Best Houston Astros Moments from the 2021 Season

With the end of the year upon us, it’s a better time than ever to look back and reflect on what the best moments of the 2021 season were.

It was a tumultuous one with fans being back in the stands to voice their displeasure (and use the same tired jokes over-and-over) in regards to the Houston Astros‘ sign stealing scandal. That made the vindicating moments on the year that quieted the boos and shamed familiar foes all the better.

The Astros made the most of an extraordinarily difficult season.

And it was certainly appreciated by Houston fans. It was no small feat drowning out all the negative talk from the stands and the media alike. But they did it and they did it with a chip on their shoulder.

Without further a due, here are the best moments from 2021.

Carlos Correa owns Joe Kelly at Dodger Stadium.

In any other game with any other pitcher on the mound and any other hitter at the plate, a solo-home run that cut a five run deficit to a four run deficit in the seventh inning would be utterly uneventful.

But with Joe Kelly on the mound and Carlos Correa at the plate in Dodger Stadium with the fans looking for a strikeout and a frowny face, Correa took a Kelly change-up deep to left field over the fences.

He tossed his bat, admired his work and slowly rounded the bases, and as he came around third, he did his standard celebration of holding his hand to his ear. Only this time he did it all the way down the third base line to home plate.

Dodgers fans will say “Scoreboard” but we all know the moment they were looking for got ruined in the worst way possible. The Dodgers did end up winning the game but the only moment that will be remembered of what was just another baseball game in August is that home run.

Martin Maldonado cuts down Alex Verdugo to end the inning in Game 6.

In Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, the Boston Red Sox were threatening in the bottom of the seventh against reliever Kendall Graveman. They had runners at the corners with one out and Travis Shaw had worked the count full.

The Astros only had a two-run lead. A walk loads the bases, an extra base hit ties the game and a home run gives the Red Sox their first lead since the eighth inning of Game 4 and shifting the momentum back to Boston.

Enter Martin Maldonado. Despite all his offensive struggles in the series, this one play made up for all of it. Graveman threw a high outside fastball that Shaw swung through. Verdugo was off and if Maldonado’s throw was off in any way, shape or form Verdugo is safe and the inning extends.

But Maldonado fired a perfect throw that took Correa’s glove right to Verdugo’s thigh and Verdugo knew he was out, popping up in frustration as the Red Sox continued to be stymied offensively after their games two and three explosions.

The Astros never looked back and took the game as well the series that night.

Along with Altuve’s Game 4 homer and Jason Castro’s game tying hit, that was as big as moments get. Speaking of Castro’s game tying hit.

After a few years away, Jason Castro has his biggest at-bat as an Astro.

All misguided Jeff Passan articles aside, the momentum shift that took place on Jason Castro’s single to right field was more than just in Game 4 of the ALCS. It lasted the rest of the series.

After Altuve tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run to make the score 2-2, what seemed like an inevitability of a Red Sox LCS win now finally felt like it was a series again.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora is no stranger to bringing in whichever pitcher he feels gives him the best chance to win now, regardless of their role as a reliever or starter. He chose to bring in Nathan Eovaldi. To this point in his postseason career as a manger, Cora could do no wrong.

But a lead off double by Carlos Correa put pressure on Eovaldi. It looked like it would be all for naught as Eovaldi struck out Kyle Tucker and Aledmys Diaz (with an intentional walk to Yuli Gurriel in between.)

Then Jason Castro stepped to the plate. Castro had been clutch all season and with a 2-2 count, he took a close pitch up and away.

The pitch clipped the zone but it was called a ball (and for the record on the season pitches like that got called strikes only 30 percent of the time) and Castro took advantage of his second chance knocking a base hit into right field and setting off what would eventually be a seven run inning and an Astros win.

That was the biggest momentum shift in the series, but the most memorable moment of the series? Well we all know that one.

Carlos Correa went to his wrist in Games 1.

Game 1 of the ALCS was tied up at 4-4 when Carlos Correa stepped to the plate. In the previous series against the White Sox he had hit a bases clearing double agains Carlos Rodon that broke the game open for the Astros.

As he slid into second he turned to the Astros dugout, tapped his wrist and said “It’s my time.”

The players all said he has to do that again when he gets a big hit. Correa only had to wait until his next game as he hit a solo shot that gave the Astros a 5-4 lead that would hold and give the Astros a 1-0 series lead in the ALCS.

As soon as Correa made contact he knew he got all of it. He stood at the plate, pantomimed looking at his watch and as he jogged to first once again said to the Astros dugout “It’s my time.”

While the Astros didn’t get the end result they wanted in winning the World Series, this is an indelible moment in the minds of Astros fans and one of the best showboats in Houston sports history along with Mario Elie’s “kiss of death” to the Phoenix Suns bench in the 1995 Western Conference Semifinals.

But the best home run of the year belongs to Jose Altuve.