Skip to content

Astros can shake off ugly postseason ghosts with first-ever Game 7 win

Troy Taormina / USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros have a closet full of postseason skeletons they'd like to set fire to.

In 56 long years, the Astros have changed divisions more often than they've made the World Series. They've also been the victim of playoff heartaches - often made worse by the fact that the team seemed all but guaranteed to progress.

So, Houston's Game 7 showdown Saturday night against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series will be about more than just satisfying some arbitrary conditions for a successful season.

While reaching the World Series is a big deal on its own, beating the storied Yankees in the first Game 7 ever in Houston would also go a long way toward shaking off some awful postseason ghosts.

2004 NLCS vs. Cardinals

Astros fans remember it well. Unfortunately.

They remember watching Craig Biggio's leadoff home run fall just behind the left-field foul pole at the old Busch Memorial Stadium. They remember their unwavering confidence in a near-untouchable 42-year-old Roger Clemens, who rewarded that trust by stifling the 105-win St. Louis Cardinals through five innings.

Then the wheels completely fell off.

A game-tying double from a younger, chiseled Albert Pujols in the sixth was hard enough to swallow, but Pujols' effort was nothing compared to the sound of Scott Rolen's bat depositing Clemens' 93-mph offering beyond the left-field wall, which in turn was dwarfed by 50,000-plus erupting in relief.

Astros fans remember that, too.

And they remember never getting back into the contest before watching the Cardinals celebrate their first of four trips to the Fall Classic over the next nine years.

But the pain didn't end there.

2005 World Series vs. White Sox

Rebounding from the brutal Game 7 loss to St. Louis was always going to be nearly impossible.

But the following season, Houston embarked on a revenge tour that earned it another date with the Cardinals in the NLCS. The Astros didn't squander it this time, outscoring St. Louis 22-16 in six games to book their first trip to the World Series. It was a new day in Houston.

As the NL's wild-card representative, underdog support was strong for the Astros. They even had a bit of peculiar history on their side, as the previous three World Series champions were all wild-card winners. In contrast, while the White Sox hadn't won a World Series title in 88 years, they owned the best record in the AL.

The Astros' feel-good redemption story quickly ended there, however.

Houston's first Fall Classic was a resounding disappointment. Chicago swept the Astros in four evenly matched games and Houston wouldn't make the playoffs for another 10 seasons.

But the pain didn't end there, either.

2015 ALDS vs. Royals

Even after moving to the AL, the Astros' misfortune followed them.

Houston, finally back in the postseason - again via the wild card - held a convincing 6-2 lead over the Kansas City Royals in the eighth inning of Game 4 of the 2015 ALDS. Spearheaded by their new middle-infield combo of Jose Altuve and an emerging Carlos Correa, the Astros simply needed to record six outs to reach their first ALCS.

Cue the collapse.

The small-ball Royals refused to let their season die, and they came out swinging to the tune of five straight singles. Then - as if the ghosts of postseasons past took control of Kendrys Morales' comebacker - the ball skipped over Correa's glove, the game was suddenly tied, and Houston's momentum was gone.

The game's win probability chart is worth a thousand words:

(Courtesy: Fangraphs)

The Royals would go on to win Game 4 before returning home and handily winning Game 5. They went on to win the World Series, while Houston was sent back to square one - until now.

The Astros have suffered through some ugly postseason experiences, but with Game 7 at home Saturday, maybe, just maybe, this is where the pain finally ends.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox