Frankly, as the Astros plodded through a fairly lackluster season and somehow stumbled into another AL West title, I didn’t think the Astros would get this far. What with the injuries, the regression in the pitching staff, some sloppy play at times, I wasn’t sure the Astros would make it to the playoffs, much less their seventh straight ALCS appearance.
But as the season came to a close, the team seemed to gel. Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez returned to the lineup. Cristian Javier began to rediscover his form. So did Jose Urquidy, returning from injury as well.