This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart¡¯s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

HOUSTON -- Astros manager Joe Espada texted bench coach Omar Lopez on the night of Sept. 23 and asked him to come pick him up at his house so they could ride to the ballpark prior to the next day¡¯s game, which was a chance to clinch the AL West. The home-to-ballpark carpools were something the pair did for the previous four years, and Espada was once again longing for the comfort of a trusted friend.

Lopez packed his suitcase -- the team was leaving for Cleveland following a series finale -- and picked up Espada at his house for the 35-minute drive to Minute Maid Park. After not being able to clinch the division the previous night, Lopez reminded Espada they put the Astros in position to succeed.

¡°The only thing we can do is prepare ourselves, prepare those guys and at the end of the day, the guys between those two lines, it¡¯s up to them,¡± Lopez told Espada.

The Astros delivered by beating the Mariners, 4-3, clinching their seventh AL West title in the past eight seasons, overcoming a 10-game deficit in June, a ton of injuries and a world of doubt. It was a much different path than Lopez -- or anyone else -- had expected.

¡°Spring Training was like Disney for everybody,¡± Lopez said. ¡°We never thought we would have these kinds of issues and Joe always was able to keep the composure. No panic. He always was good with the players and was able to put the pieces of the puzzle to get to this point. We never stopped believing, he never stopped believing, and that was the message from him and myself.¡±

Espada joined the coaching staff in 2018 -- the year after Houston¡¯s first AL West title -- as the bench coach under A.J. Hinch, and he continued that role under Dusty Baker before taking over the managerial position last offseason. Lopez spent four years as the first-base coach before becoming Espada¡¯s bench coach this year.

¡°He¡¯s my right-hand man,¡± said Espada, who hugged Lopez when the final out of the clinching game was recorded. ¡°I just wanted to share the moment with him and the rest of the coaching staff.¡±

Lopez chauffeuring Espada to work was a daily ritual for the previous four years. Lopez had an apartment near Espada¡¯s suburban Houston home and would pick him up and stop for a cup of coffee on the way to the field. The two men are friends but are as different as their countries. Lopez, from Venezuela, has an edginess to him, while Espada, from Puerto Rico, has a softer touch.

¡°Our friendship for many years is not only on the field, it¡¯s off the field,¡± Lopez said. ¡°The good thing between me and Joe is there¡¯s no filter. And that¡¯s what I told him when he gave me this chance. I said, ¡®I¡¯m going to challenge you. I¡¯m going to tell you exactly if I think something is not right and you¡¯re going to be mad at me, and I¡¯m going to be mad at you, too.¡¯ But we¡¯re friends and we know how to communicate with each other really well.¡±

When Espada promoted Lopez to bench coach, the carpooling stopped.

¡°I told him this year, ¡®Joe, I¡¯m your bench coach. I¡¯m not the first-base coach, I will not live close by you, at all,¡¯¡± Lopez said. ¡°¡¯Because I know there¡¯s going to be nights you don¡¯t want to talk to anybody. There¡¯s going to be nights you¡¯re going to [drive the] 35 minutes back home and you¡¯re going to call your wife. You¡¯re going to call somebody that is going to listen to you. I probably did something you don¡¯t like, and you¡¯re going to have to wait until you cool down the next day to tell me, and that¡¯s how it is.¡¯¡±

Espada¡¯s cool demeanor as a leader fit the Astros perfectly. The team and its manager never panicked when the club was left for dead in June. That didn¡¯t stop Lopez from providing one last piece of advice while they drove in together.

¡°I said, 'Joe, today¡¯s the day,¡¯¡± Lopez said.