Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña becomes the FIRST position player to win World Series MVP

Jeremy Peña’s key to success was to keep his head dry.

He finished a freshman season like no other, becoming the first rookie position player to win a World Series MVP award on Saturday night after hitting .400 in the Houston Astros’ six-game win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

“The hardest part was blocking everything that isn’t part of the game,” Peña said. “There’s a saying you can’t sink a ship with water nearby. It sinks when water gets in. So I’m just trying to stay strong and keep the water out of my head.”

Peña also won a Golden Glove and was the MVP of the AL Championship Series. The 25-year-old shortstop became the first batter to win those three trophies in his career, according to OptaSTATS – and he did it all in his rookie season.

“It has a lot to do with my family, my upbringing,” he said.

Peña praised Dusty Baker, the 73-year-old manager of the Astros. When Baker made his major league managerial debut for San Francisco on April 6, 1993, the lead batter of the opposing team was Peña’s father, St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Gerónimo Peña.

“Dusty Baker is a legend in the sport,” Jeremy Peña said. “Not just because he’s there. He has had success in this game. He gets the best out of his players. He gives you the confidence to just play hard and let the game play for itself.”

Jeremy Peña’s key to success was to keep his head dry. He finished a freshman season like no other, becoming the first rookie position player to win a World Series MVP award on Saturday night after hitting .400 in the Houston Astros’ six-game win over the Philadelphia Phillies

Peña praised Dusty Baker, the 73-year-old manager of the Astros. When Baker made his major league managerial debut for San Francisco on April 6, 1993, the opposing team’s first batter was Peña’s father, St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Gerónimo Peña

Peña singled to chase Phillies-starter Zack Wheeler in Game 6, giving the Astros two baserunners for the first time. Yordan Alvarez followed with a leading, three-run homer that sent Houston to a 4-1 victory.

Peña finished the postseason with a .345 batting average, four homeruns, eight RBI’s and a 1.005 OPS. He also became the first rookie shortstop to win a Gold Glove, as well as the first to homer in the World Series.

Just 24 when he was given the runway at the start of the season after Carlos Correa left as a free agent, Peña became the third rookie in every position to earn a World Series MVP, joining a pair of right-handed pitchers: the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Larry Sherry in 1959 and Miami’s Liván Hernández in 1997.

Peña’s 18th-inning homer completed a Division Series sweep in Seattle and he hit a go-ahead drive off Noah Syndergaard in Game 5 of the World Series. His Game 2 jersey goes to the Hall of Fame.

“You have to make tough decisions in this job, and Jeremy makes it look like it was an easy decision, and it wasn’t,” said Houston general manager James Click. “Carlos is a great player and he’s been a big part of this franchise. But to do what Jeremy did, intervene and improve his game in the playoffs, it only speaks to his hard work, his character and the talent he has. There aren’t that many special guys on the planet who can do what he just did.”

Jose Altuve #27 and Jeremy Pena #3 of the Houston Astros celebrate after beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 to win the 2022 World Series in Game Six of the 2022 World Series at Minute Maid Park

Former Cardinals second baseman Gerónimo Peña’s son, Jeremy, is now World Series MVP

Peña became the ninth player to win MVP of a League Championship Series and the World Series in the same season. He hit .353 with two home runs and four RBI’s against the Yankees in the ALCS.

The only other player to win an LCS MVP award, a World Series MVP, and a Golden Glove during their career was pitcher Orel Hershiser, who won all three awards in 1988 with the Dodgers.

Peña hit .291 with 22 homeruns and 63 RBI’s during the regular season and is likely to finish high in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. Seattle outfielder Julio Rodriguez is the favourite.

Others to win LCS and World Series MVP in one year were Willie Stargell (1979) of Pittsburgh, Darrell Porter of St. Louis (1982), Hershiser (1988), Hernández (2003), Cole Hamels of Philadelphia (2008), David van the Cardinals Freese (2011), Madison Bumgarner of San Francisco (2014), and Corey Seager of the Dodgers (2020).

Only four other rookies were LCS MVPs: Baltimore righthander Mike Boddicker in 1983, Hernández in 1997, St. Louis righthander Michael Wacha in 2013, and Tampa Bay outfielder Randy Arozarena in 2020.

Peña recalled last year’s Game 6 loss to Atlanta at Minute Maid Park, where he joined the Astros but was inactive.

“These guys had a bitter taste in their mouths last year,” he said. “I was in the dugout last year, I didn’t want to go through that again.”

Peña (left) praised Dusty Baker, the 73-year-old manager of the Astros, after Saturday’s win