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HOUSTON — The center-field fence at Minute Maid Park sits 409 feet away from home plate. The green batter’s eye that resides behind it stands 40 feet tall. Players don’t ever hit baseballs beyond it.

And yet Saturday night, with the game in doubt and a title on the line, Yordan Alvarez did.

His sixth-inning home run, against the left-handed reliever brought in exclusively to retire him, traveled 450 feet to straightaway center field, clearing the towering batter’s eye, scoring three runs, sending his jubilant teammates streaming onto the field and propelling the Houston Astros to a 4-1, title-clinching victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6.

“When I was rounding second base, I felt the whole stadium moving,” Alvarez said through a translator.

The Astros, one of the most dominant teams of this era, are World Series champions for the first time since 2017, a season tainted by scandal. Jeremy Pena, the rookie shortstop who strung together three consecutive multihit games, was named World Series MVP, the same award he won in the American League Championship Series.

A strong case could have also been made for Framber Valdez, who shut down the Phillies in Game 2 and contributed six stellar innings in Game 6. The Phillies’ only run off Valdez came on a sixth-inning leadoff home run by Kyle Schwarber. Moments later, Alvarez delivered the decisive blow, a notable theme of this postseason.

Zack Wheeler dominated the Astros through the first five innings, erasing any concerns about lingering arm fatigue. But with two on and one out in the bottom of the sixth, Phillies manager Rob Thomson turned the game over to Jose Alvarado, eyeing the left-on-left matchup with Alvarez due up.

Alvarez, 25, had gone homerless in his past 10 postseason games and had accumulated only five hits in his past 42 at-bats. Then he turned on a 2-1 sinker out over the plate and demolished it, producing the second-longest World Series home run of the Statcast era (surpassed only by Freddie Freeman‘s home run in Game 5 of last year’s World Series). It was Alvarez’s third home run this postseason, all of which came while the Astros were trailing and gave them the lead. No other player had ever hit two of those in an entire postseason career.

“This time what I did, I just tried to stay a little bit calm, select a good pitch to swing at,” Alvarez said. “And that’s what I did.”

From there, the Astros cruised, their dominant back-end relievers retiring the Phillies’ batters with ease over the next three innings.

The Astros have now claimed two titles during what has evolved into a dominant six-year stretch, but this is the first that won’t be mired in controversy. The Astros were found to have illegally stolen signs through an elaborate trash-can-banging scheme during their championship season of 2017, a revelation that prompted the suspensions and subsequent firings of their architect (Jeff Luhnow) and field manager (A.J. Hinch) heading into the 2020 season, among other penalties.

The Astros, however, continued to win. They recovered from a slow start to the pandemic-shortened season to reach the American League Championship Series, then went all the way to the World Series in 2021, losing in six games to a shorthanded-but-resurgent Atlanta Braves team.

The ensuing offseason saw Carlos Correa leave via free agency, following the path of Gerrit Cole and George Springer in prior winters. Superstars departed and their dynamic core aged, but the Astros kept thriving.

Pena replaced Correa at shortstop and made a case for the AL Rookie of the Year Award; Alvarez, acquired in what initially felt like a minor trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, evolved into arguably the sport’s best hitter; Valdez, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy — all obtained through well-below-market deals on the international front — developed into top-tier starting pitchers; and the likes of Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu, Ryne Stanek and Rafael Montero formed a dominant bullpen bridge to lights-out closer Ryan Pressly.

Around them, their stars shined. Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve performed among the best at their respective positions; Justin Verlander pitched like a Cy Young favorite as a 39-year-old coming off Tommy John surgery. The Astros were hardly challenged in the AL West in 2022. They finished the regular season with a 106-56 record, winning the division by 16 games. They then won their first seven postseason contests to quickly dispatch the upstart Seattle Mariners and the decorated New York Yankees in the first two rounds.

The Phillies, a team that won 19 fewer games, proved to be the Astros’ most formidable foe. They tested their mettle, but the Astros responded.

When the Phillies staged a five-run comeback to steal Game 1, the Astros rode a dominant Valdez to earn a split from Houston. When the Phillies cranked out five home runs in a Game 3 victory, the Astros recovered to win back-to-back road games in a hostile environment, riding a combined no-hitter in Game 4 and a collective effort — highlighted by Chas McCormick‘s improbable ninth-inning catch — in Game 5.

In Game 6, Valdez dominated, Alvarez came up with the big hit and the bullpen shut it down.

“Obviously, they threw a punch, and we did what we’ve done all year: We came right back and threw a haymaker,” Verlander said.

The Astros’ latest victory could be legacy-defining, necessary affirmation for a superior franchise whose highest prior achievement was marked by a cheating scandal. It came, fittingly, at home, in front of the fans who rallied around them while the rest of the country vilified them.

The Astros had been seen largely as the cold, calculated franchise whose win-at-all-costs mentality pushed them to cheat the game in ways many of their peers found egregious. Now they can be defined, at least in part, by how they overcame the sudden firing of two of their most influential people, the loss of two first- and second-round picks, the steady departure of superstar talent and the animosity of an entire sport.

Their manager overcame, too. Dusty Baker, hired shortly after Major League Baseball’s investigation into the Astros’ sign-stealing practices concluded in January 2020, has finally won his first World Series championship as a manager, a crucial milestone for what is certain to become a Hall of Fame career.

Now 73, Baker had spent a quarter century chasing a championship he only won once, as an outfielder for the Dodgers in 1981. He took 12 different teams to the postseason and claimed 2,093 career regular-season victories before finally winning the game that mattered most.

