2017 World Series

The 2017 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 2017 season. The 113th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the American League champion Houston Astros. The series was played between October 24 and November 1.
The Astros defeated the Dodgers, four games to three, to win their first World Series in franchise history, also becoming the first team from Texas to do so. They became the second team in postseason history to win two Game 7s in one postseason, after the 1985 Kansas City Royals. It was the first time since 2001–2002 when two consecutive World Series went to seven games. Both teams set a World Series record with a combined total of 25 home runs throughout the entire series, including a team record 15 home runs by the Astros, and 10 homeruns by the Dodgers, and hit a combined total of eight home runs in Game 2 to set the single game World Series mark. Houston outfielder George Springer was named the World Series Most Valuable Player after hitting five home runs in the series to tie a World Series record with Reggie Jackson in 1977 and Chase Utley in 2009.
This was the first World Series in which home-field advantage was decided by the regular season record of the two pennant winners. From 1903 to 2002, home-field advantage had been determined by coin flips and by alternating between the AL and NL. From 2003 to 2016, it was determined by results from that season's All-Star Game, when it was awarded to the team from the winning league. The Dodgers earned home-field advantage over the Astros. The series was played in a 2–3–2 format, with the Dodgers hosting Games 1, 2, 6, and 7; and the Astros hosting Games 3, 4, and 5.
The Astros' victory was marred in 2019 after a league investigation revealed that they had illegally utilized a system to steal signs from opposing teams during their championship season. As a result, the Astros were fined $5 million and docked several top draft picks, while Astros manager A. J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for one year; both were subsequently fired. Despite the scandal, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred opted against punishing any of the players involved or revoking the Astros' World Series title.

Background

This was the first World Series matchup, and second postseason meeting overall, between the Astros and Dodgers. Los Angeles defeated Houston in five games in the 1981 National League Division Series, en route to its fifth World Series championship. The teams also met in the 1980 National League West tie-breaker game, won by the Astros at Dodger Stadium. This was the first Fall Classic since, and the eighth overall, in which both participants had 100 or more wins during the regular season.
The two teams did not meet in interleague play during the regular season.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers held a 91–36 record through August 25 and ended the season with a 104–58 record; this despite an 11-game losing streak from late August through early September. They won their fifth consecutive National League West title and home-field advantage throughout the entire playoffs as the overall #1 seed. In the postseason, the Dodgers swept the 4th-seeded Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series and then defeated the number 3 seed and defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs in the previous year's rematch of the National League Championship Series in five games, leading to the fourth time since 2000 that two teams played each other in consecutive League Championship Series. This was the first appearance in the Fall Classic for the Dodgers since 1988, the tenth since the franchise moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958, and the 19th overall.
Entering the 2017 World Series, the Dodgers bullpen had thrown 23 consecutive scoreless innings, a postseason record for a bullpen. Additionally, by outscoring the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs by a combined 48–19 margin, the Dodgers entered the World Series with the third-best run differential of any pennant winner since the playoff structure was expanded in 1995.
All-Star shortstop Corey Seager, who was out for the entire National League Championship Series with a back injury, was included on the Dodgers' World Series roster. Manager Dave Roberts became first manager of Asian heritage ever in the World Series, as well as the fourth African-American manager. The Dodgers had their second consecutive Rookie of the Year, Cody Bellinger, after Seager from 2016. The Dodgers had six NL All-Stars in Bellinger, Seager, Justin Turner, Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, and Kenley Jansen.

Houston Astros

With a 101–61 regular season record, the team won its first American League West title, their first division title since 2001, and the #2 seed in the AL. In the American League Division Series, they defeated the 3rd-seeded Boston Red Sox in four games and then defeated the 4th-seeded New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series in seven games. This was their second World Series appearance, first since 2005, when they were swept in four games by the Chicago White Sox and first appearance as a member of the American League, as they became the first team in history to make it to the World Series as members of both National and American Leagues.
The city of Houston in August 2017 suffered record flooding from Hurricane Harvey. The team began to wear patches which had the logo of the team with the word "Strong" on the bottom of the patch, as well as promoting the hashtag Houston Strong. Manager A. J. Hinch has stated in an interview that the team wasn't just playing for a title, but to help boost moral support for the city.
On August 31, just seconds before the midnight deadline, the Astros traded for Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander. Following the trade, including the regular season and postseason to this point, Verlander had posted a 9–0 win–loss record with a 1.23 earned run average. He was named the ALCS MVP.

