Wow. Just wow. Even almost a month removed from the Houston Astros’ 2017 World Series victory, the magnitude of the series is still incredibly prevalent. The 2017 Major League Baseball World Series, a clash of the titans of sorts, displayed illustrious offensive prowess and elite pitching performances. The 2017 Fall Classic was arguably the most evenly-matched World Series in the history of baseball. This series exceeded all expectations and shattered many previous assumptions. Additionally, my initial prediction that the Houston Astros would prove victorious in the World Series ultimately came to fruition (hold the applause), however the immensely dramatic nature of the series most definitely was unexpected by anyone and everyone in the baseball world. The following will include my game-by-game analysis of the incredibly exciting 2017 World Series.

The story of Game 1 of the series can be adequately told through the use of one name: Clayton Kershaw. Game 1 undoubtedly belonged to Kershaw. The best starting pitcher of this era toed the rubber for the Dodgers in Game 1 and displayed his incredibly dominant repertoire of pitches to stymie the Astros’ offense. Throughout the entirety of his start, Kershaw kept the Astros’ hitters off balance and compiled 11 strikeouts while only giving up 1 run. This performance proved to be more than enough to propel the Dodgers to victory and it temporarily silenced Kershaw’s critics regarding his previous postseason performances. Game 1 ultimately proved to be the quickest World Series game in 25 years; a statistic very uncharacteristic to the nature of the rest of the World Series.

Going into the top of the ninth inning in Game 2, a Dodgers victory and a 2-0 lead in the series seemed to be all but certain with the entrance of premier closer Kenley Jansen. Despite this, Astros’ super utility man, Marwin Gonzalez paid no attention to the intimidating task of facing a premier closer in the World Series with the game on the line. With one swing of the bat, Gonzalez provided free baseball by tying the game at 3 and sending the Game 2 matchup to extra innings. In the tenth, a pair of back-to-back homeruns by the Astros’ stellar middle infield tandem, comprised of Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, temporarily put the Astros ahead. In the bottom half of the inning, the Dodgers surged back and scored 2 runs to tie the game once again. In the 11^th, the eventual World Series MVP, George Springer, supported his selection as such by clubbing a two-run home run to once again give the Astros the advantage. In the bottom of the 11^th, the Dodgers refused to go down quietly as utility infielder Charlie Culberson led off with a home run to make the game 7-6. Despite this, Chris Devenski was ultimately able to close out the game to secure an Astros’ Game 2 victory and the franchise’s first ever World Series game victory.

In Game 3, the Astros’ offense demonstrated their prowess immediately. An abysmal start by Dodgers’ major trade deadline acquisition, Yu Darvish, allowed the Astros to secure the lead early. The Dodgers’ manager, Dave Roberts, was forced to call on the bullpen for relief of Darvish after just 1.2 innings pitched; this proved costly throughout the rest of the series, in my opinion. Astros’ starter Lance McCullers Jr. provided a quality start and was relieved by Brad Peacock, who proved to be dominant in 3.2 innings of relief that ultimately secured a Game 3 victory and 2-1 lead in the series.

In Game 4, the Dodgers equalized the series. The Dodgers starter, Alex Wood, provided a quality start over 6 innings and the offense was propelled by a clutch go-ahead double by rookie sensation, Cody Bellinger, and a three-run homerun off the bat of Joc Pederson. The Dodgers 6-2 win granted the Astros their first and only home loss throughout the entirety of the postseason.

Game 5. Holy offense. What. A. Game. Game 5, arguably the most exciting game of the series, proved to be the most exciting game of baseball many people, including myself, have ever witnessed. The ups and downs characteristic of this game were astounding. The Dodgers initially secured a 4-1 lead and with Clayton Kershaw pitching, the outcome seemed set in stone. Despite this, within a blink of an eye the Astros tied the game as a result of a three-run home run off the bat of first baseman and 33-year old rookie, Yuli Gurriel. The Dodgers reclaimed their lead in the top of the 5^th inning, as a result of a three-run home run by Cody Bellinger. In the bottom of the fifth, the Astros immediately responded as they compiled a series of hits to knock Kershaw out of the game. Then, MVP candidate Jose Altuve, belted a game-tying three-run home run off of Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda. In the 7^th, the Dodgers retook the lead as a result of a defensive miscue by Astros center fielder George Springer. This initially appeared costly, however in the following half of the inning, Springer immediately responded with a first-pitch moonshot to left field off of Brandon Morrow. Morrow would go on to give up three more runs in the inning, on a go-ahead double by Jose Altuve and a three-run homerun off of the bat of Carlos Correa, his second of the night. As the game entered the ninth inning, the Astros boasted a 12-9 lead as both teams were able to score an additional run. In the top of the ninth however, when the game seemed all but over, Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig hit a two-run homerun the put the game within one run. The Dodgers catcher, Austin Barnes, hit a double and reached third base on a groundout by Joc Pederson. Then, with two outs and a 2-2 count to super utility man Chris Taylor, he knocked a game-tying single up the middle. Kenley Jansen was brought on in the bottom of the tenth to keep the Astros at bay as the Dodgers failed to capitalize any further in the top half of the inning. Yuli Gurriel doubled and Alex Bregman ultimately singled to grant the Astros a walk-off win in Game 5, and yet another advantage in the series. Kershaw unbelievably gave up seven earned-runs just days after his impeccable Game 1 start. In addition to this mind-blowing fact, all-star closer Kenley Jansen, who was 41 for 42 in save opportunities in the regular season, also unbelievably experienced his second blown save of the World Series. Both of these statistics are incredibly unbelievable; but hey, that’s baseball.

In Game 6, the series moved back to Los Angeles. Surprisingly, the veteran Dodgers southpaw, Rich Hill, outpitched the Astros’ ace Justin Verlander. The Dodgers scored two runs off of Verlander and added an extra insurance run from a solo homerun by Joc Pederson later in the game. The Dodgers bullpen effectively relieved Hill and stymied the Astros offense. Jansen was brought in once again and this time, successfully protected the Dodgers’ lead and forced a Game 7 to be played.

The finale of the World Series, Game 7, ultimately resembled Game 3. Just as in Game 3, Yu Darvish toed the rubber for the Dodgers, and was opposed by Lance McCullers Jr. of the Astros. Similar to Game 3, Yu Darvish once again pitched only 1.2 innings. The Astros shelled Darvish from the onset of Game 7 and secured an early 4-0 lead. The Astros would tack on another run to make the game 5-1. The Astros’ manager AJ Hinch called on Charlie Morton to pitch in relief for the final four innings of Game 7. Charlie Morton, the most feel-good story of the 2017 World Series in my opinion, dominated the Dodgers throughout the final four innings and ultimately closed out the 2017 Major League Baseball World Series, securing the Astros’ first ever World Series title.

The 2017 World Series was simply one for the ages. It pinned two premier franchises against one another and exhibited a plethora of young talent. The quality of play and dramatic nature of the World Series serves as evidence that Major League Baseball is in a very good place currently. The abundance of young stars featured in the World Series shows that the future of baseball is in great hands. The excitement of the 2017 World Series will be felt all the way until the end of February, when the eight-month grueling journey begins anew for all 30 franchises. Until then, enjoy your title, Astros fans!

*Photo courtesy of Keith Allison via flickr.com*