A win away from another title for Astros.
Confident team sits on verge of fulfilling yearlong mission
It isn’t about just the words, though they are big-game talkers. It is more than talent, though the team is loaded with AllStars and potential Hall of Famers. It goes beyond swagger, though their duende is captivating.
As tangible as it most certainly is, the Astros have a confidence that is difficult to quantify.
By late Tuesday night, they may have added another number to the equation — a second World Series — but to let them tell it, they’re just getting started.
Oh, and they are happy to tell it to whomever is listening.
The Astros have a 3-2 lead over the Nationals, putting them one win
away from their second title in three years, but the World Series is not over.
For the Astros, however, the 2019 MLB championship was long ago decided. When they showed up in West Palm Beach, Fla., for spring training, they were not shy about the goal for the season.
Owner Jim Crane said from the start that he would build a championship team, and general manager Jeff Luhnow said the organization would not only build a winner but also formulate a plan to have long-term success.
But it is manager A.J. Hinch, who sets the boldest tone for this team.
Instead of saying the season would be a disappointment if they didn’t win it all, Hinch has said all along that they expect to win it all and should win it all.
With possibly nine innings separating the Astros from another glorious celebration, Hinch says some of what is expected in such situations.
“We’re not going to take anything for granted.”
“We know how quickly things can turn where momentum can shift in a series, especially in a series against a quality team like the Nats.”
But he also talks with a definitiveness that belies the confidence he has in his squad.
“I'd like to wrap this up as soon as possible.”
“We want to see JV ( Justin Verlander) get this over with.”
“One more win and we’ll have a parade.”
The 2019 Astros have never sounded like a team with World Series dreams. In their world, they are one win from their reality coming to life, not their dreams.
“The confidence comes from the success that we've had,” Hinch said after Sunday’s 7-1 win capped off a three-game sweep in Washington. “I think the leadership in that room is impressive. I think the feel for the moment or the feel for the game is increased with every successful season. So our players are just really good about playing for today.”
Houston’s weekend dominance — they won the games by a combined 19-3, and allowed just one run in each game and never trailed — is a product of Hinch’s work and team talent.
In an organization that is data-driven, at times to a fault, Hinch’s connection with his players keeps them focused and relaxed. When it looked like they might be pressing with so many low-scoring games in the first couple rounds of the playoffs, Hinch assured the world that his team had the same attitude it would were it putting up 10 runs a game.
After not scoring five or more runs in consecutive games in the playoffs, the Astros put up seven and eight in Games 4 and 5 to take over the series. For a team that averaged 5.7 runs a game, that was long overdue.
Can they continue that production in Game 6 on Tuesday? Or can Verlander follow the shut-down pitching performances with a gem?
The Astros say it doesn’t matter, as long as they win. They haven’t hit with any consistency this postseason — half their position starters are hitting below .230 — but they have gotten big hits at different times from the entire lineup.
Power kills. Five Astros have hit at least three home runs in the postseason, compared to the Nationals’ one.
As the series returns to Minute Maid Park, history is on the Astros’ side. If Washington wins two games in Houston, it would mark the first time the road team won every World Series game.
“We've got to win one more game,” Carlos Correa said. “Obviously they've got a great team on the other side. We have a lot of respect for them and the group of guys they have over there. But we've got to go out there and take care of business in Houston.”
Don’t mistake their self-assurance for overconfidence.
“These next 27 outs that we're going to have to get to end up finishing this thing off are going to be the hardest that we've had to get all year,” Gerrit Cole said.
Maybe that is true, but they have never doubted they will get those 27 outs. Now it’s just a matter of finishing it.