Major League Baseball: 2022 Season

[JohnBM01]

The Atlanta Braves are DONE. The defending Champions got eliminated by the Philadelphia Phillies in their NLDS match. PHI took the PHI/ATL series in four games. So they will get the winner of the LAD/SD match for the 2022 NLCS. The San Diego Padres currently lead their series over the Los Angeles Dodgers, in which the Dodgers finished the regular season with the best record in baseball.

Now, we're assured a new Champion this season with Atlanta now gone.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros begin their 2022 postseason campaign. Here's the series summary of AL West foes, Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros:

* SEA Mariners vs. HOU Astros (5-game series)

[GAME 1] Justin Verlander got roughed up in this game and lasted only four innings. Seattle was up by as much as 4-0. They had one run in the Top of the 1st followed by three runs in the Top of the 2nd. The Astros needed some innings to wake up with Logan Gilbert on the mound for Seattle. They finally did in the Bottom of the 3rd when they brought in two runs on a Yordan Alvarez RBI double. Yulinski Gurriel (better known as Yuli Gurriel) blasted a solo bomb to left in the Bottom of the 4th to give the Astros their third run of the game. After four innings, it was a 6-3 Mariners lead. No scoring happened again until the 7th inning, when Eugenio Sqarez launched one to left to make it a 7-3 Mariners lead in the Top of the 7th. The game ended in walk-off fashion as Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run jack to right in the Bottom of the 9th to crush the Mariners' hearts. I didn't see it live as it happened, and I thought were doomed. The Astros making one of the most clutch of clutch plays to send the Houston fans home happy.

[GAME 2] The first score of the game came off the bat of Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros. He bombed one to right to put the Astros up 1-0 in the Bottom of the 2nd. An error throw to Home ends up in Seattle tying the game 1-1 in the Top of the 4th. Then, they took the lead on the very next pitch on an RBI single. It's 2-1, Seattle now. I didn't see what happened live, but Jeremy Peña picked up a hit followed by a two-run jack by Yordan Alvarez became the go-ahead score to put Houston back up 3-2 in the Bottom of the 6th. Even cooler deal was that Yordan Alvarez's family was in attendance in the Crawford Boxes when he hit that homer to left. An RBI by the Astros put them up 4-2 in the Bottom of the 8th. The score of 4-2 would hold as the Astros take the first two games of this ALDS series. Now, it's on to Seattle for Game 3 (and maybe Game 4).

[GAME 3] Game 3 now means the Emerald City gets its shine on in this Astros-Mariners series, and the Seattle fans wanted the run the Astros out of Seattle with losses. The Astros came into this game as the only Divisional Series where one team has a 2-0 lead. Game 3 was a pitcher's duel and a defensive struggle all game long. Sleepless in Seattle? Ha. More like... scoreless in Seattle! Regulation solved nothing as both sides remained scoreless through nine innings. This is the 12th postseason game where both teams remained scoreless after nine innings. In this situation, the home team is 7-4 in such games. Seattle hoping for some walk-off magic like from 1995, when the Mariners got the walk-off win against the New York Yankees. This game later became the first-ever postseason game to go 15 scoreless innings. There were 40 combined strikeouts in this game- most in postseason history at around the Top of the 17th of this game. You realize I haven't mentioned a single score yet, right? Well, let's change that. Jeremy Peña jacked one to left-center to score the first run of the game in the Top of the 18th. It was 1-0 Astros at that point after 17 innings of scoreless baseball. After over six hours of baseball, this one's mercifully over as the Astros made the ALCS yet again. The Astros swept the Mariners, but did they ever have to earn it!

[GAME 4] ~not needed~

[GAME 5] ~not needed~

GM1 SEA at HOU: (8-7; Houston)
GM2 SEA at HOU: (4-2; Houston)
GM3 HOU at SEA: (1-0, 18 innings; Houston)
GM4 HOU at SEA: ~not needed~
GM5 SEA at HOU: ~not needed~

NEXT: Championship Series! We get the series winner of the New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians.


