Momentum was an important part of the 2022 World Series. Houston blew a 5-run lead in Game 1 of the series, but rallied to win Game 2 to even the series at one apiece. The Astros were shutout in Game 3 in Philadelphia, but returned the favor in Game 4 pitching a combined no-hitter to even the series at two apiece. At that point the Houston Astros would not relinquish the series and came away with their second World Series title in franchise history.

Cristian Javier pitched 6 innings of the Game 4 no-hitter for the Astros striking out 9 batters. Framber Valdez could have been named World Series MVP with his two victories and 1.46 ERA in his two starts. He struck out 18 batters and allowed only 6 hits. In spite of Justin Verlander’s struggles in the series he did get a victory in one of his starts and struck out 11 batters. Houston’s bullpen was dominant with Bryan Abreu striking out 9 in 5 innings of work. Ryan Pressly saved two games in his five appearances.

The eventual World Series MVP Jeremy Pena had another fantastic series like his ALCS MVP performance. He had 10 hits, batted .400 and drove in 3 runs. Alex Bregman drove in 4 runs during the series and Yordan Alvarez led the team with 6 RBIs for the series. Jose Altuve picked a perfect time to get out of his Postseason slump as he had 8 hits batting .308 for the series.

This is Astros manager Dusty Baker’s first World Series title as a manager. While he was likely headed for the Hall of Fame if he never won a championship as a manager, this will surely cinch that outcome further down the road.

Congratulations to the Houston Astros on winning their second World Series title in franchise history.