Jason Heyward's post-clinch quote perfectly sums up Astros' dominance

Now that the Houston Astros have clinched the AL West, the struggles that haunted them in the early portions of of the 2024 season have been nearly forgotten. After looking completely lost the first two months of the season, the Astros went on to post the third most wins in Major League Baseball since June 1st (61), just behind the Diamondbacks and Mets' 63 wins entering the final series of the regular season. Houston's offense and pitching staff have ranked in the top 10 in baseball during that span, which seems like a pretty good recipe for success.

Despite that dominance, nothing was guaranteed leading up to the final series of the 2024 season. Seattle was keeping pace, and there was a chance for things to go sideways yet again.

However, the Astros persevered and ending up taking the division in the end with a statement win over the Mariners. Based on what one of the Astros' most recent additions in Jason Heyward had to say after they clinched, they were able to do so due to traits that you just can't teach.

Jason Heyward's description of what separates the Astros from other teams bodes well for 2024 playoff chances

Just to be clear, the most important things that dictate success in the game of baseball are talent and execution. The Astros are clearly among the most talented rosters in baseball ,with guys like Yordan Álvarez, Alex Bregman, Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, and Josh Hader leading the way. While there have certainly been some hiccups this season, they have also largely executed well, and the combination of those two things makes them incredibly dangerous to face.

Execution is a funny thing, though. It is easy to say "just go out and do X", but actually doing so against opponents that are doing everything in their power to stop you is anything but easy. A veteran like Heyward, who has been around and knows what good teams look like, knows that better than anyone. For him to assess the Astros and succinctly dissect how this team knows how to perform in so many different situations carries a lot of weight.

Some of that is from years of preparation and information that has gotten them to this point. Institutional memory matters a lot more than fans and experts credit it, and this Astros teams knows themselves and each other as good or better than any team in baseball. However, Houston also seems to have built a team that just "gets it", rises to the occasion more often than not, and isn't scared to face anyone. One just hopes that the Astros can keep that same vibe and energy going into the playoffs.

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