Young starst Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa helped get the Astros here. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Offense sells tickets. Defense and pitching wins you games. Or in the Astros case, a trip to the World Series for the second time in franchise history.
Catches by George Springer and double play were just part of the outstanding play in the field. But the one that will be etched in the minds of baseball fans for ages came in the top of the fifth. With the Astros leading 1-0, the Yankees put runners on first and third to threaten against Charlie Morton, who had been dominant for the first four innings. Morton got Todd Frazier to hit a weak grounder to the third baseman Alex Bregman, slow enough that it seemed certain to score Greg Bird from third base.
But Bird had ankle surgery this summer, and runs like he is carrying a sack of concrete on his back. Bregman had the presence of mind and stones to throw home, without any hesitation, instead of going for a sure out at first or second. The uber confident third baseman with great hands, made a perfect throw to Brian McCann who tagged the runner out, getting spiked in the arm.
In the wet and wild clubhouse the former first round pick from LSU said he had no doubt that throwing home and eschewing the sure out at first was the right move.
“I knew if it wasn’t a missile, or a ball I could turn two on, I was going to the plate immediately,” Bregman said. “It was huge. It gave us some momentum.”
The Yankees went 0-4 in Minute Maid, scoring just three runs.
Owner Jim Crane and the Computer Chip GM Jeff Luhnow, deserve huge props, along with Hinch. It was not just for drafting the young talent, but signing veterans like McCann, Carlos Beltran and Josh I will hit against my former Dodger teammates Reddick.
But the last second deal near midnight Aug. 31 to land Verlander put the Astros in the World Series was off the charts. It tops the Randy Johnson trade orchestrated by GM Gerry Hunsicker, now a Dodger consultant.
Unbeaten as an Astro, the former Tiger was brilliant. starting twice and coming up huge both times. In Game 2 on Oct. 14, he threw a 124-pitch complete game as the Astros won 2-1 to take a 2-0 series lead.
And then in Game 6, with Houston facing elimination, Verlander threw seven shutout innings as the Astros beat the Yanks, 7-1, to even the ALCS at three victories apiece and force Saturday's Game 7. Morton and Lance Mc Cullers combined for a three hit shutout, To sum up Verlander's contribution check out the numbers. Two ALCS starts: two victories, a 0.56 ERA, 21 strikeouts and just two walks in 16 innings.
Verlander waived his no-trade clause to come to the Astros because he saw it as a chance to join a team that had an opportunity to win a championship. So far, so good. He said he'll remember Friday's game for a long time.
"Yesterday was one of the best moments of my career, plain and simple," said Verlander, who will get the ball in Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday night. "To come back home after being on the road, and to be able to keep these guys off the board for seven innings and be able to come away the winning pitcher ...
"When you're in the backyard as a kid, those are the moments that you create in your head. And to be able to succeed in those moments, I mean, it's the most fulfilling thing you can do."
Verlander finally got the meet Nolan Ryan, his boyhood hero. Then in the locker room celebration, picked up the MVP Award for the series.
I texted Crane after the game to congratulate him on getting to the World Series. His response “thanks but four more to go then we will have done something,”speaks loud and clear to the laser focus of winning for the Houston Strong Fans.
The Houston Astros, the butt of every baseball joke just a few years ago, are going to the World Series. There are a lot of reasons for this. They had to lose so many games that they were able to draft Carlos Correa before anyone else. They had to scout, secure, and develop Jose Altuve.
The storied Dodger franchise has not been to a World Series since 1988. Houstonian Andrew Friedman who as a teenager waited outside Galleria hotels for autographs, went from Wall Street to the Tampa Rays. He left the lowest payroll for the highest in the majors. Like Luhnow, he is a big on Moneyball and relies heavily on analytics. His bold move was the deal with the Rangers for Yu Darvish
There is good news and bad news as I look at the series. First, the bad news for Astro fans. There will be no celebration at Minute Maid.
In the words of former Rocket coach Rudy T “never underestimate the heart of a champion.”
The good news, they will win in Game 7 in Chavez Ravine.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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