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| Houston players mob pitcher Charlie Morton after the Astros won their first-ever World Series Championship. |
Entering the the majors as an expansion franchise in 1962—first as the Houston Colt .45s—they played in the National League until shifting to the American League in 2013. While in the National League, the Astros developed a pretty decent rivalry with the New York Mets—most notably in 1986 when the Mets topped the ’Stros four games to two in the NLCS classic, sending them into the World Series against the Red Sox, one they would ultimately win, aided in large part with a slow roller that slipped through first baseman Bill Buckner’s legs. The Mets and Astros were both expansion teams in 1962.
But I digress. Although located a little over 1,600 miles
from Connecticut, the Astros have a significant connection to
the Nutmeg State. For starters, Hall-of-Famer Jeff Bagwell, arguably the
greatest everyday player in Astros history (some will argue that honor goes to Craig Biggio, others will say Joe Morgan), hails from Killingworth and played
college ball at the University of Hartford.
Indeed, not very long ago, the Astros weren’t very good. In
2011, the ’Stros lost 106 games. In 2012, it was 107. And in 2013, Houston lost
111 games. But building a team through the draft works. The culture of
losing started to reverse itself in 2014 when the Astros sported a 70-92
record. The next season, the Astros finished 10 games over .500—the first time
they were over .500 since 2008. That year, they beat the Yankees in the Wild
Card game, but lost to the Royals in the Division Series. They finished over
.500 again in 2016 (84-78), but did not make the playoffs.
And then came this magical season: A 101-61 regular-season
record followed with playoff victories over the Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers—the
latter two coming in seven-game series.
Connecticut
Connection
While it can't be denied that the Astros solidified their position of title contenders (if not favorites) after they acquired former Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander from the Tigers mid-season, the current version of the Astros also has a huge
Connecticut component. Series MVP George Springer, Houston’s All-Star
centerfielder, is from Connecticut. Born in New Britain, he played for one year
at New Britain High, where his father was a teacher, before transferring to
Avon Old Farms prep school. As a senior (he repeated his junior year because of
poor grades), he was drafted in the 48th round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the
Minnesota Twins. He opted instead to attend UConn, where he became a star,
winning Big East Rookie of the Year accolades and All-American recognition. In
2011, he was selected in the 11th round by the Astros, received a $2.52 million
signing bonus, and went to work developing his game.
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| Series MVP and New Britain native George Springer addresses the fans after the game. |
The impact that seeming insignificant act of kindness had on
that little kid from New Britain was immeasurable. Hunter became Springer’s
idol.
“There was something about the way he played that I liked,
and he became my idol,” he continued. “I was only eight years old, and he
doesn’t know the impact he made on my life then. I basically tried to do
everything the way he did, with my own spin on it.”
So—World Series rings and MVP trophies aside—Springer fully
understands the responsibility he carries around for no other reason than being
a Major League Baseball star.
“I do now, because I’m an example of it,” he said. “You
never know the impact you can have on somebody just by saying ‘Hello’ or
shaking a hand—whatever it is. Because my life got changed at an early age by a
guy playing Double A baseball. To me, it was like meeting Hank Aaron. I didn’t
know any better. The older I got the more I understood it, and I wanted to be
like that guy.”
At the start of the World Series, Springer was not exactly en fuego. He struck out four times in
Game 1, and went into Game 2 hitting a paltry .100 in his previous 30 at-bats.
And then, it was as if a switch went off inside his body.
Springer finished an incredible Series with eight extra-base hits (three
doubles, five homes) and 29 total bases—both new WS records. The previous total
bases record was 25, shared by Reggie Jackson in 1977 and Willie Stargell in
1979. This is particularly impressive when you consider those gaudy numbers
were achieved in six games.
In Game 7, Springer got the party started immediately with a
leadoff double in the top of the first and a two-run dinger in the second. He
was the biggest reason the Astros raced out to a 5-0 lead—one that was never
challenged by the home team.
