I always prefer an easy W but I dont think easy Ws are as exciting and inspiring. Today was inspirational as hell to me.
Nobody is putting Oswalts gem in 2005 NLCS Game 6 in their top 5? The only pennant ever won in franchise history? SMH
Kent’s walk off HR game gets my vote. You had to remember all the games live. Burke’s game was an NLDS clincher and did involve some crazy stuff like Ausmus of all people saving our asses...but those extra innings from 11 to 17 were pretty damn boring for a daytime afternoon game at MMP. The Backe-Beltran-Kent game was an unexpected pitchers duel. It was prime time ESPN game 5 in a 2-2 NLCS between bitter rivals (ignoring the eventual outcome). Edgar Renteria hit a triple by all rights that Beltran turned into an out in the greatest defensive play I have ever witnessed or watched YouTube clips of, Willie Mays be damned. And when Kent hit that bomb...Minute Maid Park had cracks in its foundation afterwards it was so loud. When Altuve scored that run and they showed the slomo of him spanking home plate to win it, I immediately thought to myself, this is the loudest the crowd has gotten for the Astros since that Kent HR. Second loudest crowd for the Astros of all time. Second greatest game of all time.
At that point, we knew it COULD be over. 1) we hadn't scored yet 2) there were still 8 more innings and 3) our offense was anemic.
Agree that I immediately jumped to put Burke's 18th Inning Homer as my #1 favorite Astros game, but those extra innings were fairly dull. I honestly don't remember a game as tense as Astros-Yankees G2 where the ending was so miraculous. Just everything - the pitching, the defense, and then the timely hitting at the very end against an elite Closer. I'd have to put yesterday's game as #1. I've been telling my wife for years that, despite being a massive basketball/Rockets junkie, baseball playoffs are by far the most entertaining. She's now starting to understand. Nothing kills/stops the tension/suspense.
Berkman's curtain call before the pujol's home run was one of my favorite moments. Definitely the atlanta game also. Correa, Altuve and Gurriel making a push for legendary post season perfomances to rival beltran's and Puma's
I'd call it the "Astros greatest playoff comeback" game. We pitched into a huge hole and didn't do squat through most of the first 9 innings. Not great baseball until the comeback....
And not to take too much away from that epic game... but the guy who hit the walk-off, and his eventual lack of a career, matters a little as well. Jeff Kent was already a proven AS when he came up in his moment. Altuve/Correa/Verlander are all titans of the game right now. Chris Burke was as unexpected hero as there could be.....and that in and of itself adds something to the moment.... but the fact that he went on to do very little else in his career doesn't allow the moment to hold up as well (in my mind). Seeing him out there throwing the first pitch before game 1 was a little awkward and helped solidify that for me. You have Cabell, Cruz, Garner, Kent, Biggio, Berkman.... and Chris Burke.
Basketball and Football games are far more entertaining regularly. Something is always happening, and people are scoring fairly regularly. While baseball has guys standing around most of the time, and a ton of games so no single one really matters much. But those same things that make Basketball/Football so much better normally, hurt it in comparison to baseball when it comes to postseason. There are many chances to score, and it doesn't get really intense until the last few minutes. Even then it's still a back and forth until the last minute, and that is often spoiled by a thousand time outs, and fouling. Baseball has a build up to every freaking pitch in the playoffs, so in a close game you will get 40-50 intense little moments just in the last 2 innings. As opposed to basketball or football where you only get few. To be honest, the cumulative effect of all those pitches in baseball is almost too much too handle.
Basketball in the regular season is a joke. Regular season baseball trumps regular season basketball because the games mean more. I also prefer playoff baseball (when ones own team is winning). I agree on the intensity going sky high for fans.
The Burke HR was that rare sports moment where I remember where I was and how I felt afterward. For some reason, I only vaguely remember the Kent game. Only time will tell where this one falls in the mix. But I'm hoping we get a moment to top all other Astros moments in a couple of weeks.
When I went to the Hall of Fame a couple of years prior to Biggio’s election, the only Astros’ jersey on display was Burke’s. Based on the great players they had to choose from, I found it an odd choice.
I feel like the way it works is that you have to have real/sustained post-season success (or at least 1 WS title)... and then the rest of the team's less successful (but still very important) history can be better appreciated. In the 90's and 2000's, the Astros were still considered a "younger"/expanison-era franchise... even though they weren't. Some of it was the constant uniform changes, the gimmicks, and Houston really not coming into its own as a baseball town till after 98 and the move to MMP. The 2011-2014 bad years actually helped "age" this franchise considerably. Not only are they now the 2nd longest WS drought behind Cleveland... they're coming off the horrid years that brought about even more suffering for the fans. Burke's HR was in the midst of a 2 year post-season run that Houston had never had. At the time, seemed like the biggest HR in franchise history. As I said before, its still an epic moment that deserves every bit of mention possible... but I really hope it gets pushed down further and further on the list when this post-season is all said/done.
I always think of the 04 and 05 playoff runs... There were some really great games that we didn't win! I don't remember any game against St Louis feeling like an easy win or loss. They were so tense! I still remember when Pujols crushed the HR off Lidge. My house was completely silent for about 45 minutes.
