Forever Astro Jason Castro Shuts Up Red Sox Nation, Pushing Houston to One of the Biggest (and Most Improbable) Wins in Franchise History

BOSTON — The Fenway crowd is roaring, with people stomping their feet, dancing in the aisles, certain things are headed for another moment in the bottom of the ninth. Red Sox hero Nathan Eovaldi just needs to finish off this Jason Castro guy first. A Houston Astro so anonymous that the Boston fans do not even bother to attach four letter words to his name.

Only Jason Castro is not just another guy. He’s certainly not just another Astro. Castro has more history with this franchise than Alexander Hamilton does with Aaron Burr. Castro played for some historically bad Houston Astros teams — including the 107 loss 2012 Astros and the 111 loss 2013 Astros. He made the All-Star Team in 2013 playing for a team that no one watched (the Astros memorably recorded a 0.0 Nielsen TV rating in Houston one game that season).

Castro is not about to be rushed off the stage now that he’s back with the club, playing for a near dynastic Astros team. So Houston’s backup catcher turned pinch hitter extraordinaire takes a close pitch for a ball (though not close to the automatic strike that the national media wants to make it seem, only a 23 percent strike call probability according to ESPN’s crack research department) to even the count at 2-2. He fouls off an even better pitch — a 97 MPH fastball well within the corner — to stay alive again.

And then, Jason Castro delivers the type of moment that defines these Astros in this golden era of Houston baseball. He smacks a two out, two strike single into right field to drive in Carlos Correa from second. Suddenly, the Astros have the lead in the ninth inning. Suddenly, an American League Championship Series that looked like it would end with the Astros being asked if they needed smelling salts is on its way to being tied.

Yes, Jason Castro — the man who endured all that mindless losing, all those futile nights, including one in which he made the last out in Matt Cain’s perfect game  — sends the Astros on the way to one of the biggest wins in this entire run.

“That was obviously, personally, pretty cool to be in that spot,” Castro says, his hit having led to a seven run Houston ninth and one of the most improbable 9-2 wins ever.

If these still ace-less Astros somehow go on to make the World Series, Jason Casto’s two-out, two-strike hit will belong right up there alongside Marwin Gonzalez’s 0-2 home run off Kenley Jansen in Dodgers Stadium that tied Game 2 of the 2017 World Series in the ninth inning and Alex Bregman’s 10th inning game winning single in that epic 13-12 2017 World Series Game 5.

Yes, Jason Castro the guy who toiled for some utterly forgettable Astros teams now owns an unforgettable moment in the franchise’s near dynastic run. Baseball karma can sure be wild.

“I know (Jason) left and came back,” Jose Altuve, the only other current Astro who went through some of those losing seasons with Castro, says. “But it seems to me like he’s always been an Astro. He likes to be here. And I love playing with him.”

The Astros are alive? The Astros are alive. . .  The Astros are alive!!

Can you believe it? The Red Sox sure can’t.

Jason Castro and an Astros Miracle

Considering the situation these Astros found themselves in — their only ace (Lance McCullers Jr.) out for the series with an arm injury, much of the rest of their pitching staff in shambles, the Red Sox and all their loud, obsessive fans sensing buckets of blood in the water — there is no doubt this is one of the most impressive single wins of the entire run since 2015.

The Astros arguably have never been this down before. But they’re not out. Not anymore. Not after another odds-defying performance from the most clutch team in Houston sports history (sorry Rudy T, but it’s true).

“To finish this one tonight the way that we did, I think was big for us,” Castro says.

Maybe even legacy defining if these Astros can go on to win the American League pennant — and maybe even another World Series title. The Astros of Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Michael Brantley and Co. will just not quit. No matter how much everything seems stacked up against them, they believe.

In each other. Always.

And there is Jose Altuve connecting with the first pitch Red Sox wonder reliever Garrett Whitlock throws him in the top of the eighth inning — and sending it above The Green Monster. Suddenly, a game that’s stuck on the same 2-1 score for seven long innings is tied at two. The Astros have hope — and once you give this proud, tough team hope you might as well start heading for cover.

