NO CAP
Astros remind Houston “there's still a good window available” for more championships
Oct 24, 2023, 11:20 am
Astros look ahead after losing ALCS to Rangers. Composite Getty Image.
Another award-filled offseason could await the Houston Astros
Few people on the planet could have more reason to be devastated after the Houston Astros 11-4 ALCS Game 7 loss to the Texas Rangers than second baseman José Altuve.
This is a man, after all, who single-handedly snatched a victory from the Rangers in Game 5 when he demolished a three-run homer in the 9th inning, taking the Astros from a 4-2 deficit to a 5-4 win and thus helping cement a return to Houston and another title win.
But as he stood in a sedate Astros clubhouse in Minute Maid Park after the 11-4 stunner, Altuve displayed the calm, balanced demeanor that has made him a team superhero during the Astros recent reign.
“That’s baseball,” he told the media gathered around him late Monday, October 23. “Sometimes you’re winning, sometimes you're losing. You have good games…and not good games. I think, you know, we [have had] some ups and downs through everybody’s career…sometimes, like I said, winning, sometimes, you lose. That’s baseball — and you have to move on.”
Just how can he move on? He remembers — and wants everyone to know — that he and his teammates “never give up,” and, “that we play a hundred percent.”
Alex Bregman, who like Altuve, helped the Astros claim two World Series wins in five years, seemed to reflect the daze of so many fans swarming out of the stadium. “I respect these guys so much,” the third baseman and proverbial slugger told the press. “It’s gonna be a different team … knowing that it could be the last time playing with some of these guys is tough.”
Like Altuve, Bregman rallied in Game 7, blasting a signature Breggy Bomb against Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer in the third inning, bringing the Astros within two runs. But, Bregman added, “it comes down to execution, and we didn't do a good enough job of that. And they did, and you tip your hat to them.”
Questions rightfully turned to Bregman’s contract extension with the team; he, like Altuve, is a free agent after 2024. He hadn’t even thought of that, he revealed, choosing to focus on a Game 7 win. But the third baseman who has battled back time and time against injury and setback to ultimately hoist a World Series trophy reminded fans that isn’t closed to done.
“When you set out in spring training, you set out to win a championship,” he said. “But, you know, we failed plenty of times in this game and … it kind of keeps you hungry and keeps you coming back for more, and lights a fire in you to continue to try and get better.”
And that was the beauty of Altuve’s and Bregman’s comments that night. The duo and team have, with their success, spoiled us to the point we now just expect a World Series trophy each year — not a bad thing for Houston fans.
Hours later, as national pundits fired off articles marking the “end of a dynasty,” the two superstars responsible for the Astros two gleaming World Series trophies showed the steely resolve that the traits needed to get through a triple-digit game season, divisional and conference playoffs, and a championship: calm, grit, and resilience.
So, as the talking heads pen their “Rangers are the next dynasty” pieces (yes, those Rangers — the oldest MLB team to never win the World Series), fans can look to future Hall of Famers Altuve, Bregman, and the other pivotal player (and future Hall member) who guided a team to two titles: towering ace pitcher Justin Verlander.
“That’s one of the reasons I wanted to come back here,” Verlander told the media of his excitement returning to Houston via a trade with the New York Mets this season for another run. “It’s a little early to say I’m excited about next year — I’m still dealing with this — but that was on my mind before.”
And then, the line that should give grieving fans hope, and those hysterically hyperbolic sports writers pause as they anoint the next kings:
“I think moving forward,” Verlander added, “there’s still a good window available.”
Not matter who returns, our Astros will be ready to reign next year, Houston. And so should we.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
After finishing up with the Guardians the Astros have a rather important series for early May with the Seattle Mariners heading to town for the weekend. While it’s still too early to be an absolute must-win series for the Astros, losing the series to drop seven or eight games off the division lead would make successfully defending their American League West title that much more unlikely.
