The Houston Astros won the 2022 World Series on Saturday night, taking Game 6 from the Philadelphia Phillies by a 4-1 margin. The Astros can thank a clutch late-inning home run from left fielder Yordan Alvarez for securing their second title in the last six years.
Let's set the scene before hitting you with some beautiful home run footage. Alvarez came to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning with runners on first and third and one out in the inning. The Phillies, who had taken a 1-0 lead in the top half of the frame on a Kyle Schwarber home run, elected to replace right-handed starter Zack Wheeler with left-handed reliever José Alvarado. Unfortunately for Phillies manager Rob Thomson and crew, that decision did not pay off.
Alvarado fell behind 2-1 to Alvarez before throwing a 99 mph sinker that caught far too much of the plate. Alvarez made Alvarado pay for the mistake, too, crushing a home run to dead center that left his bat traveling at 112.5 mph and carried some 450 feet, according to Statcast. The home run gave the Astros a 3-1 lead with just nine outs separating them from another title. Take a look:
The Astros' win expectancy swung from 50.5 percent prior to the home run to 84.3 percent afterward, per FanGraphs' calculations. (Win expectancy is derived from empirical data.)
Alvarez had a big postseason in one respect, as he showed a knack for delivering go-ahead home runs. According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs' research, he became the only player in Major League Baseball history to record three go-ahead home runs in the sixth inning or later of a postseason game. To be clear: that's on a career level, yet Alvarez did it all in this postseason alone. Remarkable.
Astros World Series gear now available
The Houston Astros have won their second World Series title. Now, you can celebrate with Astros 2022 World Series championship hats, shirts, hoodies, and more. See the entire collection here.
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