It’s easy to attribute the Astros’ loss in the WC series to Rob Manfred and the vagaries of a three game series. Yes, perhaps over 162 games the Astros are a better team than the Tigers. Yes. the Astros had an unfortunate propensity to hit balls hard but right at Tigers fielders or just foul in key situations.
But let’s be honest. The Tigers are younger, hungrier, more aggressive, and better coached than the Astros. The Astros looked tired. They deserved to lose, and some of the luck that blessed them in earlier years did not materialize in this series.