(Houston) Getting just one win away from a World Series appearance would be a guarantee of success for most teams. Not for the Houston Astros, reigning major league baseball champions.
The Astros lost all four of their American League Championship Series home games to the Texas Rangers while trying to reach the World Series for a third straight year.
“Not a success,” said receiver Martin Maldonado. I believe the ultimate success is winning the World Series, but we gave it everything we had. »
Manager Dusty Baker is proud of his team for making it this far despite a difficult season.
“We have overcome a lot,” he argued. So you hold your head high and reflect on what you’ve accomplished versus what you’ve lost. »
After cruising to the AFC West title in the previous two campaigns, the Astros spent most of the 2023 season trying to overtake the Rangers in the standings. A bad streak by the Rangers at the very end of the regular season put the two clubs tied with a 90-72 record. The Astros won the title by virtue of the tiebreaker, that is, the matches between the two teams.
Obtaining a first-round bye, the Astros defeated the Minnesota Twins in four games in the second round of the playoffs. They thus reached the championship series for a seventh time in a row.
The troubles at home that had plagued them all year, however, came to a head in the American final, with the result that they lost the first two matches. They then swept three games in Arlington to find themselves one victory away from the World Series.
Their pitchers then collapsed, allowing 20 runs in the next two games, and their season ended while the Rangers celebrated in their home stadium Monday.
“Obviously we would have liked to have done that, and there’s no easy answer as to why we didn’t play well at home,” Gunner Justin Verlander said. Obviously, we would have liked it to have happened differently. »
The Astros acquired Verlander in July to try to improve their chances of defending their title. The three-time Cy Young Award winner left Houston to join the New York Mets this offseason, only to return a few months later when the Mets let go.
Verlander was 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 11 regular season games after the trade. He got three starts during the playoffs, winning Game 1 against the Twins.
The 2-0 loss in the first game of the series against the Rangers was taken to his record, and he did not get a decision in the fifth game thanks to a late comeback by the Astros.
The 40-year-old will return next year with one year remaining on his US86.7 million contract signed with the Mets in December. The Mets must send $35.5 million to the Astros to cover part of the contract, and will have to send another $17.5 million if Verlander exercises his $35 million option in 2025.
“That’s obviously one of the reasons I wanted to come back here,” Verlander said. We were not only poised for success this year, but also in the future. The window is still open.
“But it’s a little early to say I’m excited for next year. I have to digest [the defeat]. »
Baker indicated Monday that he had not yet decided whether he was going to return after this fourth season at the helm of the Astros. The 74-year-old was hired after A was fired. J. Hinch, following the signal theft scandal.
“I haven’t had time to evaluate or think about my future because I’m at the bottom of the list,” he said. I don’t want to steal the spotlight or anything from these guys.
“You have to savor what you’ve done. You need to think about how you can improve. And then I will evaluate my own situation. »
