Houston Astros:

‘Rocket’ing their way to the playoffs

The Houston Astros have a long tradition of winning baseball dating back to the days of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. The Astros have seen the post season seven times in their history and always seem to be in the mix for the NL Central crown. The last time the Astros made the playoffs came in 2001. The Astros had just come off of a 93-69 record and a National League Central divisional crown. The team was matched up against the Atlanta Braves in the first round who had eliminated them two of the past three times the Astros had made it to the postseason.

This off-season was one of the more memorable for the Astros as they acquired two Yankee pitching legends Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. The two both pitched in high school and junior college in East Texas and wanted to finish out their careers closer to their families. Clemens actually did “retire,” but was coaxed out of retirement by good friend Pettitte, his family and the town of Houston. As a gift for retiring “the Boss” George Steinbrenner gave Clemens a new H2 and while in Houston a local radio show walked up to Clemens’ door and offered him a H2 to play for the Astros. The city was bursting with excitement and wouldn’t take no for an answer from Clemens. The other big off-season move was the trade of All-Star closer Billy Wagner for Brandon Duckworth and two minor league prospects.

The Astros also made an incredibly huge move during the season. The front office worked out a deal that landed them the most coveted player in all of baseball Kansas City center fielder Carlos Beltran. Beltran is what they call a five tool player, or a guy that can hit for average, power, steal bases, field, and has an amazing arm.

The Houston team looks primed for a post-season push this year in the uber-competitive NL Central. They have the same All-Star core of left fielder Lance Berkman, center fielder Craig Biggio, first baseman Jeff Bagwell and former MVP second baseman Jeff Kent. Fellow sluggers include veteran right fielder Richard Hidalgo and Brad Ausmus.

The pitching staff also isn’t anything to sneeze at this year either. Pettitte and Clemens join a talented young cast of pitchers like Roy Oswalt, Wade Miller, and Tim Redding. The Astros’ bullpen is stocked with flamethrowers. Former setup man Brad Lidge and is out to prove that losing Billy Wagner and Octavio Dotel won’t cause the team to lose many games.

Minute Maid Park, a.k.a. the “Juice Box,” plays home to the Houston Astros. It’s one of the most architecturally unique parks in the majors. With a retractable roof, a fully working locomotive in left field and a 50,000 square foot glass western wall. The quirks are also put into the field as well as in the stadium around it. Center field showcases Tal’s Hill, a 30 degree incline against the center field wall and on the hill is a flag pole displaying the American flag and making a fly ball to center field very interesting.

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