HOUSTON WE ARE A PROBLEM! WE WANT HOUSTON! WE WANT HOUSTON! CHEATERS! F*&% ALTUVE!
The Houston Astros players are no mystery to shade, hate, or have fans emboldened to rail against them. They are the Dark Knights, the necessary villain in the baseball world. No matter what has been thrown at them literally or figuratively, this team has not been phased by the noise, the chatter, and the vitriol.
They have in a way embraced it or ignored it. They have gone about their business not by bragging, talking smack, or promising victories. They have approached every game with the same attitude.
We must play to win, today’s mentality. After the Astros swept the Yankees, Jose Altuve was asked about the fans at Yankee Stadium and how they constantly get on him. His response was just as expected: “I just try to focus on playing the game. I do as best as I can to keep everything away and just focus on the game and just be ready to help my team. Like I said, it does not matter where I play, I just got to be hundred percent focused on the game.”
Jose Altuve has had one of the more historically bad postseasons in baseball history yet game in and game out he shows up puts his head down and grinds. He saw more pitches in game 4, he had a multi-hit game (which is usually a regular occurrence for the 5’6” superstar from Maracay, Venezuela). Therefore, Perfection is not always perfect. Winning titles, and sweeping your opponents never hinges on a single player. It is an effort put forward by the entire team. With players like Altuve, Bregman, Tucker, and Yordan one would assume they would be the driving force behind the Astros’ victories. Even without the brightest offensive stars, you had new ones emerge, and young rookies take a huge step forward.
Dusty Baker was asked what makes this team different, compared to the 2021 Astros who were outmatched by the Atlanta Braves: “Well, number one, we got Lance McCullers that we did not have to go into the World Series, and we have Justin Verlander going into the World Series that we didn’t have. We have some young guys that are, that have been there before.” “You look at Framber, you look at Garcia, you look at Javier, and some of the young guys that’s never been there before, and last year Peña was on the taxi squad, which he was paying attention and yearning to be on the team to get to the World Series, and here he is now.” “A year ago, he was on the taxi squad and now he’s MVP of this series. So I think that’s going to motivate some of the young kids that are on the taxi squad now. And these guys, I mean, we want it, we earned it, and we think we deserve it, but nobody is going to give it to you, you got to go out and take what you want.”
Going into the playoffs I have been saying the X-Factor for the Houston Astros is Dusty Baker. He has deployed lineups that get it done, starting pitchers as well relievers in a fashion that has allowed the Astros to be 7-0 going into the World Series. His moves all season long have been questioned, and his use of bullpens and pitchers has been a point of contention with the fan bases of teams he has managed.
I have been very vocal about not understanding lineup construction or even deploying the bullpen. This time Dusty gets it right, I would say he gets it right more than he gets it wrong. I would say maybe I was hypercritical because what he has been able to do to get this team back to a World Series is very special. The offense has not been an ultra-high-scoring offense, but they have gotten the job done. They are averaging 4.43 runs per game. That clearly has been enough with the arms they deploy in the bullpen.
The Starters have had shaky starts only to see the bullpen hold the line to keep games within reach. The Relief pitchers have only given up 3 runs in 34 innings pitched this postseason.
The only blemish in the pitching staff could be pointed at Justin Verlander and Lance McCullers in Game 4 vs. the Yankees. The word blemish is used lightly because on each occasion the game was kept close, and they ultimately battled out of those situations. So, Perfection is not always perfect.
This article would not be complete without mentioning Rookie Sensation Jeremy Pena, how he rose fast, got hot, faded a little, and struggled and battled back. He is the 2021 ALCS MVP for a reason. The predecessor to Carlos Correa took his job with all seriousness and knew the task at hand. He handled the playoffs thus far like a veteran. He is one of THE reasons the Astros were able to sweep the Yankees.
His approach at the plate has been phenomenal, and his glove has been at a gold glove level all postseason. Dusty Baker spoke of his young Superstar: “Well, he’s had a lot of support. He has a lot of support from his mom and dad and from his teammates here. He’s a very confident but humble young man.” “He’s in a position where, people say it’s hard to win with a young shortstop, catcher, and center fielder and young pitching staff, but he’s grasped the situation, the responsibility of that. He’s hitting second in the order and playing shortstop. That’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of work. He hasn’t shied away from it. He’s actually embraced it.”
The Philadelphia Phillies are up next, and the Houston Astros are poised to win their 2nd World Series Title in 6 years. This team is different, they are not perfect, but they have the horses in the stable to maintain a perfect run. One that stands the test of time, and one that marks a historical run. The manager they have in place, the pitchers they deploy, and the offense they boast. The Phillies might fight but the task before them is massive.
This series will either be highly competitive, or the Astros will take advantage of their opponent’s weaknesses and make quick work of the team from Philadelphia.
Brett Chancey is the co-host of the Locked on Astros Podcast. He can be followed on Twitter/Instagram @htownwheelhosue or @stros411 on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook.