The Astros Win Their Third Pennant in 5 Seasons

Commencing with Jose Altuve’s key game tying home run in #4, the Houston Astros dominated the last three games of their ALCS and 6’d the “4 time champions this century after an 86 year title drought,” Boston Red Sox to claim their third A.L. crown in 5 seasons. (3 straight in odd year seasons, ’17,’19 and 2021).

Series MVP Yordan Alvarez and second game. “knocked around losing pitcher,” Luis Garcia led Houston (5-0) in the Friday night game 6 clincher. After Fox (If L.A. a 3 to 2 fave , prevails in tonight’s #6, TBS will have a longer LCS than Fox for just the second time in 15 “competing” seasons (’07-2021) showed a creative sign “King Tuck,” for Kyle Tucker, his 3RHR completely wrapped up manager Dusty Baker’s second pennant, the other 19 years ago with the N.L. Giants.

Only Stanley “Bucky” Harris (he won flags in 1924 and 1925 with the Washington Senators and then a still high 23years later with the Yankees. Also Harris won the World Series in 1924 and 1947. Baker lost in his only previous managerial World Series and only in strike marred 1981, among his 3 appearances as a player did his team (the Dodgers) prevail) went longer (23 years) than Baker between managed pennants.

Teams ko’ing the Red Sox in previous ALCS went (1-4) in the subsequent World Series. (only the ’99 Yankees won while the A’s in both ’88 and ’90, the Yankees in ’03 and the Rays in ’08 lost.)

Baker is the ninth manager to win pennants in both leagues. Nobody but me, it would seem and certainly not Joe Buck, noted that Michael Brantley, who also delivered a big 3 run double insurance hit in the Astros’ 7 run 9th inning/game 4, who caught the Bogaerts fly vs Pressley (maybe think about Humphrey and Elvis), to end this series, made the last out when the Nationals “washed” away the Astros in the all road 2019 World Series.

Thoughts abound after this no win/too many futures/too much “hedging” ALCS: 2019, the Bellman, the Astros with the above cited “Brantley notes” win the pennant on the day Bellman is “Ted Hendricks” and my friend Chris MacLeod is “Sam Huff.”

Buck, a Neil Freigenberg coined term, at least to me, for one born to it, failed to cite Hal Smith in referencing the ’60 World Series and the once Yankee Stadium locale of 161st Street when “Horning” (his researcher is named Horn and when Buck snidely said “raise your hand if you are going to Cleveland for Thursday night football, “barf bags” overflowed with and in “use”) over that 161 post-season tilts have been played there, some further north at 167th.

By the way, the Astros are a near great team, that did not need to steal signs. I knew it was to be Houston when some writer in the Boston Globe, not only “preached vs Houston, but “chirped’ far too soon up (2-1), regarding the series outcome.

It was  a good season for the Red Sox, however, though they fell to (6-6) in ALCS play. They are (9-4) in World Series play!!