Astros Win Their First World Series EVER

Posted on by Gabrielle

Final: Houston 5, Los Angeles 1

For the Los Angeles Dodgers, an impressive season ended with not with a bang, but with a whimper. For the Houston Astros, this victory was fifty-five years in the making. With one of the most impressive offenses in baseball history and aces Justin Verlander, Dallas Keuchel, and Charlie Morton, this Astros team was a pure joy to watch – that is, after they stopped pummeling my Red Sox in the ALDS.

This World Series was always meant to go seven games. These teams were such a fascinating, incredible match; it was a like watching poetry in motion. From the start, we knew last night would be special. Either the Dodgers would win their first World Series since 1988 (they hadn’t even made it past the NLCS since), or the Houston Astros would win it all for the first time ever. And having both teams deserve to win and kind of wanting both teams to win is so rare, maybe even unheard of; it was an actual privilege to see them compete.

By the end of the first inning, after only 8 pitches, the Astros were already on the board, 2-0. Game 3 villain Yuli Gurriel even made amends with Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish with a tip of his cap before his first at-bat.

Last night in Game 6, George Springer became only the second player in Major League history to hit the tying or go-ahead homer in three straight World Series games. The first had been the great Lou Gehrig in 1928. Last night, Springer became the first player ever to homer in four straight World Series games. He became the third player to have 5 homers in a single World Series; the first two were Reggie Jackson and Chase Utley. Unsurprisingly, Springer is series MVP.

Starters Lance McCullers and Yu Darvish each lasted fewer than 3 innings, though McCullers also contributed an RBI ground-out to make it 3-0. With Springer’s 2-run dinger, the Astros would keep it 5-0, until the 6th inning, when the Dodgers got their first and only run on the board.

It was the Astros’ game from the get-go. Each team used their bullpen like there was no tomorrow, because there won’t be. Clayton Kershaw made his first relief appearance and held the Astros down to their 5 runs, but it was a valiant effort made far too late. Astros’ Charlie Morton retired the final 11 batters, and with a final out at 1st that was eerily reminiscent of Boston’s final out in 2004, the Fall Classic finally belonged to Houston. Knowing that Astros fans were watching together at home in Minute Maid Park must’ve made it even better.

For veterans like Justin Verlander and Carlos Beltran, these rings come after years, even decades of waiting. Carlos Correa, not merely satisfied with getting a ring for himself, proposed to his girlfriend Daniella right there on the field.

It was an incredible series, capped off with a worthy team emerging victorious. Not much else to say except congratulations to the Astros and to the city of Houston. Bostonians know firsthand that a World Series win doesn’t magically fix everything, but doesn’t it somehow?

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Published by Gabrielle