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Posted by: Bradley McDonald

If you've heard any baseball news over the last few days, you know that my boys from Houston made the playoffs. It wasn't easy and, in fact, made me quite nervous, but they clinched the spot with a win in the last game of the year. Now they go on to face the Braves, who won their division for the 394th straight year. I can't complain, though. The Astros have been in the playoffs 6 of the last 9 years and with the start they had to this year, I really thought they would have to rebuild the team and aim for the playoffs in 3-4 years. But, Bagwell (who is back pinch hitting after being out all year with a shoulder injury) and Biggio get another shot at making the World Series.

Lately, the statistical figure of 15-30 has become as much a part of Houston Astros lore as some of the other numbers that are so familiar.

Take the number 5 and the number 7, for example -- as in, the uniforms of Astros icons Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio. There is also 1962, the year the Houston franchise was born, 1998, the year the Astros won the most regular-season games, and 162, the number of games each Major League team plays every year.

And now, we have 15-30. As in, the Astros' record after 45 games, when just about everyone labeled them as the "Team That Would Trade Roger Clemens" by July 31.

But there is another number not so familiar, but much more poignant: 74-43 -- the Astros' record after that terrible start. And it's that number that makes May 24, the day the Astros flopped to 15-30, seem like years ago.

"It's such an amazing feeling to prove so many people wrong," closer Brad Lidge said after the Astros clinched the National League Wild Card on Sunday, setting up an NLDS meeting with the Braves. "To stick with the same team we had, and accomplish what we did, it's an amazing feeling. It just feels like we've proven so many people wrong, and it's a great feeling."

The road to this point wasn't easy. Every loss drew more criticism from media and fans, who chastised the club for letting go of Jeff Kent and Carlos Beltran. Critics noted that the best pitching staff this franchise has ever employed would go to waste because of one of the worst offenses it's had in 10 years.

In many respects, the jabs at the offense were warranted. This club was shut out 17 times, six short of the club record. Clemens was cheated out of at least eight wins, which would put him just over the 20-win mark. Every night, the pitchers took the mound knowing there was absolutely no margin for error.

Yet, as one coach pointed out over the weekend, the Astros are the third-best team in the National League. Record-wise, it's the Cardinals, then the Braves, then the Astros.

A lot of "experts" are picking the Astros over the Braves because of Houston's top three starters. Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, and Roy Oswalt make up one of the best pitching staffs in the league and that's oh, so important in a short series.

In the other NLDS, it's the Cardinals against the Padres. The Cards are already up 1 game, and it should only take them two more games to win that division series.

As Bunch reported below, the Red Sox and Yankees both made the playoffs, but the Red Sox got pounded by Chicago yesterday in Game 1. The Yankees pulled out a 4-2 victory over the Angels of Anaheim yesterday in their first game.