Major League Baseball’s 2021 World Series Championship was concluded on November 2, the National League champion Atlanta Braves powering to victory over American League entrant Houston Astros, and on the latter’s home Minute Maid Park field.
For the fourth time in franchise history, and second, since moving to Atlanta, Braves players and coaches stood tall in hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy. The only one awarded to U.S. and Canadian professional athletes is not named for a person.
Individual game line scores are summarized as follows: Games 1 and 2 in Houston, 3-5 in Atlanta’s Truist Park, and the deciding Game 6 back in Houston.
R H E R H E
Game 1 Tue Oct 26 ATL 6 – 12 – 1 HSN 2- 8 – 1 ATL Leads 1-0
Game 2 Wed Oct 27 ATL 2 – 7 – 2 HSN 7 – 9 – 0 Series Tied 1-1
Game 3 Fri Oct 29 ATL 2 – 6 – 1 HSN 0 – 2 – 0 ATL Leads 2-1
Game 4 Sat Oct 30 ATL 3- 8 – 1 HSN 2 – 8 – 0 ATL Leads 3-1
Game 5 Sun Oct 31 ATL 5 – 8 – 1 HSN 9 -12 – 0 ATL Leads 3-2
Game 6 Tue Nov 2 ATL 7 – 7 – 1 HSN 0 – 6 – 0 ATL Clinches
Individual Honors
Cuban-born 29-year-old Braves outfield star Jorge Soler claimed Series Most Valuable Player honors, earned on the strength of his 3 Home Runs and 6 driven in. His Game 6 Third Inning blast still has observers’ jaws agape — the ball left the building in flight and was last seen sailing over nearby railroad tracks deep into the Texas darkness.
A 10-year Major League veteran, he was an integral component of the Braves’ mid-season player acquisitions. The right-handed-hitting Soler is a free agent this winter. Other teams are now likely to take an interest.
Quirks and Oddities
Some features of this Series are likely to command the attention of trivia enthusiasts in the coming years. Among them:
- excepting two off years, the World Series has been staged continuously since 1903. Game 5 witnessed the Astros as the first team ever to trail by 4 runs while facing elimination, only to claw back to win the game by that same number;
- it was the seventh consecutive World Series to be clinched on the road, the longest such streak in either venue;
- Braves outfielder Joc Pederson, a member of last year’s champion LA Dodgers, became only the ninth player in MLB history to win consecutive World Series crowns while playing for two different teams.
Swinging Meltdown
Field manager Dusty Baker steered the Astros through a powerful 2021 regular season. Under his watchful eye, they led both Leagues with 863 runs scored, averaging nearly 5 per game. But it may be noted above that termites invaded the Houston bat rack in four of the six games, in them scoring four runs total.
For the Series, a meager .224 team batting average was posted, stamped with 55 strikeouts in a mere 201 at-bats. Among their expected offensive contributors, only Michael Brantley connected, going 8-for-24 with a pair of doubles.
The team cleared the fences only twice, each a bases-empty drive by Jose Altuve.
Ascent on the Hill
As baseball is the only game in which the ball is put into play by the team on defense, it has been endlessly repeated that ‘The Name of The Game is Pitching’. Max Fried led the way with 11 Series innings pitched, and the staff recorded a commendable 3.06 Earned Run Average, issuing only 19 free passes over 53 innings. His sixth year as dugout helmsman was, in this and other ways, a credit to Brian Snitker.
The Braves did not reach the .500 mark until a week following the July trade deadline, but their stretch run was graced with both poise and quiet confidence. All Hail the Champs.
