By Alexander Buettgen ’22 with William Koehler ’20, Corlan Joubert ’20, and Ignacio Perez ’20

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Back in 2017, the hometown Houston Astros achieved baseball glory by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series after decades of losing seasons. Now in 2019, the Astros can accomplish that same feat, but against a different opponent,  the Washington Nationals.

Led by a dominant pitching staff that includes former Cy Young winners Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer along with a promising young pitcher in Patrick Corbin, the Nationals pose a tough task for the Astros. The National offense is led by a host of veterans, along with young stars Trea Turner, a speedy shortstop with surprising power ; Juan Soto, a young outfielder and proven home-run threat; Anthony Rendon, a renowned all-star who provides much of the run support for the Nationals; and Victor Robles, a young outfielder with the capability to track down long fly balls hit by the Astros. This lineup is certainly capable of giving the Astros fits. 

On the other hand, the Astros have the potential to counter all the strengths of the Nationals. Led by star pitchers Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, and Zack Greinkie, the Astros can certainly shut down the Nationals bats. Meanwhile, hometown hero Jose Altuve leads a star- studded lineup with great hitting from top to bottom. The Astros outfield has played absolutely fantastic throughout the playoffs, nabbing long fly balls and gunning out risky runners trying to advance to the next base. 

‘Stros in 5.