Park Ridge Native Wins World Series With Houston Astros

PARK RIDGE, IL — A member of the 2017 World Series Champion Houston Astros is a native of Park Ridge. Luke Gregerson, a relief pitcher for the Astros, is one of the 25 active roster members that will receive a World Series ring after the Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series Wednesday night.

Gregerson pitched in two games and faced five Dodger batters in the World Series, one that will go down as one of the best ever in the more than 100-year history of Major League Baseball. He put in one full inning of work over the two games giving up one hit, one walk and striking out two.

In a memorable Game 5, Gregerson pitched the Astros out of a jam while the Dodgers had multiple runners on base.

Gregerson grew up in Park Ridge and starred on the mound for J. Sterling Morton High School in Berwyn and at Saint Xavier University on the South Side of Chicago before entering the big leagues. At SXU, Gregerson was a member of a Cougars team that qualified for the NAIA World Series in 2006.

He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft and before the Astros spent time with the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics. In 2012, he broke the MLB record for holds (40) while with the Padres.

In the 2017 regular season for the Astros, Gregerson went 2-3 with a 4.67 ERA over 61 innings pitched.

Photo courtesy of SXU Athletics