Astros fans, after 162 games, your team is once again the champion of the American League West.
So how are you feeling? Excited? Relieved? Optimistic? Still concerned? Or are you simply hopeful that this team has another October run left in it?
Whatever your answer, here’s what matters most:
They’re in.
And once you’re in, you have a chance.
It certainly wasn’t pretty. This Astros team clawed, scratched, fought and struggled its way to the finish line. There were times when they looked exhausted. There were times when the pitching
staff appeared to be running on fumes. There were stretches when the offense couldn’t find consistency and moments when it looked like all the energy required to dig out of another early-season hole had finally caught up with them.
But when they absolutely had to get it done, they did.
The Houston Astros are American League West champions.
Now the question changes. Can they get hot? Can they go on another October run? Can they somehow add another chapter to this incredible Golden Era of Astros baseball?
I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility.
Get In and See What Happens
The Astros aren’t entering the postseason as some flawless juggernaut. Far from it.
We’ve spent an entire season talking about their shortcomings. The roster construction. The revolving door in the outfield. The injuries. The inconsistent starting pitching. A bullpen that carried an enormous workload and at times looked completely out of gas.
None of those concerns suddenly disappear because Houston won the division, but neither does everything this team accomplished.
They were knocked down repeatedly and kept getting back up. They dug themselves another enormous hole and somehow climbed out of it. They reached the finish line battered and bruised, but they reached it as division champions.
There’s something to be said for that, and now none of the struggles that came before matter.
It’s October.
You Have the MVP
Here’s a pretty good place to start if you’re searching for reasons to believe:
The Astros have the American League Most Valuable Player. Yordan Alvarez has been the centerpiece of this offense all season, and now he gets the opportunity to do it on baseball’s biggest stage.
In October, one superstar can change a series. One swing can change a game. One hot hitter can carry an entire lineup for a week. The Astros have that guy.
The rest of the offense doesn’t need to suddenly become the greatest lineup in baseball. It just needs to continue doing enough around Yordan to score runs and give this team an opportunity to win.
That’s what they’ve done for much of the season. Now they need to do it when the games matter most.
It All Comes Down to Pitching
For all the discussion about the offense, I believe Houston’s postseason fate ultimately comes down to one thing: Pitching.
Which starting pitchers can Joe Espada trust? Who can give him five, six or seven quality innings? Who has the ability to take the baseball in a postseason game and dominate? Perhaps most importantly, which bullpen arms still have enough left in the tank?
The last question is the one that concerns me most.
The Astros asked an enormous amount from their bullpen this season. Those relievers were forced to cover innings when starters couldn’t get deep into games, and they helped keep this season alive while Houston fought its way back into contention. Now they’re being asked for more.
Postseason baseball magnifies the importance of every bullpen decision. Managers are quicker to pull starters. Matchups become more important. High-leverage relievers can be asked to pitch on consecutive days, and sometimes the difference between advancing and going home comes down to which bullpen can record the final nine outs.
Houston doesn’t need every reliever to suddenly become dominant, but it needs enough of them.
Give This Team Its Credit
I’ve been critical of this team throughout the season. I’ve questioned the roster. I’ve questioned the front office. I’ve questioned whether the bullpen could survive its workload and whether the Astros had enough left in the tank to finish the job. Those questions were fair.
But so is giving this team credit now. I’m proud of the fight they’ve shown. I’m proud of the veteran leadership that helped get them here. I’m proud of the way this group refused to allow its season to disappear when it easily could have.
Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yordan Alvarez and the other veterans in that clubhouse know what October baseball feels like. They know what it takes to win when every pitch matters. That experience means something now.
Joe Espada deserves credit, too.
He took an imperfect roster, navigated injuries, survived an inconsistent rotation and an overworked bullpen, and somehow got this team across the finish line as division champions.
That’s an accomplishment.
Why Not the Astros?
Do I think this is the best Astros team we’ve seen during this Golden Era? No. Do I think they’re entering October without legitimate concerns? Absolutely not.
But that’s not the question anymore. The question is whether they’re good enough to win a postseason series. Then another. And maybe another.
There’s a part of me that looks at the experience in this clubhouse, the presence of the American League MVP and everything this team survived just to get here and believes they have enough to at least make another run at the American League Championship Series.
After that? Who knows?
That’s the beauty of postseason baseball.
You don’t have to dominate for six months anymore. You have to be better than the team in the other dugout for a few days. The Astros survived 162 games. They won the American League West. They gave themselves a chance.
Now let’s find out if there’s one more October run left in this Golden Era of Houston Astros baseball.
Astros fans, how are you feeling?
Are you simply happy they survived and got in? Do you believe this team can make a run to the ALCS, or do you think they have enough left to go even further?
October is here.
Why not the Astros?
