The Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers on November 1 in Game Seven to win their first World Series in franchise history.
In a series that had it all, this year’s Fall Classic was decided in the final game. In the first inning, Dodgers starting pitcher Yu Darvish did not come in top form as he surrendered a leadoff double to Astros centerfielder George Springer. Houston third baseman Alex Bregman would reach on a throwing error by Los Angeles first baseman Cody Bellinger, scoring Springer. Astros second baseman Jose Altuve would then ground out in the next at bat, scoring Bregman to give Houston a 2-0 lead.
The Dodgers would score their only run in the bottom of the sixth inning, coming on a single from pinch hitter Andre Ethier. Astros relief pitcher Charlie Morton would close out the game in four dominant innings, leading the Astros to their first ever World Series.
“It’s hard to draw it up any better,” said Astros manager A.J. Hinch. “I don’t care who we beat or where we beat them, I just want to be the last team standing, and we’re taking this trophy, this championship vibe we’ve got going back to Houston. We’ll forever be a championship city.”
Springer won the Willie Mays World Series MVP award for his outstanding performance in the seven-game series. In the Fall Classic, Springer finished with a .379 batting average, five home runs, and seven RBIs. Not only that, but eight extra-base hits, which is the most ever by a single player in the World Series.
“This is a dream come true and an honor,” said Springer, upon receiving his MVP award. “But it’s about the Houston Astros tonight, our city, our fans. That patch on our chests really does mean something. We’re coming home champions.”
Although Game Seven was the weakest of all the games in the World Series, we will always look back at the insanity that the Fall Classic gave us this year. Game Two saw a back and forth affair between the Astros and Dodgers, the lead would change in the ninth, tenth, and 11th innings, which would end with Houston winning 7-6. The multiple lead changes were attributed to six home runs in those three innings. Gonzalez, Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yasiel Puig, Springer, and Charlie Culberson would all hit a dinger out of Dodger Stadium. This show of strength showed how determined both teams were to take the second game of the series.
Game Five proved to be absolute madness, as it lasted ten innings and would become the second-longest game in World Series history at five hours and seventeen minutes. The Astros would go onto win the game 13-12 thanks to Bregman hitting a walk-off, RBI single in the tenth inning. Both teams gave their all, as both teams had 14 hits, and one error each.
These were record breakers, but there were much more additional records broken. Both the Astros and Dodgers hit combined 25 homeruns in the seven-game series, the most all time since the 2002 World Series between the Anaheim Angels and San Francisco Giants. 15 of those homeruns came from the Astros, which is the most homers hit by a single team in the World Series since the 2002 Giants. Game Two saw the most homeruns hit in a single World Series game, with eight. Game Five saw the most three-run homeruns in one game with three.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had 32 pitching changes in this series, the most all time since St. Louis Cardinals manager in 2011 (30). Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger finished the 2017 MLB Postseason with 17 strikeouts, the most in a single postseason run. The previous record holder was New York Yankees rookie Aaron Judge, who struck out 16 times in this year’s playoffs.
Records were broken. Dreams were fulfilled and shattered. Legacies were solidified. For a fan with no rooting interest, this World Series was exhilarating. For Astros and Dodgers fans, this World Series was a rollercoaster of emotions. One team emerged victorious, and that was the Houston Astros, who won it for the city of Houston, who is still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
