A Salute to Mike Fiers
(To the tune of “Buckle Down, Winsocki”)
Mike Fiers
Buckle down, Mike Fiers
Buckle down
You can win, Mike Fiers
If you knuckle down
If you break their necks
If you make them wrecks
You can break the hex,
So, Mike Fiers, buckle down
Make ’em yell, Mike Fiers, make ’em yell.
You can win, Mike Fiers
If you give ’em hell
If you don’t give in, take it on the chin
You are bound to win,
If you will only buckle down,
If you fight you’ll chuckle at defeat.
If you fight, Mike Fiers, your luck’ll not retreat
Knuckle down, Mike Fiers
Knuckle down.
You can win, Mike Fiers
If you buckle down
If you mow them down
If you go to town
We can wear the crown
If you keep on buckling down.
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And buckle down is exactly what Mike Fiers did in Game Two of the Series with the Nats at MMP last night. He went 7 full innings for the first time this season, showed masterful control of his stuff, giving up only one earned run on 4 hits, none by the nemesis long ball route, while punching out 6 batters and walking only one. We could hardly ask for more. If this means that Mike now again has control of all that natural and learned ability we know he has within him, Astro prospects for the post season just got a lot brighter.
It also helps to see guys like Jake Marisnick, Mike Stassi, and Alex Bregman dropping in those long ball bombs in support of Fiers and the team win.
Astros Manager A.J. Hinch keeps telling us and we must try harder to remember: Never give up on these guys. They are a special and talented team. – And if they all find their max capacities as Mike Fiers did yesterday, look out, world of major league baseball!
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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST STANDINGS
THRU GAMES OF WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017
| RANK | AL WEST | W | L | PCT. | GB |
| 1 | ASTROS | 77 | 49 | .611 | |
| 2 | ANGELS | 65 | 62 | .512 | 12.5 |
| 3 | MARINERS | 65 | 63 | .508 | 13.0 |
| 4 | RANGERS | 63 | 63 | .500 | 14.0 |
| 5 | ATHLETICS | 55 | 72 | .433 | 22.5 |
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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST GAME SCORES
THRU GAMES OF WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017
RANGERS 7 – ANGELS 5 (10 innings).
MARINERS 9 – BRAVES 6.
ORIOLES 8 – ATHLETICS 7.
ASTROS 6 – NATIONALS 1.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS
THRU GAMES OF WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BA |
| 1 | JOSE ALTUVE | HOU | 481 | 172 | 35 | 4 | 19 | .358 |
| NR * | CARLOS CORREA | HOU | 325 | 104 | 18 | 1 | 20 | .320 |
| 2 | ERIC HOSMER | KC | 477 | 152 | 23 | 1 | 21 | .319 |
| 3 | AVISAIL GARCIA | CWS | 390 | 124 | 21 | 3 | 13 | .318 |
| 4 | DIDI GREGORIUS | NYY | 401 | 125 | 21 | 0 | 19 | .312 |
| 5 | MARWIN GONZALEZ | HOU | 352 | 108 | 23 | 0 | 21 | .307 |
| 6 | JEAN SEGURA | SEA | 408 | 125 | 24 | 1 | 7 | .306 |
| 7 | DUSTIN PEDROIA | BOS | 340 | 103 | 17 | 0 | 6 | .303 |
| 8 | JOSH REDDICK | HOU | 389 | 117 | 26 | 3 | 12 | .301 |
| 9 | JONATHAN SCHOOP | BAL | 479 | 144 | 30 | 0 | 27 | .301 |
| 10 | GEORGE SPRINGER | HOU | 420 | 126 | 24 | 0 | 28 | .300 |
| Other Top 40 Astros | ||||||||
| 17 | YULI GURRIEL | HOU | 434 | 127 | 33 | 1 | 15 | .293 |
| 33 | ALEX BREGMAN | HOU | 421 | 117 | 30 | 5 | 16 | .278 |
NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS TEMPORARILY REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.
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Bill McCurdy
Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher
The Pecan Park Eagle
Houston, Baseball, & Other Musings.
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