'Thank you, H-Town': Astros' World Series reign comes to an end

The Houston Astros’ quest to become the first team since the New York Yankees of the late 1990s to successfully defend a World Series title came to an end in a hail of seemingly unstoppable Texas Rangers hits in Game 6 of the Lone Star themed American League Championship Series (ALCS). The Rangers, who lost the regular season series and the division title to the Astros, got sweet revenge on their Interstate 45 (I-45) archenemies to the south with an 11-4 pennant-clinching road victory to qualify for the Fall Classic for the first time since 2011.

"Thank you, H-Town," the soon-to-be former World Series champions said in a post on X on Oct. 23.

The Astros’ failure to shut down the series in Game 6 at home after building a 3-2 lead during a short excursion to Arlington put forth the winner-take-all matchup that was pretty much in Texas’s control. The same blistering offense that sustained the Rangers all season and postseason was on display in Games 1 and 2 and the previous two nights, and per a report from Major League Baseball (MLB), it seemingly helped Texas that Houston had a dismal record at Minute Maid Park in the year after their 2022 triumph.

After Jose Altuve silenced a raucous Rangers crowd at Globe Life Field with a three-shot missile to help the Astros take Game 5 and the ALCS lead, Texas went on a tear to outscore Houston, 20-6, in their final two matchups, per MLB. The report additionally said that the Rangers joined the 2019 Washington Nationals as the lone two franchises to deny the Astros home wins during a postseason round.

For Astros skipper Dusty Baker, who helped the team move on from the sign-stealing scandal of about half a decade ago, Game 7 of the 2023 ALCS appears to be his last hurrah. Yahoo Sports (YS) reported that the 74-year-old Baker told several people he intends to enter retirement after a career of about 50 years.