With the Tampa Bay Rays reaching the World Series for the third time in their history — the second time since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season — the franchise joined the group of the only three teams with multiple World Series appearances since 2020:
2020, 2024 and 2025 (3): The Los Angeles Dodgers with two World Series titles (2024-2025).
2021 and 2022 (2): The Houston Astros with one World Series title (2022).
2020 and 2026: The Tampa Bay Rays with no titles so far, and they will face the Milwaukee Brewers.
Unlike the Astros, who have reached the postseason in two of the last three seasons and have an active streak of nine consecutive home losses and six overall, that golden era between 2017 and 2023 was incredibly special.
They had seven consecutive appearances in the American League Championship Series, four World Series appearances and two World Series titles.
It was a historic streak and an era of success that made the dreams of a fan base come true after waiting for decades for a team capable of reaching the playoffs every year and then taking over October.
Any of the dates you can remember from October in the last ten postseasons could bring back fond memories. Here are some of them, marking anniversaries precisely on this October 20.
2017 — Justin Verlander saved the season by leading the Astros to a 7-1 victory to tie the series at 3-3 against the Yankees in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. Verlander pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed five hits and struck out eight batters, Jose Altuve hit a key home run and, in Game 7, the Astros captured the American League pennant to advance to the World Series.
2021 — Framber Valdez dominated Boston and the Astros won 9-1, taking a 3-2 lead and moving within one win of advancing to the World Series. They won Game 6 by a score of 5-0 and captured the American League pennant again, although they later lost the Fall Classic to Atlanta.
2022 — Alex Bregman made the difference with a three-run home run in the third inning, and the Astros defeated the Yankees 3-2 in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. Houston eventually swept New York to capture the American League pennant, then defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games in the World Series.
What should the Astros learn from their successful teams?
The formula for repeating those memorable performances is quite far from being applicable to this Astros team for several reasons.
Sometimes it is not just about money, and I believe the two contenders that will compete for the World Series title this year, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays, who led their respective leagues during the regular season, are the clearest example of success based on talent, a philosophy different from the one that reigns in the game and, what makes them even more successful, without having to spend big.
The Astros had MLB’s tenth-highest payroll in 2026, recording around $210.36 million, compared with $146.58 million for the Milwaukee Brewers (14th) and $79.34 million for the Tampa Bay Rays (24th). Both combine to spend $194.8 million less than Houston.
How have they done it?
It is quite easy to see: an offense based on the three true outcomes- walks, home runs, and strikeouts- but applying them in a different way.
If we look back at this postseason, we can remember big hits such as the home runs by Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, Jackson Chourio and William Contreras for the Brewers, among others.
For the Rays, there have been big hits from Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda, Victor Mesa Jr. — to practically eliminate the New York Yankees — and Yandy Diaz along the way to the World Series.
But what shaped each game and several of those moments was both teams’ mentality and the many ways they have to produce, starting with contact, speed and the philosophy of putting pressure on the opposing defense and taking advantage on the basepaths.
Then, you know, excellent pitching and elite defense go hand in hand. This is nothing new to us, since the Rays and the Brewers led the regular season with a .258 batting average and topped on-base percentage in both leagues.
Tampa Bay had the hitters who struck out the least, at just 18.8%, while Milwaukee, which finished 29th with 154 home runs, led the Majors with a .316 BABIP.
Both organizations were among the elite in starting pitching — Milwaukee with a better relief corps that has been key — and defense, with both behind only the Chicago Cubs.
Look, we can criticize Joe Espada’s work, but the 2026 Astros were built to survive on power alone. Espada and any manager can only work with the material they have and, of course, with the front office’s philosophy, which ultimately makes the biggest decisions.
When that power was limited by the Chicago White Sox pitchers, the collapse was inevitable, because Houston had no tools to produce runs.
In fact, three of the four home runs they hit in the Wild Card series came with the bases empty, as did 34% of their home runs throughout the regular season. So, even when they got their ideal at-bats, the home runs were not enough to produce runs.
We have also talked a lot about the Astros’ terrible starting rotation, which ended up making the bullpen explode under an unsustainable workload. The defense could not shine either and continues to leave gaps to be addressed.
And yes, definitely, the budget was enough, but the Astros, like many of today’s big-payroll teams such as the New York Mets, the Yankees, the Phillies, the Padres or the Red Sox, were also unable to make it all the way to the World Series.
Money matters, but it is clear that it is not the only major component that sets the standard for success in MLB today.
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