For the first time since 2017, the Houston Astros are world champions. After outlasting the Philadelphia Phillies in six games, the Astros are the World Series winners for the first time since the controversy-marred win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017.
The baseball world has held a certain disdain for the team since 2017. Despite there being plenty of new faces and a ton of talent, the world still thinks of them as the team that cheated its way to the ring in 2017.
Following the win against the Phillies in Game 6, one Astros fan was asked:
"Hey, what do you have to say to everyone that still considers the Astros cheaters?"
The fan's answer was concise:
"F**k y'all."
Many fans have worn the villain label with pride over the last few seasons, but the fan base is probably tired of hearing about the cheating scandal that was several years ago.
Perhaps now that they've won a more "legitimate" title, fans of other teams will let up on them. The team got booed in every ballpark for a long time and continue to get jeered in places like New York and Los Angeles.
That might finally start to change.
How the Houston Astros got the title they needed
Several playoff teams were facing a World Series drought longer than the six years that it had been for Houston, but it can be argued that no team needed it more. Sure, the New York Yankees have waited 13 years and the Phillies have waited 14, but there's an argument that Houston needed this victory more than anyone else.
They've desperately tried to shed the cheating reputation and win a series without any controversy, but that hasn't happened. They made it to the World Series twice since 2017, but couldn't take it home.
They needed to prove that they could win it all without any outside help and that's exactly what they did this season.
Now, going into the future, they can start to be remembered for the 2022 title team instead of the 2017 one. Those players who were on both can breathe a sigh of relief.