OK. I know what you’re going to say. If the Astros had a World Series hangover, why did they win more games in 2018 than in 2017, taking a team record 103? Not only that, why did they have a much better Pythagorean record and run differential in 2018, in fact, the best in the league?
Sure, the Astros lost in the ALCS, but in a short series even the best teams can, and often do, lose. The Stros got no breaks, played injured, and the Sox were playing out of their minds. Losing the ALCS doesn’t prove the Astros had a World Series hangover.