10 moments that shaped the Astros’ World Series championship

The Astros finished with the second-highest regular-season win total in franchise history, but the early stages of 2022 didn’t look so promising.

They went 11-10 in April and dropped their first game of the next month, falling 3 1/2 games back of the AL West lead. It all began to turn around on May 2, as they recorded the first of back-to-back shutout wins over the Seattle Mariners to start an 11-game winning streak. Houston was 95-45 from this day on, winning an eye-popping 67.9 percent of its games the rest of the way.

Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park on May 2, 2022 in Houston.

MLB Photos/MLB Photos via Getty Images Bregman, rookies set the stage

With the Astros trailing the Mariners by four in the eighth inning of Game 1 of the ALDS, Alex Bregman delivered a jolt that helped set the stage for one of the most thrilling postseason finishes in franchise history. Bregman hit a two-run home run to left-center, closing the gap to 7-5.

Houston’s chances still looked slim, trailing by two in the top of the ninth, before a pair of rookies came through with at-bats that shouldn’t be overlooked in the Astros’ playoff run. David Hensley was hit by a pitch after drawing a full-count with one out, while Jeremy Peña connected on a two-out single to keep the possibility of a comeback alive.

What happened next will live on forever in Houston sports lore.

Yordan walks it off

Thanks to quality at-bats from Hensley and Peña, the Astros’ most dangerous hitter of the regular season—Yordan Alvarez—made his way to the plate with two on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and his team trailing Seattle by two. Alvarez proceeded to launch a three-run moon shot into the upper deck in right field, lifting Houston to an improbable 8-7 victory in Game 1 of the ALDS.

Alvarez does it again

The heroics weren’t done for the Houston slugger after Game 1. The next day, he stepped to the plate with the Astros trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth. Alvarez proceeded to send a two-run home run to the Crawford Boxes to put his team ahead 3-2. Houston went on to win 4-2.

The legend begins to grow

Peña had already made his mark on the ALDS by the time Game 3 went to the top of the 18th. However, it was this inning when his debut postseason n began to take on a legendary status. With the score still tied at 0-0, setting a record for the longest a playoff game had gone without a run, Peña smacked a solo shot to lift the Astros to a sweep-sealing 1-0 victory.

Bregman bomb

All of the Astros’ scoring in Game 2 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees came on one play, but that was all the offense they would need. Alex Bregman put them up 3-0 with a three-run home run in the third inning, as Houston ultimately won 3-2.

MVP moment

Once again, Peña came up big for Houston in a series-clinching win. With the Yankees up 3-0 in the top of the third in Game 4, the rookie phenom tied the game on a three-run home run to left—a signature moment that helped him become the first rookie shortstop to win championship MVP honors.

Bregman also came through clutch for Houston, following up an Alvarez RBI single in the top of the seventh with one of his own for the go-ahead run in a 6-5 victory.

Rafael Montero #47, Bryan Abreu #52, Cristian Javier #53, Christian Vazquez #9 and Ryan Pressly #55 of the Houston Astros pose for a photo after pitching for a combined no-hitter to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0 in Game Four of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park on November 02, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images Unhittable

After falling behind the Philadelphia Phillies two games to one in the World Series, the Astros delivered a pitching performance for the ages to tie the series up. Cristian Javier, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly teamed up to throw the second no-hitter in World Series history and the first combined no-hitter ever in the Fall Classic.

Unlikely heroes

With the Phillies on the verge of a comeback to take a pivotal Game 5, a pair of unlikely contributors stepped in to preserve a 3-2 Astros victory.

Trey Mancini—who took over at first base for an injured Yuli Gurriel just moments earlier—was able to stop a hard-hit ground ball down the line and touch the bag for the third out of the bottom of the eighth. With the tying run on third and a speedster in Jean Segura on first, this very well might have been the difference in the game.

Philadelphia area native Chas McCormick also made his presence felt, making an acrobatic grab into the center field wall for the second out of the ninth inning.

Yordan blasts Astros to World Series title

Last, but certainly not least, is the the final Alvarez bomb of an electric 2022 campaign.

With Houston trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth in the decisive Game 6, the All-Star delivered yet another clutch home run—lifting the Astros to their second World Series title in the process. Alvarez launched a three-run blast 450 feet over the batters eye in straightaway center to put Houston ahead for good.