That's all from me for this post! Take care and be well.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Cleveland Guardians at New York Yankees game was to be played last night, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Whomever wins between the Guardians and Yankees will meet the Houston Astros in the 2022 American League Championship Series.


[OMISSION] The National League Championship Series (NLCS) begins today as the San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies battle to claim their spot as the NL representative of the 2022 World Series. Games 1 and 2 of the NLCS will be in San Diego.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros now know their opponent in the 2022 ALCS. And it will be... the New York Yankees. The Cleveland Guardians are DONE after losing 5-1 at the Yankees tonight. I even seen the three-run bomb Giancarlo Stanton smashed in the Bottom of the 3rd to go up 3-0. So once again, it will be Astros-Yankees to determine the AL representative of the 2022 World Series. All congratulations to the Yanks, and good season for Cleveland.

 

[kjb]

As much as it pains me to say this especially as. Yankees fan but I think the Astros will win in 6. The lack of a bullpen and a questionable manager gives the Astros the edge. Hopefully the Yankees prove me wrong

 

[JohnBM01]

Half of the 2022 World Series is set! The Philadelphia Phillies eliminated the San Diego Padres by taking the 2022 NLCS 4-1 today. Philadelphia will now await whether the Houston Astros or the New York Yankees will win the 2022 ALCS.

 

[TRB1999]

Big congrats to the Phillies. First World Series appearance since 2009, and I’m happy for them. The Astros are definitely going to be a challenge though.

Or maybe the Yankees will pull off the mega comeback, but I have little hope for them given their recent history with Houston.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros and New York Yankees continue their rivalry. After the Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians in their ALDS matchup, they had a mantra of "WE WANT HOUSTON." Well... be careful what you wish for, because you are going to get you're going to get Houston. Let's find out how this American League Championship Series match went...

* NYY Yankees vs. HOU Astros (7-game series)

[GAME 1] Justin Verlander faced off against Harrison Taillon in this pitching match. The Astros were on a few days rest from their epic series against the Mariners, and the Yankees had to make up for Monday's rain out by playing on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians. Harrison Bader for the New York Yankees hit a solo shot to put the Yanks up 1-0 in the Top of the 2nd. Martin Maldonaldo ("The Machete") rips a shot that goes off of the right-center wall to bring home an RBI to tie the game at 1 in the Bottom of the 2nd. Yuli Gurriel puts the Astros in front on a solo jack to left in the Top of the 6th. Now it's 2-1 Astros. Make that back-to-back jacks as Chas McCormick touched the sky with a solo homer of his own. Astros now lead 3-1 after the Chasmanian Devil's bomb to right. Justin Verlander left the game after six innings giving up only one run and striking out 11 (6 strikeouts in a row at one point). Jeremy Peña bombed one high and gone in the air to left-center to make it a 4-1 lead for Houston in the Bottom of the 7th. The Yankees finally lit the scoreboard again with a solo homer in the Top of the 8th by Anthony Rizzo. The Astros' lead is now cut to 4-2. Ryan Pressly preserved the Save by winning this one 4-2.

[GAME 2] It is only the second-ever time this season that the roof was open at Minute Maid Park. Framber Valdez of the Astros matched up against Luis Severino of the Yankees. No scoring happened until the Bottom of the 3rd. A "Breggy Bomb" blew up as Alex Bregman hit a three-run jack to left. The Astros went up 3-0, which is how the 3rd inning ended. Throwing errors led to the Yankees putting some Yanks on, which then led to a Yankees RBI on a groundout. So it's 3-1 now in the Top of the 4th. Then an RBI single in the same inning brought in another Yankee to bring the Astros' lead down to 3-2. No further scoring since as the Houston Astros pitching and defense held serve to secure the 3-2 win.

