These are the days where legends are made. It’s one thing to win a random Tuesday night regular season contest during the month of May against the lowly Angels. It’s another thing to stave off elimination and extend a playoff series. That will be the task today for Hunter Brown, who will be opposed by Sean Burke. There have been plenty of memorable Game Two’s throughout Astros history.
The 1980 NLCS was high drama. The Phillies would eventually capture their first ever World Series, but they’d have
to go through the Astros first. Game Two of the NLDS would be remembered as a victorious extra inning affair thanks in part to Jose Cruz’ clutch RBI in the 10th inning. All told, Houston would tag Phillies reliever Ron Reed and the Phillies bullpen for 4 runs to bust things open during sudden death. Nolan Ryan would go into the 7th, striking out six, but the day belonged to Joaquin Andujar as he closed the door.
In 1986, the Astros were riding high after Mike Scott’s tossed a complete game 1 shutout, striking out 14. They appeared to be well on their way to their first ever World Series, handing the ball to Nolan Ryan the next night. Early on, Nolan would rack up 5 K’s, but the day would belong to Bob Ojeda who pitched a complete game, allowing only 1 run. Ojeda would come back to haunt the Astros a week later in Game 6.
Crushing moments wouldn’t end there. Remember the walk-off winner in the bottom of the 11th at Turner Field in 2004? Rafael Furcal’s two-run homer off Dan Miceli was heartbreaking.
However, 2017 would be a reversal of fortune. As exciting as George Springer’s performance was in the deciding Game 7 at Dodger Stadium, the gem of the series was actually in Game Two. This back-and-forth duel would last 4 hours and 19 minutes. It would feature a record 8 home runs, 6 of which came in the 9th inning or later. Trailing 3-1, Marwin Gonzalez would tie things up off Kenley Jansen, who at the time was considered one of the best closers in the game. In the 10th, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa would leave the yard, but the contest would be decided in the 11th on Springer’s 2 run blast.
Five years later, Game Two of the 2022 World Series swung momentum back to Houston, in route to eventually capturing their second championship crown. Alex Bregman’s two run home run in the 5th inning put the game out of reach.
Of course, the Astros and White Sox have their own playoff history. Game Two of the 2021 ALDS featured Houston exploding in the 7th inning thanks to huge hits from Tucker and Correa in a 9-4 win.
Will more favorable history be made today? Will Astros fans actually show up? Will Hunter Brown recapture his “ace” status on the mound? Will the Astros live to play tomorrow?