The Astros now have some important decisions to make. Baker and James Click, hired as the general manager less than a week after Baker came on board, were both on contracts that have now expired. Baker could retire, and Click has not seen eye-to-eye with Astros owner Jim Crane on some baseball-related decisions, sources said, placing unexpected uncertainty around his future. Resolution on both should arrive soon.

For now, the Astros will celebrate.

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Utes’ Whittingham reenergized after ’24 free fall

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Utes' Whittingham reenergized after '24 free fall

FRISCO, Texas — A dynamic new quarterback, a new offensive system and two projected first-round picks up front have Utah coach Kyle Whittingham feeling enthusiastic about the Utes’ chances of bouncing back from a disastrous debut season in the Big 12.

Utah was voted No. 1 in the Big 12 preseason poll last year after joining from the Pac-12, but a brutal run of injuries and inconsistency resulted in a seven-game conference losing streak and a 5-7 finish — the program’s first losing season since 2013.

After weeks of contemplation about his future and what was best for the program, Whittingham, the third-longest-tenured head coach in FBS, decided in December to return for his 21st season with the Utes.

“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note,” Whittingham told ESPN at Big 12 media days Wednesday. “It was too frustrating, too disappointing. As much as college football has changed with all the other factors that might pull you away, that was the overriding reason: That’s not us, that’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”

“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note. It was too frustrating, too disappointing. … That’s not us. That’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on going 5-7 in 2024

Whittingham and Utes defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley conducted a national search for a new offensive coordinator and quickly zeroed in on New Mexico‘s Jason Beck. Then they managed to land Devon Dampier, Beck’s first-team All-Mountain West quarterback, via the transfer portal.

After finishing 11th nationally in total offense with 3,934 yards and 31 total touchdowns and putting up the fourth-most rushing yards (1,166) among all FBS starters, Dampier followed his coach to Salt Lake City and immediately asserted himself as a difference-maker for a program that had to start four different QBs in 2024.

“He’s a terrific athlete,” Whittingham said. “He’s a guy that, if spring is any indication, he’s an exciting player, and we can’t wait to watch him this season. … He’s got that ‘it’ factor. He’s a leader. Needless to say, very excited to see what he does for us.”

They’ve surrounded Dampier with 21 more newcomers via the transfer portal and will protect him with two returning starters at tackle in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, who are projected first-round NFL draft picks by ESPN’s Matt Miller.

“We feel they’re the best tandem in the country,” Whittingham said. “The offensive line in general, I feel, it’s the best since I’ve been there. And that’s quite a statement. We’ve had some really good offensive lines. We’ve got two first-rounders and three seniors inside that have played a lot of good football for us. That better be a strength of ours, and that’s what we’re counting on.”

Whittingham has previously said he did not want to coach past the age of 65. Now that he’s 65, he acknowledges that he might’ve arrived at a different decision about his future had the Utes ended up winning the Big 12 in 2024. He is reenergized about getting them back into contention, but he’s not ready to say whether this season might be his last.

“The best answer I can give you is, right now, I’m excited and passionate about going to work every single day,” Whittingham said. “As soon as that changes, I’ll know it’s time. I’m just counting on knowing when the time is right. I can’t tell you exactly what the circumstances will be other than losing the fire in the belly.”

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MLB to utilize ABS challenge system during ASG

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MLB to utilize ABS challenge system during ASG

The automated ball-strike system is coming to the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.

MLB officials added the feature to the annual exhibition game knowing it could be a precursor to becoming a permanent part of the major leagues as soon as next year.

The same process used this past spring training will be used for the Midsummer Classic: Each team will be given two challenges with the ability to retain them if successful. Only a pitcher, catcher or hitter can ask for a challenge and it has to happen almost immediately after the pitch. The player will tap his hat or helmet indicating to the umpire he wants to challenge while any help from the dugout or other players on the field is not allowed.

MLB officials say 72% of fans who were polled during spring training said the impact of ABS on their experience at the game was a “positive” one. Sixty-nine percent said they’d like it part of the game moving forward. Just 10% expressed negativity toward it.

MLB’s competition committee will meet later this summer to determine if ABS will be instituted next season after the league tested the robotic system throughout the minor leagues and spring training in recent years. Like almost any rule change, there were mixed reviews from players about using ABS but nearly all parties agree on one point: They prefer a challenge system as opposed to the technology calling every pitch.

As was the case in spring training, once a review is initiated, an animated replay of the pitch will be shown on the scoreboard and the home plate umpire will either uphold the call or overturn it. ABS uses Hawk-Eye system technology which tracks the pitch trajectory and location in relation to the strike zone, providing an instant assessment which can be relayed to the home plate umpire.

The All-Star Game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday.

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Royals sign former Cy Young winner Keuchel

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Royals sign former Cy Young winner Keuchel

The Kansas City Royals have signed former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel to a minor league contract, the team announced Wednesday.

The 37-year-old left-hander will start at Triple-A Omaha and will earn a prorated $2 million salary if he reaches the big leagues, sources tell ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Keuchel has not pitched in the majors for nearly a full calendar year. He elected to become a free agent on July 18, 2024, after being designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers.

In four starts with the Brewers last season, Keuchel had a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings without a decision. In 13 major league seasons, the 2015 American League Cy Young winner with the Houston Astros is 103-92 with a 4.04 ERA in 282 appearances (267 starts).

After pitching his first seven seasons with the Astros, Keuchel has made appearances for six different teams since 2019. He won a World Series with Houston in 2017 and is a two-time All-Star selection and five-time Gold Glove winner.

Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.

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