For '04 Astros, Beltran was lightning in a bottle

Trade brought outfielder to Houston to set up unforgettable postseason performance

December 28th, 2016

HOUSTON -- It's been more than a dozen years since 's unforgettable October in Houston helped vault him to stardom. It was brief, but magical -- and it still has his former teammates filled with wonder, even today.
Beltran, an up-and-coming star traded to the Astros in June 2004, tied Barry Bonds' single-postseason record by hitting eight home runs in that postseason, including homers in five consecutive games. He signed with the Mets a few months after the Astros were eliminated in the National League Championship Series by the Cardinals, but his legacy remained.
Now that Beltran is returning to Houston at 39 years old -- he signed a one-year, $16 million deal this offseason -- those who were around him in 2004 still have vivid memories of his October to remember.
"There's some guys who wear a Superman shirt, but he was Superman," Hall of Fame second baseman Craig Biggio said. "Anybody that was part of it, that saw it, watched it -- every ball he hit was hard. Every out he made was hard. It was one of the most incredible hitting experiences I've seen in my life for that time of year and the numbers he threw up."

Beltran, a dynamic switch-hitter, was traded from the Royals to an Astros team that was loaded with star power but underperforming late in June. He played only 90 regular-season games with the Astros, batting .258 with 23 home runs, 53 RBIs and 28 stolen bases and helping the Astros go 36-10 down the stretch to clinch the NL Wild Card on the final day of the season.
"He was possibly the most talented player I ever played with, just in terms of speed, power, arm strength," former Astros catcher Brad Ausmus said. "He was a five-tool guy, really."
The best was yet to come.
In the playoffs, Beltran had a performance for the ages. He hit two home runs in Game 5 of the NL Division Series against the Braves, and then hit one homer in each of the first four games of the NLCS against the Cardinals, including the game-winner in Game 4. He hit .435 with eight homers, 14 RBIs, six steals and a .536 on-base percentage in 12 playoffs games for Houston.
"It wasn't just hitting balls out," former Astros closer Brad Lidge said. "It was hitting rockets that were still going up when they hit the second deck. Like crazy stuff. I obviously had a chance to watch [Lance] Berkman and everybody else hit the ball -- [Jeff] Bagwell -- but I never see a ball jump off anyone's bat like it did off Beltran's."

Like Ausmus, Bagwell said Beltran is the best all-around player he's played with.
"There's not one thing he couldn't do," he said. "The other thing about him obviously was his postseason, which I happened to have the best seat in the house, because I was on deck. And there's one video -- I was thumbing through some things to show my wife because it was so impressive -- of a home run, and I remember walking up to home plate and you could see Carlos coming and me talking to [Cardinals catcher Mike] Matheny.
"And he's like, 'You've got to be kidding me.' I said, 'Dude, this is unbelievable.' It was something special. He's such a good guy. I didn't do many things often, but I called him in Puerto Rico [after the 2004 season] to get him to come back. He's something special you don't see very often."
In Game 4 of the NLCS, Beltran hit a tiebreaking homer off Cardinals reliever in the seventh inning. Beltran, batting left-handed, reached down and hit a 2-2 slider that was headed for the dirt and launched it into the Astros' bullpen in right-center.

"I know certainly the playoff run for him was unbelievable, and might have been really the turning point in his career, quite frankly," Ausmus said.
Lidge recalled how Beltran once gracefully jumped at the fence at Minute Maid Park to make a catch. Ausmus remembered how easily Beltran glided from first to third, and second to home. Everyone in Houston was disappointed when the Mets outbid the Astros to land Beltran, who said earlier this month he would have stayed in Houston had he received a no-trade clause.

"It was an honor to play with him as well, but really just something individually that I don't think people realize just how gifted he is, and it's great he was able to keep going this long," Lidge said.
When recalling the Beltran trade last year, former Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker said it was one of the most exciting trades he's ever been involved with.
"Never did I dream or could have dreamt that Beltran would make the impact he did," Hunsicker said. "His postseason run that year was legendary. Still is."

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com