CHICAGO — Catharsis is coming.

One day next week, the burden of baseball futility will finally be lifted from Chicago or Houston. And for the first time in decades, a city's fans will breathe easily.

This isn't a World Series about present-day hype, even though it could be. Chicago and Houston are the third- and fourth-largest cities in the United States, with a combined population of almost 5 million.

No, when the White Sox and Astros start the 102nd World Series at 8 p.m. Saturday, it will be about the pain of history and, ultimately, the triumph of redemption.

The White Sox last won a World Series in 1917. In the time since, they have thrown the 1919 Series, lost the 1959 Series, watched the Yankees win 26 Series, and seen the Florida Marlins—an expansion team just now entering puberty—capture two Series.

The Astros have never won a World Series. In the 44 years since their inception, they have changed their name from the Colt .45s; gone through 14 managers; made the playoffs eight times, only to fail in each one; and started a man named Dickie Thon.

History shapes this series as much as any in recent memory, perhaps even matching Boston's triumph last season, which ended an 86-year drought. And although network executives can't be excited at the prospect of a World Series without New York or Boston, they should take solace in the fact that the two Championship Series forecast a World Series that could be historic in its paucity of runs, too.

"For us it's long-suffering," Astros manager Phil Garner said. "Forty-four years of getting close and not getting to the big dance has been a little bit frustrating. So this is a wonderful accomplishment for our city, for our organization, everybody that's been involved in it."

As Chicago rested Wednesday after disposing of the Angels two days earlier, the Astros celebrated with hugs and champagne showers. Garner lit up an Ashton maduro cigar after Roy Oswalt lit up Busch Stadium, knocking out the Cardinals, a team that had 11 more regular-season victories than the Astros.

So it was set: a matchup of intrigue, of potent pitching and suspect offenses. While the White Sox can mash home runs and the Astros can scratch out odd runs, neither team expects to win this series with its bats.

Chicago needed its bullpen for two-thirds of an inning in the series against the Angels. Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia and Jose Contreras closed the series with four consecutive complete games, a feat last accomplished before the Astros existed.

Just as fierce is Houston's staff, which trots out Roger Clemens in game one, followed by Andy Pettitte and Oswalt, the most-valuable player of the NLCS.

"Everybody talks about Clemens and Andy, but they have another one that throws the ball better than them: Oswalt," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "It's amazing with Clemens and Pettitte. Clemens still throws the ball well and maybe better than before. Andy was in the same position.

"We will face a pretty good pitching staff, and so will they. This game is going to be whoever executes better, whoever makes less mistakes and whoever gets the base hit with two out."

Pitching has rarely ruled the Series roost.

In 1905, the second World Series, all five games ended in shutouts. The New York Giants' Christy Mathewson blanked Philadelphia in games one, three and five, and Joe McGinnity shut down the A's in game four. Total runs for the five-game series: 18.

Thirteen years later, runs were even scarcer. In a six-game series, the Red Sox and Cubs scored 19 runs. No team scored more than three in a game.

There have been other all-timers: 1966, when the Orioles threw three shutouts and swept the Dodgers in a series that saw 15 total runs, and 1972, when Oakland and Cincinnati scored a seven-game-series-low 37 runs.

At the moment, the biggest surprise is the competitors themselves. After Chicago looked unbeatable early in the season, it slumped so badly that only a late surge saved it from losing the AL Central to Cleveland. By May 24, the Astros had been left for dead: 15 games below .500, 14 back of the Cardinals and 11½ behind wild-card-leading Arizona.

"You look at where we came from, ... where we're going right now, it's because we never gave up on ourselves and now we have an opportunity to go to the World Series," said second baseman Craig Biggio, an Astro for all 18 of his big-league seasons. "You've just got to put it behind you. I know a lot of people were writing us off after that homer, but we have a lot of faith and pride in that clubhouse."

Both teams need a good helping of both. History is against them. With the luck Chicago and Houston have had, this series will end in a tie.

"It should be a good series, I would think," Garner said. "We've got a bunch of kids that have just played absolutely great. We've got veterans that have just played their hearts out and done great. I'm looking forward to it."

So are two cities hoping to rid themselves of the heaviest of baseball burdens.