And so begins the Astros’ quest for an eighth straight appearance in the ALCS and a third World Series trophy.
What a perfect way to start the Season. The reigning AL dynasty against the dethroned king seeking yet again to reclaim the crown. Although the Yankees have flown 40 AL pennants, they haven’t won one since 2009.
On the other hand, since 2017, the Astros have competed in seven straight ALCSs, won four AL pennants, and won two World Titles. They have themselves eliminated the Yankees from the playoffs four times since 2015 without losing. In 2022, the Astros took the AL pennant by beating the Yankees in the ALCS in four straight games.
Last year, the Astros squeaked into the playoff with just 90 wins, but the Yankees failed to make the playoffs at all for the first time since 2016, coincidentally the last time the Astros failed to make the playoffs. The Astros managed to get to Game 7 of the ALCS, but were eliminated by the Rangers.
The Yankees and Astros go into 2024 with interesting similarities. Both teams have aging first basemen hoping for comeback seasons: Anthony Rizzo for the Yanks and Jose Abreu for the Astros. Both have superstars approaching free agency, Aaron Judge and Alex Bregman. Both made major acquisitions in the off-season: Juan Soto and Josh Hader. And both will be missing their ace starters for the start of the season, Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander.
The Astros open the season with two-time All-Star Framber Valdez on the mound. He is hoping to rebound from a poor second-half performance last season.
The Yankees counter with Nestor Cortes. Cortes, 29, a former 36th-round pick by the Yankees, is coming off an injury-plagued 2023 (rotator cuff inflammation) following an All-Star season in 2022. But he’s been injury-free, if unimpressive, this Spring.
Fun fact: According to Astros.com and Yankees.com, both Cortes and Valdez had identical 7.71 ERAs and 1.93 WHIPs during Spring Training.
The Astros have a few new faces and a few question marks going into the season. They have a new skipper, Joe Espada, and they hope to add a little more firepower to the lineup, with Yainer Diaz replacing Martin Maldonado at Catcher. Plus, Jake Meyers looks to see more time in Centerfield this year than last.
The Astros’ starting pitching depth is a big concern, as Justin Verlander, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia, and Lance McCullers Jr. start the season on the IL. Middle relief is also a big question mark. Ace reliever Bryan Abreu left Spring Training with an 11.81 ERA, not including the two runs allowed in one inning Tuesday against the minor league Space Cowboys.
Although the Astros final roster has not been announced at the time of this publication, the Astros hope for an unexpected lift from relief pitchers Parker Mushinski, Seth Martinez, and starter Ronel Blanco. All three will try to translate outstanding Spring success into the regular season
Game time is 3:10 CT. Here is your media access:
Watch:
Astros – Space City Home Network
Listen:
Astros – KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3 / KLAT 1010
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