Despite thinned and battered pitching, Astros staged remarkable turnaround to best Sox

Before the ALCS even began, the Houston Astros lost, by far, their best pitcher in Lance McCullers to injury.

Then, after scraping by to a Game 1 win, the Astros were shellacked in two straight losses by a combined 21-8 score. Their starters had lasted just 5.1 innings while posting a 20.25 ERA in the first three games. The bullpen has covered 20.2 innings (4.79 ERA) and were set to be stretched thin again in Game 4 with journeyman Zack Greinke on the mound.

Nothing was going right for the Astros. And the future looked dim — at best.

Of course, Houston won the next three games, including two at Fenway Park, by a combined score of 23-3 to advance to the World Series for the fourth time. They were only the second team (1998 Yankees, 1995 Indians) to trail 2-1 and win the next three games to claim the pennant.

"Well, it probably would have been easy, but that is not this team," said manager Dusty Baker. "I mean, this team didn't do anything easy, and this team doesn't make any alibis or excuses. I mean, we lost Yordan (Alvarez) last year. Nobody alibied or used that as an excuse. We lost Lance. We lost a number of guys throughout the year, and these guys just keep on trucking. You know what I mean? Like Eddie Kendricks used to sing about. Like we lost George Springer. That was a big, big blow to this team.

"But, you know, the young guys really picked us up. Without those young guys to fill in around the nucleus and the core of this team, there's no way that we could have won it, and you can tell by the way we're rotating center fielders, and you could tell by how young Framber (Valdez) and young (Luis) García pitched the last couple of days. They grew up before our eyes."

Both Valdez and Garcia no-hit the Red Sox in the first four innings of their starts in Games 5 and 6. Valdez last 2.2 innings in Game 1, and went eight in Game 5. Garcia was removed for an "injury" in Game 2 after one inning and five runs. Those young pitchers beat Chris Sale and then Nathan Eovaldi in the final two games of the series.

"Thanks to them that we're in this position," said DH and ALCS MVP Yordan Alvarez. "I think they demonstrated, especially these last couple of outings, they outdid themselves with the jobs that they did. And it was really impressive, but they don't stop surprising us with the kind of quality they have as well. It's just thanks to them that they put us in a position to be able to win the series and this championship."

Alvarez basically carried the offense. After going 3 for 10 in the first three games, Alvarez 9 for 13 with 17 total bases, five RBI, five runs scored as he repeatedly killing Boston in big spots in the final three games of the series.

"He has been really amazing," said Garcia. "I mean, everybody. Yordan was, like, something else. He was really clutch, everything."

The Astros also played stellar defense for much of the series, including a diving stop by Jose Altuve in the first inning, and Martin Maldonado's throw out of Alex Verdugo to end Boston's biggest threat in seventh inning following a strikeout. 

"That was huge," said Baker. "There are people who were wondering why Maldi was playing, hitting .075. These young guys, you see how he directed them through the game, and that was huge. If he couldn't throw and he's safe, I mean, who knows what could have happened? That was an inning ender, an inning-ending play by Maldi. And defense is so important, especially up the middle. Your catcher is my field general. He is invaluable to what they bring to the table."

Kyle Tucker put the game out of reach in the eighth with a three-run homer — and sent Houston to the Series.

"It was hairy for a while," said Baker. "It was 1-0, and then we made it 2-0, and that was a big three-run homer. I always tell these guys, if we can win the seventh, eighth, and ninth, if necessary, then most of the time you're going to get back in game or put the game out of reach. And our bullpen did a great job. Garcia who got roughed up the last time, he did a great job. These guys felt that we were going to get to this point, and it's a matter of belief. Before it happens, you have to believe it. These guys believe it."