*Photo from the Los Angeles Times*
Houston wins series 4-2
It was a long road filled with adversity and bumps, but they finally got back. Framber Valdez shined on the mound, Yordan Alvarez homered, and the Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies with a 4-1 victory on Saturday night in Houston.
For the first time since 2017, with two appearances in between, the Astros hoisted the World Series trophy, the second time in franchise history. They won 3 straight games after trailing the series 2-1 and became the first team since the 2013 Boston Red Sox to clinch the title at home.
Since that 2017 title, there has been a lot of turnover, particularly in the star player department. Gerrit Cole left following a 2019 World Series loss to sign a $324 million deal with the New York Yankees. George Springer signed with the Toronto Blue Jays following the 2020 season. Perhaps the biggest of all, Carlos Correa departed after last season to sign with the Minnesota Twins.
But who needs Correa when you've got Jeremy Pena waiting in the wings? He stepped into some big shoes, but did an admirable job in the regular season, taking home a gold glove. But it was the postseason where he shined the most, adding a World Series MVP award to his arsenal in his rookie season, in addition to the ALCS MVP. He's just the 9th player and second rookie to take home both LCS and World Series MVP honors. He's also the 3rd rookie and first rookie position player to win World Series MVP. He did it with a .400 average, 5 runs scored, one homer, and 3 RBI's.
Pena said of taking over for Correa that "I'd say the hardest part was just blocking everything that's not part of the game. There's a saying that you can't sink a ship with water around. It sinks if water gets inside. So I just try to stay strong and keep the water outside my head. Just keep playing my game, show up every single day, and just trust in my preparation."
The first 5 innings were tense in a scoreless environment, until Kyle Schwarber hit a 6th inning solo homer to right field, giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the 6th, with two on base, Alvarez provided a moonshot of a 3 run home run to give Houston a 3-0 lead. Christian Vazquez made it 4-1 with an RBI single to all but seal the win.
Alvarez said of his homer that "The first two at-bats, I had a plan, and things weren’t really working out for me. When I saw Peña get that hit and Altuve got to third, I got some sort of peace out of that. I knew Alvarado was going to come into that game. I knew he was ready for me. I didn’t look for anything. I didn’t look at the iPad. I waited for my at-bat. I didn’t go looking at anything."
The World Series title is finally back in Houston for a redemption tour, following the scandal surrounding the 2017 team, with sign stealing through trash cans and cameras. This one has no such taint around it, despite a lot of fans and some players still holding grudges over that season.
Astros manager Dusty Baker said of 2017 "That's what motivated them. The boos and the jeers that we got all over the country, it bothered these guys, but it also motivated them at the same time. And it wasn't an us against the world thing. It was more of a ‘come together even closer’ type of thing."
One face of the team that helped them emerge from the scandal was Baker, in his 3rd season managing after taking over in 2020 following the firing of AJ Hinch. After 25 years as a manager, Baker can finally stake his claim to a World Series ring as a manager, after winning one as a player. Baker became the oldest manager to win a title at age 73 and was 2-7 in series clinchers prior to the World Series, with a 9-25 record overall. None of that matters anymore, as he hoisted the trophy.
Baker said of his emotions that "It's just sheer joy and thankfulness. It's not relief at all. I mean, because everybody was talking about it more than I was even thinking about it. So I always said before that if I win one, I'll win two, but you got to win one first."
Valdez got the start in the series clinching win and got the deciding victory, allowing one run while striking out 9 hitters in 6 innings pitched. Hector Neris worked a shutout 7th, Bryan Abreu did the same in the 8th, and Ryan Pressly got his 6th save of the postseason to secure the title for the Astros.
For the Phillies, their Cinderella run comes to an end with no championship to take home. They were the last team in the playoffs with 87 wins, had turmoil after firing Joe Girardi with a 21-29 record, and overcame all the prior obstacles. Alas, they couldn't finish the job and knock off the Astros, which would've marked their first title since 2008, in their first appearance in the World Series since 2009.
Zack Wheeler got the start in the season ending loss, charged with two runs on 3 hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched. Jose Alvarado allowed the homer to Alvarez and was responsible for the other two runs. Seranthony Dominguez, Zach Eflin, and David Robertson had scoreless appearances.
Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola said that "It hurts. I know tomorrow it will probably hurt even more. I think the chemistry and camaraderie took us all the way to the end. I think that’s overlooked nowadays. Everybody in this clubhouse pulls for each other. There’s not one selfish guy on this team, and I think it says a lot about this club. Everybody got their feet wet. Everybody knows what the postseason is about now. It’s addicting. It’s a different type of atmosphere. It’s a different type of winning. Because when you win, it’s the most pure."
With the series win for the Astros, the offseason can now begin for all 30 teams, with free agency set to open and a lot of decisions to make for franchises across baseball.
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