(AL2) Houston Astros vs. (NL1) Los Angeles Dodgers {{MLB Playoff Summary This was the second postseason meeting between the Dodgers and Astros. They had previously met in the NLDS in
1981, which the Dodgers won in five games en route to a World Series title. The Astros defeated the Dodgers in seven games to capture their first World Series title in franchise history, becoming the first team from
Texas to accomplish such a feat.
Clayton Kershaw pitched seven solid innings as the Dodgers took Game 1, which was the shortest World Series game since
Game 4 of the 1992 World Series at 2 hours and 28 minutes. Game 2 was an eleven-inning slugfest which the Astros won 7–6, as both teams had four different players hit home runs. Game 2 was the first World Series game won by the Astros in franchise history. When the series moved to Houston, a home run by
Yuli Gurriel put the Astros in the lead for good as they won by two runs in Game 3 to take the series lead. Game 3 was marred by controversy, as Gurriel made a racially insensitive gesture in the
dugout at Los Angeles pitcher
Yu Darvish after his home run. He stretched the sides of his eyes and mouthing the Spanish word
chinito, which translates to "little Chinese Boy"; Darvish is from
Japan. Gurriel apologized, and said that anyone from Asia is called a
chino in
Cuba, although he acknowledged knowing that the term was offensive in Japan from having played there. As a result,
Rob Manfred, the
Commissioner of Baseball, suspended Gurriel for the first five games of the
2018 Major League Baseball season without pay, but allowed him to continue playing in the World Series. The Dodgers rallied late in Game 4 by scoring six runs in two of the final three innings to even the series at two. The series was notable for its Game 5, which saw a record six game-tying home runs and 25 combined runs scored. The six game-tying home runs in the series to this point is the most for any World Series on record. This World Series set a new record for most players to hit a home run (14 to date in the World Series). With the teams combining to score 25 runs throughout the game, this was the highest scoring World Series game since the
Florida Marlins defeated the
Cleveland Indians 14–11 in Game 3 of the
1997 World Series. When the series shifted back to Los Angeles,
Tony Watson defeated
Justin Verlander in a pitchers' duel as the Dodgers won 3–1 in Game 6 to force a seventh game. However,
George Springer helped carry the Astros to victory in Game 7 with his fifth home run of the series. This was the first championship won by a
Houston-based team since
1995, when the
NBA’s
Houston Rockets repeated as NBA champions. As of , the 2017 Astros remain the most recent American League team to win a World Series Game 7, as the next two Fall Classics that went the full seven games (
2019,
2025) were won by the National League. The Astros' victory became controversial when MLB determined in 2019 that they had been illegally using technology to
steal signs from opposing teams during their 2017 and 2018 seasons. As a result, the Astros were fined $5 million and docked several top draft picks, while Astros manager
A. J. Hinch and general manager
Jeff Luhnow were suspended for one year; both were subsequently fired. However,
Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred opted against punishing any of the players involved or revoking the Astros' World Series title.
ESPN writer Sam Miller opined that although competitive and memorable, the 2017 World Series "produced a champion we all regret having felt happy for". The Astros returned to the World Series
two years later after their illegal sign stealing scheme was ended, but were upset by the
Washington Nationals in seven games after being eight outs away from the championship in Game 7. However, the Astros would eventually earn redemption for the scandal in
2022, as they defeated the
Philadelphia Phillies in six games for their most recent championship. The Dodgers returned to the World Series
the next year, but lost to the
Boston Red Sox in five games, who were later implicated in the same illegal sign-stealing scandal as the Astros. They would eventually end their championship drought in
2020 against the
Tampa Bay Rays in six games. ==Broadcasting==