Astros’ Streak Comes to an End: Houston Bids Farewell to the Playoffs
ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Houston Astros’ impressive streak of eight consecutive playoff appearances came to an end on Saturday night, during the second inning of their 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. The Astros took the field at Angel Stadium with a glimmer of hope, as the Cleveland Guardians and the Texas Rangers were tied heading into the ninth inning at Progressive Field. But with Christian Walker at the plate in the top of the second in Anaheim, Guardians outfielder C.J. Kayfus took a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, giving Cleveland a 3-2 victory over the Rangers, securing the final American League playoff spot for the Guardians and eliminating the Astros. This will be the first time the Astros (86-75) miss the postseason since 2016. They made seven consecutive trips to the American League Championship Series from 2017 to 2023, winning four pennants and two World Series titles (2017 and 2022) during that period. In fact, Sunday’s season finale against the Angels will be only the fourth game since the start of the 2015 season in which the Astros will be out of playoff contention.“We couldn’t make it this year, but we promise our fans in Houston that this offseason will be one of hard work. We will improve, and next year will be one to remember.” Houston began the season without two of its best 2024 players, as third baseman Alex Bregman signed a free agent contract with the Boston Red Sox and outfielder Kyle Tucker was traded to the Chicago Cubs. The Astros lost their best hitter, Yordan Alvarez, to injuries for much of the season and several other key players (closer Josh Hader, shortstop Jeremy Peña, and third baseman Isaac Paredes, among them) to injuries down the stretch. Houston was still in the hunt for a fifth straight American League West Division title, tied with Seattle entering a big three-game series against the Mariners on September 19. But the Astros were swept at home by Seattle and lost two more games to the Athletics, failing to hold a lead in any of the five straight losses, to fall five games behind in the division race. They had a chance to tie in a three-way tie with the Guardians and the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, but failed to hold an early 3-0 lead and lost 4-3 to the Angels, to remain one game behind the two teams in the American League Central. Cleveland and Detroit both have tiebreakers over Houston, so the Astros needed to win their last two games and for the Guardians or Tigers to lose their last two to extend their playoff streak. But then, Cleveland and Detroit won on Saturday to secure their postseason tickets. “That’s a meeting, that’s a conversation you don’t want to have with your team,” said Houston manager Joe Espada, about his postgame speech to the club. “This is my eighth season, and this has never happened. But it happened today.” “I told this team that I am very proud of them, because we have been through a lot. We have guys who shouldn’t be on the field right now, who are banged up, but they are playing through the pain, through the injuries, because they want it for our city, they want it for their teammates, and that’s the heart of a champion, right?” Walker, who hit two solo home runs on Saturday night, believes that Houston’s absence from the postseason will be an aberration, not the beginning of a downward spiral for the franchise.“I want to apologize to the Houston fans for not making it. It’s not what they’re used to,” said Astros infielder Carlos Correa. “They’re used to seeing playoff baseball, and they expect that every year.
Carlos Correa
“There were some unfortunate injuries and things that happened along the way, but that’s part of it. Good teams find a way, and we almost did. We were close but not good enough. But even with the lineup and the roster we have, I think this group can win a World Series, for sure.”“This sucks. It hurts, for sure. We poured a lot of energy and emotion, and blood, sweat, and tears into the season,” Walker said. “I felt like with this team, there are a lot of special moments that could happen in this room, so it sucks not being able to showcase that on the postseason stage.
Christian Walker
