Whereas the Houston Astros, having proudly represented the City of Houston, Texas, in professional baseball since 1962, won their first World Series title in 55 years; Whereas the Houston Astros capped off a thrilling series to defeat the National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers in game seven, by a score of 5 to 1; Whereas the 2017 Houston Astros championship team demonstrated grit, sportsmanship, tenacity, and resolve in winning 101 regular season games and their first American League Central Division championship; Whereas the 2017 Houston Astros demonstrated steadfastness and pluck when faced with playoff elimination, winning the American League Championship Series in seven games over the New York Yankees, and the American League Division Series in four games over the Boston Red Sox; Whereas the 2017 Houston Astros rode the strength and unity of communities across the Texas Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Harvey’s flooding and devastation, and delivered hope to Texans and Americans everywhere; Whereas the 2017 Houston Astros further galvanized the City of Houston to come together and root the Astros to victory; Whereas Houston Astros Manager, A.J. Hinch, provided vital leadership and guided the team to its second playoff berth in his three seasons with the team; Whereas President of Business Operations, Reid Ryan, and General Manager, Jeff Luhnow, and their baseball operations staffs assembled a championship-caliber team with a Major League-best offense and a deep starting rotation; Whereas Jim Crane, the Houston Astros’ Chairman and Owner, and the rest of the Astros family never wavered in their quest to bring a World Series championship to Houston; Whereas the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4 games to 3 thanks to a historic performance by outfielder George Springer, who was awarded the Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player Award after garnering a Major League record eight extra-base hits and homering in a record four straight games in the World Series