The Houston Astros are heading to the World Series. If that feels like déjà vu, you aren’t wrong, as this marks Houston’s fourth World Series appearance in the past six seasons. Houston will take on the Philadelphia Phillies who won their champion league series 4-1.
The Astros record in the postseason remains unblemished, and they are just the third team in the wild-card era to get to the fall classic without a loss.
Rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena was named ALCS MVP after hitting .352 with two home runs, including a three-run blast to tie game four in the top of the third. Pena becomes just the third rookie to win the award since its inception in 1980. Interestingly the inaugural championship series MVP was none other than Dusty Baker in 1977 (NL) as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Speaking of Baker, this will be his third World Series appearance as a manager and sixth overall. Baker won one in 1981 as a member of the Dodgers but has yet to win one as a manager. Dusty has the most wins (2093) of any manager not to have won a World Series win. However, this might be his best team yet. The 106 regular season wins are the most in Baker’s managerial career.
Their opponent will be the Philadelphia Phillies, who continued to ride their hot bats to a 4-1 series win over San Diego. Despite an 87-75 regular season record, the Phillies have gone 75-48 since June 1st including postseason play.
Houston has had its troubles with NL East squads that saw historic midseason turnarounds in the World Series. In spite of that, Houston has the pitching talent and depth to slow down the Phillies’ offense.
Without a doubt, the golden era of Astros baseball is in full swing. In their first decade as an American League team, the Astros have won the pennant four times. Nevertheless, their one championship win is mired in controversy and scandal. Friday begins the quest to silence all doubters.
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Featured Image: Houston Astros / Twitter
