2005 Houston Astros

The Championship Season

For 43 years the Houston Astros and their fans watched the World Series - wondering if they would ever reach the Fall Classic. So many close calls - the Phillies in 1980, the Mets in 1986, the Cardinals in 2004. And so the Astros began the 2005 season, as always, with hope - thanks to one of the game's best rotations. But by June 1st, the Astros were 14 games out of first place and were 15 games under .500 at 15-30. The Houston Chronicle said the Astro's season was over and placed a tombstone on their front page. It would take an extraordinary effort just to get to .500...to reach the World Series?...a miracle.

And that is precisely what made the 2005 Houston Astros campaign remarkable. The team overcame the worst start in franchise history, won the NL Wild Card on the season's finale day and beat the Atlanta Braves in an 18-inning Division Series Marathon for the ages. Then, behind ace pitcher Roy Oswalt, the Astros defeated the archrival St. Louis Cardinals, erasing 43 years of wondering as they went on to experience the World Series, for the first time in history. Hilarity, unfortunately, didn't ensue.

Trivia: The Astro's rotation placed 3 pitchers, Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt, and Andy Pettitite in the top five Cy Young Award vote getters. The Astros became the first team to reach the World Series after being 15 games under .500 since the Boston Braves did it in 1914.

Okay, if I didn't know this really happened I would think it was a bad Hollywood movie. The Astros lost 4 major run producers after 2004 (Jeff Kent and Carlos Beltran to other teams, Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman to injuries). They started the season 15-30. Then they had to play at a major league best 74-43 just to get into the playoffs by winning the last game of the season. Then they played in the 18-inning monster of a game with the hometown hero having to step in and pitch the last three innings and a relative unknown hitting the walk off home run. The ending was kind of disappointing because it had been done before, (any see Rocky?) But all in all the video is a good one. The extras are good too, with Clemen's three innings of relief and Burke's game winning blast in the 18th. It also shows Craig Biggio tie and then pass Don Baylor for the modern day record of being hit by a pitch.