CNN
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The Houston Astros won the franchise’s second World Series title on Saturday after beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in Game 6 at Minute Maid Park.
It was the Phillies who started the scoring in the top of the sixth with a Kyle Schwarber solo homerun off Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez, who was able to mitigate the damage before being pulled after the sixth. Valdez closed with nine strikeouts and gave up only two hits and a run.
After giving up two baserunners, Phillies starter Zack Wheeler was ejected with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Phillies assistant pitcher Jose Alvarado gave up a three-run homerun to Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez to give Houston the lead. Houston would score one more time on a Christian Vazquez single.
Astros closer Ryan Pressly came in to close out the game and cause the Houston home crowd to go home to celebrate a World Series win.
Astros rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena was named the World Series MVP. Pena will become the first rookie position player in MLB history to win the award, according to the league.
Trailing 2-1 in the first three games of the World Series, Houston tied the series after throwing a combined no-hitter in Game 4. Game 5 saw Astros ace Justin Verlander take his long-awaited first World Series win after throwing five innings with six strikeouts and one run.
Astros skipper Dusty Baker can now add World Series champion to his impressive resume.
When asked if the win has already “struck” him, Baker said, “it hit me right.”
“It hit me as soon as that ball — Yordan hit one over the moon out there. Then it hit me,” Baker added.
Baker was also asked what was the most fun part of the run for him, to which he quickly replied that the answer “hadn’t sunk in yet”, but called the team the “biggest group of guys”.
“They told me in spring practice that they were going to win,” said Baker. ‘Well, what’s next? Side!”
The Astros’ victory marked the first time since 2013 that a team has claimed the title on its home turf. And Minute Maid Park hasn’t always been a happy hunting ground for the team.
Houston has stumbled twice since the team’s first title in 2017. The Astros appeared in the Fall Classic in 2019 against the Washington Nationals and in 2021 against the Atlanta Braves, both resulting in losses.
The team’s win in 2017 brought a lot of questions and controversy.
After the win, Astros owner and chairman Jim Crane fired then-manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow after the MLB suspended them both for a season without paying for a tick theft scandal.
Major League Baseball discovered that the club had illegally created a system that decoded and communicated opponents’ pitching marks during their 2017 championship season.
The team forfeited its regular first and second round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts and paid a $5 million fine.
The Astros have kept their title, but for many non-Houston fans, it remains shrouded in scandal.
The loss is heartbreaking for Philadelphia as the franchise was looking for its first championship since 2008. The city was dealt a double blow on Saturday when the Philadelphia Union lost to Los Angeles FC in the 2022 MLS Cup final in penalties earlier in the afternoon. the 2022 MLS Cup Final.