[GAME 3] The series now goes to the Bronx for Games 3-5 (Game 5 if needed). One Yankees fan even had a sign saying, "Welcome Back Cheaters." The Yankees may be nicknamed the Bronx Bombers, but Chas McCormick hit a bomb of his own- a two-run jack by Chas McCormick in the Top of the 2nd put the Astros up 2-0 with two outs. I usually report scoring plays, but it took José Altuve until his 26th at-bat to FINALLY end his hitless streak to start this postseason. He banged a one-out double in the Top of the 5th. His 0-25 start was the longest hitless streak in his postseason career. Trey Mancini scored on a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded and no outs in the Top of the 6th. Three Astros runs on the board now at that point as they lead 3-0. Christian Vasquez brought home two more Astros on an RBI single to make it a 5-0 lead for Houston that same inning. The Yankees could only manage three hits (was one-hit for most of the game) as the Astros won 5-0. The Yankees have never been blanked in the postseason since 2017 against Houston.

[GAME 4] This game's start was rain delayed. When the game did get underway, it was the Yankees who struck first on an RBI in the Bottom of the 1st. A towering high shot dropped in front of two Astros, and the Yankees brought home another run for a 2-0 start to this game. Was this rain delay Mother Nature's way of signaling a changing of the winds? The Yankees scored again on an RBI double in the Bottom of the 2nd. Yankees now lead 3-0 on the poor pitching of Lance McCullers Jr. Jeremy Peña launched a three-run bomb to deep left to tie the game at three in the Top of the 3rd. This was after back-to-back walks with nobody out that inning. New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes had some issues and had to leave the game after that three-run homer. The Astros took the lead during the Top of the 3rd with an RBI single by Yuli Gurriel. It's now a 4-3 advantage for the Houston Astros. The game was tied again thanks to an RBI single in the Bottom of the 4th. The Yanks tied it up at 4-4 at that point. Harrison Bader in the Bottom of the 5th gave the Yankees back the lead on a two-out solo homer to left. New York Yankees now lead 5-4 after the Bader Bomb. The Houston Astros came back to tie the game at 5-5 in the Top of the 7th off an RBI by Yordan Alvarez. They later saw another Astros RBI, but from Alex Bregman this time in the same inning. Astros went back on top 6-5 in this back-and-forth offensive slugfest. As the game went past Midnight, Monday in Eastern Time after the Rain Delay, Midnight struck on the Yankees as the Astros win the AL Pennant yet again. The improbable success of the Astros against the Yankees in the postseason continues.

[GAME 5] ~not needed~

[GAME 6] ~not needed~

[GAME 7] ~not needed~

GM1 NYY at HOU: (4-2; Houston)
GM2 NYY at HOU: (3-2; Houston)
GM3 HOU at NYY: (5-0; Houston)
GM4 HOU at NYY: (6-5; Houston)
GM5 HOU at NYY: ~not needed~
GM6 NYY at HOU: ~not needed~
GM7 NYY at HOU: ~not needed~

New York Yankees fans chanted, "WE WANT HOUSTON." They got Houston... then got swept. I always respect the Yankees though I am not a fan of the team. This was a gritty series, just like against the Seattle Mariners. You are always going to get the best out of each team you face in the postseason. Question is... will you better what the other team(s) offer, or will you crumble under pressure and fall to your opposition(s)? Time will tell what happens when the Houston Astros will be done with their 2022 World Series. Will they get their second (and hopefully less controversial/tainted) championship, or will they see their World Series opposition be atop the Major League Baseball mountain? Who is this opposition I speak of? Well, up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club...

NEXT: 2022 World Series! Our opponent- the Philadelphia Phillies.


That's all from me! Take care and be well. My final series summary of the season will come when the 2022 World Series is complete.

 

[kjb]

Congratulations to the Astros I hope they win because I like Dusty Baker. I hope the Yankees clean house because they are not anywhere near the Astros right now

 

[Blitz24]

Congratulations to the Astros I hope they win because I like Dusty Baker. I hope the Yankees clean house because they are not anywhere near the Astros right now

Yankees just made questionable decisions throughout the series. However, the most head-scratching decision was made by Trent Grisham of the Padres. 1 out in the 9th inning with runners on first and second in a 1 run game and he tries to bunt for a base hit. Unless he's anticipating newly-inserted reliever Ranger Suarez to throw the ball wildly, the best outcome would have been bases loaded and 1 out with a slow catcher up at bat. While it would remove a double-play chance, it also removes the chance of tying the game on a fly ball and pretty much means you are playing for the tie.

