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“For The H”: The Astros’ Mission to the Postseason

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The Final Countdown

Thousands of eager Major League Baseball fans know all about the anticipated games played in October. Last Thursday my hometown Houston Astros clinched the AL West, winning their fourth division title in five years. They clinched the number 2 seed in the American League (AL), meaning they claimed home-field advantage for the AL Division Series (ALDS; a best-of-seven series). They will have to defeat the team in the number 3 seed in order to advance to the AL Championship Series (ALCS; a best-of-five series). If the team can make it past these games, they then move on to play in the World Series (a best-of-seven series) against the qualifying team from the National League.

Houston Strong

Despite being the target of backlash due to past controversies, the Astros have continued to prove why they deserve their spot in the 2021 postseason. The Astros have a strong, talent-packed roster that has put up some great statistics this year.

‘Stros Stats

As a team, the Astros finished the 2021 regular season with a 95-67 record. The team had the highest MLB batting average, posting a .267 average. They ranked first in RBI with 834 runs batted in, as well as first in runs with 863. They also ranked first in hits, putting up a total of 1,496 this season. Additionally, the teamed ranked first in OBP with a .339 on-base percentage. Also worth noting is the team’s pitching staff ranking first in the AL with a .228 batting average against, the lowest rate of hits allowed per at-bat. Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. alone finished the season with the lowest batting average against in the AL, with a .205, and 185 strikeouts.

Star Players

Yuli Gurriel #10

Cuban-born, thirty-seven year old, first baseman Yuli Gurriel won the 2021 American League Batting Title with his .319 batting average ranking the highest in the AL and second-highest in all of MLB this year. This season, offensively, Gurriel put up 15 HR (home runs) and 25 RBI. He lead the team in hits, getting 169 total. He also ranked first on the team and second in the AL with a .383 OBP. Defensively, Gurriel had a total of 1,057 putouts (PO), which is credited to the player who physically records an out. He claimed a fielding percentage of .994, which reflects a player’s performance in properly handling a thrown or hit ball.

Kyle Tucker #30

Kyle Tucker has had an incredible 2021 season. He was named the AL Play of the Month (Sept.-Oct.), the first time the 24 year old Astros outfielder has been awarded this title. For the combined months, Tucker led the AL with his OPS (on-base + slugging %) totaling to 1.130. This statistic is used to record a player’s ability to both get on base as well as hit for power. His batting average in these months was .346 with 36 hits, 8 HR, and 19 RBI. During this time his combined OBP was .438, the second-highest in the AL. This season, Tucker had the third-most HR on the team with 30, and tied for second in RBI with 92. He had a total of 83 runs and 149 hits. He had the team-best OPS at .917, plus he stole a total of 14 bases this season. Defensively in right field, Tucker finished the season with a .889 fielding percentage.

Carlos Correa #1

Hailing from Puerto Rico, Carlos Correa has played his entire career with the Astros since 2012. He has had a stellar season both offensively and defensively. Correa’s batting average was .279. He scored 49 total HR this season and tied for the second-most RBI on the team, with 92. He also ranked second on the team in OBP, with a .366, as well as in runs, getting 104 this season. He had the third-most hits on the team, with 155. Correa has made great defensive plays this year in shortstop. He recorded 384 assists, which is awarded to the player who handles the ball before a PO is recorded by another fielder. His fielding percentage this season amounted to .981. Correa will enter free agency at the conclusion of this season, so like me, many Houstonians are anxious to see the final moves made by the team organization that will determine the fate of this exceptional player.

Jose Altuve #27

Through the course of his career with the team, Astros ace Jose Altuve has become a household name to MLB fans. This Venezuelan is a powerful machine and one of the Astros’ best offensive players. This season he ranked first on the team in runs with 117 in total, and second in hits with 167. He also had the second-most HR on the team, with 31. He had 83 RBI, with a batting average of .278, and a .350 OBP. This second baseman has also had great success defensively. He recorded 344 total assists, and a fielding percentage of .985.

Yordan Alvarez #44

At only 24 years old, designated hitter and left fielder Yordan Alvarez has made himself known in the Astros roster. Originally from Cuba, Alvarez has been a prominent offensive player since his debut on the team in 2019. Alvarez ended this regular season with most HR on the team, getting 33 in total, and the most RBI on the team with 104. He claimed the second-highest OPS at .877. His 92 runs ranked the third-most on the team. He had a total of 149 hits. His OBP this season was .346. On defense, when in left field, Alvarez had a fielding percentage of .981 with 49 PO.

While I could go on and on about all the great contributions every player has made to this team, these are just some of the standout stars of the Houston Astros. Even though they battled some losing streaks this season, the Astros pulled off the most wins in the AL West division, rightfully earning their spot in the playoffs. It would be no surprise to see this talented team advance further into the postseason.

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Comment and tell me your favorite Astros player!

Turning Twenty

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A week ago today, I officially turned twenty years old. In the days leading up to my birthday, I didn’t expect to do much, nor did I feel the need to. Lucky for me, I have amazing family and friends that went out of their way to make the entire week of this year’s birthday a special one.

The day before, I got to celebrate with my dad’s side of the family. We had a delicious dinner, then cake for dessert, only after I was sung to by the restaurant attendees and workers. We encountered some difficulty when trying to light all twenty candles. With only some of the candles getting lit before we became too impatient, according to my cake I was turning fourteen. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to kickoff of the week’s festivities.

For the night of May 3rd, what was supposed to be a small gathering for dinner with my mom’s side of the family, turned into a fully decorated apartment hosting a fun-filled birthday party. After a few last minute internet searches of party themes, the perfect idea for a birthday party came to mind that I just couldn’t miss out on. I decided the only right way to celebrate turning twenty, with a birthday two days before Cinco de Mayo, is to have a Selena themed fiesta! As you may already know, I am a huge Selena fan, so the thought of getting to honor her legacy while having a my own birthday celebration made me muy…excited to turn twenty!

Later that night, I took a chance by messaging actress Noemí Gonzalez, who portrays Selena’s sister in the Selena: The Series on Netflix, in hopes that she might see my Selena party. She is my favorite actress from the series, so I was thrilled when I saw that she had responded to me with a birthday wish!

The Instagram message from @iamnoemigonzalez, the actress who portrays Selena’s sister, Suzette, in the Netflix series.

Even after my birthday, just when I thought the fun was over, I got to see my best friend for the first time in months! At the end of the week we made plans to spend quality time together. First, we ate at one of our favorite restaurants, then drove to a crafts store to buy all the necessary supplies to paint. Though we overestimated our painting abilities and this endeavor definitely didn’t go according to plan, still I can’t think of a better to way to have reunited with her. As one of my best friends, she is one person who I knew would selflessly spend a day making me feel special with a belated birthday celebration.

Like many, my birthday looked drastically different compared to last year’s. I’m glad I was able to have safe gatherings with my loved ones and I’m grateful to have reached two decades of life.