<P> This was the first World Series matchup, and second postseason meeting overall, between the Astros and Dodgers . Los Angeles defeated Houston in the 1981 National League Division Series in five games en route to its World Series championship that year . The teams also met in the 1980 National League West tie - breaker game . This was the first Fall Classic since 1970, and the eighth overall, in which both participants had 100 or more wins during the regular season . </P> <P> The two teams did not meet in interleague play during the regular season . </P> <P> The Dodgers held a 91--36 record through August 25 . They won their fifth consecutive National League West title and home field advantage throughout the playoffs . In the postseason, the Dodgers swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series and defeated the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs in the previous year's rematch of the National League Championship Series in five games . This was the first appearance in the Fall Classic for the Dodgers since 1988, the tenth since the franchise moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958, and the 19th overall . </P> <P> Entering the 2017 World Series, the Dodgers bullpen had thrown 23 consecutive scoreless innings, a postseason record for a bullpen . Additionally, by outscoring the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs by a combined 48--19 margin, the Dodgers entered the World Series with the third - best run differential of any pennant winner since the playoff structure was expanded in 1995 . </P>

Who had home field advantage in world series 2017