 

[JohnBM01]

Honestly and obviously, I am proud of my Houston Astros knocking off the New York Yankees. What I was NOT expecting, though, was a sweep of the Yanks. Okay- I kind of picked the Astros to win at home for games 1 and 2. Then, I was expecting the Yankees to win two or maybe all three games in the Bronx to lead the series 3-2. I was concerned about Game 4 since Lance McCullers Jr. wasn't entirely at his best for Game 4. But... a 4-0 sweep of the New York Yankees in the ALCS? This is like the classic case of being "scary good." Almost like being scared of how good you really are.

What mesmerizes me is how well the Houston Astros have done without José Altuve having to be the man. Someone on Twitter reminded me that we don't have Michael Brantley in our lineup either. It's a great thing when other players step up outside of stars. I don't know what the heck is happening to J. Altuve, but I'm glad other players are stepping up. Namely rookie Jeremy Peña has established himself. It took Jose Altuve 26 at-bats before finally knocking in a hit.

Of course, you can't mention the Astros without their pitching rotation. Justin Verlander is S-Tier as is Framber Valdez. Luis Garcia is fun to watch, but his ERA is in the high 3's. NOT good. He still wins games, and I was most impressed how he took on the late innings role nicely in Game 3 of the HOU-SEA series. I am most impressed with Ryne Stanek of the relief pitchers. Rafael Montero and Hector Neris are fine relivers also. And most of all, Ryan Pressly has been a very good closer.


Now for my thoughts on the upcoming World Series. I feel like three things work against the Astros:

1.) I fear the usual "can't win in Houston" stigma when Houston teams are doing well. Pick Houston to win, and they eventually find a way to fail on the championship stage. One Twitter account I saw called the 2019 Houston Astros as the most talented Astros team, but also the biggest chokers.

2.) Teams that started 5-0 or better in the postseason usually lose in either the Championship Series or the World Series. Two teams went into the World Series 7-0, and both failed to win the World Series.

3.) The World Series of late has usually been clinched by the road team of late. Houston has the home advantage, but I am reminded of the nightmare of the 2019 World Series where every road team won each game.

Philadelphia is a dangerous team. They basically have gotten hot at the right moment. I'm feeling they will play valiantly enough to trump the Astros eventually. Blitz24 mentioned questionable decisions for the Yankees. Well, we've made some questionable decisions as well that ended up costing us wins and the World Series. So we won't be that much different in this regard.

First of all, I am NOT predicting an Astros sweep of the Phillies. We're not THAT good. Something tells me this World Series goes 5 or 6 games. MAYBE all seven games. If it does go seven, I hope it doesn't be like the 2019 World Series. I want the Astros to win it all and alleviate my fears of them cracking on the grandest stage. Maybe even Dusty Baker gets himself a championship ring for his legendary career. More importantly, finally show they've moved on from the controversial winning of the World Series in 2017.


But... those are all my views. The 2022 World Series begins on Friday here in Houston. Care to predict how this season's World Series go? Who do you see hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy? Share your thoughts or simply get ready for the World Series starting this Friday.

 

[JohnBM01]

In anticipation of the 2022 World Series, I figured I'll make my "How Did We Get Here?" post here.

How Did We Get Here? - Houston Astros

• 106-56 regular season record (best record in American League)
• secured AL West Championship, entered as a No. 1 seed
• secured home field advantage in AL
• defeated SEA in 3 games in the best-of-5 ALDS
• defeated NYY in 4 games in the best-of-7 ALCS

How Did We Get Here? - Philadelphia Phillies

• 87-75 regular season record
• finished 3rd in NL East
• secured NL Wild Card, entered as a No. 6 seed
• defeated STL in 2 games in best-of-3 NL Wild Card
• defeated ATL in 4 games in best-of-5 NLDS
• defeated SD in 5 games in best-of-7 NLCS

So that sets up this match coming up. Now when the Phillies met the Astros in the regular season finale, PHI won game 1 by a score of 3-0. The Astros would win the PHI at HOU series by winning 10-0 in Game 2 and 3-2 in the Rubber Game of this series. Regular season and postseason are two totally different animals. It is never easy to put away the same team in the same season. The stage is brighter along with more on the line. Neither team can afford to squander any opportunity to become the World Series Champion of this season. Philadelphia had to work their way a bit more than Houston to make it this far, but either team can still make plenty of noise.

