World Series 2019: Three reasons why the Astros’ legacy is on the line

Reason #1: The legacies that they’re up against

Famous Legacies

There have been some great teams in the past that have had the opportunity to earn their place in baseball lore. Some teams like the 1990’s Yankees, 1960’s Dodgers, 1910’s Red Sox, the 1970’s Reds, the 1940’s Cardinals, and the 1970’s A’s to name a few have earned their place in lore by reaching the playoffs consistently and won a few World Series titles. Others like the 1990-2005 Braves, the 1990’s Indians, the 2010-16 Rangers, and the 2010’s Dodgers and Yankees have put up strong cases to leave a legacy. But it was not lived up to their potential.

In sports, there are typically two kinds of teams that the casual fan doesn’t remember:

1)  The team that didn’t win the championship that year.

AND

2)  The team that has only won one title.

It is unfortunate because those teams do deserve credit and any realist fan would say so. But that’s why in this day in age when the Warriors and Patriots have been wrecking the NBA and NFL respectively. The MLB has yet to have a team reach that level of sustained success and chances are that it won’t happen.

This past decade has seen one dynasty in the San Francisco Giants win three titles. But for every title came a year of no postseason baseball. The Boston Red Sox have won two titles this decade. However, they haven’t been able to maintain that consistency as in the case of the 2019 team that failed to make the playoffs. The Chicago Cubs won a historic 2016 World Series ending a long title drought. Three years later, they’re suddenly joining the famous 1985 Chicago Bears as a one-year wonder. The Kansas City Royals, even with one title in 2015, were never built for long sustained success.

It’s not easy being a dynasty because you have to be healthy and you have to have breaks go your way. The Astros had those breaks in 2017 only to not have them in 2018. Now, with a chance at success, the Astros could possibly be the best team in this decade and maybe since the 1990’s Yankees squad. 107 wins and the best record in baseball was something we as fans wanted to experience one day. But in the end, the team that wins it all is the one to be remembered more so.

Another reason the legacy comes into play is that the Astros have been criticized for “tanking” and being perceived as smarter than the other teams. While the first one might be too harsh of a statement, the Astros have benefited from picking up advantages that other teams have yet to encounter. The Astros, I’m sure would like nothing more to be remembered as trendsetters during their tenure even if it takes years from now and if it was perceived as radical at the time.

But in order to achieve that, they have to go up against a Cinderella team that is expected to be a sentimental favorite.