Houston Astros: 3 reasons Marwin Gonzalez’s WS homer is best in franchise history

Marwin Gonzalez will live on in Houston Astros lore with one defining swing of his bat. Here’s why his Game 2 World Series homer is the franchise’s best.

Houston Astros fans — with Marwin Gonzalez joining the Minnesota Twins, it’s only appropriate that we pay tribute to a man that gave the Astros a moment to remember. While not the greatest Astro ever, he will forever live in infamy.

Yesterday’s news in Houston Sports couldn’t get any sadder than what it already is. While it was expected that Gonzalez would not return to the Houston Astros, the feeling is still upsetting knowing one key member from the legendary 2017 World Series champion squad will not be on the team anymore.

In case you’re not sure what’s happening, Gonzalez recently signed a two-year contract worth $21 million with the Minnesota Twins. This move should bolster the Twins’ roster to becoming contenders in the weakest of the three American League divisions that has been dominated by the Cleveland Indians.

If you’re reading this paragraph and a fan of the Twins, you are getting a good player as Gonzalez is the best utility player in the world. That means he can play anywhere on the field. Sure, Gonzalez didn’t have his best season last year with the Houston Astros, hitting .247 with 16 homers and 68 RBIs but that doesn’t mean he won’t deliver for his new team.

All said, this is a tough day for Houston Astros fans. But once again, baseball is a business as they say. While the offense shouldn’t falter even with Gonzalez’s absence, we can’t forget about what he did for us.

Let’s take a look at some of his best moments:

Clip #1: Breaking up Yu Darvish’s perfect game (April 2, 2013)

Clip #2: Then the his first-career grand slam that delivered a big blow to the Rangers (May 2, 2017).

Clip #3: There was his clutch homer against the San Francisco Giants last year, which helped avert a loss (May 23, 2018).

Clip #4: And then, there was this great defensive gem in the ALCS against the New York Yankees (Oct. 14, 2017).

But of all of these moments Marwin has delivered, nothing could ever top the night of Oct. 25, 2017 when Gonzalez picked up arguably the greatest home run, if not hit in franchise history.

Some of us can counterpoint that argument and say that Yuli Gurriel‘s Game 5 homer or Jose Altuve‘s Game 5 homer were the best. Some might call George Springer‘s homers in Games 2, 5, or 7 the best in franchise history. But Gonzalez’s homer should stand out among the homers for three reasons.

Here’s why.