By Mackenzie Farkus
Staff Writer
The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers are now tied 3-3 for the 2017 World Series. On Nov. 2, the Astros and Dodgers will break their tie in the Game 7 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Astros have only played in the World Series once before. In 2005, the team played against the Chicago White Sox, but lost all four games of the series. If they win the 2017 World Series, this would be the Astros’ first award since the team’s founding in 1962.
Houston may see an economic benefit due to the Astros making the 2017 World Series. For a city battered by flooding only months ago, Houston’s local economy could find its footing due to the buzz around the Astros and the World Series. According to CNN, Harvey cost $75 billion in damage.
“Basically any time we have a home game, or for all seven of the [World Series] games, it’s like having a Super Bowl,” Travis Adair, the owner of the famous Houston sports bar Lucky’s Pub, told Texas Monthly. “We have that same buzz everyday there’s a game.”
After the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, the Houston Astros have brought hope to Texans. Many Texans believe that an Astros win could restore Houston’s sense of city pride. Houston was hit by 50 inches of rain during Hurricane Harvey, ruining many area landmarks and institutions.
The Astros’ current stadium, Minute Maid Park, and their old stadium, the record-breaking Astrodome, were spared from Harvey’s destruction, unlike many buildings and infrastructure nearby. The Astrodome housed Hurricane Katrina evacuees in 2005; many evacuees ended up staying in Houston instead of returning to Louisiana. Houston is also widely known as one of the most diverse places in Texas, and is one of the most populated cities in the United States.
“For Astros fans, especially those in Houston, the win would be a long time coming — and for the rest of the world, it’d show the resilience of a city devastated by a storm, and of a team that has surpassed everyone’s expectations,” Doyin Oyeniyi wrote in a Texas Monthly article.