Think about last season also. The Atlanta Braves kind of were in a funk until they got their act together to make it to the World Series. They were in kind of the situation the 2022 Philadelphia Phillies are in now. Look what ended up happening last season- Atlanta winning it all against Houston. In fact, the last World Series appearances since 2017, the Astros lost the World Series to the Washington Nationals (2019, 7 games) followed by the Atlanta Braves (2021, 6 games). This season would seem like a total failure if the Astros don't win it all considering all the damage they've done this season. We're not a team of destiny, but I'd hate seeing an amazing team I love choke. I am also always fearful of the stigma of not being able to win championships in a city not known for winning many championships. It gets too redundant often times.


That concludes my "How Did We Get Here?" and extra musings post. I meant to post this yesterday (as opposed to on the actual day of the start of the World Series!), but at least I posted this.

Enjoy the 2022 World Series!

 

[JohnBM01]

On this day (November 1) in 2017...

the Houston Astros won their first-ever World Series. Controversies aside regarding the 2017 World Series, it was a great moment to prove you CAN win championships in Houston. They won the 2017 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a series that went the whole seven-game distance. It was the culmination of having three straight 100+ loss seasons and building up a very decent offense over the years. I'd say the Astros got acclimated to the American League quite well after many years in the National League. The Astros did make the World Series in 2005, but they'd get swept by the Chicago White Sox. I think Houston is the first team to win the Pennant in both the American League and National League. They gone from never making it to the World Series to making the World Series four of the last six seasons, winning (controversially) in 2017 and failing to Washington (2019, 7 games) and Atlanta (2021, 6 games). I still follow and support this team despite the cheating scandal.


Again- whether the Houston Astros or Philadelphia Phillies win the 2022 World Series, I'll share my series summary with you all once this season is all done.

 

[JohnBM01]

Well, this is it. All or nothing. Thirty hopeful teams whittled down to two. Commissioner's Trophy on the line. It's the WORLD SERIES! Also, it is my final series summary of this season. Time to crown a champion. Let's get it!

* PHI Phillies vs. HOU Astros (7-game series)

[GAME 1] Heavy rain earlier in the day in Houston did nothing to dilute the spirit of fans of both teams in Houston. It is sad to believe that Justin Verlander, as awesome as he is, came into tonight's game 0-6 in World Series starts with an ERA in the 5.8 range. Also He has NEVER won a World Series start. Maybe he can change that in this game. The Astros have never won Game 1 of the World Series. Maybe Houston can change that as well. Opposing J. Verlander on the mound was Aaron Nola for the Phillies. Kyle Tucker jacked up the crowd by hitting a solo jack to deep right to put Houston up 1-0 in the Bottom of the 2nd. Martin Maldonaldo would knock in a run on an RBI single in the same inning. Houston went up 2-0 at that point. "King Tuck" struck again in the Bottom of the 3rd. This time, Kyle Tucker launched a three-run homer to right-center. Astros now lead 5-0 after Kyle Tucker's bomb. He also became the first-ever Astro to hit multiple home runs in the same game in the World Series. Philadelphia finally lit up the scoreboard on an RBI single in the Top of the 4th. The Astros lead is now cut from 5-0 to 5-1. Two runs scored later to make it a 5-3 Astros lead. Oh, boy. It got worse for Houston in the Top of the 5th as J.T. Realmuto hit a deep RBI double to bring home two Phillies. It is now a brand new game with five unanswered runs by Philadelphia to level the score at five. Regulation solved nothing, so the first game of the 2022 World Series will have to be decided in Extra Innings. J.T. Realmuto hit a go-ahead solo homer in the Top of the 10th. His homer is the first extra innings homer in Phillies history. So that's now six unanswered runs by the Phillies; and also so much of the, "the Astros are going to sweep" or "Astros are going to finish the postseason undefeated" predictions. It is also the first lead for the Phillies in this game. I wasn't buying that prediction anyhow. With the wind being taken out of the Astros' sails, they remain winless all-time in the first game of the World Series. Phillies win 6-5 in Game 1 in 10 innings.

