Carlos Gomez has his N.Y. moment, powers Astros to ALDS
NEW YORK -- The Houston Astros' victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night had all the hallmarks of their season to date.
Six scoreless innings from Dallas Keuchel, sure. But also, a pair of home runs from Colby Rasmus and Carlos Gomez, two indications this past year that the Astros were ready to supplement their homegrown talent with veterans who could help them, well, win games just like this one.
The journey for Gomez to the ALDS has zigged and zagged all season.
From the Milwaukee Brewers to a near-trade to the New York Mets, to an actual trade that sent him to the Astros, only to see him miss much of September with an intercostal injury.
But finally in control of his own destiny, Gomez made certain that he would not only send his new team into the postseason proper, he'd do so in style.
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Gomez's home run on the first pitch of the fourth inning from Masahiro Tanaka sailed deep into the left field stands, silencing the capacity crowd. Appropriately, Gomez flipped his bat and admired it.
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When it was over, though, Gomez instead admired the collective effort of a team that played flawlessly and sent the Yankees home for the winter.
“You come here every single day for 162 games, and this is what you work for,” Gomez said at his postgame presser, bandages wrapped around his torso. “And the Astros gave me an opportunity to be in the playoffs. I've been really sore the last couple of weeks, but I tried to do my best—and we played tonight against one of the best teams in baseball. So that means a lot.”
Just how much effort that took became obvious in Gomez's next at-bat, when a swing and a miss left him staggering. It not only drew the attention of the national audience, but of Gomez's manager as well.
“He just needed to catch his breath, but I wasn't going to let him hit again,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “I think we're playing a very delicate game here with his health. He had given us all he could up to that point. I wasn't going to put him in harm's way again.”
As for Rasmus, there was something perfect about his blow on the first pitch of the second inning, the first run scored in the first playoff victory ever for Jeff Luhnow as general manager. In Luhnow's first draft as scouting director for the Cardinals back in 2005, the team drafted Rasmus with their first round pick.
While Rasmus ultimately clashed with Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and was dispatched to Toronto, Luhnow relished the chance to bring him back this winter on a one-year, $8 million deal. Rasmus didn't disappoint, launching a career-high 25 home runs while playing all three outfield positions.
“Colby Rasmus' home run, I think, everybody exhaled,” Hinch said. “You saw a lot of what's right about Astros baseball.”
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Now the Kansas City Royals get to see more of this Houston team, along with the rest of the country, in an ALDS that represents a significant contrast in styles.
And perhaps the most stylish of the Astros said it best.
“I know baseball people say the Houston Astros are probably not going to make it,” Gomez said, smiling through the pain and squinting from champagne blasted in his eyes. “But here we are!”
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