2017 World Series

Lore & Background

This was the first World Series in which home-field advantage was decided by the regular season record of the two pennant winners. From 1903 to 2002, home-field advantage had been determined by coin flips and by alternating between the AL and NL. From 2003 to 2016, it was determined by results from that season's All-Star Game, when it was awarded to the team from the winning league. The Dodgers earned home-field advantage over the Astros. The series was played in a 2–3–2 format, with the Dodgers hosting Games 1, 2, 6, and 7; and the Astros hosting Games 3, 4, and 5.

Reader's Guide

The Astros defeated the Dodgers, four games to three. Houston outfielder George Springer was named the World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) after hitting five home runs in the series to tie a World Series record with Reggie Jackson in 1977 and Chase Utley in 2009. Both teams set a World Series record with a combined total of 25 home runs throughout the entire series, including a team record 15 home runs by the Astros, and 10 home runs by the Dodgers, and hit a combined total of eight home runs in Game 2 to set the single game World Series mark.

Did You Know?

• The Astros became the second team in postseason history to win two Game 7s in one postseason, after the 1985 Kansas City Royals.
• It was the first time since 2001–2002 when two consecutive World Series went to seven games.
• The Astros' victory was marred in 2019 after a league investigation revealed that they had illegally utilized a system to steal signs from opposing teams during their championship season.