There have been some hairy moments, particularly in their series against the Seattle Mariners, but the Houston Astros have managed to remain undefeated on their way to the World Series.
They beat the Mariners, 3-0, in the American League Division Series, including an 18-inning marathon in Game 3.
After that, they punished the New York Yankees with a 4-0 sweep in the AL Championship Series, completed with two road victories on Saturday and Sunday.
They are heading to the Fall Classic with a perfect 7-0 record.
Can they become the first team in MLB history (since the mid-1990s, when the Wild Card was introduced) to win the World Series undefeated?
“No team has ever been undefeated in the #postseason in the Wild Card Era. Will the @Astros be the first?” MLB tweeted on Monday.
No team has ever been undefeated in the #postseason in the Wild Card Era.
Will the @Astros be the first? 👀 pic.twitter.com/Df1ufnqe3Q
— MLB (@MLB) October 24, 2022
The Astros Are Shooting For History
They certainly have the talent to make history.
Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, and Hunter Brown make for an extremely talented (and deep) rotation, and they also have top relievers like Ryan Pressly, Rafael Montero, Bryan Abreu, Ryne Stanek, and others.
The offense is perhaps the best in MLB, led by slugger Yordan Alvarez.
Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, Jeremy Pena, Chas McCormick, and others make for a strong supporting cast.
The problem is that the Philadelphia Phillies are extremely competent, too.
Their one-two combo at the top of the rotation of Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola has few peers in MLB, and the heart of their lineup has Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Alec Bohm.
It should be a fun series, but the Astros should be viewed as the favorites.
NEXT: The Astros Shared A Graphic Quieting The Competition For Good