For the final installment of this Reliving History Series, it’s time to head back to Game Seven of the 2017 World Series. The series clinching game between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers wasn’t the thriller that Games Two and Five were. However, for various reasons, it is a game that will never be forgotten.
2017 World Series Game Seven Buildup
The best phrase in baseball is undoubtedly “Game Seven,” as the stakes couldn’t be higher. On the mound, Lance McCullers Jr. and Yu Darvish started the game for the Astros and Dodgers respectively. It was a rematch of Game Three starters. In his first start, McCullers picked up the win in a solid but unspectacular start, giving up three runs in five and one-third innings. On the other side, Darvish took the loss after giving up four runs in just one and a-third innings of work. Both looked to bring a championship to their cities in this winner-take-all game at Dodger Stadium.
Astros 5, Dodgers 1
It did not take long for the Astros to take an early lead. George Springer started the game off with a double and scored on a Cody Bellinger throwing error. The error allowed Alex Bregman to get to second. After Bregman stole third, Jose Altuve grounded out, scoring the runner, and giving Houston an early 2-0 lead. McCullers got into a bases loaded jam in the first, but managed to escape it.
In the top of the second, the Astros immediately put on the pressure with a Brian McCann walk and a Marwin Gonzalez double. McCullers did not get a big hit, but he made a productive out and brought in McCann on that ground-out. The very next batter was Springer, he hit his fifth and final home run of the World Series, which knocked Darvish out of the game and raised the score to 5-0.
The Astros scoring dried up, but they didn’t need any more runs. The only score the Dodgers put on the board came in the sixth inning. Andre Ethier singled in a run off Charlie Morton, but that was it for Los Angeles. Morton pitched the final four innings; he gave up only that one run and etched his name into Astros lore forever. The final sequence of Corey Seager grounding out to Altuve and finishing the play to Yuli Gurriel, forever radiates in the minds of Astros fans.
Historical Significance
The 2017 World Series will forever live in the minds of baseball fans, but the reason changes depending on who you root for. For Houston fans, it was the first World Series championship in franchise history. George Springer earned the World Series MVP after the game, for his five homers and clutch hits. However for fans of other teams, the sign-stealing scandal soiled this accomplishment. This Astros team will always have this attached to them and for obvious reason. What they did was wrong, but to say they only won because of sign-stealing isn’t entirely right either.
According to the Commissioner’s report, the wrong-doing only occurred at home. The Astros won two games, in this World Series on the road, in Dodger Stadium. One of these games was the series clinching Game Seven. The scandal attached itself to this World Series, but it should not take away from how historical this World Series rings in the record books.
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Players Mentioned: Lance McCullers Jr., Yu Darvish, George Springer, Cody Bellinger, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Brian McCann, Marwin Gonzalez, Andre Ethier, Charlie Morton, Cory Seager, Yuli Gurriel
