By DUSTIN NILES
Layout & Design Editor
The 2016 World Series, in which the Chicago Cubs ended a 108-year World Series drought, was a hard act to follow. But the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers certainly did their best.
The Houston Astros won their franchise’s first World Series in history when they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles 5-1 on Nov. 1. Out elder George Springer won the World Series MVP award for his record-tying 5 home runs over the course of the series.
It was a home-run filled series from the beginning. 25 home runs were hit combined from both teams throughout the series. The Astros hit the most home runs by a single team in World Series history, with 15 throughout the series.
Both teams were evenly matched throughout the series. Games 1 and 2 were played in Los Angeles, and the Dodgers took the first game while the Astros
took the second game. According to ABC News, the temperature at the start of Game 1 was 103 oF, making it the hottest World Series game ever recorded. Game 2 featured the most home runs in a World Series game in history, with eight between the two teams. All were hit by different batters. The game went into extra innings, with the Astros coming out on top in 11 innings.
The teams headed to Houston to play the next three games with the series tied 1-1. Houston took Game 3, which included a racially insensitive gesture in the dugout from Yuli Gurriel, captured by television cameras. He later apologized, but was suspended for the first five games of the 2018 season without pay. He was allowed to continue playing in the World Series.
Los Angeles won Game 4 6-2, and afterwards, the pitching coaches from both teams said that the baseballs being used for the World Series were slicker than those used in every other game.
Game 5 was won by the Astros, on a walk-o single hit by in elder Alex Bregman in the tenth inning.
Tied 3-2, the series headed back to Los Angeles. In Game 6, the Dodgers came out on top 3-1. Future World Series MVP Springer tallied his fourth home run of the series, tying greats Hank Bauer and Barry Bonds for number of home runs in a World Series. Andre Ethier appeared as a pinch-hitter in Game 6, his 50th postseason game in his career. Game 7 was a thriller, the first Game 7 of the World Series to be played in Dodgers Stadium. Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish and Astros pitcher Lance McCullers started the game, and neither made it past the third inning.
Springer hit his fifth home run of the series, tying the record set by Reggie Jackson and Chase Utley for the most homeruns in the World Series. Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager grounded out to José Altuve, who threw to Yuli Gurriel to get Seager out, to end the game, and win the first World Series in the Astros 55-year history, and end baseball season.
The series was riveting, a great follow-up to the legendary 2016 World Series. It was full of dramatic
moments from some of the game’s most famous players. Dodgers pitching phenom Clayton Kershaw won a World Series game and received a no decision in his other start. Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, who made his name known as a member of the Detroit Tigers, pitched a no-decision game in Game 2 and registered a loss in Game 6, but won his first World Series in his illustrious 13-year career. After Game 7, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa proposed to his girlfriend Daniella Rodriguez during a postgame interview with eld reporter Ken Rosenthal, and she accepted. The 113th Fall Classic was the first to have home eld advantage decided by regular season record of the pennant winners. With the Dodgers’ 104 regular season wins to the Astros’ 101, the majority of the series’ games were played in Los Angeles.
Next year’s World Series will have another tough act to follow after this year’s. The 2018 season opens on March 29, 2018.
