Astros on Way to First Pennant?

As we head into Game 5 of the National League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, many experts are scratching their heads again due to Houston's 3-1 advantage over St. Louis, which won 100 games in the regular season and dominated all year. The Astros have the opportunity to clinch the NL pennant by winning Game 5 of the NLCS, with big-game pitcher left-hander Andy Pettitte going for them at Minute Maid Park, the Astros' home.

Since Game 7 of the 2004 NLCS when the Cardinals eliminated the Astros in overcoming Roger Clemens' starting pitching in that game, the Astros were not expected to be in the position they now find themselves in a year later, formidably challenging the most winning team in all of Major League Baseball in the 2005 regular season.

The Astros started the 2005 season with a disappointing 15-30 record and still had doubts about the health of Andy Pettitte's elbow coming back from offseason surgery, including what kind of a season Roger Clemens would have for them again. Both pitchers have more than lived up to their billing all season long, even though they have tailed off thus far in the NLCS.

In spite of Pettitte's and Clemens' atypical performances in Games 1 and 3, stellar pitching performances by starters Roy Oswalt, who won 20 games in the regular season and won Game 2, and Brandon Backe, who had less than success against St. Louis in the regular season, but won Game 4, have provided enough leeway for the remaining lineup to do the little things necessary to win.

There are no excuses in the postseason, and all bets are off, as game pressure and lingering injuries can be big factors in the performances of key personnel. Every pitch, every defensive play, and every bloop hit figure into this best of seven series. Now for all of you well-versed baseball fans, none of this comes as a surprise. But perhaps it is the way the Astros have risen to the occasion in the 2005 postseason that is rather different.

Even though the Astros finished with 89 wins, they are a curious combination of talent and will. They win with intangibles unique to their group of players and management, which does not show up in the box score. For years, second baseman Craig Biggio and first baseman and currently pinch-hitter Jeff Bagwell, have been the heart and soul of Houston. Biggio at 39, who just signed a one-year contract extension, is expected to be a lock for the Hall of Fame, and Bagwell is also mentioned in such discussions. They are two of a very few major leaguers left who have played the entirety of their careers with one team. Biggio has been in Houston for 18 years and Bagwell for 15, yet both have never played in a World Series.

Added to the roster in 2004 was Roger Clemens, who returned in 2005 and provided the team's courage to excel. His winning and unselfish spirit of team-first mentality elevated the Astros to overachieve. When they had an awful first half in 2004, manager Jimy Williams was let go and in his place came Phil Garner. But the Astros had a lot of work to do and did not arise from the ashes until August 2004, when they also permanently lost the services of Andy Pettitte to elbow surgery. So what, you say, this has all been said before! Yes, but 2004 was the precursor for 2005 for the Astros rather than a lucky stab at a world championship as it was so termed.

2005 found Houston deep in a hole until nearly the second half again, and it was their pitching and a healthy Andy Petttite that reliably picked them up and led the way. Roger Clemens, who had the lowest ERA of 1.87 in all of baseball and the lowest ERA in MLB for the past ten years, had nine no-decisions and when he did win, the runs provided were scant. But his encouragement and desire to win was key to the Astros winning the NL wildcard.

Pettitte's homecoming was but delayed from last year, and he was ripe to excel in 2005 as he did with a 17-9 record and 2.39 ERA with 222 innings pitched and 171 strikeouts. And Phil Garner's managing-from-the-gut instinct was the brains behind the incentive to win. Biggio's and Bagwell's heart was never questioned, although Bagwell remained on the DL almost all season due to shoulder surgery.

The NLCS will be statistically analyzed and sized up by experts galore, but should the Astros win the 2005 NLCS, perhaps there will be more discussion about how they got there. After all, the Astros have not won a pennant or world championship in their 44 years of existence.

Should the Astros progress to the World Series what should be discussed is how a bunch of nice guys with above-average talent were turned around with the arrival of Roger Clemens and the free-spirit managing style of Phil Garner. Clemens brought credibility and class to an organization that was stagnant. And Clemens continued to lead by example with his dominating pitching style, nothing short of remarkable at age 43.

And by the time all is said and done, the Astros may have won their first pennant in team history due to their consummate quest to win. This year, they are the real deal.

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