The 2017 Major League Baseball season comes to an end with the Houston Astros becoming the latest team to climb the mountain top, winning their first championship in the team’s 55-year-history, led by five Baseball Factory alums who were key contributors to the epic seven-game series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Leading off this article is World Series MVP George Springer, who throughout the playoffs, seemingly time after time, came up with the big catch or big hit to help the Astros advance. Springer, a native of New Britain, CT, attended an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in June 2007 and was a relative unknown playing in the cold-weather Northeast, but his skill set was undeniable, as remembered by Baseball Factory CEO Steve Sclafani recently, and a month later performed at the prestigious Cape Cod High School Classic, an event that would put him on the path to college at the University of Connecticut and onto the Astros as the team’s first round selection (11th overall) in 2011.

In the Divisional series against the Boston Red Sox, the 28-year-old hit .412 with two doubles, a homer, two RBI and four runs scored. Though he did not hit as well against the Bronx Bombers, it was his glove that saved the day for the Astros and helped get them to a Game 7 at home. Leading the Yankees 3-0 in the seventh, New York threatened bringing former Little League hero, Todd Frazier to the plate. Factory alum Justin Verlander threw Frazier a curve that appeared gone until Springer leaped high in the air to make the catch and all of Houston breathed a sigh of relief.

It was the 113th edition of the World Series however, that was the coming out party as he entered the national stage and left sporting one of the finest individual performances in World Series history. Springer hit .379 with three doubles, five homers (including one in Game 7) with seven RBI. His five homers in World Series play have been achieved by only two other men; Mr. October, Reggie Jackson in 1977 with the Yankees and Chase Utley in 2009 with the Phillies. Springer also became the first player to ever homer in four straight World Series games. Talk about clutch.

Playing in his first postseason, two-time Under Armour Pre-Season All-American, Alex Bregman helped dispatch the Red Sox in four games with two homers in the series and had three RBI and a double in the series against the Yankees.

The 23-year-old was not phased by the bright lights of the World Series, driving in the game-winning run in the 10th inning of Game 5, a 13-12 victory, with his first career walk-off hit to move the Astros to within one game of winning it all. Bregman also became just the second player to drive in a run in each of his first five World Series games (Amos Otis of the 1980 Royals was the other).

Former Yankee Brian McCann haunted New York in Game 6 and 7, first, delivering a ground-rule double that scored Bregman and in the decider, hanging onto a throw (again with Bregman involved) to record the out on 2010 Under Armour All-American, Greg Bird. In the bottom half inning, McCann (2001 Team One National) hammered a change-up to right field for a two-run double to give the Astros a 4-0 lead.

Lance McCullers Jr., part of the talented Astros rotation, proved how valuable he was in that Game 7 victory over New York, throwing four innings of one hit ball and striking out six – with McCann behind the plate – to record a save as Houston moved on to their second World Series appearance in team history. The 2010 Under Armour All-American had an 0.90 ERA in 10 innings against New York and recorded a win in Game 3 of the World Series, gutting out 5 1/3 innings.

Finally, veteran ace starter, Justin Verlander, playing in his third World Series (two with the Detroit Tigers), will finally be recognized as champion. His performance in the ALCS was outstanding, allowing just one earned run in 16 innings, throwing a complete game victory in Game 2, striking out 13 hitters. The 1999 Team One Midwest alum delivered another victory in Game 6, pitching seven innings of five hit ball, striking out eight Yankees.

In the World Series, Verlander kept his team in Game 2, pitching six innings in a game eventually won by Houston in 11 innings.