There is yet another piece of evidence to suggest that the Houston Astros’ World Series victory this season was just meant to be.
The Astros clinched the Commissioner’s Trophy on Saturday night with a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 of the World Series. Houston rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña, who hit .400 with a home run and three RBIs in the six games against Philadelphia, was named World Series MVP.
An amazing fact subsequently went viral about the Peña family and Astros manager Dusty Baker. Baseball Reference’s Christopher Kamka shared that, during Baker’s managerial debut back on Apr. 6, 1993 against the St. Louis Cardinals, the leadoff hitter for St. Louis was none other than Geronimo Peña, Jeremy’s father.
Baker was managing the San Francisco Giants at the time, his first of 25 seasons in the dugout. But he did not win a World Series until … Saturday night. How fitting is it that Baker’s first opposing batter was Jeremy Peña’s father and that his first World Series victory came in Jeremy Peña’s first MLB season (with Jeremy as the World Series MVP to boot)?
Needless to say, the World Series triumph was a very long time coming for the 73-year-old Baker. He also played a starring role during the Astros’ celebration on Saturday.