Since their own stumble out of the gate to a 6-10 record the Mariners have been racking up series wins, including one this week over the Atlanta Braves. The M’s offense is largely Mmm Mmm Bad, but their pitching is sensational. In 18 games after a 4-8 start, the Mariners gave up five runs in a game once. In the other 17 games they only gave up four runs once. Over the 18 games their starting pitchers gave up 18 earned runs total with a 1.44 earned run average. That’s absurd. Coming into the season Seattle’s starting rotation was clearly better on paper than those of the Astros and Texas Rangers, and it has crystal clearly played out as such into the second month of the schedule.
While it’s natural to focus on and fret over one’s own team's woes when they are plentiful as they have been for the Astros, a reminder that not all grass is greener elsewhere. Alex Bregman has been awful so far. So has young Mariners’ superstar Julio Rodriguez. A meager four extra base hits over his first 30 games were all Julio produced down at the ballyard. That the Mariners are well ahead of the Astros with J-Rod significantly underperforming is good news for Seattle.
Caratini comes through!
So it turns out the Astros are allowed to have a Puerto Rican-born catcher who can hit a little bit. Victor Caratini’s pedigree is not that of a quality offensive player, but he has swung the bat well thus far in his limited playing time and provided the most exciting moment of the Astros’ season with his two-out two-run 10th inning game winning home run Tuesday night. I grant that one could certainly say “Hey! Ronel Blanco finishing off his no-hitter has been the most exciting moment.” I opt for the suddenness of Caratini’s blow turning near defeat into instant victory for a team that has been lousy overall to this point. Frittering away a game the Astros had led 8-3 would have been another blow. Instead, to the Victor belong the spoils.
Pudge Rodriguez is the greatest native Puerto Rican catcher, but he was no longer a good hitter when with the Astros for the majority of the 2009 season. Then there’s Martin Maldonado.
Maldonado’s hitting stats with the Astros look Mike Piazza-ian compared to what Jose Abreu was doing this season. Finally, mercifully for all, Abreu is off the roster as he accepts a stint at rookie-level ball in Florida to see if he can perform baseball-CPR on his swing and career. Until or unless he proves otherwise, Abreu is washed up and at some point the Astros will have to accept it and swallow whatever is left on his contract that runs through next season. For now Abreu makes over $120,000 per game to not be on the roster. At his level of performance, that’s a better deal than paying him that money to be on the roster.
Abreu’s seven hits in 71 at bats for an .099 batting average with a .269 OPS is a humiliating stat line. In 2018 George Springer went to sleep the night of June 13 batting .293 after going hitless in his last four at bats in a 13-5 Astros’ win over Oakland. At the time no one could have ever envisioned that Springer had started a deep, deep funk which would have him endure a nightmarish six for 78 stretch at the plate (.077 batting average). Springer then hit .293 the rest of the season.
Abreu’s exile opened the door for Joey Loperfido to begin his Major League career. Very cool for Loperfido to smack a two-run single in his first game. He also struck out twice. Loperfido will amass whiffs by the bushel, he had 37 strikeouts in 101 at bats at AAA Sugar Land. Still, if he can hit .225 with some walks mixed in (he drew 16 with the Space Cowboys) and deliver some of his obvious power (13 homers in 25 games for the ex-Skeeters) that’s an upgrade over Abreu/Jon Singleton, as well as over Jake Meyers and the awful showing Chas McCormick has posted so far. Frankly, it seems unwise that the Astros only had Loperfido play seven games at first base in the minors this year. If McCormick doesn’t pick it up soon and with Meyers displaying limited offensive upside, the next guy worth a call-up is outfielder Pedro Leon. In January 2021 the Astros gave Leon four million dollars to sign out of Cuba and called him a “rapid mover to the Major Leagues.” Well…
Over his first three minor league seasons Leon flashed tools but definitely underwhelmed. He has been substantially better so far this year. He turns 26 May 28. Just maybe the Astros offense could be the cause of fewer Ls with Loperfido at first and Leon in center field.
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via YouTube: stone cold stros - YouTube with the complete audio available via Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.