(SportsRadio 610) - One day after the Texans stunned the Steelers 30-6 and the Astros clinched the American League West by winning five of their last six games on the road, coach DeMeco Ryans offered a salute to Dusty Baker – the first manager in Major League Baseball history to lead five teams to division titles.
"Congrats to the Astros," Ryans said Monday during his regular news conference at NRG Stadium. "Dusty is a guy I've seen from afar for a long time, a very successful (manager) I look up to. (He's) a guy who's done it at a high level for a very long time (and) it's cool to see the success he's had."
One of Baker's most endearing qualities is something Ryans tries to emulate in his first season as a head coach.
"The main thing I take from Dusty is his interaction with his players, how much he cares for those players and how much (they) truly love him," Ryans said. "They play for him – that's what sticks out to me about Dusty."
And oh how the Astros played in their last six road games against Seattle and Arizona. The see-saw season in which the Astros lost five of six to the lowly Royals, including a three-game sweep before the last road trip, put them in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
After getting embarrassed by the Royals and watching their record at Minute Maid Park plummet to 39-42 – worst among the playoff teams – the Astros braced for the Mariners and Diamondbacks not knowing if they'd even reach postseason. Both teams were in desperation mode because the playoffs were at stake for them, too.
Then the Astros flipped that proverbial switch and flashed back to 2022 when they won their second World Series during a playoff run in which they were almost invincible. They won two of three at T-Mobile Park and then beat the D-backs' three-best starters to finish 90-72. In that series at Arizona, the Astros' pitchers surrendered only two runs against a playoff team.
But that fantastic finish in which the Astros outscored Seattle and Arizona 24-6 in their five victories still wasn't enough. They needed the Rangers to lose a third game in four days at Seattle.
All the Rangers needed was to win Sunday to secure the division title, but they lost 1-0. Both teams closed with 90-72 records, but the Astros had the tiebreaker because of a better head-to-head record, meaning they stuck that Silver Boot where the sun don't shine.
That AL West crown gave the Astros a first-round bye and five days of well-deserved rest to see if they'll play Minnesota or Toronto – Carlos Correa or George Springer, in the ALDS. The Astros will have home-field advantage in the five-game series.
As for their division rivals, the Rangers' failure to win a second game at Seattle forces them to play at Tampa, where they'll play a best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Rays. By the way, despite not having much of a home-field advantage playing in MLB' worst stadium, the Rays are 53-28 at home. The Rangers are 40-41 on the road.
During the offseason, owner Jim Crane has to do something to thank the Mariners for defeating the Rangers on Sunday – a couple of tons of barbeque and beans, perhaps.
Seattle had been eliminated. Texas was desperate for a victory. With so much at stake, one former Astros' catcher, Scott Servais, led his team to a 1-0 conquest of another former Astros' catcher, Bruce Bochy. That loss could be disastrous for the Rangers if their season ends at Tampa Bay, as predicted.
Meanwhile, the Astros wait to see if they're going to host Team Correa or Team Springer on Saturday and Sunday. The Twins coasted to the division title in the weak AL Central with an 87-75 record. They were 47-34 at home and 40-41 on the road.
The Jays lost six of their last 10 games and go into their series against the Twins with two consecutive defeats – just in case you put any stock into who's hot and who's not entering postseason.
Interestingly, MLB.com – an outstanding site, by the way – ranks the top-50 players in the playoffs. The Astros have five of the top 21: Justin Verlander (seven), Kyle Tucker (11), Jose Altuve (13), Yordan Alvarez (20) and Framber Valdez (21). The Braves and Dodgers have three of the top 21.
Another exciting and interesting regular season has ended. Significant rules changes helped attendance and television ratings increase. Now it's the best time of the season, the playoffs, and an opportunity to see if the Astros can reach the ALCS for a seventh consecutive season and become the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the 2000 Yankees.
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on SportsRadio 610 and Monday, Thursday and Sunday on Texans Radio, also on SportsRadio 610. He writes five columns a week and does three Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.
