This Astros World Series Title Confirms Their Unmatched Excellence

Also in today’s Five Tool Newsletter, Tom Verducci’s World Series feature story, Dusty Baker’s legacy, Yordan Alvarez, sad Phillies and more.

Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña became the first rookie position player ever to win the World Series MVP award :: Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated

This was the most fitting way for the Astros to win their second World Series championship in franchise history, and their first without the cloud of a cheating scandal hanging over it.

Slugger Yordan Alvarez clobbered the most breathtaking home run hit in Houston since the signature Albert Pujols shot in 2005. The three-run blast gave the Astros the lead—and traveled 450 feet over the batter’s eye in dead center field, a place in this ballpark where no ball has gone before.

Lefthander Framber Valdez, who set the record for consecutive quality starts this year, silenced the Phillies lineup for the second time in the World Series. The Astros won all four of Valdez’s playoff starts, and he finished the postseason with a 1.44 ERA.

Rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña, who had two more hits last night and scored the go-ahead run on Alvarez’s homer, was named World Series MVP just over a week after he won the same honors during the American League Championship Series. He is the only rookie in history to get at least one hit in his first six World Series games, slashing .400/.423/.600 across 26 plate appearances in the series. He also accounted for (both scoring and driving in) seven of Houston’s 22 runs in the series, with four of the seven giving his team the lead.

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These three players (Alvarez, Valdez and Peña) were not here the last time the Astros won the World Series, back in 2017. They represent the staying power of this modern-baseball dynasty, a franchise that has attained and sustained unparalleled success over these last six seasons. The true excellence of this organization comes through scouting and player development, coaching and communication, analytical information and managerial intuition. These components are why the Astros keep winning, year after year, with a mix of younger stars coming into their own and a core group of veterans who remain.

How many other teams would have gotten the most out of Chas McCormick and Martín Maldonado? How many other teams could have envisioned that a lanky 20-year-old outfielder who had yet to grow into his body or tap into his power would become this generation’s Willie McCovey? How many other teams should have recognized that a Dominican shortstop who spent his adolescence in Rhode Island and played college ball at the University of Maine would one day become a World Series MVP and the first rookie shortstop to win a Gold Glove?

The generous answer to each of these questions is not many; the more accurate response is none. The Astros are a step ahead of all the other organizations, and now they have the championship to show for it.

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Quick programming note: This is the final newsletter of the World Series, which means we will be going back to the weekly publishing schedule, every Friday, throughout the offseason. Thanks so much for reading! 

Have any questions or comments for our team? Send a note to mlb@si.com.

1. THE OPENER

Rob Tringali/MLB Photos/Getty Images

“Three hours before a game 25 years and a thousand heartaches in the making, and with fresh news that his first baseman is out with a knee injury, Astros manager Dusty Baker relaxes in his office to the plaintive wails of the Texas blues, courtesy of Big Mama Thornton. Like Baker, Big Mama came to Houston to find unprecedented success.”

That’s how Tom Verducci begins his Daily Cover story on the Astros and Dusty Baker winning the World Series. Tom explains what this means for Houston as baseball’s modern dynasty and how it compares to the tainted championship in 2017. He also details the 25 seasons that Baker spent managing, with five different teams, before he finally won this title, his first as big-league skipper. He also goes in depth about the key contributors on this roster and the moments that swung the series.

In summary, this is Verducci at his absolute best.

The Astros Are World Series Champions—No Asterisk Needed by Tom Verducci
Houston and Dusty Baker have won their title, thoroughly and convincingly.

2. ICYMI

Here are our two other postgame stories from last night’s clincher:

The Batting Cage Session That Won the Astros the World Series by Stephanie Apstein
Houston’s attention to the smallest of details paid off big time on Yordan Alvarez’s go-ahead home run in Saturday’s title-clinching Game 6.

Destiny Denied: Phillies’ Cinderella Run Falls Short of the Finish Line by Emma Baccellieri
They wouldn’t have qualified for the playoffs using last year’s rules, so that they reached the World Series at all is remarkable. But how they lost will stick with them.

Astros Win World Series to Secure Place as Premier MLB Team by Emma Baccellieri
A new generation of stars helped Houston beat the Phillies and get back over the hump.

3. WORTH NOTING from Stephanie Apstein

One thing that really struck me from Dusty Baker’s postgame press conference was this exchange.

Reporter: Before all this, you had achieved so much. You were viewed as a great manager before this. This didn’t—

Baker: By some people.

Reporter: I think by most people.

Baker: Some people.

Reporter: Okay. I’ll say most. We’ll disagree on that.

Baker: O.K.

I think it’s most. But the fact that Baker thought—and still thinks—it’s some is what drives him. It reminds me of a really powerful moment from Howard Bryant’s brilliant 2016 story about Baker:

“Look at all of this stuff,” Baker said. “Look at all the things I’ve studied, the people I’ve learned from. You think this is all my gut? [The critics have] said so many things about me. They said I was lucky because I got Barry [Bonds] my first year. They said I knew how to work with players. They said I could get a lot out of a club, that I was a motivator.

“But they never said I was smart.”

4. W2W4 from Will Laws

Well, it’s officially the offseason. And that means it’s just about time for free agency, which officially begins Thursday at 5 p.m. ET. This class is headlined by Aaron Judge, Jacob deGrom and a bevy of shortstops including Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson and Trea Turner. It also technically includes newly crowned World Series champion Justin Verlander, who is expected to opt out of the second season of the two-year, $50 million deal he signed with the Astros last offseason. It’d be a shock if he ends up anywhere outside of Houston, but we said the same thing about Freddie Freeman and Atlanta last year. Look out for our free agency rankings and signing predictions coming on Wednesday!

5. THE CLOSER from Emma Baccellieri

There are so, so, so many people on the field for the celebration you see after a team clinches: Not just the entire roster, but also people from the front office, those who work for the club in other capacities, and family members of all of the above. That makes for plenty of touching moments. But the one that stood out most on Saturday night? Yordan Alvarez and his parents. They had never seen him play professional baseball before a few weeks ago. But they were finally able to make the trip to the U.S. from Cuba in October and now have a lifetime’s worth of memories—including, of course, that home run.

That’s all from us today. We’ll be back in your inbox next Friday. In the meantime, share this newsletter with your friends and family, and tell them to sign up at SI.com/newsletters. If you have any questions or comments, shoot us an email at mlb@si.com.