'We'll be back': Astros' streak of deep October runs comes to close

HOUSTON – The sounds of handshakes and heavy-handed hugs filled the otherwise quiet air in the home clubhouse at Minute Maid Park. A sense of disbelief and dismay dominated the scene as Astros players signed jerseys for each other, said some goodbyes -- perhaps for good -- and started looking forward to 2025.

A season that began with World Series aspirations ended in massive disappointment for the Astros, the perennial powers who were swept out of the American League Wild Card Series by losing to the Tigers, 5-2, in Game 2 of the best-of-three series Wednesday afternoon.

“When we get to the playoffs, you’re thinking long-term, you’re thinking winning,” Astros second baseman Jose Altuve said. “We couldn’t win a game against the Tigers. We’re heartbroken right now. We’ve just got to move on.”

The Tigers, led by former Astros manager A.J. Hinch, rallied for four runs in the eighth inning against Ryan Pressly and closer Josh Hader to halt Houston’s run of consecutive trips to the AL Championship Series at seven. The Astros have lost seven consecutive postseason games at home.

“It's tough,” first-year Astros manager Joe Espada said. “But I want our guys to be proud of how far we've come. Like it was a very challenging season, and we reached the postseason, something that's our goal every year. We win the division, and then play deep into the playoffs.”

Reaching the postseason seemed unlikely when the Astros started 12-24 and faced a 10-game deficit in the AL West in mid-June, only to rally to win their seventh division title in eight seasons. They did it despite key injuries to the pitching staff, including Justin Verlander, and played without slugger Kyle Tucker for three months (right shin fracture).

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“Obviously, you want to win the World Series,” Mauricio Dubón said. “They’re a pretty good ballclub. They grind. They pitch good. They didn’t make a lot of mistakes. They were pretty good. It sucks that we had to end the season like this early, but that’s part of baseball.”

In what could have been the final home game for veteran third baseman Alex Bregman -- who has played in 99 playoff games with the organization -- Houston couldn’t get anything going against Hinch’s “pitching chaos,” as the Tigers mixed and matched relief pitchers to keep the Astros off balance.

The Astros finally rallied in the seventh inning, when they loaded the bases, but they managed only two runs on a fielder’s choice by Jon Singleton and a sac fly by Altuve. The inability to get a clutch hit proved to be costly.

Pressly bounced a wild pitch in the eighth inning, allowing Kerry Carpenter to score from third with the tying run. Pressly was 14-for-14 in save opportunities in his postseason career before blowing the save Wednesday.

The Tigers weren’t done. Pressly was pulled with runners at first and second and two outs, and Hader walked the bases loaded for pinch-hitter Andy Ibá?ez, who ripped a three-run double into the left-field corner to put Detroit ahead.

“You’ve got to give credit to those guys,” Espada said. “They put some good ABs together, and they've been playing pretty good baseball since mid-August. Credit to them. They played well and they executed well.”

Hunter Brown was terrific in his first career postseason start, striking out nine batters and giving up two hits and one run -- a leadoff homer by Parker Meadows in the sixth inning that clanked off the right-field foul pole. It was the most strikeouts by an Astros pitcher in his postseason debut since Mike Scott had 14 in Game 1 of the 1986 National League Championship Series.

“I think as everybody saw today, Hunter Brown turned himself into a Cy Young candidate,” Bregman said. “He’s a superstar and will be for a long time.”

Brown was left with no margin for error, though, as the Astros struggled to get anything going against the Tigers for the second game in a row. The only run Houston scored in the first 15 innings of the series was in the ninth inning of Game 1.

“I was really looking forward to showing up to work tomorrow, but I just feel blessed to be in this clubhouse and the relationships I’ve made with some of my teammates, coaches,” Brown said. “Yeah, this one stings a lot, but I’m really proud of this group.”

The culture the Astros have established meant winning the division and reaching the playoffs is simply not good enough. Espada reminded the players of just that when he talked to the team after the game. His message?

The Astros will be back.

“I think we’re going to be just fine,” outfielder Chas McCormick said. “Joe gave a speech and said we’ll be back in the postseason next year, and I totally agree with him. We’ve got a lot of good players in this clubhouse.”