When the confetti rained downed on Dodger Stadium at the end of the 2017 World Series, it was not the home team celebrating a victory. After defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7, the Houston Astros reigned supreme in the MLB! The victory gave the Astros their first World Series victory in their 55 year history.

In a battle that will go down as in instant classic, Houston outlasted the Dodgers in an exhilarating series that took both teams to the brink. “No matter what, this series is going down in the history books as one of the best series of all time,” says Justin Verlander, a starting pitcher who signed with the Astros at the trade deadline.

Games 1-6 were all extremely close contests, as Games 2 and 5 both went into extra innings. It was the high powered offense of the Astros; however, that gave them the edge. Leading the entire MLB in runs scored, a lineup led by American League MVP candidate Jose Altuve started the scoring early, scoring just 4 pitches into Game 7, driving Los Angeles pitcher Yu Darvish out of the game by scoring five runs in just two innings. Paired with superb pitching from both their starters and the bullpen, the Astros took the postseason by storm and hoisted the World Series trophy high above their heads.

After winning their division by a whopping 21 games, many people predicted the Astros would make it to the World Series. Sports Illustrated Magazine made a prediction even more bold. They predicted the Astros would win the World Series. They made this prediction in 2014!!! On the cover of their 2014 MLB preview edition, Sports Illustrated confidently stated that the rebuilding Astros, who had spent 2 seasons with over 100 losses, would win the championship in 2017.

What made the prediction so insane, and borderline unbelievable, was the fact that they not only correctly guessed the Astros would win, but they also managed to correctly pick who the MVP of the series would be. The man gracing the cover (see right) is George Springer, the center-fielder for Houston. Hitting five home runs in the series out of the leadoff spot, Springer easily won the award. “This is what you dream of as a kid” said Springer, minutes after receiving his trophy.

Looking past the star studded roster and the bright lights, the Houston Astros and their World Series win is a symbolic one. Earlier in the year, the city was devastated by Hurricane Harvey. Texas was in shambles and needed a bright spot. The Astros give them a common ground to gather around and cheer together as one city and one team. The Astros wore a patch on their uniforms during the year to signify strength and unity.

“Houston Strong.” No motto more accurately captures the season of the team from Texas and their magical 2017 run. Congratulations Houston, you deserve it…