The Houston Astros clinched the World Series Saturday night with a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Starting pitcher Framber Valdez was nearly unhittable outside of yet another Kyle Schwarber home run.
But the Astros immediately roared back. After yet another controversial World Series hit by pitch, a Jeremy Pena single set the table for slugger Yordan Alvarez.
Alvarez annihilated the ball for a massive, 450 foot home run that put the Astros on top.
The series went back and forth, starting with a remarkable five run Phillies comeback in Game 1.
After the Astros evened things up in Game 2, the Phillies launched a World Series record five home runs in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead.
But the Astros pulled off a remarkable combined no-hitter in Game 4. Then Justin Verlander finally broke through for his first ever World Series win in Game 5.
In a tightly contested Game 6 pitcher’s duel, the Astros bullpen once again proved to be the difference.
Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly combined for three scoreless innings to finish the game. The Phillies bullpen, meanwhile, gave up the Alvarez home run and an extremely important insurance run in the sixth.
Presumably this will be the first World Series for the Astros that isn’t marred by an embarrassing cheating scandal. Their 2017 title will forever have an asterisk thanks to an elaborate sign stealing system. But the 2022 team should have no such baggage.
This is also the first title for Astros manager Dusty Baker, ending a record streak of the most games managed without a World Series.
Mattress Mack also just won $75 million, which according to Front Office Sports is the largest legal payout in sports betting history.
Opening day for the 2023 MLB season is March 30th, with the Astros starting the year as defending champs.
