Got through watching a great World Series last night between two great teams.
Congrats to the Astros for winning the series and their first championship in team history. Honestly, one of the best WS I’ve seen. There was a little bit of both throughout the series.
Listening to some before the series started I expected the Dodgers to run though the Astros, but having watched the team all year I realized it would be a close series, going 6 or 7 games.
Looking back at the series, the turning point to me was in the 8th and 9th innings of game 2. You have the Dodgers up 1-0 in the series, up 3-1 in the game and a closer coming on with one on in the 8th. Jansen is considered the best closer, and I’m sure at the beginning of the game if you asked any Dodger fan, they would be all right with this situation.
Instead you had the runner come home, and in the 9th Gonzalez hit a HR to tie the game.
That right there gave the Astros what they required in the series. They could hit the Dodgers bullpen, and by winning the game tied the series heading back to Houston. Really, from that point on it seemed the Astros were a slightly better team in all aspects.
Then you had a normal 5-3 victory (with some stupid thin skinned people trying to inject politics).
Game 4 went the Dodgers way as they came out early and cruised to a victory to tied the series once more.
The next night, a showdown, Keuchel against Kershaw. No one expected both starters to be gone by the 5th, or the game to be so long, or so exciting giving fans of both sides heart-attacks. But it went back to Los Angeles with the Astros up 3-2 and Verlander up.
Dodgers did what they’ve done, be tough at home winning the game 3-1.
But the Astros did it in game 7, striking hard and fast early on against a pitcher who before game 3 Dodger fans were gushing over.
So, congratulations to the Astros, the better team in the series. A team which only a few years ago endured three 100+ losing seasons to rebuild for this moment. Makes me wonder how many other teams will look at how Houston drafted, and perhaps try a similar path to rebuilding.