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Houston Astros: Three reasons why the ALCS will be an all-out war

By Kenneth Cline

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 09: The Houston Astros celebrate in the clubhouse after defeating the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in game four of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 9, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Astros advance to the American League Championship Series. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 09: The Houston Astros celebrate in the clubhouse after defeating the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in game four of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 9, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Astros advance to the American League Championship Series. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 06: Yan Gomes
CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 06: Yan Gomes /

The Cleveland Indians

Once upon a time, the city of Cleveland went 52 years from 1964-2016 without winning a championship. It didn’t matter how good their teams were because they weren’t winning. Well ever since LeBron James led the Cavaliers to the comeback win over the Warriors, Cleveland finds themselves with swagger, even after the Indians repeated the same fate as Golden State.

So now the Indians find themselves on a quest for redemption. Being tagged as the team with the longest championship drought in North America really sucks for them. It’s been 69 years since they last won in 1948. They would’ve won it too had it not been for those meddling Cubs.

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Then, of course, Moneyball II arrives and 22 wins in a row later, the Indians are the talk of baseball.

Why does this apply to us?

One reason and one reason alone.

1-5.

That’s our record against them this season.

It sucks to think of that, but the truth they own us right now. They beat the Houston Astros five times. Sure, all the games were competitive, but they’ve had the breaks. Of course, what’s lost in all this is that the games came in April and May. So it’s been a long time since we played them. We’ve gotten better. But so have they.

We might’ve added a star pitcher and a reserve outfielder, which sounds like a better acquisition than what the Indians got. But they won 22 straight. They’re the top seed and will have home-field advantage in the ALCS if they win. There’s no way we can beat them.

It’s over, right?

HELL NO!

They may have beaten us during the regular season. But we know how good we are. We can beat those guys. It may be a grueling series and we may lose in the end. But just as intimidated and worried about them as we may be of them, I say they’re just like us. They should expect a tough Houston team to battle through and through. They may have better pitching with Cory Kluber, Bauer, and Andrew Miller.

But the truth is, we know we can stay with them. If Cleveland wins tomorrow, the Houston Astros should expect to try and steal one game in Cleveland before games three-through five. It’s very important because we’ll have a chance to win and clinch on our field with three wins.

The odds may favor this matchup to be harder of the two matchups. But screw the odds, we’re going to try and kick their butts. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.

Next: Astros: THREE reasons why you'll see the toughest October ever

Final Thoughts

Whether we face Cleveland or New York won’t be decided until 27 outs or more. One thing we know for sure, our journey doesn’t get easier and we’re going to have to go above and beyond our capabilities to knock off whoever we face in the ALCS. Let’s get down to business.

We have to expect a grueling ALCS series. Five, six, or seven games, it will be tough. The Red Sox gave us a tough lesson in the postseason. If we go up 2-0, 3-1, or 3-2 in the ALCS, we cannot overlook the dangers of a team in the corner.

No matter what, it’s going to be another war for the Houston Astros.

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