History has a funny way of smoothing out the edges of things that were actually incredibly messy at the time. If you were sitting on your couch in late October of 2017, staring at the TV and wondering who is winning the World Series 2017, you weren't just looking for a score. You were witnessing a total breakdown of modern pitching. Baseballs were flying out of Minute Maid Park and Dodger Stadium at a rate that felt, frankly, a little ridiculous.
It was a clash of titans. Two 100-win teams. The Houston Astros, the "process" team that Sports Illustrated famously predicted would win it all years prior, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, the blue-blood juggernaut with a payroll that could buy a small island. But if you ask a fan today who won, you'll get two very different answers depending on whether they value the record books or the ethics of a trash can.
The Houston Astros won. They took Game 7 in Los Angeles. But "winning" is a loaded term here. Because of the 2019 revelations regarding the sign-stealing scandal, that 2017 title is the most scrutinized championship in the history of the sport. Yet, if we’re talking about the actual series as it happened, it was a seven-game rollercoaster that genuinely broke the brains of baseball purists everywhere.
The Night Baseball Went Off the Rails
Game 5. That’s the one everyone remembers. If you wanted to know who was winning the World Series 2017 on that Sunday night, the answer changed every twenty minutes. It was a 13-12 final. In a World Series! Clayton Kershaw, arguably the greatest pitcher of his generation, blew a four-run lead. Then he blew a three-run lead.
It was loud. It was exhausting.
Honestly, it felt like the players were using golf balls. There were five different game-tying home runs. The Astros eventually walked it off in the 10th inning thanks to Alex Bregman. But the sheer volume of scoring raised eyebrows even then. Was it the "juiced" balls? Was it the pressure? Or was it something else?
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The Dodgers felt like the better team on paper. They had the depth. They had Kenley Jansen in his prime. But the Astros had this weird, gritty momentum. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa looked like they knew what was coming before the pitcher even let go of the ball. We’d later find out why that might have been the case, but in the moment, it just looked like elite hitting.
Pitching Mechanics vs. Pure Chaos
Charlie Morton. He’s the guy who doesn’t get enough credit for the Astros' victory. While everyone was obsessing over Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel, Morton came in for Game 7 and threw four innings of one-run relief. He shut the door.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, were left wondering what happened to Yu Darvish.
Darvish got shelled. Twice. He didn't even make it out of the second inning in Game 7. At the time, people blamed "tipping pitches." They said his glove was moving or his pause was too long. It was heartbreaking to watch a guy of his caliber get dismantled on the biggest stage. Dodgers fans still wince at the memory of George Springer rounding the bases after that two-run blast in the second inning of the final game.
But look at the numbers. The Astros hit .230 as a team in that series. The Dodgers hit .205. It wasn't a clinic in hitting; it was a clinic in hitting the ball hard at the right time. Houston struck out 63 times. The Dodgers struck out 65 times. It was a high-variance, high-stress environment that favored the team that could capitalize on a single mistake.
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The Controversy That Won't Die
You can't talk about who won in 2017 without addressing the elephant in the room. Commissioner Rob Manfred’s report in 2020 confirmed the Astros used a camera system to steal signs and relay them to hitters by banging on a trash can.
Did it happen in the World Series?
The report said the system continued into the 2017 postseason. This turns the question of "who is winning" into a philosophical debate. The Dodgers feel robbed. Andre Ethier, who played his final game in Game 7 of that series, has been vocal about the "what ifs."
But the Astros kept the trophy. No players were suspended.
It’s a stain on the era. However, from a purely tactical standpoint, the Astros' ability to lay off Kershaw’s slider in Game 5 remains one of the most statistically improbable feats in postseason history. Kershaw threw 39 sliders and didn't get a single swing-and-miss. That’s either incredible discipline or... well, you know.
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Why the Result Still Resonates
This series changed how front offices are built. Everyone wanted to be the "next Astros." They wanted the data-driven approach, the high-spin-rate pitchers, and the aggressive defensive shifts.
The 2017 World Series was the peak of the "Three True Outcomes" era—home runs, walks, or strikeouts. There were 25 home runs hit across those seven games. That’s a record. It wasn't "small ball." It was a heavyweight fight where both guys were swinging for the fences and occasionally falling over.
If you’re looking at the box scores, Houston won games 2, 3, 5, and 7. Los Angeles won 1, 4, and 6.
The series ended on a ground ball from Corey Seager to Yuli Gurriel. A quiet end to a very loud week.
Actionable Takeaways for Baseball Historians
If you are digging into the 2017 World Series today, don't just look at the highlights. The highlights lie. They make it look like a series of heroic moments. To really understand what happened, you have to look at the process.
- Watch Game 2 and Game 5 back-to-back. These are the "pivot" games. Notice the swing decisions by Houston hitters when they were trailing. The composure is almost eerie.
- Analyze the bullpen usage. This series marked the death of the traditional "closer" role. Managers A.J. Hinch and Dave Roberts were burning through arms, using starters as relievers (like Lance McCullers Jr. and Kenta Maeda) in ways we hadn't seen consistently before.
- Contextualize the "Juiced Ball" theory. 2017 was the year the ball changed. Pitchers like Justin Verlander complained about the slickness and the low seams. This likely contributed to the high home run count as much as any sign-stealing did.
- Respect the Dodgers' resilience. They were down 3-2 going back to LA and forced a Game 7. Chris Taylor and Cody Bellinger were youngsters then, showing the depth that would eventually lead them to a 2020 title.
The Astros are the champions of record. The Dodgers are the champions of "what could have been." Between the trash cans, the home run records, and the incredible pitching performances of guys like Charlie Morton, it remains the most complicated, frustrating, and exhilarating World Series of the 21st century.
Study the pitch-tracking data from Game 5 if you want to see the intersection of human talent and questionable "assistance." It’s the best way to form your own opinion on who truly won that year. Stay focused on the 2017 postseason ERA of the Houston bullpen—it’s where the real story of their defensive survival lives.