I didn't want to ruffle the feathers of the BBGs or get greedy, but after Javier and the bullpen no-hit the Phillie lineup in gm 4 I wanted to change my prediction to Stros in 6 because I thought that game did a number on their bats and I strongly believed the Phillies had only won one game definitively off our pitching and that was because LMJ was tipping, regardless of what he says publicly. I mean, cmon. It was obvious to everyone. Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh teeing off for HRs???? They needed some fluky shit to happen in game 1 (JV dropping an easy double play) and a shoelace catch in the B9 by Castellanos to get to extras and win it and the Astros had jumped out to 5-0 leads in both of the first two games. Yeah, Schwarber made some loud noisy outs in the second game but even if one of those balls goes yard, they weren't going to put Philly ahead. They would've just made the Astros bullpen sweat a little more, but whatever. Point being those plays didn't change the outcome of the game the way JV's error or Castellanos' catch changed the outcome of gm 1.
I said it then and I say it now. This series was absolutely controlled and dictated by the Houston Astros and I believed that as long as the Astros stayed within themselves and didn't panic, they would rise to the occasion and put that pressure on a Philly team that doesn't have anywhere close to the playoff experience or "us-against-the-world" mentality of the Houston Astros clubhouse.
This year has been a motherfucking joy of a baseball season with a lot of ups and far fewer downs and I appreciate you guys who held it down all year long up in the Surly Stros thread. I'm a pessimist in real life by nature and maybe that's why I'm a sunny-side up Astros fan who doesn't respond well to bitching and whining and complaining over every Wed night lineup change or a shitty wipeout loss in the third game of the World Series.
I never ever stopped believing this team had it in them to win this World Series, especially as long as they weren't facing an elimination game. I was adamant with my Astro fan friends who were freaking out after Lance's pants-shitting performance that there was A LOT of baseball yet to play and that shit was far from over. How the fuck y'all gonna doubt this roster of badass mfers after the sustained success they had all year long and their playoff success in all the years before? After we'd wiped the floor with the Yankees and gone 7-0 combined in the DS and LCS?????
If you ever catch me doubting this team next year like some of y'all did last week, slap me in the face and quote this post.
STROS BABY!!!
WORLD. SERIES. CHAMPS!!!