HOUSTON, we’ve arrived...
ASTROS ROCK UP IN LOS ANGELES ON VERGE OF FIRST WORLD SERIES TITLE
They are no longer the Lastros n or are they baseball’s laughing stock. No, the Houston Astros arrived in Southern California with two opportunities to pop the corks on a franchise-first World Series title.
It was just four years ago that the Astros had finished off an 111- loss season, their third in a row cruising past that dubious century mark.
In 2014 they had 70 wins, then 86 the next year, then a dip to 84 in 2016. Then on to the 101- win 2017 campaign that set up this run to the brink of a championship.
The Astros, led by general manager Jeff Luhnow, have been innovative in their approach, mixing high- tech analytics with conventional wisdom to build a winner. Essentially they’ve used all the tools with competence and discretion to sculpt the entertaining team we’ve seen this October.
From the old losing clubs, management identified those players worth keeping — MVP-calibre second-baseman Jose Altuve being the most notable in that group.
They drafted and developed wisely as well. Alex Bregman, who has been on fire throughout these playoffs, was the No. 2 overall pick in 2015. Carlos Correa, who was in high school in Puerto Rico, and was the Astros first overall pick in 2012. Centre-fielder George Springer was a first rounder (11th overall) in 2011. And on it goes.
Trades brought players such as currently beleaguered closer Ken Giles and left-fielder Marwin Gonzalez, among others.
The biggest in that category, of course, was Tuesday’s starter Justin Verlander, the prototypical go- for- it move aggressively savvy pro management makes when it feels all the pieces are in place.
And the other important bricks were laid via free agency. With the corner clearly turned and sensing a run was near, Luhnow signed free agents Carlos Beltran and Josh Reddick this past winter while also acquiring catcher Brian McCann from the Yankees.
“Our f ront office and ownership in the beginning of the year signed Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann and Josh Reddick,” Bregman said. “Since we signed them, they brought a confidence to this team that we didn’t have last year.
“And they instilled a work ethic and a confidence that we know that we’re never out of the game, that we’re going to keep fighting. I think this World Series has been an example of our team’s whole season.”
The Astros have certainly been resilient, both through the regular season and playoffs, a team- wide character trait that most recently showed itself in that unforgettable Game 5 13-12 win in 10 innings back in Houston.
It takes talent, of course, but manager A. J. Hinch said the intangibles also score off the charts.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Hinch said prior to his team’s first opportunity to clinch. “I’ve been on a lot of teams and I think a lot of winning teams always brag about their chemistry and culture and camaraderie. To live it is pretty special.
“And it started back in the spring. We had a mixture of guys. Some core guys that came back from our ’ 15 and ’ 16 team, some veterans like Beltran and McCann and Reddick, guys who chose to be here. We had some guys who were making our team for the first time, guys like Bregman and ( Yuli) Gurriel who were on our team but really didn’t have quite the chemistry that they all have now.”
Hinch doesn’t believe any of it is manufactured. When McCann rented a suite for his teammates at Monday’s Los Angeles Clippers game, it was typical of what the manager has seen this season.
“Mindset, work ethic, talent,” he said of his teammates. “They’re driven to be great. And when you have that mindset, and you have that ability, there’s only one thing that’s going to happen.
“There are so many guys on the team that they’re young and hungry and they’re striving for greatness. And you can feel it when you’re around them. And that’s a big reason we’re in the position we are in.”