Summary

Pre-game ceremonies

Game 1: The ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by members of former Dodger Jackie Robinson's family, including his widow Rachel. The game marked the 45th anniversary of Robinson's death, and the 2017 season was the 70th anniversary of his breaking of the baseball color line. Keith Williams Jr., a gospel singer and Dodgers anthem singer, performed "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem.
Game 2: Fernando Valenzuela threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Steve Yeager; both were introduced by retired Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully. Country music's Brad Paisley performed the national anthem.
Game 3: Houston Texans defensive end J. J. Watt, who had raised $37 million for Hurricane Harvey victims, threw out the first pitch. The ball was given to him by Astros' Hall of Famer Craig Biggio. The national anthem was performed by Texas Air National Guard Master Sergeant Promise Harris.
Game 4: Hailey Dawson, a seven-year-old girl from Nevada, threw out the ceremonial first pitch using a 3D printed hand. The national anthem was performed by the Houston Police Department Quartet.
Game 5: Former President of the United States George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch. His father, former President George H. W. Bush handed him the ball. Justin Verlander caught the pitch. Country singer Clay Walker performed the national anthem.
Game 6: Orel Hershiser and Tommy Lasorda, celebrating the Dodgers' 1988 World Series title, each threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Los Angeles Police Department officer Rosalind Curry performed the national anthem.
Game 7: The LAPD Quartet sang the National Anthem. The first pitch was thrown out by Sandy Koufax and Don Newcombe. Rick Monday and Steve Garvey participated as well.
Matchups

Game 1

The temperature at the start of the game was, which made this the hottest World Series game ever recorded. Clayton Kershaw started Game 1 for the Dodgers, while Dallas Keuchel started for the Astros.
Chris Taylor hit a home run for the Dodgers on Keuchel's first pitch of the game. It was the third home run to lead off a game in Dodgers postseason history. Alex Bregman hit a tying home run for the Astros in the fourth inning. In the sixth inning, Justin Turner hit a go-ahead two-run home run for the Dodgers. Turner tied Duke Snider for most career runs batted in in Dodgers postseason history with 26.
Kershaw struck out 11 in seven innings pitched with no walks and only three hits allowed while Keuchel allowed three runs on six hits in innings. Brandon Morrow pitched a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen earned the save.
The two-hour, 28-minute game was the shortest World Series contest since Game 4 in.

Game 2

The starting pitchers for Game 2 were Rich Hill for the Dodgers and Justin Verlander for the Astros. The Astros scored first when Bregman drove in Josh Reddick with a hit in the third inning. Hill struck out seven in four innings but was replaced by Kenta Maeda in the fifth. Joc Pederson tied the game with a home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, and the Dodgers took the lead when Corey Seager hit a two-run home run after Taylor walked in the bottom of the sixth inning. Verlander allowed two hits, both home runs, in his six innings pitched. In the top of the eighth, Bregman hit a ground-rule double just off of Dodger right fielder Yasiel Puig’s glove, and Carlos Correa drove in the Astros' second run of the game on a single. This ended the Dodgers bullpen's streak of 28 consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason. Marwin González hit a home run off Jansen in the ninth to tie the game. This was only Jansen's second blown save all season and snapped his streak of converting his first 12 postseason save opportunities, a major league record.
The game went into extra innings. Jose Altuve and Correa hit back-to-back home runs off Josh Fields in the tenth inning to put the Astros in the lead. Yuli Gurriel doubled after the home run, but Fields was replaced by Tony Cingrani and Gurriel was stranded. In the bottom of the inning, Yasiel Puig hit a solo home run off of Ken Giles and Enrique Hernández drove in Logan Forsythe, who had walked and advanced on a wild pitch, to tie the game, with the latter being the Dodgers' first run that was not driven in by a home run. In the next inning, pinch-hitter Cameron Maybin singled and stole second. George Springer hit a two-run home run for the Astros off of Brandon McCarthy to retake the lead. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Charlie Culberson homered off of Chris Devenski, who later struck out Puig to end the game. This was the first ever World Series game in which a team hit home runs in the ninth, tenth and eleventh inning. The teams set a new record for combined home runs in a single World Series game with eight and this was the first time in MLB history, regular season or postseason, that five home runs were hit in extra innings. The Astros won their first World Series game in franchise history as they had been swept in their previous appearance in 2005.