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The Houston Astros will be going back to the World Series for the third time in the last five seasons after they defeated the Boston Red Sox in six games in the ALCS. Houston lost in the ALCS last postseason to the Tampa Bay Rays, but made sure that did not happen this year to the upstart Red Sox.
The last time we saw the Astros in the World Series, they lost to the Washington Nationals 4-3 in 2019. Below we’ll take a look back at how the Astros got to this point starting from the regular season.
Regular season recap
The Houston Astros entered the regular season with the best odds to win the AL West at +125 and were listed at +1000 to win the American League. Dusty Baker’s squad had a six-game losing streak in April, which ended up being their longest streak of the season. But they still ended the month above .500 with a 14-12 record.
That would be a theme for the ‘Stros as they played over .500 baseball for the rest of the season as boasted one of the better offenses in the majors. Houston was outstanding at Minute Maid Park this season with a 51-30 record. They averaged 5.32 runs per game, which was tied for first with the Tampa Bay Rays in the majors. Houston ended up winning the AL West by five games over the Seattle Mariners.
ALDS recap
The Astros jumped out to a quick 2-0 series lead against the White Sox in the ALDS as their offense rocked Chicago starting pitchers Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito. However, the Sox would get a win in Game 3, defeating the Astros 12-6. Houston closed out the series in the Windy City with a dominating 10-1 Game 4 victory.
ALCS recap
After taking down the White Sox with relative ease in the division series, the Astros took on the Boston Red Sox in ALCS. Houston took Game 1, defeating the Red Sox 5-4 at Minute Maid Park.
However, the ‘Stros would get knocked around by the Sox in Games 2 and 3, losing by a combined 21-8. Over the course of those two games, Houston starting pitching gave up three grand slams. The Astros ultimately got their revenge on the Sox, winning the next three games to capture the AL pennant. 24-year-old outfielder Yordan Alvarez, who was named the ALCS MVP, hit .522 with a home run, three doubles, and six RBI in 23 at-bats.