“My approach was to get something out over the plate; get
something I could drive,” he said, referring to what would become his fifth
home run of the Series. “If I was going to go down, I was going to go down on
my own accord. I just remember swinging and hearing the sound off the bat, and
I knew it was a good sound. Then I saw the flight of the ball and I got to
first base and I round third and got home and that’s a crazy feeling.”
Springer’s five dingers tied him with Reggie Jackson (1977)
and Chase Utley (2009) for most homers in a single World Series.
And consider this: Even with his 0-for-4 start, he ended up
hitting .379 with a .412 slugging percentage, and an outstanding 1.000 OBPS.
“Our team believed in each other all year, through the good
times and the bad times, through a rough stretch in August, to getting down 3-2
against a very good New York team,” said Springer. “There are a lot of things
that happened. I’m so happy to be a part of it—to bring a championship to a city
that desperately needed one. This is a surreal feeling.”
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| Charlie Morton, who grew up in Trumbull and Redding, shut down the Dodgers for four innings for the win. |
The other Connecticut connection to this year’s Astros is
starting pitcher Charlie Morton. Although
he was born in Flemington, NJ,
Morton’s family moved to Trumbull where he grew up. In his high school years,
the Mortons moved to Redding, and Charlie went on to star at Joel Barlow High.
Originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the third round
of the 2002 Draft, Morton earned a win in his first start for the Braves (vs.
the Angels) in June 2008. Following that season (he was 4-8 with a
less-than-impressive 6.15 ERA as a rookie), Morton was traded to the Pittsburgh
Pirates, for whom he played for the next seven seasons. He was traded to the
Phillies prior to the 2015 campaign, but missed most of the season when he tore
his left hamstring. He signed with the Astros in November 2016, and the rest,
as they say is history.
Morton started Game 4 and left in the seventh inning with
the Astros leading 1-0. The Dodgers would rally for five runs in the top of the
ninth and ultimately won that game, 6-2. It was Morton’s only start of the
Series—but not his only appearance.
In Game 7, it was apparent early on that starter Lance
McCullers Jr. didn’t have it, hitting four Dodgers—FOUR—in two and a third innings. But if McCullers didn’t have it,
Dodger start Yu Darvish simply stunk out the joint, allowing five runs (four
earned) in just one and two-thirds innings.
And so it was, with a 5-1 lead, Hinch called on Morton to hold
the Dodgers at bay over the last four innings, just as he did with the Yankees
in Game 7 of the ALCS as the starter. And that’s exactly what he did. In the process, he joined Steve Blass of the Pittsburgh Pirates as the only Connecticut natives to win a Game 7 in World Series history.
And while Carlos Beltran does not have a direct Connecticut
connection, he played for both the Yankees and Mets, which has given him a
significant fan base in the state. After the game, Beltran, while certainly happy with winning
his first world championship, albeit in a reserve role, was more focused on the
people of Houston and his native Puerto Rico.
“When you see a city dealing with devastation, while at the
same time seeing the devastation back home in Puerto Rico, you have to step
forward,” said Beltran, a San Juan native. “As a team, we were able to
contribute to the fund [Astros’ owner] Mr. Jim Crane put together for the
victims of Hurricane Harvey, and at the same time I was able to do something
for my country, Puerto Rico. I’m happy to bring joy to the City of Houston as
well as for the people in Puerto Rico who have supported me throughout my
career.”
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| He asked, she said "Yes!" |
This was without question the biggest night of Carlos Correa’s
life. Not only was the Astros’ shortstop a key member of the team’s first world
championship in franchise history, but he opted for a postgame interview to ask
for his girlfriend, Daniella Rodriguez’s, hand in marriage—to which responded with a
resounding “Yes!” live on national television.
But what was Plan B? What if the Dodgers had won?
“There was no ‘Plan B,’” admitted Correa.
—with staff reports
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