This year’s World Series, between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros, pits two of the season’s very best teams against one another: The Dodgers won a best-in-baseball 104 games during the regular season, while the Astros won 101. Other stats likely to go into the triple figures for tonight’s first game, played at Dodger Stadium: The fastest fastballs are all but guaranteed to exceed 100 m.p.h., and the temperature, just before game time, is projected to be a sweltering 102 degrees. But both teams are expected to stand the heat and stay in the kitchen, because both have waited a long time to reach the World Series. The last and only time the Astros got here was in 2005, when they were a National League team – and was swept in four games. The last time the Dodgers played in a World Series? The year was 1988 – the year Kirk Gibson hit that opening-game game-winning homer, helping the Dodgers earn its Series victory. So the last time the Dodgers were in the World Series, 29 years ago, they won. The only time the Astros were here, a dozen years ago, they lost every game. Play ball!