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SPORTS Monday 23 october 2017
Astros go from woeful to World Series in just 4 years

By KRISTIE RIEKEN merous lowlights from the led Keuchel’s Cy Young coming an everyday play- this more than anybody af-
AP Sports Writer “Lastros.” The first came Award-winning season and er after filling the utility role ter playing on those “Last-
HOUSTON (AP) — Just four when starter Jordan Lyles a stellar debut by 2012 top for years. ros” teams.
years ago, the Houston As- badly overthrew first base pick Carlos Correa, which Keuchel went 14-5 with a “I’m coming from a team
tros weren’t just bad, they for a two-base error. earned him rookie of the 2.90 ERA to rebound after that lost 100 games in a
were embarrassing — so In the bottom of the first year honors. going 9-12 with a 4.55 ERA row three years, three
embarrassing that many inning, Jonathan Villar sin- That team downed the in the follow-up to his Cy straight years,” he said.
dubbed them the “Last- gled, but was thrown out Yankees in the AL Wild Young season. “We made the playoffs in
ros.” trying to stretch it into a Card game before los- Peacock was perhaps 2015, we didn’t make it last
Now Houston is heading to double. ing to eventual champion the biggest surprise of the year and after last year we
its second World Series in Simply being thrown out Kansas City in the Division group, winning a career- were a little uncomfortable
franchise history after beat- for a baserunning error Series. best 13 games and finishing because we were watch-
ing the Yankees in the AL was pretty routine on this Expectations were high en- with a 3.00 ERA to steady ing the playoff games from
Championship Series, and home and we were like,
its time as the league’s ‘OK, we’re good enough
laughingstock seems like a to be in the playoffs.’ We
distant memory. showed up this year, we
“You always picture your- did it again, and I’m really
self in the World Series, but happy and excited.”
to be here after my debut in He’s an MVP front-runner
2012 with the team that we this season after hitting a
had, with the players that career-high .346 with 24
we had, I never thought we homers and 81 RBIs.
would be here,” left-hand- Altuve has followed that up
er Dallas Keuchel said. by hitting .400 this postsea-
Keuchel is one of just four son with a major league-
Astros who remain from a leading 16 hits and five
2013 team that hit rock bot- homers to lead the Astros
tom by losing a franchise- to the World Series for the
record 111 games in its first first time since they were
year in the AL. Houston be- swept by the White Sox in
came the first team since 2005.
Kansas City from 2004-06 “He’s the best hitter on the
to lose 100 games in three planet,” Correa said.
straight seasons. His performance came as
Those bumbling Astros, no surprise to anyone who
who had the league’s low- has kept up with the Astros
est payroll as the franchise over the past few years.
shed its veterans to rebuild, Altuve has won the AL bat-
often played in front of ting title in three of the past
fewer than 10,000 fans and Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve holds up the championship trophy after Game 7 of baseball’s American four seasons and has piled
routinely faced boos from League Championship Series against the New York Yankees Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Houston. up more than 200 hits in
Associated Press
the few people who did four consecutive years.
show up. terrible team, but the way tering the 2016 season, but the rotation when injuries “There’s no doubt that
All-Star second baseman Villar was thrown out was a 7-17 start, numerous in- piled up midseason. when he has good games,
Jose Altuve, super-utility so humiliating that it went juries and a tough year by However, none of their it’s hard to beat the Astros,”
man Marwin Gonzalez and viral and even made it on Keuchel left them just short contributions come close Hinch said.
right-hander Brad Peacock NBC’s “Today” show the of reaching the playoffs to what Altuve did for the And now he and the Astros
are the other holdovers next morning. and determined to bounce team in the regular season will get a chance to prove
from the lean times. Villar slid into second base, back this year. and continued to provide that when they meet the
“When I got here, no one but Brandon Phillips already They did just that, opening as the calendar turned to Los Angeles Dodgers in
talked about winning,” said had the ball before he be- this season 36-16 to race October. the World Series starting on
manager A.J. Hinch, who gan the slide. out to such big lead in the And he may appreciate Tuesday night.q
took over in 2015. The always flamboyant Phil- AL West that no one had a
“And that was one of the lips reached backward be- chance of catching them.
first things that Altuve told tween his legs to apply the They finished with 101 wins
me in my office, that he tag as Villar crashed head- and their first division title
wanted to win. And that first into Phillips’ backside, a since 2001 to return to the
represented what the next moment many still refer to postseason.
step was for this organiza- as the “butt tag.” Though the Astros added
tion. The Astros began to slowly plenty of pieces in the last
And obviously in 2015 we improve in 2014 and ended four seasons as they moved
got to taste it a little bit, their 100-loss streak by go- from baseball’s basement
2016 we had some disap- ing 70-92 in the last season to the top of the heap, the
pointment, 2017 we’re go- under manager Bo Porter. four players who endured
ing to the World Series.” Houston surprised most that disastrous 2013 season
An example of just how ter- everyone when the team have all played important
rible that 2013 team was went 86-76 in 2015 in the roles in this year’s success.
came on the night they first year under Hinch to Gonzalez had his finest
dropped their 100th game. reach the postseason for season, hitting .303 with 23
The 10-0 defeat by the Cin- the first time since 2005. homers and 90 RBIs — all
cinnati Reds featured nu- Those upstart Astros were career highs — and be-