Astros take home their first World Series trophy

Since their creation in 1962, the Houston Astros had never won a World Series, baseball’s greatest honor. The Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, and Seattle Mariners were all in the same “No Ring Club.” That club now has one less team. The Houston Astros are your 2017 World Series Champions.

The Astros have long been one of the biggest disasters of any team in sports. They were nicknamed “Lastros” for the penchant to continually finish in last place in their division. In fact, since their founding, they had only reached the playoffs 10 times. They hold the record in the MLB for longest time for a franchise to win a championship since its founding.

After their first appearance in the World Series in 2005, where they got swept by the White Sox, the Astros would not make the playoffs in the National League again. They would move from the National League to the American League to begin the 2013 season. That is where their rise begun.

Everyone in Michigan knows about Justin Verlander, a Detroit Tigers hero and legend. The former MVP and Cy Young Award winner dominated teams while on the Tigers from 2005-2017. On Aug. 31st, the Tigers shipped their beloved ace to the Astros for prospects, hoping to salvage hope for the future. Fans streamed to social media to pay tribute to Verlander and his illustrious career as a Tiger. Once the Astros got Verlander’s services, he was well worth it. He would only lose one game over the rest of the year for them. He carved up the Yankees star-studded lineup in the ALCS, winning both games he started with a 0.56 ERA and 21 strikeouts.

For many Tigers fans, Verlander was their favorite player, a role model, and a hero. “He is always going to be one of my favorite players wherever he goes,” says Junior Tyler Knapp.

“He was my favorite player, I mean he’s a Cy Young pitcher, he’s so talented,” said Junior Jacob Swerc.

Many fans share this common sentiment of Verlander, and that is why people get a sense of pride or joy in Verlander finally winning a championship, because there wasn’t much hope of him winning with the Tigers anytime soon. “I am very glad he got that World Series. I don’t think he would’ve won one with the Tigers ever, unless he could’ve won back in ‘06,” said Junior Harley Williams.

Other fans believe he may have won a World Series with the TIgers as time went on. “I’m happy seeing him win, but as the team becomes more developed he could’ve had a chance of winning it all with the Tigers,” said Knapp

In some sports, height is a virtue. Don’t tell Jose Altuve that height will affect his game. The 5’ 6” slugging second baseman is the heart and soul of the Astros. He can do it all. He has won one Gold Glove, the award for best fielder at their position. He has led the league in stolen bases twice. He has led the league in batting average three times. And he won the Hank Aaron Award, given to the top hitter overall in the league. He is potentially the MVP of this season, as he was nominated one of three finalists. All of this has happened after he was cut from the team by the Astros years back. He tried out again due to his dad’s encouragement and was signed. The rest is history.

George Springer was the unsung hero in the outfield for the Astros. After hitting 34 home runs over the course of this season, Springer followed that up with 5 home runs in the World Series, tying the record held by Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson and current Dodger Chase Utley. Springer hit a home run in each of the last four games of the World Series, something that had never been done before. He made sure to leave his mark on an amazing Astros season.

What may be the craziest part of this all is what Sports Illustrated predicted back in 2014. When Ben Reiter, Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated, put “Your 2017 World Series Champs” with a picture of a rookie George Springer on the cover of the Jul. 30 issue of the popular magazine, people would have called him crazy. The year prior the Astros had won only 51 games, the lowest mark in the MLB since 2004. The 2014 Astros didn’t fare too much better, winning 70 games. But Reiter saw something in that team that no one else could at the time: potential. The craziest part is that Springer, the player used on the cover, would be the MVP of the World Series, showing how spot on this prediction was.

As for next year? According to Bleacher Report, charismatic third baseman Alex Bregman has got that covered, “Like Drake said, ‘Back to Back.’ We’re gonna Jordan ‘96-’97.”