Houston Astros: The trade that led to a World Series title
The Houston Astros coming off of one of the hottest campaigns in the first half of the season we’re in the midst of being all but written into the World Series.
With an offense that electrified the Major League and a pitching staff led by Dallas Keuchel, the Houston Astros looked as if they had a legitimate shot at bringing home their first ever world title.
It wasn’t until after the-Starr Game that the Astros were beginning to show alarming signs of peaking too soon in the season. With Keuchel on the DL, and others joining him, the Astros were starting to collapse.
With the season entering the month of September, and the hunt for October in full swing, the Astros front office was in need of a crucial decision: to chase or not to chase Justin Verlander.
The veteran and former CY Young ace out of Detroit who had been rumored to be on the trading block was finally getting a look at the Houston front office. Alas, the Astros had finally found the one move that could produce a shot in the arm to the roster and their World Series aspirations.
Verlander arrived in Houston alongside his fiancée Kate Upton, and the stars aligned for the Houston Astros. With Keuchel, McCann, and others rejoining the roster the Astros began to find their groove heading into the postseason.
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The 2017 playoffs were all about Justin Verlander, and his experience providing the Astros with a light into a dark tunnel of inexperience.
The Divisional Round saw Verlander enter Game 4 in relief only for him to outduel Chris Sale, and lead the Astros to the ALCS to face the New York Yankees.
The Yankees would prove to give Houston all they could handle as they forced a decisive Game 7 inside of Minute Maid Park.
After returning home down 3-2 in the series, it was Keuchel and Verlander that lifted the Astros to their outing of the Yankees, and a berth in the World Series.
You’d think getting the Astros to the World Series would be enough right? Wrong. Verlander would go on to have a remarkable World Series, and would eventually hoist the title that has eluded him throughout his career.
Next: Astros celebrate World Series title in epic fashion
Would the Houston Astros have won the American League Pennant without Verlander? Well, folks, I guess we will debating that one for years to come.