Gourmand

Eat a big 'ol bag of dicks Helo BWAHAHAHA!!! But I will give you credit, you at least stick around to take your lumps so I'll give you some pos rep for that.

NSIAP

I've said this for years but that Braves team was unquestionably a dynasty even though they didn't win more than one WS title. Their divisional dominance over a decade plus in a sport with 162 regular season games and their constant appearances in the Fall Classic qualifies that team for D-word status always and I don't say this because of my love for this Astros era. It's an opinion I've long held. However, I think the Astros have surpassed the Braves not just because of their second WS title but primarily because they did it in the wild-card era when Atlanta from 1991-1993 was already in the NLCS for winning their division. The fact the Astros have won SIX STRAIGHT ALDS in this wild card era with hot teams playing in a best-of-five format and they've gone to four WS in six chances over a six year span is unreal. It's a fucking DYNASTY Y'ALL. Let's build on it.

WE ALREADY ARE

My work peeps got a kick out of my celebration dance in my Astros socks and me waving my orange FOR THE H rally towel like a maniac and had to go in a corner by myself to think about what this means to me. None of them understand this, but man I love the Astros and love the joy they've brought into my life along the way.

I TOLD ALL YALL Never doubted at all after gm 1 or gm 3

Omg I fucking love all y'all

only thing missing is 40,000+ fans and a dogpile on the mound

Yes that's exactly my point. I think they looked at last year's series after we split the first two games and circled gm 4 as the pivotal key game that turned the series in favor of the Braves. I suspect they thought that in the event we split gms 3 and 4, they would rather win gm 4 with Javier than lose gm 4 with LMJ with Verlander behind him. Javier is a stopper and he did it emphatically.

That will be my tattoo if the Astros close it out.

Hey I love Javier as much as you do and think he's more of a weapon than LMJ but I think the Astros brain trust absolutely had it right sandwiching Javier's gm 4 start in Philly between McCullers and Verlander for that very reason. He's a one-man pitching machine who has the effect of destroying a team's morale by dotting Ks all over 'em and not letting them get a single fucking hit. If we hadn't blown gm 1, then Javier would have been the gm 3 starter in that "YOU'VE NEVER SEEN A CROWD UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN A PHILLY CROWD!!!" environment to theoretically put the Astros into an insurmountable 3-0 WS lead. I don't think they thought Lance would shit the bed as badly as he did, but I think they knew there was a better chance of Philly getting to LMJ in gm 3 in Philly and by pitching Javier in that pivotal fourth game, it would shut the Philly crowd into submission and put a huge reset button on the series. That is why it was key to pitch him in that spot. Worst case scenario happened with LMJ and if it had happened with the games flipped and Philly down 1-2 but then getting five home runs and blasting the shit out of us in the boxscore to tie the series, that Philly clubhouse probably feels a lot more loose and locked-in for JV in game 5. I know momentum isn't really a thing in baseball, but human nature being what it is, I'd argue that Javier's performance Wed night stayed with them a bit against JV. But IDMAS because we're winning this game tonight and dogpiling on the mound at Minute Maid.

I think Dusty is going to do everything he can to avoid using Montero and Pressly this game

I don't know, man. That was a helluva snag on a short-hop screamer at the nuts by Mancini. He did an exceptional job staying low to the ball and not letting it eat him up. Statcast had the Schwarber out as a 98.7 exit velo with an XBA of .560 and the Realmuto flyout to Chas at 102.4 and an XBA 0f .690.

That was Spillborgs I think but even he was like "nah this shit is over."

Yeah can confirm, they've been mostly yapping about the series from the Philly perspective and a whole lot of "what coulda been" analysis but Jenny Cavnar on Unassisted this morning was pretty adamant about the Stros winning this series in 6. It still blows my mind how their hosts conveniently forget how badly the Astros blew game 1 and frame it as a game Philly won from their strength (homers) when they needed a JV error and a Castellanos web gem in the bottom of the 9th to eke that game out. The Phillies have not really been in control of any game without the advantage of knowing tipped pitches from Lance McCullers.

Take me, I'm a lucky charm

NSIAP goddamnit. How can anyone not literally love Jose Altuve?????

Not to take anything away from Chas' catch but Mancini's play was even bigger imo with those runners on base. Holy shit what moment for him to step up and contribute.

either that or Altuve walking it off to a WS title

Disagree completely, we've been dictating everything the entire series. They never had gm 5 in the bag the way we had gm 1.

Ok I'm too lazy to go look but someone upthread was comparing this game to gm 1 as a game we stole from them and that's just wrong. Stros have owned this series imo and outplayed Philly but for one shitty game by LMJ tipping his pitches.

He's not wrong.

TWO OUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!