Houston Wins First World Series
November 3, 2017
Two nights ago, on November 1, the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 to win the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series 4 games to 3. The Astros jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and cruised the rest of the way behind strong pitching to win the team’s first title since joining MLB in 1962. The score disappointed the more than 54,000 people crammed into Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where fans had been hoping for the home team’s first championship since 1988. The final game capped a thrilling World Series pitting 100-win teams against each other for the first time since 1970. The Dodgers, champions of the National League, had won 104 games during the regular season—an MLB-best mark that earned the team home field advantage throughout the playoffs. American League champion Houston won 101 regular season games.
The Houston Astros’ Alex Bregman, Marwin González, and José Altuve (left to right) celebrate their game seven victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series on Nov. 1, 2017, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Credit: © Ezra Shaw, Getty Images
The first six games of the World Series had been a back-and-forth affair of home runs, strikeouts, and blown leads. On October 24, Los Angeles took game one at home behind ace Clayton Kershaw, 3-1. The next night, Dodgers hitters got to Houston’s Justin Verlander, but the Astros rallied for a 7-6 win in 11 innings. On October 27 at Houston’s Minute Maid Park, the Astros grabbed an early lead and held on for a 5-3 victory. The next night, the Dodgers struck back with a 6-2 win. Game five on October 29 proved to be the epic battle of the series. Team aces Kershaw and Dallas Keuchel were knocked out early, and all other pitchers only added fuel to the fire. After numerous lead changes and shocking turns, the Astros emerged on top with a 13-12, 10-inning win. Game six back in Los Angeles went the Dodgers’ way, 3-1. In all seven games, the teams combined for a World Series-record 25 home runs, including 5 (another record) for Houston’s George Springer. The strikeouts came in bunches, too, led by Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger, who whiffed a World Series-record 17 times.
The Astros, featuring such young stars as José Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, and World Series Most Valuable Player Springer, finally reached the MLB pinnacle at the end of the team’s 56th season. Houston entered MLB in 1962 as the Houston Colt .45′s. The team became the Astros with the opening of the famous Astrodome indoor stadium in 1965. For the Dodgers, the string of postseason disappointments continued. The team’s playoff appearance in 2017 was its 11th since last winning the World Series over the Oakland Athletics in 1988.
