It’s being described as one of the best World Series in history, taking fans on a roller coaster of tension, thrills, victory and of course, the agony of defeat.
The Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the series Wednesday night in L.A. The Astros took an early lead with five runs in the first two innings and held the lead till the end, winning 5-1 and claiming their first World Series trophy in franchise history.
“I always believed that we could make it,” All-Star slugger Jose Altuve said. “We did this for them,” he said, referring to Houston fans, who recently endured the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.
Altuve was in perfect position for the final out, a grounder by Corey Seager to the 5-foot-6 second baseman.
“I caught the last out for the Houston Astros to become a world champion. It was a groundball to me, I threw to first, and I think it was the happiest moment of my life in baseball,” Altuve said.
The Dodgers had tied up the series at three games apiece the night before. But some are still talking about Sunday night’s game as one of the most exciting World Series showdowns in recent memory, as the Astros beat the Dodgers 13-12 in 10 innings in a game that lasted a whopping 5 hours and 17 minutes.
One of Houston’s leaders on the field and at bat, second baseman Altuve’s home run is credited for the rally against Dodger’s pitcher Clayton Kershaw which led to that Astros’ extra-inning win in Game 5.
“At that point, I talked to him before getting the at-bat: ‘This is your moment,'” shortstop Carlos Correa said. “He didn’t let me down. He hit a homer and got us going.”
It was Altuve’s first World Series—a man who was once told he would never make it to the major leagues. Answering all of his critics, Altuve is now on the big stage, playing in front of millions of fans and he gives all the glory to God.
“To achieve success wasn’t to get into the major leagues or have the best season in the world. The best success is to live your life the way God wants you to,” he told The Houston Chronicle.
“If you can do that, if you can be good with God, then I think you will have success in your life.”
“We need to not just ask God but thank Him for everything like our health, our family. And ask Him to bless our homes and to always be present in our daily lives. And to keep us safe is most important,” Altuve continued.
Altuve credits his family, not only for believing in him, but for giving him the ultimate gift—his faith in God.
“I grew up in a family that always believed in God. And I feel like every morning when you wake up you have to thank Him just for another day. I do it every day,” he told CBN Sports.
Altuve said the team knows what the city of Houston has gone through with the destruction from Hurricane Harvey.
“And talking about Houston, it’s been a city that’s been going through lot of things this year. And now we are in the World Series. We want to win this World Series for them because they deserve it and because they’ve been true fans all year long,” he said.
The Astros second baseman says the team is like a family.
“We’re more than a team. We have a family. We all get along great and that’s very important,” he told the newspaper. {eoa}
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