Fifty feet from home plate, Jose Altuve’s bat hit ground. The baseball touched down 314 feet further, in the third row of the right-field seats. He had swung hard, and he had not let go. The smallest man on the field carried his weapon until he was certain that his fly ball was a home run, that his Houston Astros had a two-run lead, that their season was a step closer to lasting at least another week.
Then, he flipped it. He flipped it with so much joy, so much excitement, and soon his dreams were fulfilled. The Astros shut out the New York Yankees, 4-0, on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park, surviving a hardscrabble American League Championship Series and securing their spot in the 2017 World Series.
Houston has never advanced further. Their one World Series visit, in 2005, ended in a sweep at the hands of the Chicago White Sox. This year, a date with the Dodgers awaits, beginning Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. Dallas Keuchel likely will face Clayton Kershaw in Game 1.
No road team won in this series. The Astros have lost only twice at Minute Maid Park since Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Aug. 25.
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