How Astros GM James Click Steadied a Shaken Franchise

HOUSTON — From his spot in the stands down the left field line at Minute Maid Park two years ago, James Click could picture everything changing. The Houston Astros, the era’s dominant American League postseason team, were wobbling in the ninth inning, and Click was hoping they would fall.

Click is now the general manager of the Astros, who on Friday were trying to secure another pennant in Game 6 of the A.L. Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox here. In 2019, however, he was vice president of baseball operations for the Tampa Bay Rays, who loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning of the second game of their division series. One more hit and the Rays could tie or take the lead.

Alas, the hit never came, and while the Rays would win twice at home, they lost the tight series in five games.

“If we actually come back and win Game 2, the entire narrative of that series and everything else really shifts fairly dramatically,” Click said in an interview on Friday. “It’s always weird to think about those sliding doors and those little things that can turn franchises.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/22/sports/baseball/astros-alcs.html