It’s remarkable to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy. Six players on this Astros team remember that feeling from 2017.
However, there’s nothing sweeter than sealing the deal at home.
The Houston Astros closed out their second World Series championship Saturday night at Minute Maid Park with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Houston won the Fall Cassic with a 4-2 advantage.
This World Series was the first for Astros manager Dusty Baker, who has spent nearly thirty years chasing the one goal he never thought he’d obtain.
“Well, I thought about it a lot. I tried not to dwell on it, but tried to have faith and perseverance and knowing that with the right team and the right personnel and the right everything that this is going to happen” Baker said after Game Six. “Had this happened years ago, I might not even be here. So maybe it wasn’t supposed to happen so that I could hopefully influence a few young men’s lives and their families and a number of people in the country through showing what perseverance and character can do for you in the long run.”
Baker also said it didn’t feel real just yet. ” It hasn’t really sunk in yet until, probably until I get back to Cali.”
This series was full of big moments for the Astros, whether it be Alex Bregman’s go-ahead two-run homer in Game 2, the five-run fifth in Game 4, or Chas McCormick’s legendary catch in the ninth inning of Game 5.
However, none was bigger than the 450-foot three-run home run that Yordan Alvarez launched into dead center field. Alvarez came up big for the Astros on multiple occasions in this Postseason and he delivered in the biggest way in Game 6.
To add to that, Jeremy Pena made even more MLB history last night as he became the first rookie position player to be named World Series MVP. This comes after he was the first rookie to hit a home run in the World Series and the first rookie shortstop to ever win a Gold Glove. All things considered, the Astros made the right decision not paying Carlos Correa.
Now, the Houston Astros have their second World Series championship in franchise history, and the champagne flowed throughout the clubhouse in their postgame celebration. The championship parade will be celebrated in Downtown Houston on Monday morning, and then the front office will get back to work.
General Manager James Click and Dusty Baker both are on expiring contracts so the likely first order of business for Jim Crane will be negotiating those deals.
After that, the players that are on expiring deals. Justin Verlander, Yuli Gurriel, Christian Vasquez, and a few others are free agents and their future in Houston is unknown. Verlander is coming off the best year of his career which is coincidentally a year after he underwent Tommy John Surgery and will likey win his 3rd Cy Young award.
Regardless of what transpires in the offseason, the Astros will be celebrating from now until the Winter Meetings in January as the World Champions once again.
