This recent run of Astros success is the greatest sustained run that a Houston professional sports team has had in our lifetimes. The only era of one Houston team that could make any sort of argument would be the back to back champion Clutch City Rockets in the mid-’90s, but even that run wasn’t sustained dominance like this era of Astros baseball.
Six straight appearances in the American League Championship Series, with four wins in those ALCS, three of them against the hated New York Yankees. Now, all that’s left to do in 2022 is finish off the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. The Astros have been installed as -185 favorites by Vegas (meaning you’d have to risk $185 to win $100, or around a 65 percent chance of winning forecasted), and the win differential between the two teams — 106 wins for the Astros, 87 wins for the Phillies — is the largest between two World Series teams ever.
Easy pickings for the Astros, right? Well, if that’s what you think, then you probably just moved here in the last 11 months, and didn’t live through the World Series of 2019 nor 2021. If you were here for those, and you remember, and you’re having a Pavlovian feeling of angst about the Phillies, it makes sense. Here are the reasons why:
This is another National League East team
This is the easy commonality the Phillies have with the Washington Nationals (the Astros opponent in 2019) and the Atlanta Braves (the opponent in 2021). All three are part of the National League East, which has evolved into one of MLB’s better divisions. To wit, Philadelphia actually finished THIRD in the division this season, but is now in the World Series. The Braves won the division, and the Mets won over 100 games, as well. The Nationals now stink, for what that’s worth.
This is another team that was wallowing in mediocrity and, all of a sudden, got red hot
Taking this a step further, though, all three of these teams were wallowing in mediocrity fairly late into the season, and were able to go on a tear to not only make the playoffs, but get to and (in the case of Washington and Atlanta) win the World Series. In 2019, the Nationals were 58-53 on August 4, and finished with 93 wins. In 2021, the Braves were 52-55 on August 1, and won the division with 88 wins. This season, the Phillies started the season 21-29 and fired their manager, Joe Girardi. Under Rob Thomsen, the Phillies finished the season 87-75, and have gone 7-2 in the postseason.
This is another team that knocked off the defending NL champ on the way to the World Series
In 2019, the Nationals upset the two-time defending NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS, 3-2. In 2021, the Braves upset the defending NL champion Dodgers in the NLCS, 4-2. Fast forward to this season, and the Phillies upset the Braves, the 2021 NL champion, in the NLDS, 3-1.
The Astros have actually played the Phillies in the postseason before, and it didn’t go well
Finally, this is something that older Astro fans will either appreciate or become livid with me for extracting suppressed memories of one of the worst chokes in Houston sports history. In 1980, the Astros played the Phillies in the NLCS, back when the Astros were in the National League and the NLCS was a best of five. Four of the five games went to extra innings, and in Game 5, the Astros blew a 5-2 lead in the 8th inning with Nolan Ryan on the mound. If you care to relive it, here you go…. man, this video might need its own post….
So don’t get comfortable, Houston. The regular season records mean nothing come Friday.
Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.
