By Mark MitchenerBBC Sport
Last updated on .From the section Baseball
The Houston Astros won their second World Series title as a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies helped them clinch the seven-game series 4-2.
Game six remained scoreless until Kyle Schwarber hit a home run in the sixth inning to put the Phillies ahead.
But the Astros hit straight back through Yordan Alvarez’s three-run homer, before Christian Vazquez drove in Alex Bregman to make it 4-1.
Roared on by an ecstatic home crowd, the Astros closed out the win.
The first half of Saturday’s game was a pitching duel between Houston’s Framber Valdez and Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler, who had both started game two,
Left-hander Valdez dominated the Phillies, striking out nine batters, but the visitors drew first blood in the top of the sixth when Schwarber lifted Valdez over right field.
As the tension within Minute Maid Park grew, the Astros rallied to put two men on base, before Phillies manager Rob Thomson withdrew Wheeler in favour of one of his key relievers, Jose Alvarado.
But left fielder Alvarez launched one of the biggest – and most important – home runs of his burgeoning career, hoisting Alvarado 450 feet over centre field to turn the game on its head.
Vazquez batted in an “insurance” run – but they did not need it as the Astros bullpen, which has been virtually unhittable in the 2022 postseason, strangled any hopes of a Phillies comeback.
And the victory was completed when Nick Castellanos flew out to right fielder Kyle Tucker in the ninth.
Astros redeemed, Dusty finally rewarded
Houston’s maiden Fall Classic title in 2017 was subsequently tainted by an electronic sign-stealing scandal for which they were fined $5m, made to forfeit draft picks, and saw their manager and general manager fired.
While only five players from that 2017 team remain on the roster, this was their fourth World Series appearance in six seasons, to cap a sustained period of success.
Having restored some pride to the franchise, Dusty Baker, one of baseball’s most popular figures, finally has a World Series title on his resume in his 25th season as a major league manager after more than 2,000 wins in charge of five different clubs.
“When did it hit me? When Yordan hit that ball over the moon, out there,” 73-year-old Baker joked.
Rookie Jeremy Pena was named as the World Series’ most valuable player, having superbly filled the void left when Houston lost Carlos Correa to free agency.
