I’ve been featured on the official Astros Instagram. I’ve met Justin Verlander and nearly every member of the Bregman family, I’ve had dinner with backup catcher Garrett Stubbs and I dedicated a good chunk of my summer to reading Ben Reiter’s Astroball. I bleed orange and blue, and I was lucky enough to be in the ballpark when the Astros defeated the Yankees to secure our place in the World Series.

Game 6 of the ALCS was really and truly insane. I’ve never seen Minute Maid Park with that much energy before. My family and I sat right next to the Astros bullpen, and I nerded out the whole time because it was such a pitching-focused game. I got to see who was warming up each inning (we used seven pitchers in total), and one of the bullpen catchers actually threw me Roberto Osuna’s warm-up ball.

The energy was undeniably palpable, both when the feelings were positive (Yuli’s 3-run homer) and when they were negative (when DJ LeMahieu tied it up in the top of the 9th). I got his homer on video, and I was crying. And then, in the bottom of the 9th with the score tied, out of nowhere comes Jose Altuve’s bomb to win it. I jumped up, stunned in the moment, but also not altogether too surprised. Altuve is focused and determined, and he’s never given up, even when Minute Maid turns into a pressure cooker.

Watching the victory ceremony afterwards, I just felt all the feels. I spent my spring break at their spring training facility in Palm Beach (where both the Astros and the Nationals prepared for the upcoming season), and we actually went to the Astros vs. Nats exhibition game. Crazy to think we watched them in spring training, and now they’re facing off in the World Series. 

I can’t wait to watch this series. The Astros are favored, but who can really predict October baseball? Anything could happen. Astros could win it in 4, we could lose it in 7, honestly, who knows? Our starting pitching must be spot-on. Cole has to pitch the way he has been pitching since May. Greinke will have to step up to the plate again (he will pitch Game 3 and have to bat in the National League park). Verlander has to figure out how to come back from his Game 6 first inning let-down. I’m feeling pretty good about it all. Our bullpen is deeper, and we have Jose Altuve. Period.