beginning Tuesday.

   The Dodgers secured their spot with a dramatic victory Sunday night,
   defeating the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in the deciding seventh game of the
   National League Championship Series.

   Los Angelesat one pointtrailed in the seriesthree games to one, and
   Atlanta shot out to an early 2-0 lead in game 7.

   Butthe Dodgers battled back, withcenterfielderCody Bellinger breakinga
   3-3 tie with a seventh-inning home run, and pitcher Julio Urias
   throwingthree scoreless innings to close out thewin.

   The American League Championship Series also went to seven games, with
   Tampa Bay holding off a late rally Saturday to beat the Houston Astros.

   The Rays led that series three games to none before Houston won three
   in a row to push theseries to seven games. Tampa Bay rookie
   RandyArozarenawas the star with four total home runs, including a
   two-run homer in the first inning ofGame 7 to give the Rays a lead they
   would not relinquish.

   After a season cut to 60 games because of the coronavirus, the playoffs
   have delivered the teams with the two top records in the league to the
   World Series.

   The matchup also includes two teams at opposite ends of the league
   financially, with the Dodgers maintaining one of the highest payrolls
   and the Rays one of the lowest.

   One lingering effect of thecoronaviruspandemic is that all World Series
   games will be played in Arlington, Texas, instead of in Los Angeles and
   Tampa Bay.

   A limited number of fans -- about 11,500 in a ballpark that seats
   40,000 -- will be able to attend the games.

   For the Dodgers, it is their third World Series appearance in the span
   of four seasons. The team has been oneof the best in baseball during
   thattime butis still chasing its first championship since1988.

   Tampa Bay made its only World Series appearance in 2008when it lost to
   the Philadelphia Phillies.

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