By Clint B.
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com.
While some consider 1998 to have been the greatest year in baseball history, the Astros’ season ended in frustration and disappointment. While the Central sluggers, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, caprtured the hearts of millions the world over, the Astros were quietly establishing themselves as one of the best teams in baseball. When the ‘Stros set the record for most wins in their franchise, that not only pumped up many Houstonians, it raised a lot of expectations around the country. After failing to hit the broad side of a barn against Atlanta’s pitching staff in the ’97 NL divisional series, much was expected out of this new and improved offense which saw the additions of Moises Alou and Carl Everett. But it was the same-old, same-old for the Astros, as they once again failed to win their first postseason series, dropping the ’98 divisional series 3 games to 1 to the eventual NL champion San Diego Padres. In the offseason, the ‘Stros welcomed back an old friend in ex-Padres’ third basemen Ken Caminiti.
But they didn’t shell out the big bucks to keep their # 1 stud, Randy Johnson- thinking a deal with Blue Jays’ ace Roger Clemens was near. Well, after Kevin Brown became the richest man in baseball by signing a ridiculous 7-year $105 million contract with LA, the “Katy Rocket” demanded something in that vacinity from the Astros. General Manager Gerry Hunsicker, disgustedly, backed out of the auction for Clemens.
Roger then got pissed off when he heard about the scene Hunsicker made at Nashville’s Winter Meetings. Clemens said that the remarks made about him by Hunsicker and team president Tal Smith were well out of line and that he had no intentions on playing for that kind of organization. So, Houston’s aspirations of landing another big-name ace were all but dashed. More evidence of that was when the ‘Stros signed 19-game winner Shane Reynolds to a much-deserved contract extension.
In the beginning, the ‘Stros weren’t even considered the best team in their own division let alone the National League. Many experts and analysts proved their knowledge of baseball amounted to jack shit when they picked the Cardinals to win the Central. It turned out that the only thing St. Louis did in 1998 was hit homeruns and serve ’em up themselves. In April and May, the months when teams figure out where they are, Big Mac was receiving premature attention from the big boys (ESPN & FOX) for breaking a record he was still 4 months away from. The Astros slowly began to overtake a much-improved Chicago team in the Central just before Sammy went on his month-long tear. In June, the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa gobbled up much of the media attention as he entered the homerun race by smacking 20 homers in a single month- a MLB record. The Astros were just as hot as Sosa, turning an unfriendly interleague play experience last year into an enjoyable one in 1998. Houston was on fire again in July, but only sent Craig Biggio and Alou to Denver for the All-Star Game. Jeff Bagwell, Derek Bell, Mike Hampton, Reynolds and Billy Wagner were among the annual Houston snubarees in ’98. In a month in which the ‘Stros exploded offensively on countless occasions – most notably against the Sox when they steamrolled Chitown 17-2 and 10-4 on back-to-back nights, it ended in both shock and excitement. On the July 31 trading deadline, the Astros picked up Randy Johnson from Seattle for almost nothing at all. The addition of Johnson to a team that was already on pace for over 100 wins made a lot of people into believers that the Astros were the team to beat in the NL- not Atlanta. Sosa and McGwire kept hitting them out, it seemed, every night and a home-field advantage race was brewing between the three division winners from the National League. At one point during the race, Houston was ahead of both San Diego and Atlanta for the NL’s best record. But, in the end the ‘Stros fell short to the Braves. McGwire caught up with Roger Maris on September 8, 1998 in St. Louis when he hit his 62nd homer. Ironically, the man whom Big Mac was contesting for the record, was on the opposition. It was a great scene on the field after the historic blast, but hey, I missed a part of the ‘Stros game when Baggy creamed one for a 4-run dinger. After that, I got disgusted with all of the attention from the media that followed. I concentrated all my focus on the Astros and their run for an unprecedented World Series. After the Astros’ postseason ended in huge disappointment, I had no choice but to root for those Pads during the LCS and World Series. However, it seemed fitting that in the season of seasons, the Yankees, who won a record 125 games (regular season & postseason) went on win to win their 24th World Series title.
I truly believe that he moves made in the offseason by the front office will determine what kind of season Houston will have in ’99, just like it did last year when they signed Alou and Everett. The Astros have some work to do before the season starts on April 5. So, in the season of all seasons in major league baseball, the Astros, indeed, played the role of 1998’s bitch.
Please note that this is not a knock on the Astros no matter how hard I was on them. I consider myself a die-hard Astros fan. This is just a recap of the role the Astros played in the record-breaking season of 1998. Thanks for taking the time to read this.