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Sports Illustrated's Ben Reiter who predicted 2017 championship says Astros will win World Series
Oct 23, 2019, 10:47 am
The Astros will have a reason to celebrate this year, according to Ben Reiter. Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Ben Reiter, senior writer with Sports Illustrated, made a bold prediction when he said the Houston Astros, who were in the midst of a 100-loss season in 2014, predicted the club would win the World Series.
What's more, he predicted the exact year of 2017 for Houston's crowning.
This season, he correctly predicted a 2019 World Series of the Astros and Washington Nationals. He believes the 'Stros are taking it again.
Reiter spoke with ABC13 hours before Game 1, explaining that the Astros are a growing dynasty.
He believed strongly in the Astros organization and its plan to rebuild using analytics, patient decision-making, cutting edge training, and a dash of gut intuition. That grew into his book Astroball: The New Way to Win It All.
In the book, he dives into the team's strategy for continued success.
Aside from correctly predicting the championship matchup, he offered more predictions.
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Yordan Alvarez’s long home run backed a solid start by Hunter Brown as the Houston Astros beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3 on Sunday in the series finale to avoid being swept.
YORDADDY WITH A 3 RUN HOMER!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/yKg2avqMmC
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 27, 2025
Alvarez snapped Houston’s 26-inning scoreless streak, crushing Kris Bubic’s sinker 436 feet to center for a three-run homer and a 3-0 Astros lead in the third inning.
Brown (4-1), who allowed one run on seven hits and a walk with nine strikeouts over six innings, surrendered a lone hit in each of the first four innings but struck out seven while not allowing a runner past second.
Brown’s 28-inning shutout streak – fifth longest in franchise history – ended in the fifth inning on a two-out single by Jonathan India and an RBI double by Bobby Witt Jr.
Leading off the fifth, Chas McCormick doubled and scored on Jeremy Peña’s single. McCormick had three hits and scored three runs for the Astros.
Peña’s two-out, two-run double in the sixth extended Houston’s lead to 6-1. Peña collected three RBIs in his first game batting leadoff.
La Tormenta is here. #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/EVE7XmXGQA
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 27, 2025
Yainer Diaz added a solo home run in the seventh.
Yainer goes yard! #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/KdrFMPcKpq
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 27, 2025
Bubic (2-2) allowed four runs on five hits and three walks, striking out four in five innings.
India had a pair of singles and drove in a run while Witt extended his hitting streak to a career-best 19 games.
Key moment
Isaac Paredes drew a four-pitch walk ahead of Alvarez’s three-run blast.
Key stat
Alvarez, who led left-handed major leaguers with a .362 average against left-handed pitchers in 2024, hit his first homer of this season against a left-hander.
Up next
The Astros open a three-game homestand Monday against Detroit with Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty (1-2, 2.63 ERA) opposing RHP Ronel Blanco (2-2, 5.01).
Tuesday, the Royals begin a three-game series against the Rays in Tampa with Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-3, 3.90) against RHP Taj Bradley (2-1, 5.08).