Sports
Providence Native Jeremy Peña Named World Series MVP
Peña is the first rookie position player to garner the award after the Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies.
HOUSTON, TX — Jeremy Pena capped off a spectacular rookie season in a fashion that no other position player has: with a World Series MVP.
Pena's Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games during the 2022 World Series, and Peña was a massive part of that feat.
The Providence native and Classical High School alum hit .400 during the series, collecting one home run, two doubles and scoring five runs in the process.
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“The hardest part was just blocking everything that’s not part of the game,” Peña said, according to Associated Press reporting. “There’s a saying that you can’t sink a ship with water around. It sinks if water gets inside. So I just try to stay strong and keep the water outside my head.”
Peña wasn't just special during the World Series either. He won a Gold Glove award at shortstop during the regular season, and was also named the American League Championship Series MVP.
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According to OPTAstats, Peña is the first hitter to win all three of those awards in a career, and his is just getting started.
The rookie shortstop is a native of the Dominican Republic and played college ball at the University of Maine.
During his rookie year, Peña hit for a .253 average with 22 home runs, 63 runs batted in and scored 72 times.
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