Down 3-0 and with baseball ready to finally bury them, the 2020 Astros regained life with Dusty Baker taking it back to the 1980s and standing up for his starting pitcher on Wednesday.
Friday night against the American League’s No. 1 seed, Baker’s contagiously confident crew created a breakthrough with another old trick: a sacrifice bunt.
And now they are here, after a strong 7-4 victory in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series at Petco Park in San Diego.
The edge of the World Series, again.
Game 7 of the ALCS, with Tampa Bay cracking and the Astros coolly collecting victories like the Rays did in Games 1-3.
And if we’re being really honest, this is also happening, no matter what happens Saturday night back at Petco: The 2020 Astros are proving millions upon millions wrong.
They wouldn’t be in the playoffs without MLB commissioner Rob Manfred allowing more than half of the sport’s 30 teams into the postseason during the coronavirus pandemic.
Thanks, Rob.
They went a very backward 29-31 during a surreal 60-game season, rarely inspiring outside confidence and removing the few seats that remained from the national bandwagon.
But the No. 3 seed Minnesota Twins were swept when it mattered. The AL West-winning Oakland Athletics, the No. 2 seed, only won one game when it really counted. And now that MLB’s once-in-a-lifetime 2020 season is truly being defined — the team that holds up a shining trophy will lift it just as high and proudly as all the others — Baker’s still-hated Astros are rapidly converting believers, supporters and local passion.
It might be a coincidence. But I swear that I’ve seen more orange and blue around town the last few days than I saw from late July through late September.
There’s nothing wrong with that.
It was an unbelievably rough 10-plus months for the Astros. They also spent 2017-19 either winning the World Series at Dodger Stadium, hosting Game 7 of the Fall Classic in their roaring ballpark or winning 103 games and reaching the ALCS.
Jeff Luhnow, A.J. Hinch, Jim Crane and Co. raised the franchise bar higher than it had ever been.
A sport-altering, sign-stealing scandal instantly changed all the warm, fuzzy, “I literally love these guys” stories.
Remember how nasty spring training was before the sports world stopped and everyone started masking up?
Then the remade Astros literally took it day by day and tried to make it through a 60-game season that never felt right. Gerrit Cole was already gone. Justin Verlander, Yordan Alvarez, Roberto Osuna and more barely made a dent in the box scores.
Then the playoffs arrived and the dangerous, relentless, deep, fun Astros suddenly — and unexpectedly — returned.
Tampa Bay challenged all that. A very good, well-managed team with “better” starting pitching, superb defense and timely hitting.
When Jose Altuve couldn’t successfully throw the ball to first or second base in Games 2-3, it felt like the Astros’ 2020 season had finally met its cold end.
Stories change. And you already know the next part.
Baker altered Game 4 and the ALCS by listening to Martin Maldonado, looking in Zack Greinke’s eyes and dispensing with boring analytics by sticking with his ace.
Carlos Correa ended Game 5 with a no-doubt walk-off blast.
Game 6?
Framber Valdez’s nasty curve. Blake Snell failing to get an out in the fifth inning. Kevin Cash not sticking by his starter. Fiery Captain Correa pushing Valdez through danger in the sixth. And, directly connecting with the 1980s vibe from Game 4, a perfectly called and executed sacrifice bunt that set up a four-run breakthrough for the Astros in the fifth.
The remainder was devoted to hits, runs, orange damage and a gradual march toward a Game 7 that felt 99 percent (OK, 99.9) impossible Tuesday night.
MLB couldn’t ignore the Astros.
The Rays couldn’t put them away.
Even the haters, if they actually know baseball, were forced to nod their heads in gradual acceptance.
These Astros looked like those Astros. And these Astros were playing super-sharp baseball with two AL teams one win away from the World Series.
The Astros are still five victories away from truly changing their story and instantly silencing all the noise.
But who thought they would be here Sept. 27, when they hit 29-31 after dropping three consecutive games to the AL-worst Rangers?
Easy answer: no one.
Now George Springer, Lance McCullers Jr. and Michael Brantley are one win away from Arlington.
Baker, Correa, Altuve, Greinke and Valdez are one victory away from representing the American League in the 2020 World Series.
And the team that MLB wanted to disappear is just one game away from returning to the Fall Classic for the third time in four years.
In front of fans.
In Texas.
Brian T. Smith
reported from Houston
twitter.com/chronbriansmith
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October 17, 2020 at 09:19AM
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