Altuve comes to the plate for that eighth inning at-bat 1 for 15 in the series. One for 15. Then, the heart and soul of the Astros changes everything with one swing.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Carlos Correa says of Altuve’s jolt of a dinger. “He lives for those moments. He’s one of the all-time greats in the playoffs. And he’s gonna be one of the all-time greats when it’s all said and done. He’s gonna be a Hall of Famer. He’s gonna be one of the best second basemen to ever play the game.

“And honestly, nothing surprises me about him anymore. He’s just one of those special talents that you see every now and then.”

Jason Castro — the man who endured all that mindless losing, all those futile nights, including one in which he made the last out in Matt Cain’s perfect game  — sent the Astros on the way to one of the biggest wins in this entire run.

This Astros team is even more rare. This from-nowhere epic win ends up having so many Astros’ fingerprints on it. There is Cristian Javier and Kendall Graveman’s five shutout innings, which drives seven and two thirds innings of scoreless work from the Astros bullpen overall. There is Michael Brantley doubling into the gap in right center to drive in three more runs in the ninth — a hit Correa calls “very sexy” — after Castro gets him into the batter’s box. There is Correa leading off the ninth with a double to put himself in position to score on the biggest hit of Jason Castro’s life.

And yes, there is Dusty Baker out managing Alex Cora, who makes the mistake of getting cute and trying to use Eovaldi, his Game 2 starter, as his closer in Game 4. And then compounds it by bringing in human lighter Martin Perez to follow Eovaldi.

With these Astros, there always seems to be a village of big game heroes.

“It seems to me like he’s always been an Astro. He likes to be here. And I love playing with him.” — Jose Altuve on Jason Castro

It’s hard to even pick one Mr. October with this group. But the real Mr. October — Reggie Jackson — seems to have. Jackson, who is now a special advisor to Astros owner Jim Crane, gives Correa one of the Mr. October hats he wears (Reggie’s never been shy about recognizing his own greatness) in the giddy visitors clubhouse at Fenway.

The sweet moments and good times are back for this Astros team.

The Astros are alive? The Astros are alive. . .  The Astros are alive!!

Can you believe it? The Red Sox sure can’t.

This is not October magic as much as its grit, willpower and skill. This Astros team just refuses to give in, refuses to ever count itself out. Instead, it lets its talents show.

“Even if a few of our guys don’t have their best at-bats in their last few, it doesn’t mean they’re not going to turn it right around,” Castro says. “Their ability to have a short memory — even in game — has been huge for us. And it showed tonight. We battled.”

Did they ever.

Pitching Prayers and an Epic Home Run

If this is Zack Greinke’s last start with the Astros, it’s certainly a memorable one.

The raucous Boston crowd serenades the future Hall of Famer with mocking chants of “Greinke! Greinke!” that seem to reverberate around the old walls of Fenway. At least, the Red Sox fans don’t affix the F-word to his name. And Greinke does his job.

He only gets four outs,  but he keeps the Astros in the game. Which is more than you can say for the team’s last two starters.

Bregman sends a Nick Pivetta fastball soaring high into the seats atop The Green Monster to give the Astros a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Astros are showing life early, displaying their undeniable championship spirit. Only the lead does not last. Greinke gives up two runs on an Xander Bogaerts homer to center in the bottom of the first to make it 2-1 Red Sox.

But Greinke does keep it there. And that’s where the score still stands seven innings later when Altuve hits the home run deep into the heart of The Green Monster to change everything.

“It looked like it was going to be 2-1 all night, then he got the homer,” Baker says. “You’ve got to tie it before you can win it.”

The Astros are alive? The Astros are alive. . .  The Astros are alive!!

Can you believe it? The Red Sox sure can’t.

After getting the type of hit that becomes part of a team’s lore, Jason Castro stands against a wall in the hallway outside his team’s clubhouse, answering questions for reporters crowding around. He is an Astro forever now, a guy living his best baseball moment for a team that somehow never seems to run out of them.