History has a funny way of repeating itself. It has been twelve years since the last category three or stronger hurricane made landfall on the United States soil. Ironically, it was also the last time the Houston Astros made it to the World Series.

Two months ago, the city of Houston and surrounding areas were hit hard with one of the worst natural disasters since October 2005. Hurricane Harvey flooded over 70% of Harris County with at least 1.5 feet of water and left an estimated 136,000 flooded structures in the county. This also affected the Astros. They were stuck on the road and couldn’t get back home to check on their loved ones because the airports and roads were shut down. They even had to play in-state and division rivals, Texas Rangers in St. Petersburg, Florida as the home team. Eight days later, the Astros finally played their first game back in Minute Maid Park.

Manager A.J. Hinch gave some very heartfelt words to the people of Houston. “We want to thank everyone in the city of Houston that’s doing something good for somebody else. We are all very fortunate to survive this hurricane. For those that weren’t, our thoughts and prayers are with your families,” said Hinch. These words were needed for a city that would feel hopeless for the weeks.

And then a funny thing happened. A glimpse of hope was given to a city that is still recovering from over a trillion dollars worth of damage caused by the hurricane. The Houston Astros rallied from a 3-2 deficit to defeat the New York Yankees in game 7 of the American League Championship Series to win its first ever American League Pennant since switching leagues in 2013. That victory sent the Astros back to the World Series for the first time since 2005 and the second time in the franchise history. Soon after they learned they would go head-to-head for a World Series win equally strong competitors the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Facing a loaded team like the Los Angeles Dodgers will not be an easy task for the hometown Astros. They had over 100 wins this season and have one of the best pitchers to play this decade in left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw. In 27 starts this season, he has 18 wins and 4 losses, to go along with over 200 strikeouts. Los Angeles also has a power-hitting lineup led by talented, but very temperamental outfielder Yasiel Puig. The Dodgers are looking to break their own World Series drought. They haven’t played a World Series game since 1988, the year they won it all.

A win for the Astros would be the perfect way to cap off this dream of a season. “Everybody has been pulling together and it’s kind of a dream come true for this city to make it this far and have a chance to win the World Series,” said Astros owner and chairman Jim Crane.

This trip to the “Fall Classic” means a lot to a team who struggled through three consecutive seasons of over 100 plus losses. Their combined record from 2011- 2013 was a horrid 163 wins – 324 losses and they did not go over .500 in the win column until 2015. This year alone they had 101 wins, which qualify for the most in franchise history.

One player, who has been through the trials and tribulations with this team, is potential 2017 American League MVP, Jose Altuve. The Astros All-Star second baseman is the heart and soul of this team and was here during that awful three-year stretch. He is an example of “walk light and carry a big stick.” The three-time A.L batting champion had over 200 hits for the fourth year in a row and is currently hitting .386 with 5 home runs and 8 runs batted in. It was the future baseball Hall of Famer who sent a mammoth home run out of Minute Maid Park in the bottom fifth inning of game 7 of the ALCS that helped seal the victory over the New York Yankees.

Houston Astros baseball fans received a gift from the baseball gods at the end of August when American League All-Star pitcher, Justin Verlander, agreed to drop his no-trade clause with the Detroit Tigers and sign with the Houston Astros. I believe it is safe to say that he has been as good as advertised. Since coming to Houston, he has not lost a game. Verlander went 9-0 in the regular season and 4-0 in the postseason with a combined 91 strikeouts and only 17 walks. His game six performance against New York helped the Astros tie the series 3-3 and would earn him the ALCS MVP.

Taking this journey with the Astros has been the orange wearing, loud rallying, always supporting Houston fans. This trip to the World Series brought about the strong, positive buzz the city needed after being devastated by Hurricane Harvey. It has been a long time coming just ask die-hard Houston Astros fan, Jacques Hudson. He has been rooting for the Astros for a long time and remembers the last time the team played in the World Series and is excited about the possibility of the Astros bringing the title home. “It’s a dream come true. We have been through a twelve-year drought and now we are back in the fold. This year seems different because we have such a young team, compared to the last time when the window was closing on some of the seasoned veterans that were part of that 2005 team,” said Hudson.

Currently, the World Series title is up for grabs with both the Astros and Dodgers each having a one game win under their belts proving that this will be a nail-biter of a run. Houston Astros earned history winning their first World Series game in franchise history and being the first team to make three homeruns in extra innings in a World Series game. Just like the entire city, the Houston Astros are a strong team and seem to get stronger when they need to be most. They embody the words that have become the city’s new theme to show our resilience, Houston Strong. Stitched on the uniform of every Houston Astros player and coach right over their heart are the words, “Houston Strong.” Those powerful words mean so much to those who lost everything due to the storm because it means there strength in surviving, strength in not giving up and strength in overcoming any obstacle. The Houston Astros are just like that, strong until the finish.

Good luck Astros. Finish strong, bring home the win, and earn history!