The Houston Astros won the American West and clinched a spot in the 2022 Major League Baseball playoffs. This is the fifth time in six seasons the Astros have won their division. This year fans are hoping the team can win their second World Series in the team’s 60 years, their first one coming in the 2017 season. The Astros made the World Series in the 2019 and 2021 seasons but couldn’t win it all. This year fans are hoping for better.

“I expect a deep playoff run, and I think the Astros are going to win the World Series this year,” Astros fan senior Brandan Postma said.

After the 2021 season, the Astros lost out their star shortstop Carlos Correa, leading fans and critics alike to think the Astros would have a harder time making it to the playoffs. The season ended quite the opposite, the team was headlined by their stellar pitching staff, led by pitchers Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez, as well as the big power bats in outfielder Yordan Alvarez, and infielder Alex Bregman. Their rookie shortstop, Jeremy Pena, has a .251 batting average with 22 home runs.

“I think Justin Verlander is the most important player in our playoff run this year, because of how dominant he has been all season,” Postma said. “Old age increases his risk of getting injured, so staying healthy is crucial for our success.”

Houstonians have been Astros fans since the days of playing in the Astrodome, sticking with the team at its worst, to now watching them making the playoffs every year since 2017. With the excitement of the pennant race, Minute Maid Park is expected to have multiple sold-out games this October. Local tiger fans might see a lot of orange around the hallways in support of the hometown team.

“As of right now, I don’t plan on going to a game, but I hope I can go,” Postma said.

The ‘Stros have won home-field advantage, so they will play most of their games at Minute Maid Park. The team will host games 1,2 and 5 in the American League Division Series (ALDS), and host games, 1,2,6, and 7 in the American League Championship Series (ALCS), if they take it all the way to the World Series. According to Sabr.org, the home team has won 54% or 106 out 162 regular season games played.  The Astros first playoff game is on October 11, at 7 pm.