The Astros and Dodgers battled in a back and forth, hard fought seven game World Series. In the end, Houston triumphed as they clinched their first World Series title in franchise history with a 5-1 win in Game 7. This was truly one of, if not, the greatest World Series of all-time. Here are five storylines to take away from this all-time great series.
Five Storylines from 2017 World Series
1) Juiced Baseballs?
This postseason there was an absurd amount of home runs. Through Game 5 of the World Series, the Astros and Dodgers combined for 22 home runs, surpassing the previous record. This development has led to discussions about wether MLB decided to juice the baseballs to make it more of a hitters league. Pitchers from both the Astros and Dodgers said during the World Series that the balls were “more slicker.” Wether MLB juiced the balls or not, this series all the homers made this series fun to watch. And after all, chicks dig the long ball!
2) World Series MVP George Springer
George Springer was a power house during the regular season, hitting a career high 34 home runs. Up until the World Series Springer hadn’t hit for much power, hitting only one home runs in the ALDS and ALCS. There were even fans calling for A.J. Hinch to bench his slogan centerfielder. However, Springer put all those talks to silence as he broke out in the World Series. Springer took home the Series MVP by hitting a record tying five home runs, and an average of .379.
3) Shorten Up Rook!
Cody Bellinger set the record for the most strikeouts in a postseason series, with 17 in the World Series. At times, Bellinger looked completely lost at the plate. It was just clearly a case of a 22-year old kid trying to do too much on the biggest stage. Bellinger needs to learn how to shorten up his swing. I know what you’re saying, “the kids a home run hitter.” Yes, I agree, but man does he have a long swing, and if he shortens up he could be a power and average hitter. Belling showed this ability a few times in the latter stages of the World Series. He should watch that tape often this offseason and work on just it to cut down the strikeouts.
4) Alex Bregman Breakout
Alex Bregman very quickly turned himself into a star this postseason. Offensively and defensively, Bregman was in the middle of it all for the Astros. Bregman made a pair of beautiful and heads up plays to cut down runs at home in both the World Series and the Yankees series. Also, despite hitting only .223, Bregman absolutely shined offensively. He drove in two or more runs in every series, and homered twice in both the ALDS and World Series. Alex Bregman, if not already, is going to be a household name real soon.
5) Carlos Correa Proposal
Perhaps the biggest moment, off the field, in this series came during the post Game 7 celebration. Upon finishing up an interview with Ken Rosenthal, Correa got approached his wife standing along side and got down on one knee. Correa told Rosenthal I just won a World Series championship, now I am going to take an even bigger step in life, and just like that he popped the question. In interviews with FOX Sports afterwards, Correa told the crew he told the whole lineup and coaches pregame about his plan so that they would “hit lots of homers.” Also, for those of you who are wondering, there was no plan B. Carlos Correa, you are a stud my man. Come on, “How could you not be romantic about baseball!”
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
