'A group of heartbroken men': Astros fall short of title

HOUSTON (AP) — It was well within their grasp.

The Houston Astros had a shot at a mini dynasty with a second title in three seasons. Instead, they failed to get one win in two chances at home against the Washington Nationals and have an offseason as runner-ups to ponder what might have been.

"I've got a group of heartbroken men ... that did everything they could to try to bring a World Series championship to this city," manager AJ Hinch said. "And we fell one win shy."

The Astros won a franchise-record and MLB-best 107 games to earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. It didn't help in a World Series in which they dropped all four games in Houston, capped by Wednesday night's 6-2 loss that left them to watch the Nationals celebrate on their home field.

In a season where aces Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole powered their spectacular success, a bullpen implosion in the seventh inning in Game 7 ensured the Astros wouldn't get a second ring this year.

Zack Greinke, picked up at the trade deadline as the last piece to a team that seemed destined for another title, had his best outing of the postseason Wednesday night. When he was lifted with one on and one out in the seventh, Houston led by a run. Two pitches later, Howie Kendrick took Will Harris deep and the Nationals took the championship from the Astros.

It was an agonizing ending for a team was favored to be champions all season. In Verlander and Cole they had two front-runners for the AL Cy Young Award. Their loaded roster also boasted MVP candidate Alex Bregman and rookie of the year favorite Yordan Alvarez along with star hitters Jose Altuve, George Springer and Carlos Correa.

"This is going to sting for a really long time, and it should," Hinch said. But when everything, the dust settles, we'll be...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/A-group-of-heartbroken-men-Astros-fall-short-14663580.php