‘Trash cans finally gave out’ – Fans troll Astros as Houston misses MLB Postseason for first time since 2016

It didn't seem possible, but it has happened: the Houston Astros are not playing October baseball this year. The Astros' playoff hopes ended on Saturday after the Cleveland Guardians registered a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers.

Despite an 8-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels, the Astros won't be making the playoffs for the first time since 2016. One of the staples of the postseason over the last decade, Houston won two World Series titles during their remarkable streak.

Fans mocked the two-time World Series champions after they failed to make the postseason.

"Trash cans finally gave out."

"The world is united in celebration."

"Should of brought the trash cans 😂"

"Texas “accidentally” hit a guy to drive in the winning run for Cleveland and send the Astros home."

"I'm lighting fireworks off as we speak."

The Astros' postseason pursuit ended dramatically as the Guardians were tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Rangers. However, with the bases loaded, Rangers closer hit C.J. Kayfus for Cleveland's walk-off win.

Astros kept fighting despite several roster issues this season

Despite losing All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman to free agency and trading Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs in the offseason, the Astros hoped for a fifth consecutive AL West title.

However, Houston was struck with a plethora of injuries, most notably to All-Star slugger Yordan Alvarez. All-Star reliever Josh Hader, shortstop Jeremy Pena and third baseman Isaac Paredes also suffered injuries to derail the Astros' season.

While the injuries played a big part in their underwhelming finish, stalwart Jose Altuve's struggles at the plate also played its role. Starter Framber Valdez's spiraling season also put the pitching staff under a lot of pressure.

Despite all those issues, the Astros kept fighting till the last week and one of the defining moments of their season was when division rivals Seattle Mariners swept them in Houston last week. The Mariners went on to clinch the division title, landing a severe blow to their rivals' postseason hopes.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash