HOUSTON — Here’s a baseball first: A team moves into playoff contention with a spectacular second-half surge, only to have its momentum interrupted by a hurricane.
The Houston Astros won 14 of 15 games and had the best record in baseball after the All-Star break with three weeks left in the season. Then Ike struck Texas on Sept. 13, handing the Astros two unwanted days off and a pair of rescheduled games against the first-place Chicago Cubs — in Milwaukee, of all places.
With a pro-Chicago crowd cheering against them, the Astros were no-hit by Carlos Zambrano in the first game after the storm, the first of five straight losses. Houston won six of its last nine but couldn't recover in the playoff chase, finishing 3 games behind Milwaukee for the wild card.
“You can ask those ‘what if’ questions. What if we’d won 120 games?” said slugger Lance Berkman, who hit .312 with 29 homers and 106 RBIs. “The reality is, we didn’t do it. We’re a pretty good team. I think our record is about what you’d expect, if you look at this team with an open and honest assessment of what we have in here.”
The Astros finished 86-75, a 13-victory improvement from 2007. They went 42-24 in the second half and finished third in the NL Central — not bad, considering they were in last place July 8.
“Third place sounds a lot better than fourth,” said Houston manager Cecil Cooper, completing his first full season. “A lot of good things happened for us this year. We’ve just got to build on this for next year.”
The starting pitching was the question mark at the end of spring training, and six months later it’s the most glaring need for next year.
Roy Oswalt will again anchor the rotation in 2009. Like the Astros, Houston’s ace reversed a shaky start to finish 17-10. He won 11 of his last 13 decisions and set a franchise record with 32 1-3 scoreless innings between Aug. 27 and Sept. 11.
The Astros retired Craig Biggio’s No. 7 in August, then said goodbye to catcher Brad Ausmus, who wants to play closer to his San Diego home after 10 seasons in Houston.
Sports
Astros finish outside of playoffs
Here’s a baseball first: A team moves into playoff contention with a spectacular second-half surge, only to have its momentum interrupted by a hurricane.
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Walraven no stranger to Grandview
Casey Walraven is no stranger to Grandview football.
For the past seven seasons, he has served as the offensive coordinator for the Zebras under the tutelage of Aubrey Sims, helping guide stars such as Daniel Spencer and Reid Golson to collegiate careers.
Earlier this year, Sims departed for a new job in Snyder, leaving Grandview in search of someone to lead the program. -
Yellow Jackets headed to finals
GRAHAM — The Wichita Falls Rider pitching staff swam with sharks for most of five innings Friday, avoiding all but a few love taps and playful nips from Cleburne batters.
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Jackets defeat Rider, 1-0
The Yellow Jackets couldn’t have made better contact if they’d set the ball on a tee in front of home plate and whacked away.
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Yellow Jackets headed to semi-finals
The Yellow Jackets defeated Stephenville 7-0 in Game 3 in Waco today. They will face Wichita Falls Rider next weekend in region semi-finals.
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Yellow Jackets fall to Stephenville, 5-4
Stephenville snapped a 4-all tie with a run in the fifth inning, repulsed a Cleburne rally in the seventh and recorded a 5-4 win Friday night to send the best-of-three regional quarterfinal series to a third and deciding game at Waco Saturday.
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Jackets eke out win
The suicide squeeze is arguably the most daring play in baseball.
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Burleson’s Gilbert, Alvarado’s Oakman net top honors
Burleson’s Cameron Gilbert has been chosen the most valuable player on the 2012 Liberty Hotel All-Johnson-County soccer team. Alvarado junior Kellye Oakman has been named the most valuable player on the 2012 Liberty Hotel All-Johnson-County girls’ soccer team.
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Alvarado’s Stephens, Burleson’s Ketcham honored as coaches of the year
They both led their respective teams to new heights in the world of soccer. As a result, they’re the 2012 Liberty Hotel All-Johnson County soccer team coaches of the year.
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Local schools honored with selections
The 2012 Liberty Hotel All-Johnson County soccer team has been announced.
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Lady Elks come up short against Birdville; Centennial moves on
The Burleson Lady Elks fell in the Class 4A softball playoffs, while the Centennial Spartans advance to face West in the Class 3A baseball playoffs.
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