[GAME 2] Framber Valdez was pitching for the Houston Astros, and Zack Wheeler was pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies for Game 2. Possibly angered from allowing six unanswered runs after being up 5-0 last night, the Astros wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Jose Altuve hit a double on the first pitch, then an RBI double by Jeremy Peña put the Astros up 1-0 in the Bottom of the 1st. Then a deep RBI double to left by Yordan Alvarez brought home Jeremy Peña to make it a 2-0 Astros lead. Yep- three batters, three doubles, two runs, nobody out. What should have been a routine out to end the 1st inning results in an error, and that error resulted in an RBI single for Yuli Gurriel to make it 3-0 in favor of Houston. Breggy Bomb, anyone? Alex Bregman had liftoff on a two-run jack in the Bottom of the 5th. The Astros led 5-0. This time, hopefully not giving up that lead unlike their 5-0 lead in Game 1. The Phillies got on the board in the Top of the 7th on a sacrifice fly. The Astros' lead was cut down to 5-1 after that sacrifice fly. The Phillies hit a shot to very deep right that seemed like a two-run homer, but it was ultimately ruled foul. Houston fans could breathe easier while Philadelphia fans were stunned it was a foul ball. The Astros would eventually hold on to their 5-1 lead in the Middle of the 8th. A pitch that would have ended the game ends up being an error that brought home a Phillies player in the Top of the 9th. The Astros' lead is now 5-2 after the error. That would be the final score as the Astros tied the World Series at 1.

[GAME 3] Game 3 was supposeed to be played on Halloween in Philadelphia; but unfortunately, rain pushed this game to be postponed to Tuesday. Games 3-5 of the 2022 World Series will be in Philadelphia with the rowdy Phillies fans seeking their fourth-ever World Series championship. It was Lance McCullers Jr. (HOU) vs. Ranger Suarez (PHI) in this one. The Astros won it all on November 1 in 2017. Phillies struck first in the Bottom of the 1st on a two-run homer to right from Bryce Harper on the first pitch thrown to him. The first inning ended in a 2-0 advantage for the Fightin' Phils. The nightmare continued in the Bottom of the 2nd as Philly homered again on the first pitch of the Bottom of the 2nd on a Bohm Bomb. Philadelphia now with a 3-0 advantage on Houston. Make it 4- another home run hit by the Phillies in the same inning. Bohm hit the 1,000th homer in World Series history, and Brandon Marsh hit the 1,001st. The Phillies became the first team to hit three homers in the first two innings in a World Series game. Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run bomb to center in the Bottom of the 5th to make it 6-0. So on this fifth anniversary of the Astros winning the World Series, they are losing it bad in Philadelphia with no real answer for the Phillies or the crowd in Philadelphia. Another solo shot made it a 7-0 game in favor of Philadelphia. And by that that point, I stopped watching the game and used my energy towards other things. It reminded me of when Atlanta was up 6-0 in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series to where the Astros had no response. Only good news for Houston is that the Phillies scored no further runs. That, however, is because the damage was already done.

[GAME 4] If the Astros failed in Game 4, many feel the Astros would have no hope of bouncing back. So this felt like a must-win for the Astros. Christian Javier of the Astros was dealing for Houston while the Phillies oppose Javier with Aaron Nola for Philadelphia. A hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded and nobody out in the Top of the 5th lead to the first score of the game. It was 1-0 Astros after Yordan Alvarez got plunked by Alvarado on the first pitch, taking over for Aaron Nola. Alex Bregman banged in a deep RBI double to right to bring home two Astros the same inning. A sacrifice fly brought home Yordan Alvarez to make it a 4-0 Astros advantage. One more Astro crossed home plate to make it a 5-0 advantage in the same inning. Astros put a five-spot on the board in the 5th inning. Alex Bregman took the lead as having the most RBIs in World Series history by a third baseman. Christian Javier became the first pitcher in World Series history with 9 strikeouts and 0 hits through five innings. He also had a no-hitter through six innings. He left the game after the sixth inning to hand over to Bryan Abreu. The Astros carried a combined no-hitter into the Bottom of the 9th. And that combined no-hitter would hold! It was the 2nd-ever no-hitter in World Series history and the first-ever combined no-hitter in the World Series. Astros REALLY needed to win this one, and boy did they ever! The last no-hitter in World Series history was back in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

