As we put the 2022 World Series to a close and focus on off season free agency, which is happening right away, it is time to reflect on the World Series that was between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies. There are two direct opposite words that come to mind that best describe the Astros’s World Series team–experience and youth.
Experience
When it comes to experience, the Astros had 73-year-old manager Dusty Baker of Riverside, California. Yes, Baker had won the World Series as a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981, but this was his first World Series title as a manager. Prior to Saturday, Baker had won 2093 regular season games as a manager, the most wins ever by a manager without ever winning a World Series. This past weekend, Baker finally got a World Series ring as a manager, a job he has had in Major League Baseball since 1993.
From a player perspective, the Astros had Jose Altuve leading off. Despite struggling early in the postseason, Altuve got things together in the World Series as he batted a respectable .296 and is now fourth all-time in postseason hits with 103. In addition to Altuve, the Astros also had four additional players on their roster that won a World Series with them in 2017–starting pitchers Justin Verlander and Lance McCullers Jr., third baseman Alex Bregman, and first baseman Yuli Gurriel. However, Gurriel did not play game six of the World Series because of a knee injury and was replaced by Trey Mancini.
Youth
When it comes to Astros youth, they are in great hands at the shortstop position. Jeremy Pena of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic became the third rookie to be named World Series MVP, following pitchers Larry Sherry of the Los Angeles Dodgers (1959) and Livan Hernandez of the Florida Marlins (1997). In the 2022 World Series, Pena batted .400. He also was the 2022 American League Championship Series MVP too.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
