A huge blow of Yordan Alvarez with two runners on base this Saturday led the Houston Astros to a victory of 4x1 against the Philadelphia Phillies to be crowned champions of the World Series 2022, with a definitive Cuban seal.
The man from Las Tuscany rejected a sinker from the supersonic Venezuelan left-hander Jose Alvarado in the sixth inning to send the ball 450 feet through center field and change the decoration of the game with the most important hit of his short career in the Major Leagues.
Álvarez made his connection after 42 at-bats without a home run and in the middle of a prolonged slump, after having started the postseason on fire with two sensational home runs against the Seattle Mariners. When he saw the ball come out, he put his hand on his chest, to remember that it was a hit from pure heart.
"Once I stepped on second base I thought the stadium was moving, that was the feeling I had," said Álvarez about his trip around the bases after the hit, which his parents enjoyed from the stands. "I was not having a good World Series and the faith that they always gave me with the confidence that things were going to turn out well, came true."
It was what the Astros needed to take the lead and begin to savor the Fall Classic title early on, backed by an impeccable relief pitching performance and an impenetrable defense.
A well-deserved victory for the Houston franchise that won the second World Series pennant in five years (the first was won in 2017) and six consecutive trips to the American League championship discussion. But above all an act of providential justice for Dusty Baker, that baseball gentleman, Major League legend and extraordinary human being.
Baker was the manager with the most victories in the Major Leagues without having triumphed in a World Series. This was his 2,094th victory and his first crown, after having touched the trophy on previous occasions. He also becomes the oldest manager to win a World Series, at 73 years old.
This Saturday's game at Minute Maid Park in Houston was another great game of good baseball from start to finish. A high-quality World Series, characterized by spectacularity, dedication and drama like few others in recent years. The Phillies were at a high competitive level, but their bats went numb down the stretch. You can't win by hitting nine hits in the last three games, going 1-for-21 with men in scoring position and taking a whopping 71 strikeouts in six games.
It was a worthy culmination of the 2022 season, which left us with very pleasant surprises, records for glory and curses finally broken for an ace like Justin Verlander, who took his second ring and a memorable victory, long eluded by eight consecutive World Series starts.
The game remained tied at zero for five innings, thanks to the tight pitching of the starters Framber Valdez (Astros) and Zack Wheeler (Phillies), both on a great night.
But in the top of the sixth the damn Kyle Schwarber He sent a low ball into the right field stands to put the Phillies ahead and raise expectations of an offensive awakening and a seventh game in Houston. Great World Series for Schwarber, who hit six home runs in the postseason, two of them in consecutive games, becoming the first player in franchise history to do so.
The celebration was short-lived among Philadelphia fans, because the Astros delivered a massive counterattack in that same inning. Martin Maldonado received a deadball (which was subjected to review, without luck, by the Philadelphia command) and after a forced out at second on a grounder by José Altuve, Jeremy Peña He fired a shot that took the runner to third.
Manager Rob Thomson made the hasty decision to crane Wheeler to bring in Alvarado in an attempt to neutralize Alvarez. Wheeler had barely 70 pitches and had only allowed three hits, but the book is the book: Alvarado came to kill the left-hander with smoke pitches and we already know what the delirious outcome was.
The lance fell shortly after with a cannon shot Christian Vazquez, substitute for the injured Yuli Gurriel in the sixth turn of the lineup. Vázquez encouraged Alex Bregman from second base, where he had arrived on a walk and wild pitch by Alvarado.
And that's how things ended. Houston relievers, Héctor Neris, Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly They completed their tasks without suffocating. And the Minute Maid became a hive of jubilation shortly before midnight.
It was the second World Series in consecutive years with a Cuban accent and home runs in the final game. In 2021 it was the habanero Jorge Soler who scored the victory for the Atlanta Braves, also with three-run homer in the sixth game, which earned him the Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy.
This year's MVP didn't have much discussion. Jeremy Pena He was the spark plug for these Astros in key moments and with the glove. Peña hit 400 in the World Series, with 10 hits and an OPS of 1.023, and became the first rookie shortstop to hit a home run in a World Series game.
The Dominican is the second rookie in Major League history to win MVP trophies in a row in the Divisional Championship and the World Series. Previously only the Cuban pitcher Liván Hernández with the 1997 Marlins.
When the game ended and the party was felt in the Houston grounds, Baker appeared at the interview table where they were Papi Ortiz, Frank Thomas and Alex Rodriguez. They asked him what the next challenge would be after fulfilling the dream of a World Series, and the charismatic manager said winning again.
There are many things to be defined yet for the 2023 season, but for now we already know that Baker and the Astros - the most successful franchise of the decade - want to go for more.
To view the game's box score, press HERE
Editor's note: I have assumed this chronicle of the final game of the World Series as a substitute for the sports commentator and friend Michel Contreras, who, prevented by a blackout in Havana, was unable to follow the details of the game. I hope I haven't disappointed you.
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