The Houston Astros defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 to win the American League West for the fifth time in six years on Monday night at Tropicana Field. Starting pitcher Luis Garcia and the 24-year-old Hunter Brown were credited with the victory. The second baseman, Jose Altuve contributed to the offense as well, going 2 for 4 with a home run.
The Astros have won five division titles in ten years despite joining the AL West in 2013. This year’s Astros have already surpassed their 95-67 record from 2021 and are on track to become the fifth team in franchise history to reach 100 wins.
“I’ve never been a part of a division-winning team before, and it’s amazing and I’m really excited,” said right fielder, Trey Mancini, who was traded from the Baltimore Orioles on August 1.
“It’s fun to be part of these every single time,” said pitcher Justin Verlander, who was present when the Astros won the World Series in 2017.
“That never really gets old. I think there’s a lot of guys in here that have done this quite a few times, and they know the deal. Héctor was probably the one leading the charge today — his first time. I think everybody was celebrating and having fun together.”
“We got probably a half a dozen or more first-timers, and I just want these guys to enjoy it because they worked their butt off to get to this point,” said Astros manager Dusty Baker.
“We didn’t know what we had in Spring Training. We expected to win it, but we didn’t know we were going to win it by this much. But they just grinded, grinded and grinded. That’s the key. They were consistent every month, and these guys love each other. That’s what I like.”
Astros’ lineup
The Astros have a formidable lineup that includes Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker. Along with Mancini, catcher Christian Vázquez, and shortstop Jeremy Peña, there are some new faces this year. The rotation has been led by pitcher Verlander and the 28-year-old All-Star Framber Valdez.
Offensively, Alvarez has helped to fill the void left by Carlos Correa, who signed with the Minnesota Twins. Alvarez currently is experiencing a breakthrough season. In 123 games, The AL Rookie of the Year for 2019 has 37 home runs and a slash line of.304/.406/.626.
Alex Bregman, the third baseman, has also enjoyed a return to form. His.846 OPS and 140 OPS+ would be his best since 2019. Altuve and Tucker also have outstanding contributions to the team’s success
“It feels like the first [celebration],” said Altuve, who hit his 25th home run, his 11th of the season and the 32nd of his career on the fifth pitch of Monday’s game.
“We’re all really happy. It’s big for us to win the division and go to the playoffs. It’s very special to us.”
Astros’ next quest
Despite notable departures in recent years, such as Gerrit Cole to the New York Yankees and George Springer to the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston has made the playoffs for the seventh time in the last eight years.
In October, the Astros will make their sixth consecutive postseason appearance. Currently, they have a 97-51 record and need three wins to reach 100 for the fourth time since 2017. They will tie the club record for wins with 107 if they win 10 of their final 14 games.
“We like winning,” pitcher Ryan Pressly said. “We like to win and we know how to win, and we keep grinding every single day we come to the field.”