The long and eventful 2022 Major League Baseball (MLB) season finally ended last Saturday night. The Houston Astros completed an incredible postseason run with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 at Minute Maid Park. After going down two games to one early in the series, Houston buckled down and won three straight games to capture yet another World Series ring.
In what would be the deciding game, the Phillies jumped out in front in the sixth inning, thanks to Kyle Schwarber, who smoked one over the right field wall to give his team a 1-0 lead. However, that would be all she wrote for the Phillies offense. Framber Valdez continued his postseason dominance with a six-inning outing giving up only one run on two hits, striking out nine. And of course, the Astros bullpen did what they had done all season long. Relievers Héctor Neris, Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly slammed the door shut on the Phillies postseason hopes with three innings of one hit baseball.
The hero of Game 6 was none other than the 25-year-old Cuban slugger Yordan Álvarez. Batting in the bottom half of the sixth inning, Álvarez shifted the momentum back into the Astros’ favor with one monster swing. With two men on and one out, the city of Houston erupted after Álvarez sent a fastball from José Alvarado into the stratosphere, 450 feet, dead centerfield, putting Houston up 3-1. After that moment, the team never looked back.
Christian Vázquez added fuel to the fire just a few batters later. On a two ball, two strike count, he sent a liner to left field for a base hit. This would be enough to score Alex Bregman from the second, tallying on the fourth and final run for his squad.
Once Kyle Tucker squeezed the final out into his mitt, the celebration was on. Astros manager Dusty Baker was immediately the center of attention. After a long road of heartbreak after heartbreak, Baker was finally able to capture his first World Series crown in his 25th year of managing. The 73-year-old is now the oldest manager in baseball history to win the Fall Classic.
In the postgame ceremony, it was rookie sensation Jeremy Peña who was awarded the World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP). The young shortstop added another trophy to his trophy case to go along with his American League Championship Series (ALCS) MVP and Gold Glove award to cap off the night. After another outstanding series that featured a batting average of .400, one home run, three runs batted in and gold glove caliber defense at short, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Peña was the most deserving.
Of course, this series cannot be talked about without giving the Philadelphia Phillies their flowers. A true underdog story, the Phillies clinched the postseason in the final week of the regular season and played the role of David in each of their postseason matchups. However, series after series, the Phillies dug deep and were able to beat the odds, going on to win the National League pennant. Even with a season where the team endured so much, like the firing of their manager Joe Girardi, they found a way to stay in contention all year long. With Rob Thomson, Girardi’s replacement, at the helm, this team has a lot to look forward to in the coming years.
With that, the final chapter closes on the 2022 MLB season with the Houston Astros reclaiming their spot on top of the baseball world.
