Two days later, the Astros were back at home for Game 1 of the American League Championship Series as they squared off against the New York Yankees. During the season, the two teams went back and forth regarding the best record in the American League, with Houston outpacing the Yankees during the final two weeks of the season, securing home-field advantage in case of an eventual playoff meeting. However, the Yankees were very quick to rip away that advantage in the opening frame, beating up on Astros starter Zack Greinke in a 7-0 victory. With a hint of desperation, the Astros sent Verlander on the mound for Game 2 on October 13^th, who had a better outing than Greinke. Still, the two sides battled long into the night, eventually going into extra innings. And in the 11^th inning, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa ripped a home run over the right field wall to give Houston and 3-2 win, evening the series at a game apiece. It was an emotional win for Houston as they rallied back into the series in dramatic fashion. It was also a straining game for me, as my main camera failed in the bottom of the ninth inning. Fortunately, I had a backup on hand and was able to finish the game with not much missed.

The series shifted to New York for the middle three games where the Astros won Games 3 and 4 behind solid pitching in Game 3 and taking advantage of Yankee miscues in Game 4. The consecutive wins gave Houston a 3-1 lead in series, leaving them on the precipice of advancing to the World Series. New York stayed alive with a win in Game 5 in the Bronx, sending the series back to Houston for Game 6 on October 19th. In that sixth game, Houston jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning behind a three-run home run by Yuli Gurriel. The Yankees shaved two runs off the lead, but were stuck at 3-2 for many innings. Houston tacked on another run to make it a 4-2 lead, heading into the ninth inning and Minute Maid Park was on the brink of a celebration. However, Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu hammered a two-run home run off of closing pitcher Roberto Osuna to tie the game at 4-4, and the mood went from anticipatory to extremely tense, all within a few minutes. And the sinking feeling grew even deeper when New York closer Aroldis Chapman retired the first two Houston batters in quick succession. The mood seemed to brighten in the bottom of the ninth inning when George Springer got on base after a walk, bringing up Astros 2B Jose Altuve. And on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Altuve hammered a pitch into the stands in left-center field, giving the Astros a 6-4 walkoff win to defeat the Yankees four games to two and advancing to the 2019 World Series.

My personal emotions on the Astros winning the ALCS were wide-ranging and all encompassing, and frankly, after Altuve’s home run, I was overcome by them. I was in the tunnel outside the Astros clubhouse waiting for the end of the game, as I was tasked to shoot the clubhouse celebration in case Houston won. And after LeMahieu’s home run, I was gutted as it seemed like the Yankees stayed alive and would seize the momentum to eventually win the game to force a winner-take-all Game 7. More than anything, I could see my hopes and dreams of shooting a championship series dissolve. (In 2018, I was approved to cover both the 2018 NBA Finals and 2018 World Series, provided that either the Houston Rockets or Houston Astros won their respective semifinal series. Alas, neither team was able to advance to their championship series and those hopes were dashed.) That’s why when Altuve hit the walkoff home run to win the game and the series in ultra-dramatic fashion, I was……shaken. And I’m not ashamed to admit it……I did cry. It wasn’t just a release of emotion, I was happy. No, I wasn’t just happy, I was overjoyed. The reality had hit me that I would be actually covering the World Series, a goal that I never envisioned not even five years ago, and I was sincerely grateful for the opportunity. As far as that night, the win was joyously celebrated by the team and it was interesting to be in the clubhouse to experience it as well. When I left Minute Maid Park that morning around 1:30a or so, I felt exhausted but excited. Excited for what was now before me.