I feel the need to preface this article by saying I am not a Houston Astros fan. I am not a Los Angeles Dodgers fan. I am a Boston Red Sox fan who has grown up in both Texas and California, so I have a history with both teams that played in this World Series. I felt the need to say that because I want it understood that I have no personal bias in this World Series or this article.
With that being said, what are World Series it was, and congratulations to the Houston Astros for their first World Series win. As ending to seasons go, no one could have asked for anything better. The Houston Astros, much like the Chicago Cubs the year before, could not have had a more deserved Hollywood style ending to their season.
Unlike the Chicago Cubs of 2016, the Houston Astros' story of obtaining a World Series championship is less about overcoming a curse, and more about a city coming together behind this team. When Hurricane Harvey hit the Houston area, so much was lost for so many people that the Astros being able to win a World Series was the least of people’s concerns. Then something special happened: the city of Houston began to rally around itself with a simple hashtag: #HoustonStrong.
Like I mentioned before, I am a Boston Red Sox fan, so I have strong memories of #BostonStrong. Just as the city of Boston came together after the tragedy that was the Boston Marathon Bombings, the city of Houston came together after Hurricane Harvey to support their team. Sometimes it is not just a team, but a whole city that needs a win. Sometimes a whole city needs a cause to rally behind to help them through the hardest of times, and as Houston rebuilds, there is a shiny new trophy to go with it.
Houston went against a Dodgers team that was flat out better than them on paper. The Dodgers finished the season with a better record, they had a better playoff record, they had a deeper overall line-up, they had a potential rookie of the year, and they had one of the best pitching rotations in MLB history.
The problem was, in Hollywood, none of that matters. In Hollywood, the fairytale endings come true. One of the best baseball teams I have ever seen, and the Dodgers have the payroll to back up that claim, got beat by a Houston team that was just meant to win it all. Dodger’s stadium is not too far from the Hollywood sign, but it felt closer than ever before to the Astros’ fans and players. Carlos Correa even capped of the Hollywood ending by proposing to his now fiancé during the celebration.
For Dodgers’ fans, there is a lot to look back on and wonder "what if," most of that stemming from Yu Darvish’s awful performance, but there is still a bright future for such a young, scrappy, and hungry ball club. Last week, Dodgers’ fans just got to accept that the Hollywood ending went to somebody else. This year, along with the World Series trophy, belongs to the Houston Astros. The people of Houston have something great to celebrate as they continue to rebuild. Then again, this is the ending of a Hollywood story, so who knows what could happen. By this time next year, we might just be looking at a sequel.