[GAME 5] Justin Verlander had maybe one last chance to redeem himself for his poor pitching in the World Series. He was opposed by ex-Met Noah Syndergaard. This game was predicted to mostly be a bullpen game. Jose Altuve's leadoff triple in the Top of the 1st led to Jeremy Peña getting a base knock to bring Altuve home. Astros take the early 1-0 advantage on Peña's RBI single. On just two pitches, Verlander already got rocked as Kyle Schwarber went deep on a solo homer. The game is tied at 1-1 in the Bottom of the 1st. The Phillies did something tonight about being no-hit last night. Jeremy Peña had liftoff on a solo jack to left in the Top of the 4th. He was the first rookie shortstop to homer in the World Series. It wasn't pretty, but it worked, and that's all that matters. Astros re-took the lead 2-1 at that point. Noah Syndergaard's night was done after seeing that solo homer from Jeremy Peña. Alex Bregman hit a shot off the top of the wall. It didn't become a homer, and he almost was taken out on a double attempt, but A-Breg makes it to 2nd base on a one-out double. Philadelphia has shown in this series to respond promptly when getting scored on or hit. The crowd is also as dangerous as their team, almost as if the next big moment will happen sooner than later for their beloved baseball team. Yordan Alvarez hit what was a funky shot in the Top of the 8th, but ended up being a sacrifice play to bring home an Astro. If the Phillies 1st Baseman bobbled the ball further, Yordan would have been on base with nobody out. The Astros still led 3-1 at this point. A run came home for Philadelphia in the Bottom of the 8th with one out. The new score is 3-2, Astros now. The Astros won 3-2... and Justin Verlander FINALLY secures his first World Series game win. This was not a pretty game, yet the Astros held serve in the most stressing of fashions.

[GAME 6] With the change in schedule after the rain delay on Halloween, Friday is a travel day followed by Saturday being Game 6. So we can call this Saturday as part of Championship Weekend. The roof was closed despite the mostly clear skies slated for this game. Local icon, "Mattress Mac" threw out the first pitch along with George Strait saying "Play Ball!" Houston has never won Game 6 of the World Series, and they've never won the World Series at home. They have a chance to chance the former tonight, and two chances to change the latter. There was no scoring all game long until Kyle Schwarber hit a solo bomb to right to put Philadelphia up 1-0 in the Top of the 6th. Philadelphia knows their backs are to the wall in this game, and they made sure to keep themselves in the fight. They don't call the Philadelphia Phillies as the the "Fightin' Phils" for nothing. Yordan Alvarez banged a homer so awesome to center in the Bottom of the 6th that I thought was going to land in Dallas! His 450-foot jack gave the Astros a 3-1 lead. They added one more run that same inning as Christian Vazquez hit an RBI single to bring home another Astro. The 6th inning ended with the Astros leading 4-1. That score would hold as the Houston Astros completed an amazing season with winning the 2022 World Series! Final score- 4-1, Astros. This is the first time since 2014 that the World Series was clinched at home. This will be a Saturday night Houston Astros fans will never forget.

[GAME 7] ~not needed~

GM1 PHI at HOU: (6-5, 10 innings; Philadelphia)
GM2 PHI at HOU: (5-2; Houston)
GM3 HOU at PHI: (7-0; Philadelphia)
GM4 HOU at PHI: (5-0; Houston)
GM5 HOU at PHI: (3-2; Houston)
GM6 PHI at HOU: (4-1; Houston)
GM7 PHI at HOU: ~not needed~

