TORLINGTON — One hundred playoff games is a crazy number. Especially in the baseball world, where Mike Trout played three playoff games in his life, Don Mattingly only hit five in his entire career, and even Ken Griffey Jr. had to settle for 18. The heartbeat of the Houston Astros, Jose Altuve, keeps going. This Friday afternoon, he will play his 101st playoff game with his team, all the way to a tie in the Texas American League Championship Series with the stunned Texas Rangers.
Altuve will tell you that he won his 100th playoff game thanks to teammates like Jose Abreu (15 career playoff games, eight of which will be with the Astros this October), Yordan Alvarez ( 55 playoff games, all since 2019) and Chas McCormick (29 playoff games, all with the Astros). Of course, McCormick still remembers waiting for his first playoff game, watching Jose Altuve do his thing.
“I just remember watching these guys when I was in the minor leagues and playing in the playoffs and dominating,” McCormick said. “I always thought, ‘By the time I get to the Major Leagues, I hope the window is still open.’ I thought maybe it would close. And this could be reconstruction.
“Obviously, I’ve been here for three years and we’ve been in the World Series for three years. It was a blessing. And it’s crazy how many games Altuve played in the postseason. How many games (Alex) Bregman played in the postseason.
“But you can tell. These guys are born to play in the postseason.”
The Rangers are finding out the hard way. This North Texas team appeared to be heading for a fairytale playoff victory, only to be blown away by the Astros’ postseason tank the final two nights at Globe Life Field. Houston’s 10-3 win in Game 4 gives the Astros an 18-8 overall margin at the Rangers’ home stadium. And with Game 5 quickly over at 4:07 p.m., the first pitch approaches and Bruce Bochy’s team is in danger of being sent back to Houston in a world of injuries.
Leave it to Travis Scott, who leaves the Astros’ clubhouse at Globe Life Field before reporters and volunteers are allowed in: “You don’t have to worry about it. These boys are on fire!
From 0-2 to a 2-2 tie with ageless ace Justin Verlander ready to take the mound. Another difficult situation. Another Astros response. These Houston Astros aren’t just the most reliable thing in professional sports today. It’s one of the most reliable things in America, as credible as the idea of Apple releasing yet another new iPhone.
“We are the Houston Astros,” Abreu says in Spanish at his locker, as Astros interpreter Genloy Herrera relays the words in English. “We are the Houston Astros. We never give up. It’s important to give credit to all the guys in this organization who never give up.
“And we knew that we had the power to change the situation.”
Jose Altuve, with 100 playoff games, is the leader among these guys. In this Game 4, all Altuve does is start the game with a double, add two more hits, score three times, and immediately put on a stellar defensive play deep behind second base. Not a bad way to celebrate becoming Mr. 1oo.
Not that Jose Altuve really wanted to make himself famous.
“Obviously it means a lot,” Altuve said of reaching 100 games after the game. “This means the team has been successful in the last few years.”
“It’s crazy how many games Altuve played in the postseason. How many games (Alex) Bregman played in the postseason. But you can tell. These guys are born to play in the postseason.” — Chas McCormick
Then the heart and soul of this dynasty returns to talking about their teammates.
Jose Altuve allows guys like Jose Abreu to feel comfortable being part of this Astros’ winning machine. He is so welcoming, so encouraging, so eager to give credit to everyone else that these qualities begin to spread throughout the team.
Reward for Mr. 100?
Watching Abreu, who spent the first nine seasons of his MLB career with the Chicago White Sox, putting up impressive numbers but never making it onto the big stage, suddenly turn into a playoff monster for the Astros. After a largely disappointing regular season in which many Astros fans mourned the signing of the big first baseman as a free agent.
There, Abreu hits his fourth mammoth home run of these playoffs, a .438 blast from second deck that returns to the Astros bullpen to make it 7-3, effectively putting the Rangers to bed for the night. Some two-out, two-hit prowess from a 36-year-old Cuban legend who already seems to be getting the hang of the playoffs.
“Amazing,” Altuve says. “I think he’s one of the best strikers right now. Of course, Yordan (Alvarez) is there. And Breggy. I think (Abreu) has a lot of big things to do this postseason. Because he enjoys what he does.
“He loves big moments.”
Here’s what playing Mr. 100 can do for you. Once you get comfortable in the playoffs, there’s nothing more exciting than being able to do something in October. Play for the Astros and you’ll feel comfortable in the postseason. Abreu has already played more playoff games in October than he did in his entire nine seasons in Chicago.
“It’s a track record,” Astros pitcher Ryne Stanek said. Paper city. “No one gets too high or too low. Everyone knows what we are capable of. So this is not a situation where people are panicking. Just go and do your job.
“. . . I think that’s the key. Be resilient. Be reliable. And just do what you have to do. I think that’s what we’ve done the last few days.”
What the Astros are doing to the Rangers at Texas’ home stadium threatens to take away their spirit.
“We are the Houston Astros. We are the Houston Astros. We never give up. It’s important to give credit to all the guys in this organization who never give up.” — Jose Abreu
Luca and Romo in the building and the power of belief in the playoffs
Mavericks greats Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic are in the house, Tony Romo is relaxing in the stands, and former Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson, wearing a No. 80 Johnson Astros jersey, will join Travis Scott for the visit to the club. The strength of the outfield stars between Dallas and Houston is almost equal. On the field this becomes untenable.
This Astros lineup is as ruthless as a cocaine bear, as relentless as erosion, as irritatingly determined as a mosquito wanting to taste blood for the first time. Before the Rangers even got into the fight, before many of the sold-out crowd of more than 42,000 had even adjusted to the unfamiliar sight of Globe Life Field’s open roof, the Astros scored three runs.
Dusty Baker’s lineup opened the game with four straight hits—a Jose Altuve double, a Mauricio Dubon single, an Alex Bregman triple over center fielder’s head and a Yordan Alvarez single. That makes the Astros 3-0.
With the Rangers crawling back to tie the game at 3-3, Altuve and company promptly scored four runs in the top of the fourth inning and playoff-resurrectionist Jose Abreu delivered the game-clinching hit. From this moment on, the current world champions continue to improve. If this were a boxing match, the referee would have called it the seventh inning.
Mr. 100 is a big part of it. But so does Mr. 94 Alex Bregman, who hits a two-run triple and then hits the Chomp Hour in the dugout with the gleeful eagerness of an 8-year-old. Same with Yordan Alvarez, who collected three more RBIs, raising his RBI total to 13 in eight playoff games this October. So does McCormick, who hits a double whammy himself.
“I remember my first playoff game,” McCormick said. PaperCity. “I was very nervous. Rookie year, we’re in the World Series, you know? I think all playoff games are the same. You have nerves before the game. It’s always a big game.
“But you definitely learn from how many playoff games we’ve played, you definitely learn to calm down and slow the game down and not be so nervous.”
Mr. 100 will help any new teammate find their way to the playoffs. That’s what Jose Altuve does. This goes a long way toward explaining why these Astros are Astros. Why won’t this window close anytime soon?