Turner as ALCS shifts to North Texas with Astros down 0-2: 'Let’s not lose faith, Houston'

While the 0-2 deficit the Houston Astros are facing in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) has many of their fans understandably upset, the team’s biggest fan, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, remains confident the incumbent World Series champions could turn things around.

"“Let’s not lose faith, Houston,” Tuner said in an Oct. 16 post on X after the Astros lost 5-4 to intrastate and division rival Texas in Game 2 of the ALCS. “Our @astros know what it means to bounce back and remain resilient.

“We will continue to look forward and the best is still in store,” the mayor said. “Onward to the next game.”"

Having Games 1 and 2 played at Minute Maid Park by virtue of being the higher seed and owning the tiebreaker between them and the Rangers, the Astros were faced with questions as to whether they could get over their inability to win at home. Unfortunately, their home woes continued in what’s arguably their biggest series of the year as the Rangers, who are clicking at all three phases of the game, continued their string of postseason wins dating back to the sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this month. Game 2 saw the Astros unsuccessfully attempt to come back after lefty Framber Valdez began his second start of the postseason by surrendering four runs in the just the first inning, according to a report on the team’s website.

Not even a home run (HR) clinic from the allegedly ill Yordan Alvarez was enough to lift the Astros. According to the report, Houston faces the unenviable challenge of winning a playoff series after starting it down two games to none, but its lone saving grace is its much-better road record. The Lone Star-themed ALCS resumes tomorrow with Game 3 at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Astros fans don’t need to look back farther into the past to find inspiration. An ESPN report that was run by Houston ABC station KTRK News reported that Houston began the 2019 World Series against the Washington Nationals 0-2 after failing to take Games 1 and 2 at home, but would reel off three straight wins after the best-of-seven championship round shifted to the nation’s capital. The Astros returned home with a 3-2 lead, but failed to win their second Fall Classic in three two years.