By Zach Backiewicz, ’19
On Nov. 1, the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the 2017 World Series. The series went to game seven, the final game of the series to determine the winner. For Houston, this was their first World Series win in the history of the team.
The series between Houston and Los Angeles went back and forth, usually resulting in very close games during the series. However, in game seven the Astros scored five runs in the first two innings. Even though they would not score for the rest of the game, their defense limited the previously successful offensive team of Los Angeles to only score one run.
The most valuable player (MVP) for 2017 was awarded to the Astros center fielder, George Springer. During the series, Springer batting average was .379 alongside five home-runs and seven RBI’s.
Springer said, “This is a dream come true and an honor,” Springer said after winning the World Series and the 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.”
The Astros were greeted back to Houston with orange-and-blue confetti rained down on the players and hundreds of thousands of onlookers in downtown Houston. Fans stood more than 10 rows deep, with chants of “Let’s go Astros” echoing off skyscrapers, while some claimed bird’s-eye views from the upper floors of parking structures, waving banners and signs.
Overall, the World Series win is great for all of Houston, as the city continues to recover from Hurricane Harvey and the devastating rains and flooding that followed the late August storm.