I bet there were plenty of Chicago Cubs fans rooting for the Houston Astros in the 2017 World Series, but we can cut that shit out right now. Houston pitcher Dallas Keuchel was asked about a possible World Series hangover, like the Cubs had last year and he had some fighting words, at least that’s how I’m taking them.
Via the Washington Post.
Just ask the Cubs — who won the World Series in 2016 with a young core, brought back essentially the same team in 2017, but won 11 fewer games and bowed out of the playoffs in the National League Championship Series.
“We’re not the Cubs,” Keuchel fired back when presented with that example. “I firmly believe we have better players.”
Let’s fucking go! Give me the Houston Astros right damn now.
I was in the camp that didn’t believe in a World Series hangover and yes that’s just being too arrogant as a fan, but it’s pretty obvious now that it happened with the Cubs in 2017, and basically every team since the late 90s Yankees. And I get it, Keuchel can’t just go out there and say to the media, “yeah, we’re going to suck in the first half,” so it’s fine that he feels confident in his team. But thanks for providing some bulletin board material for the Cubs.
The 2016 World Series team was almost the same to the 2017 team that was below .500 at the all-star break. From last year, the biggest changes have been two new starters, Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood, and two new relievers, Brandon Morrow and Steve Cishek. The rest of the roster is almost identical, with Ian Happ really the only new position player from the 2016 team.
Considering no team has gone back to the World Series after winning it since the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009, these words are most likely going to bite Keuchel on the ass. It simply does not matter how good of a team you have, or how much better it gets. The World Series hangover is real and the Astros are about to find out.
By the way, there’s no surprise this shot was taken at the Cubs, as the Astros traded for Gerrit Cole in the offseason. Cole, as you remember, lost his soul in the 2015 Wild Card Game, when Kyle Schwarber ripped it from his body and dumped it in the Allegheny River. Anyway, in 2016, when the Cubs were destroying teams left and right, Cole said the following.
Via NBC Sports.
When a reporter posed the question that Cole just shut down the best team in baseball, the Pirates pitcher politely corrected the statement:
“It’s just an opportunity to salvage the series,” Cole said. “I don’t really think they’re the best team in baseball.”
Must be feeding the bitterness toward the Cubs to the rest of the Astros.
