The Astros will be back
The Astros looked pitful after getting swept by the Tigers in the Wild Card Series. In the Game Recap, I said they deserved to lose.
But……
How easily, with just the slightest turn of luck, this:
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Could have been this:
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
The difference between the Astros sweeping the Tigers and the Tigers sweeping the Astros may have come down to two very close plays.
In Game One, the Astros were down 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning but had the bases loaded. Jason Heyward hit a sharp line drive down the first base line with two outs. If the ball were hit one or two feet left, right, or above where it went, it would have been a walk-off double. Instead, the ball was caught and the game ended with disappointment.
In the second game, with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth inning, Andy Ibanez hit a mirror image shot down the left field line. Except his ball eluded the glove of the third baseman, landed just fair, and scored the winning three runs.
If Heyward’s batted ball had been a double, as it almost was, and if Ibanez’s batted ball had been caught or foul, as it almost was, we might be talking triumphantly about how the mighty Astros dynasty had advanced inevitably to the next round, and how the Tigers need to go back to the drawing board before the dare compete with the big boys again.
I’m not saying the Astros deserved to win. They were outplayed. But I don’t know of any major sport where luck plays such a major part in outcomes. If Heyward got under his ball by even a millimeter more than he did or swung a millisecond slower/faster, the Astros win Game One. Likewise with Ibanez, the tiniest, possibly immeasurable difference in swing trajectory and Game Two goes into extra innings.
Baseball.
It’s why the season is 162 games.
Don’t lose hope Astros fans. The Astros’ window is still open for at least another year. They got this far in 2024 despite enormous obstacles. They get a longer off-season for once, will get injured players back, and should be hungry.