Astros news: Kyle Tucker’s romance with destiny finally seeing sparks

Kyle Tucker jacked a walk-off for the Houston Astros and for the first time, that icy cold romance he’s got with destiny is finally starting to heat up.

The Houston Astros could not catch a break in the final game of the weekend series. They were getting the hits, but no one was driving them in. But with the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, the most unlikely of heroes emerged with a walk-off—Kyle Tucker.

I had just written the morning of the final game about the three things Tucker needed to improve on, and while one at-bat isn’t going to change all the improvements we still need to see (spoiler: we still need to see all three), it’s certainly a great place to start.

Here’s the thing—I’m not a big believer in destiny. That said, it’s hard to ignore the pieces when they keep falling into place.

Destiny keeps knocking and Kyle Tucker may have finally answered

Kyle Tucker is not having a good year, all things considered. This is meant to be his year. His time to prove that if anyone is to choose free agency, namely one of three outfielders who are usual starters, we’d be in good hands.

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

• Just how much better is the Houston Astros playoff rotation than the rest?
• Houston Astros: A Lineup Change to Spark Offense
• Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
• Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
• Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer

Hell, if he’s as good as some people expect, he can just play all three positions at once.

But when you aren’t performing, you aren’t performing, and no matter your potential or pedigree, you are liable to be dropped for someone who is doing better.

Only the Astros have not been able to take Tucker out of the lineup because destiny keeps intervening. First, it was Yordan Alvarez missing the first twenty games of the season. If he was healthy, Tucker would have been given a few chances, but ultimately left to a utility role, with Brantley, Springer, and Reddick populating the outfield.

When Alvarez came back and promptly went yard for a three-run jack in his first at-bat, Tucker was destined to hit the bench again. Only this time Michael Brantley wasn’t there. And with Alvarez not exactly the fielding type and Springer and Reddick retaining their roles, Tucker still had a spot that he had to fit into, because there was no one else there to do the job instead.

Maybe destiny (assuming it exists, I’m still not convinced) finally caught up with Tucker and launched itself into the right-field seats in the bottom of the ninth. It’s not a bad way to start kindling the flame.