Astros are the 2022 World Series Champions

 

For years, orange-clad Astros fans had been waiting for this moment. Having watched their beloved team win a World Series from afar five years ago, they were rewarded with a World Series trophy. Two other teams claimed and celebrated Series crowns here at Minute Maid Park after that title turned from outright triumph to a contentious talking point.

The sound was finally unleashed when Yordan Alvarez connected on José Alvarado's sinker in the bottom of the sixth inning. With a 4-1 victory over the Phillies in Game 6, and a World Series clincher inside their own stadium, the fans roared with joy, unencumbered by the weight of what had been or what was to come.

For the second time in six seasons, the Astros are World Series champions thanks to Alvarez's 450-foot home run to dead center. With all the attention and condemnation the 2017 club received, the sting of hosting bottle-popping parties for the 2019 Nationals and the 21 Braves, and Dusty Baker's 25-year quest for a ring as a skipper, there was a cleansing catharsis as the champagne flowed freely.

“I think that's what drove this team,” said Baker, who had been the winningest manager (2,093 wins and 11 previous postseason appearances) without a World Series title. “That's what motivated them. The boos and the jeers that we got all over the country, it bothered these guys, but it also motivated them at the same time. And it wasn't an us against the world thing. It was more of a ‘come together even closer’ type of thing.”

It was the first time since the 2013 Red Sox that a team won the World Series on its home field. In the pandemic-affected postseason of '20, the Dodgers' win in Arlington, Texas, was their only "home" victory.

This Astros era also cemented the team's status as a modern dynasty. It is incredible that the Astros were able to reach six consecutive League Championship Series, win four pennants, and win two championships in six seasons despite the unpredictable nature of October (and November) outcomes. Achieving such a feat requires persistent player movement and low draft positioning for successful teams. Even if it won't silence the harshest critics of the egregious methods the 2017 and '18 teams used to steal and relay signs, the Astros' achievement is a marvel.

“I don’t think we have to validate anything,” catcher Martín Maldonado said. “We did it for the city, for the fans, for all those guys supporting us. We’re still the best team in baseball.”

During their careers, the Astros, their fans, and Baker had endured a lot of heat and had endured some awful endings. Nevertheless, this was a moment and a party they could call their own. 

Congratulations to the 2022 World Series Champions......GO STROS!!!