We've had a couple days to digest that incredible seven-game World Series between the Astros and Dodgers, and Houston enjoyed its well-earned championship parade this afternoon. Game 7 turned out to be a bit of a dud, especially compared to the instant classics that were Games 2 and 5, but that didn't diminish the quality of the series one iota. That matchup had seven games written all over it, and that was the fitting conclusion, anticlimactic as it was.
Just when we thought last year couldn't be matched, we got another World Series for the ages. Well, we're starting to get spoiled. This was our second straight Game 7 and the third in four years. It reminds me of that great run in the mid-80s where there were three Game 7's in a row.
Whether or not we get another Game 7 next year doesn't really matter (I'm still drained from the last two World Series). The fact of the matter is we've finally gotten past that long run of four- or five-game clunkers. We went nine years between Game 7's from 2002-2011, but we've started to make up for it, and now we're up to six total since the Turn of the Century.
Almost every seven-game series is a classic, even if some (2001, 2016) are more classic than others (2011). Unfortunately, not every Game 7 provides its series with a fitting climax. Although, sometimes we do get lucky. So, with that in mind, here's how the six Game 7's since 2001 stack up...
6. 2002-Angels vs. Giants: San Francisco's even-year magic was still eight years away, and they blew a 5-0 seventh-inning lead in Game 6 while leading the series 3-2. After that comeback, it seemed pretty clear the Angels were going to win Game 7, which they did. In the end, a series full of offense (there were a total of 85 runs scored in the series) finished with a pitcher's duel, as a rookie named John Lackey got the win in a 4-1 Angels victory.
5. 2011-Cardinals vs. Rangers: Game 6 was the classic in this one. St. Louis was down to its last strike twice...in consecutive innings...before David Freese won Series MVP honors with two swings of his bat. Game 7 was a bit of an anticlimax. Texas scored two in the top of the first before Freese tied it with a two-run double in the bottom of the first. And it was all Cardinals from there.
4. 2017-Astros vs. Dodgers: After six scintillating games, what did the finale have in store for us? As it turns out, not much. Yu Darvish got rocked for the second time in the series, as Houston jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two. And the Astros bullpen (consisting pretty much of their other starters) kept it that way, stranding Dodger base runner after Dodger base runner. LA never had a chance after Charlie Morton came in, as the Astros clinched their first title.
3. 2014-Giants vs. Royals: Two words as to why this one is ranked so high--Madison Bumgarner. His Game 7 relief appearance capped one of the great individual World Series performances all-time. The game itself wasn't overly memorable. Mainly because Bumgarner so dominated the Royals over the final five innings. Kansas City did have the tying run on third in the bottom of the ninth...but, Bumgarner got Salvador Perez to pop out to give the Giants their third title in five years.
2. 2016-Cubs vs. Indians: The 2016 World Series had a little bit of everything, including two historically-long droughts, one of which had to end. The Cubs had the lead until Rajai Davis tied it with a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth. They went to extra innings, but not before the most famous rain delay in baseball history. Twenty minutes and a spontaneous clubhouse meeting later, the Cubs ended 108 years of frustration, giving a classic World Series a classic ending.
1. 2001-Diamondbacks vs. Yankees: Another classic game to end a classic series. The entire 2001 World Series was memorable (well, maybe except for Game 6), and Game 7 was one of those all-time games to end one of the best World Series of all-time. The Yankees had the lead and were three outs away from their fourth straight championship. But, Mariano Rivera proved to be human, giving up a little flare to Luis Gonzalez that dropped behind the drawn-in infield, as Arizona walked-off as World Series champions.
Here's perhaps the most fascinating fact about these Game 7s: three of the winners won a Game 7 to clinch their first (and currently only) World Series title, and the Cubs snapped a 108-year drought with theirs. The Giants and Cardinals are the only outliers here. The National League is also 4-2 in the Game 7s, and one of the AL wins was by a former NL team (Houston). We've also seen the road team win three straight after the home team won nine in a row from 1979-2011. Just part of what makes a Game 7 so incredible. You just never know what to expect.
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