Atlanta Braves Defeat Houston Astros to Win First World Series in 26 Years
Carmen Mandato/Getty
The Atlanta Braves are World Series champions!
Squaring off against the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the Series at Minute Maid Park Tuesday, the Braves won 7-0 in a game full of impressive plays by the Atlanta team, marking its first World Series championship in 26 years.
After two scoreless innings, the game quickly heated up in the third when Atlanta outfielder Jorge Soler hit a mega-sized home run with two men on base to bump the score up to 3-0. The score stayed there until Atlanta shortstop Dansby Swanson followed suit with his own homer, taking the score to 5-0.
First baseman Freddie Freeman hit a RBI in the fifth inning, taking the Braves' lead up to 6-0. The score stayed there until the seventh inning, when Freeman hit a home run to bump up the score once again.
The game ended 7-0 Braves, with six of their seven runs from home runs.
Carmen Mandato/Getty Dansby Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves is congratulated by Eddie Rosario #8 after hitting a two run home run against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning in Game Six of the World Series at Minute Maid Park
Read more: Houston Astros Squash Braves' Hope of Winning World Series in Game 5, Pull Out 9-5 Victory
Before Tuesday night's game, the Braves were leading the Series 3-2 after their at-home loss on Sunday. The Astros won Game 5 with a score of 9-5. The Game 6 win secures the Braves' fourth World Series title and their first win since 1995. They last appeared in the World Series in 1999.
After kicking off the first inning of Game 5 with a Grand Slam, the Braves remained in the lead for most of the first half of the game. But in the fifth inning, the Astros pulled ahead, bringing in three runs to make the score 7-4. The franchise was victorious with another run each in the seventh and eighth innings.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Astros last played in a Series in 2019, ultimately losing to the Washington Nationals. Their most recent victory was in 2017 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The win has since been tarnished by controversy, though, when it was discovered the victory was aided by a sign-stealing, trash can-banging scandal that season.
An investigation from late 2019 through 2020 determined then-Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch, who have both since been fired, were accountable. The team was fined the maximum $5 million in penalties.
Daniel Shirey/getty Dansby Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning during Game 6 of the 2021 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park
RELATED: Atlanta Braves Honor Hank Aaron and His Family with Emotional Tribute Ceremony During World Series
The Braves, who finished the regular season with 88 wins, became the fourth team to advance to the World Series after having a losing record at the All-Star break, according to ESPN. The last time the team did so was in 1991.
It was the seventh time since 1995 that a team with the fewest wins reached the World Series.
