Houston Astros Win 2022 World Series

Houston Astros Win World Series 2022

By David A. Avila

One of baseball’s marquee 100-game winning teams emerged on top after the Houston Astros defeated Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 to win 4-1 and win the 2022 World Series four games to two.

It looked to be another one of those years when a Wild Card team gets hot and survives the long 162-game season and the extensive playoff portion to emerge as a dark horse winner. Not this time.

The Astros survived on pitching and a team comprised of World Series veterans and one young rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena who became the first rookie ever to get a hit in every game.

Pena was voted the 2022 World Series Willie Mays MVP trophy for his remarkable contributions that included two hits on Saturday’s win and a composite 10 hits in 25 at bats. Pena, 25, had a homer and three RBIs and displayed excellent defense throughout the playoffs for the Astros.

Dusty Baker finally won a World Series after 25 years of trying with various Major League clubs on his second try with the Astros. Last year the Atlanta Braves knocked off the Astros in the World Series, but not this time.

“Had this happened years ago, I might not even be here. So maybe it wasn't supposed to happen,” said Baker to MLB,com about having to wait decades to win a World Series as a manager.

The Astros were comprised of a team that relied on the best pitching staff in the American League. It showed in the playoffs with their sweeps of the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees. It also showed in finally quenching the red-hot Phillies hitting lineup that had burned the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres pitching staffs.

Only the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League had a better team pitching ERA.

Astro ace Justin Verlander finally won a World Series game after being torched in the opener. The Houston team was strong enough to survive without him as Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier and other Astros stepped up and did their job.

All through the season it was apparent the Astros team behind its pitching, defense and solid hitting were one of the elite teams in 2022. The others such as the Dodgers 111 wins, the New York Mets 101 wins and the Atlanta Braves 101 wins were unable to survive the crap shoot that is the MLB playoff segment. Only the Astros handled the hot teams and other playoff surprises to make the World Series.

The Phillies were one of the teams to surprise everyone with their smoking hot hitting attack led by Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. Despite barely making the playoffs with 87 wins, the team put together by Phillie president and GM David Dombrowski synched up late in September and powered their way past another surprising team the San Diego Padres and scared the Astros too.

Finally, the Astros pitching figured out how to quench the Phillies fire and did it with fastball location. Javier showed the way by heading a team no-hitter to shut down Philadelphia’s bats 5-0 in Game 4. It was a crucial point in the series and turned it around in the Astro’s favor. They did not lose again.

Post-script

Does it finally redeem the Astros for their 2020 lack of ethics and sportsmanship when they cheated the Dodgers of the World Series win by banging trash cans in a crucial game in that 2020 World Series?

No, it does not.

But few of those players remain except key players like Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Lance McCullers. Not even Baker the Astros manager was a member of that notorious team.

“Dusty’s a baseball lifer,” Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. said to MLB. “He’s an absolute legend. When he came here in 2020 and we had the whole cheating scandal and we had COVID, he was such a stabilizing force for us.”

The Astros emerged from the playoff rubble in 2022 to become Major League Baseball’s world champions. And it looks legitimate this time.

Major Disappointments

The Los Angeles Dodgers behind a 111-win season fell flat the last week of the regular season and never could regain footing.

When the Colorado Rockies stopped the Dodgers during the last week of the regular season to win three consecutive games that put up a red flag. The team that led the Major League’s in run differential and numerous other offensive and pitching categories behind all veterans looked exhausted mentally and physically from the effort.

It showed that new younger blood is needed.

An abundance of highly esteemed rookies are waiting in their minor league system. Many made their appearances this year and year’s before like Miguel Vargas, Edwin Rios, James Outman and pitchers such as Ryan Pepiot.

Several Dodgers this year will be gone next year. Two or more Dodgers who have participated in the successful return to playoff baseball since 2012 will not be returning. Those on are bubble are Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger and maybe even Clayton Kershaw.

All three of the veterans were a major part of the Dodger’s success but time or ineffectiveness puts them on the expendable list. The last week of the season proved that age can be a major factor as tired legs result in listless hitting and injury prone seasons. For others, an inability to provide offense opens the door for others.