From Oct. 28 to Nov. 5, over 12.3 million fans across the nation watched the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies square off in the 2022 World Series. 

The Astros were favored to win by sports analysts across the board, but their franchise’s integrity remains overshadowed by their previous cheating scandal. In 2017, the Astros were caught spying on and intercepting opposing teams’ pitch calls to discover their next play, allowing them to adjust accordingly to counter the play call and gain a significant advantage over opposing teams. Now playing a clean game, the Astros emerged victorious as the 2022 World Series champions. 

The Phillies won the first game 6-5 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Down five runs at the bottom of the third inning, the Phillies were forced to quickly respond, scoring three runs in the fourth. The team then tied the game with a double from JT Realmuto in the fifth inning. After the two teams were deadlocked nine innings in, Realmuto hit a home run to clinch the game 6-5 for the Phillies in the tenth to upset the Astros on their home field. 

Looking for a comeback after Game 1, the Astros took the second game 5-2. Houston held a 2-0 advantage from Alex Bregman’s double RBI in the fifth inning and then extended their lead to Jose Altuve by bringing in three more runs. 

The Phillies won Game 3 with an authoritative 7-0 win, giving them a 2-1 lead in the seven-game series. The starting pitcher for the Phillies, Ranger Suarez, had a successful five innings, allowing no runs and recording four strikeouts. The Astros lineup struggled with offensive output, recording five hits the entire game. 

In Game 4 of the World Series, no player on either team recorded a hit in the first six innings to reach first base. Eventually picking up offensive steam, the Astros put five runs on the board in the last two innings. Despite their poor pitching performance in Game 3, the Astros managed to have a shut-out and tie the series 2-2. 

The Houston Astros won Game 5 3-2. Jeremy Peña put on an impressive performance for the Astros, going 3 for 4 at bat. Astros outfielder Chas McCormick picked off a Philly home run by jumping up, slamming against the outer wall and catching the ball to save a potentially game-ending home run. 

With the Astros up 3-2 in the series, they only had to bring home one last game. In Game 6, Yordan Álvarez had a double RBI, giving the Astros a 2-1 lead at the end of the sixth inning. The Houston Astros went on to extend their lead and win the World Series with a final score of 4-1 in Game 6.

Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña won MVP of the 2022 World Series with his one home run, five runs scored, three RBIs and numerous defensive stops. Astros second baseman José Altuve also had a solid World Series performance, rising to the occasion when the team needed crucial hits and defensive plays. For the Phillies, Bryce Harper recorded an impressive offensive performance, hitting two home runs in Game 3 alone and finishing with an overall batting average of .382, the highest batting average of any player in the MLB Postseason. 

With the 2022 MLB season officially closed, the Astros will certainly have a target on their back next season as the prevailing World Series Champions.