I Get The Astros Disdain, But Don’t Let it Take Away From Their Greatness

For the third time in five years, the Houston Astros are World Series bound. From the time they made their first appearance in 2017 to now, the sentiment among baseball fans outside of Houston has done a complete 180.

Back in 2017, the Astros were a feel-good story. The city had just endured the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, and the Astros were a beacon of hope during a dark time. They ousted three big, bad bullies — the Red Sox, Yankees, and Dodgers — en route to the franchise’s first-ever World Series title. There was no reason to feel any negativity towards the Astros.

Then came the fall of 2019. Allegations and subsequent proof arose that the Astros were involved in a sign-stealing scandal, rocking the baseball world and sending shockwaves through the organization that resulted in the ouster of manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Lunhow. Suddenly, the Astros were Public Enemy No. 1, and people had to be thrilled that the Washington Nationals upset them for the title that season.

Fast forward to 2021, and it seems like no one on earth outside Houston wants the Astros to win another championship. They’re cheaters. They ruined the integrity of the game. Their previous successes are all tainted. They’re smug and arrogant and people want nothing more than to see them fail. Right?

Perhaps. But make no mistake — this team is good. Like, really, really good. And we shouldn’t lose sight of that no matter what has transpired off the field.

I have attended one Astros game in my lifetime. The year was 2010, and the ‘Stros were mired in what would become an 86-loss season. It was a Saturday night and the also-sub-.500 Dodgers were in town. Attendance was pretty good, but there was no palpable excitement. The Astros lost that night, and the next four seasons in Houston would just get progressively worse. Seasons of 106, 107, 111, and 92 losses would follow. The team was a bottom-feeder, and had those teams been banging on trash cans to relay pitches, the only emotion it would have elicited from the rest of the baseball world is laughter.

But people have a tendency to want to bring down the higher-ups in the world. It’s that whole “misery loves company” thing that’s embedded in human nature. Because the Astros are winning, they are an easy target. But by them being said target, people are losing sight of everything this organization has actually done right (curb your sarcasm, because banging on trash cans alone doesn’t transform your franchise from a cellar-dweller to perennial contender).

What I find fascinating is that the oddsmakers had this team as a middle-of-the-pack club before the season. 18-to-1 for the pennant. 30-to-1 to win it all. Clearly, the betting public wanted no part of supporting another Astros championship run. Oh, well – their loss.

Houston has (mostly) done things the right away, at least in terms of building a team. Years of losing allowed them to draft cornerstone players like George Springer, Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers, and Alex Bregman. Jose Altuve was there through most of the bad years. There were savvy trades for unknown prospects like Yordan Alvarez, and shrewd international signings like fellow Cuban Yuli Gurriel, the 2021 AL batting champion.

Three pennants in five years doesn’t quite constitute a dynasty, nor would two World Series titles in that span. But the Astros’ turnaround from misery to glory is commendable. I would implore anyone hating on the Astros to remember that this is not a team that simply throws money at their problems like the aforementioned Dodgers, Red Sox, or Yankees. They built from the ground up and have not only become contenders, but the cream of the crop in an American League that used be owned by Boston and New York.

Letting their off-the-field shenanigans cloud these facts would be very short-sighted. You may not be rooting for them in the World Series (although why wouldn’t you root for them if they play the Dodgers?), but just remember what they were and how far they’ve come.