It’s the era of the Houston Astros. Five years after they grew a winner out of a controlled burn, and three years after that team’s sign-stealing scandal roiled the sport, baseball’s omnipresent contenders staked their claim to a championship that can be despised, but not denied. With six more innings of dazzling work from Framber Valdez and one thunderous swing from Yordan Alvarez, the Astros cut down the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6, 4-1, to win the 2022 World Series.
Initially a duel between Valdez and Phillies starter Zack Wheeler, Game 6 turned in the sixth inning, when the starters tired and the bats caught up.