The Houston Astros: 2019 AL West (and World Series?) Champions
By MIRIAM ZUO ‘20
For the third year in a row, the Houston Astros have clinched their division title in the American League West, effectively securing a place in postseason baseball. If you don’t watch baseball, the postseason consists of two parts: first, the division winners of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL) compete against each other for the league pennant. Second, the AL champions and the NL champions face each other at the World Series, which I’ve been anticipating since the season began in March. The World Series begins on October 22nd, less than a month from today, and, considering that the Red Sox will not appear in the postseason this year, now is a fantastic time to learn more about (and potentially support) a team that has dominated its division: the Houston Astros.
Why are the Astros so much better than their AL West opponents? Quite possibly the most important component of their perennial success is their 25-man roster. On the pitching side, the Astros have one of the strongest pitching rotations in all of Major League Baseball. The first two pitchers of the rotation, Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, have nearly identical statistics this season, with WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) and ERA (earned run averages) statistics that rank highly in the AL; as such, they’re both also frontrunners in the Cy Young Award, which is given each year to the best pitchers in the AL and the NL, respectively. Astros management also recently acquired Zack Greinke from the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he’s expected to play a vital role in postseason pitching.
As for position players, the Astros make opposing pitchers nervous when they step into the batter’s box. The lead-off batter, George Springer, was the MVP of the 2017 World Series. Other Astros veterans, such as José Altuve and Alex Bregman, and newly acquired Astros, most notably Michael Brantley, form an intimidating starting lineup. Astros fans are also deeply excited about our one of our newest rookies, the record-breaking, power-hitting, Cuban-born Yordan Álvarez, who is virtually a shoo-in for the American League Rookie of the Year award.
Combined, the dominant performance of Astros players this season has resulted in multiple moments worthy of baseball history. Most recently, Álvarez hit a 416-foot home run into third section of Minute Maid Park, his home stadium, a feat so incredible that the seat it landed on has since been replaced by an orange one. Immediately following the trade deadline, Aaron Sanchez, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays, pitched a combined no-hitter (no batters made it to first base) with Will Harris, Joe Biagini, and Chris Devenski. And, perhaps most exciting, Justin Verlander accomplished a solo no-hitter, the third one of his Hall of Fame career, against the Blue Jays on September 1st.
Because of their success this season, baseball pundits project an extended postseason journey for the 2019 Astros: as of mid-September, CBS Sports ranks the Astros and the Dodgers as the most likely teams to win the World Series. In the final days of the regular season, the Astros have already notched over 100 wins (out of a 160-game season). Will they add the World Series trophy to their already-impressive accolades? I hope so.