3 Houston Astros to blame for gifting us a disappointing World Series

The Houston Astros had two chances to close out the Texas Rangers at home, and failed. Texas came back from a 3-2 deficit at Minute Maid Park, silencing Astros faithful in the process. There was plenty of blame to go around at the time, and it's all been noted. Yordan Alvarez and the Astros stars did all they could to reach yet another World Series, but Houston was unable to defend their crown. Instead, they are watching their AL West rivals potentially win it all from home.

The ratings for the 2023 World Series do not lie -- casual fans are not as interested as in years past. Arizona and Texas are not necessarily large markets. There is no villain factor, which the Astros would have provided.

While I wish Arizona and Texas nothing but the best, it's tough not to wonder what could have been. Just a day after blaming some Phillies for this unfortunate reality, it's Houston's turn now.

I should state this directly: The Texas Rangers deserve to be here. They earned their World Series appearance. However, Houston had a real chance to deliver higher ratings, and more intrigue. By no means am I taking away from what the Rangers accomplished. They should embrace playing spoiler, especially considering the alternative was another Astros World Series appearance.

Houston Astros to blame: Bryan Abreu is obvious

Bryan Abreu was able to avoid an ALCS suspension for plunking Adolis Garcia, but he poked the bear by hitting the Rangers star with a pitch, whether it was intentional or not. Garcia proceeded to torment the Astros in the next two games in Houston, and played a major role in their eventual elimination at home.

Abreu's pitch was curiously-timed, and perhaps not purposeful given the scoreline and moment. However, Garcia clearly took it personally, and Martin Maldonado didn't exactly deny that suggestion. When discussing a potential suspension, Dusty Baker made it clear Abreu's absence would have been a big blow.

“That could be a huge blow. I thought about using him two innings today, had the decision been made,” Baker said. “But you’d hate to have the fine and the suspension go past tomorrow and then I wouldn’t have had Abreu tomorrow, had he gone two innings.”

Baker didn't use Abreu in Game 7, and he didn't really have to. The Rangers took an early lead and never looked back. Motivation is everything in the MLB Postseason, and Garcia was provided with plenty.