KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:
Tonight is Game 3 of this year's World Series between the Dodgers and the Astros.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I LOVE L.A.")
RANDY NEWMAN: (Singing) I love LA.
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) We love it.
MCEVERS: Los Angeles won Game 1 on Tuesday. They had the hometown advantage.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOUSTON (MEANS I'M ONE DAY CLOSER TO YOU)")
LARRY GATLIN AND THE GATLIN BROTHERS: (Singing) Houston. Houston means that I'm one day closer to you.
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
The Astros came back Wednesday. A dramatic finish, as called by the team at Fox Sports.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Struck him out, and the Astros win it 7-6. The Astros have their first World Series win in franchise history, a four hour, 19 minute game.
SIEGEL: So tonight, with the series tied at one game apiece, the teams play in Houston, a city that could use some good cheer after the drenching it took during Hurricane Harvey in late August.
MCEVERS: At stake is not only the championship, but a number of bets. California Governor Jerry Brown says he will give Texas Governor Greg Abbott a selection of wine from Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino if the Astros win. But if the Dodgers win, then Abbott owes Brown some barbecue and a six-pack of Houston Beer.
SIEGEL: A Texas congresswoman, Sheila Jackson Lee, made a bet with California Congressman Jimmy Gomez - some Texas BBQ for French-dipped sandwiches from Philippe's, a downtown LA restaurant.
MCEVERS: And the two cities' police chiefs have their own bets, too.
ART ACEVEDO: This is Art Acevedo. I'm police chief in Houston, Texas.
CHARLIE BECK: This is Charlie Beck. I'm the chief of police in the city of Los Angeles.
ACEVEDO: The wager is if the Dodgers win, I have to wear a...
BECK: LA Dodgers necktie. In the unlikely event that the Dodgers should lose, then he will supply me with an Astros necktie which I will reluctantly wear.
ACEVEDO: And I have to send him Texas Best BBQ. And if - when the Houston Astros win, he has to send me some pastrami.
BECK: The food part is exactly right.
ACEVEDO: We're a team of destiny. Houston's had a heck of a year. And I'm talking about the city of Houston. We've had a lot going on here. I mean, we've had the Super Bowl, Hurricane Harvey. We've had so many things going on.
BECK: (Laughter) Well, you know, I certainly respect everything that Houston's been through. I support them as a city and in their tragedy wholeheartedly. But the Dodgers are due.
ACEVEDO: Do you know what? At the end of the day, we wanted to show the world that baseball is America's pastime. And so far, this playoffs and this World Series has been, I think, the best that I remember in recent times. So let's hope for a great series.
BECK: And I hope for a great series, too. And I think everybody's going to win.
MCEVERS: That was Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, two of what we're sure are many people who have made a friendly bet on the World Series. Game 3 is tonight.
(SOUNDBITE OF RANDY NEWMAN SONG, "I LOVE L.A.") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.