Congratulations to your new champions of Major League Baseball, the Houston Astros! Dusty Baker had 2,093 wins heading into tonight as manager- the most without a World Series title. Make that 2,094 wins for the 73-year old and FINALLY- a World Series title- the second in team history! The Astros had a handful of exciting and memorable moments in 2022. Some of them include when the Astros hit five home runs in one inning at the Boston Red Sox. The Astros pitched two immaculate innings at the Texas Rangers. The Astros combined no-hit the Yankees at the Yankees and at Philadelphia in Philly in the World Series. The ALDS game in Seattle that was an epic 18-inning pitching duel that had 17 scoreless innings. Finally of note, the epic extra-base robbing catch by Chas McCormick. Being denied the Championship in 2019 and 2021 finally resulted in Houston becoming kings of Major League Baseball once again. As a native Houstonian, I am proud to see Houston sports teams WINNING on the major stage rather than have to be bridesmaids. I did not have the Astros sweeping or winning easily. Philadelphia was going to make the Astros work for it. I am incredibly proud of my team despite being uncertain they could pull this off. But... they did. It was amazing to see the Astros clinch the World Series- let alone clinch at home. Jeremy Peña was the Postseason MVP (and deservedly so). All congratulations to the Houston Astros. But also, the Philadelphia Phillies deserve credit for even making it this far and having to work for it.

The 2022 season of Major League Baseball is now over. The Houston Astros now know the other 29 teams will want to accomplish next season what they accomplished this season. So get ready for Spring Training 2023 and onwards, Astros!


That's all from me! Take care and be well. My final series summary of the season will come when the 2022 World Series is complete. Thank you all for participating in these discussions all season!

 

[Dolph Drago]

Congrats on your boys winning, @JohnBM01! Enjoy the moment.

 

[Casey]

Though I would've like to seen my team the Braves win again I was happy seeing the Astros beat the Phillies!

 

[Blitz24]

The Phillies got hot in the playoffs, overpowered the Cardinals and stunned the Braves. They got lucky that the Padres stunned the Dodgers (and also the Mets). Then again, the playoffs are a combination of luck and talent and Philadelphia certainly had both. The problem was that Houston is that much better.

 

[JohnBM01]

I mostly followed sports since 2002. It was maybe 2003 or 2004 I started following the Houston Astros. Never before have I been so proud of my team or considered them outright amazing. I was always wanting my Astros to win and felt they can become champions. However, I don't let my confidence up because when I do, that's usually when my favorite teams fail or crack on the highest stage. This Astros team is just built different. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers had a better regular season record, but for this team to be beast in the American League and then sweep the ALDS and ALCS is amazing.

Previously, few teams that started in the postseason 5-0 actually won it all, and teams that started 7-0 since the Wild Card format in 1995 never won it all. This Astros team did what the 2007 Colorado Rockies and 2014 Kansas City Royals didn't do- sweep the Divisional and LCS series and win the championship. One video I saw noted that you don't usually see a dominating team win it all. How often have we seen teams that have some of the best records in baseball end up going down in the playoffs? There is so much parity and uncertainty in baseball than in any of the other major American sports.

Having said all of this, it would be a bit of a stretch to call the 2022 Houston Astros as one of the all-time great teams, being among teams like the 1927 New York Yankees. It is absolutely the Astros' greatest ever team. Not saying they would beat the 1927 Yankees, but the 2022 Houston Astros accomplished a lot that has made them truly amazing.

I think the bigger stories at hand are Justin Verlander finally winning a World Series game and also (more importantly) Dusty Baker winning his first World Series as a manager. Dusty Baker just comes off as a really cool, down-to-earth, humbling person. This guy is 73 years old and has the passion and determination of someone half his age. Also deserving love is local personality "Mattress Mack" here in Houston. He had to deal with some rowdy Phillies fans in Philadelphia while also defending the Astros and Jose Altuve. "Mattress Mack" got mad rich after betting about $10M USD that the 2022 Astros would win the championship, and he ended up getting $75M USD. He basically has a salary of some MLB players now!

I think the Houston Astros will have their Championship Parade tomorrow. HISD cancelled classes tomorrow so parents and children can go to the parade. I won't be going to the parade.


[OMISSION] 1927 Yankees, not 1924 Yankees I was trying to refer to.