Houston Astros Manager Gets Emotional Discussing AL West Triumph

The Houston Astros faced more adversity in a regular season this year than they have through their dominant AL West run of four in a row.

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The Houston Astros have claimed their fourth straight AL West title and seventh in the last eight years.

After arriving to Houston in 2018 as the Astros' bench coach coming off the team winning their first World Series title, Joe Espada has helped to oversee the most successful run in franchise history. Since Espada has been in town, Houston has won the AL West in every season excluding the 2020 COVID-shortened year, but this time around meant a little bit more as the manager.

Following the retirement of Dusty Baker after the 2023 season, Espada got his first shot this year to be a manager. And while the team faced regular season adversity that they had not seen during this run, trailing the division by 10 games in the middle of June, the group was able to rally and claim the West once again. Espada spoke after the triumph about how much it means to him and why he grew emotional immediately after the game

"Tears came out of my eyes,” Espada said via MLB.com. “I’m emotional because I care about this team, I love this team and the fact we are in position to compete for another World Series is special...All of them are special, but this one is more special for me, obviously, personally as a first-year manager...This team, what we’ve been through, that we are popping champagne, that’s incredible. I never lost hope. I knew we were going to find ourselves in a position to come and compete and win the West."

Espada has a World Series ring from Houston's title in 2022, but now he has a chance to try to put his own stamp on the history of the team as the Astros go for a third title during this run. The way last season ended is not lost on anyone after falling to eventual the World Series champion and in-state rival Texas Rangers in Game 7 of the ALCS, and Houston will have it fresh on their minds as they attack this postseason.

There is still a ton of work to be done in order to get to where they want to be, but for now, both the Astros and Espada have earned themselves some celebrating.