The Houston Astros secured their fourth consecutive American League West championship Tuesday. The resilient team has been powered by Jason Heyward, who wasn’t even on the club’s radar when the season began.
Heyward was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 22 and then released by the team on Aug. 24. This was done rather abruptly with the return of Mookie Betts from the injured list and the additions of Tommy Edman and Kevin Keirmaier.
Since signing as a free agent with the Astros on August 29, he has been a jolt to the offense. He is hitting .224/.283/.490 with an OPS of .773. He has a double, four home runs and nine RBIs in his short time with the Astros.
On Tuesday, he had a spectacular home run to seal the Astros’ division championship.