WASHINGTON (AFP) — Yordan Alvarez smashed a three-run homer and the Houston Astros captured their second World Series in six seasons on 5 November with a 4-1 victory over Philadelphia.

The Cuban slugger's sixth-inning blast off Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado gave Houston the lead for good as the Astros took Major League Baseball's best-of-seven championship final four games to two.

"I just tried to stay a little calm and get a good pitch to swing at and that's what I did," Alvarez said of his third game-winning playoff homer.
"It was amazing. When I was rounding second base I felt the whole stadium moving."

The Astros, in their fourth World Series in six seasons and fifth overall, won their only prior title in 2017, but many MLB fans regard that effort as a tainted crown.
An MLB investigation revealed an electronic sign stealing system by the Astros, which used cameras in 2017 and 2018 to swipe signs from rivals, players and staff banging on drums to signal Houston batters what pitch was coming.

The Astros lost their next two World Series appearances, to Washington in 2019 and Atlanta in 2021.

But this year's lineup, including five players from the 2017 roster, delivered a heartwarming title run for the manager who helped the Astros move beyond the scandal, 73-year-old Dusty Baker, the oldest manager in World Series history.

It was the first World Series title as a manager for Baker after 25 seasons as an MLB bench boss, although he won a title as a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981.

"He means everything," Astros star Jose Altuve said of Baker. "He came here at the right time with the right team and won his first World Series."

Baker, whose 2,093 wins were the most for any manager without a World Series title, took over the Astros in January 2020 after A.J. Hinch was fired in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal and emotions have been high for years over his title quest.

The Phillies, who sought their third World Series crown after 1980 and 2008, had not reached the playoffs since 2011 and hadn't reached the World Series since 2009.