The Pecan Park Eagle

HAPPY ASTROS CLINCHED 2nd WC SPOT in 2015 PLAYOFFS
In Arizona

********************

ASTRO*NOTES

The late night west coast win by the Angels over the Rangers kept the AL West division clinch # at “1” going into Sunday’s games. The Astros had dropped it to “1” on Saturday afternoon with their relief-staff challenged victory over the Mariners at MMP.

So much the better.

Now the boys have a chance to clinch live at the park today on the heels of Justin Verlander’s first home start for our space rock stars. Live clinches are always much more fun than the back-in type, which is what would have happened had the Rangers defeated the Angels last night. Had that been the reality, “the clinch” would have been table-cooled news by the time everybody arrived at MMP for the final game of the Mariner series. – And that never is half the fun.

Hot, in-the-moment active clinches are more powerful and, sometimes, even more precarious.

Remember 2015?

Joy Painted the Air Blue in 2015!

When the Astros clinched a second wild card playoff spot in 2015 with a win at Arizona on the last day of the season, the joy wave spread so quickly that some producer on the TV media coverage team forgot the possible dangers that might come from the use of a live wire telecast of the victory celebration in the Astros’ post-game clubhouse. Fortunately, some viewers had their VCR equipment cranked into use at home to assure the survival of a memorializing copy of what happens when unbridled joy bursts forth over the airways into an unprecedented bouquet of once powerful words we do not ordinarily get to hear on television during the family dinner hour.

The generally cruder expression for “mother lovers” flew through the clubhouse and out over the airways like a flock of birds in flight from the censoring walls that normally defend against their soaring presence in the skies above Norman Rockwell’s America.

Tribe Re-Boots

The Cleveland Indians used an 8-4 Saturday win over the Royals to raise their new consecutive game winning streak to “1”. – The new Indian streak, plus the Astros’ 8-6 win over the Mariners, keeps the Tribe’s lead in the competition with Houston for “home field advantage” throughout the AL Playoffs to 1.5 games.

Go-Get-‘Em-‘Stros! If you are going to earn it, now’s the time to do it!

And Welcome to Houston, Justin Verlander! – We love having you on our side!

********************

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST STANDINGS

THRU GAMES OF SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2017 

********************

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST GAME SCORES

THRU GAMES OF SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2017

ASTROS 8 – MARINERS 6

ANGELS 2 – RANGERS 0                 

PHILLIES 5 – ATHLETICS 3

********************

AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

 THRU GAMES OF SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2017

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS TEMPORARILY REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

********************