In the moment, it was preposterous. The team that was the epitome of MLB haplessness at the time, with three consecutive 100-loss seasons and was the butt of jokes nationally to the point that even a "Jeopardy!" clue months earlier poked fun at them, would win the World Series in three years, according to the cover of the paragon of sports journalism at the time? A decade later, it's viewed in much different terms. "In my mind, the cover will always be viewed as the start of the golden era of Astros baseball," said Reid Ryan, the team's president of business operations from 2013-19.
"After almost a decade of sustained success, it is amazing that the run started with a bold prediction from Sports Illustrated. A publication that over the years seemed to never get it right. This time they did!" The June 30, 2014, issue of Sports Illustrated remains eye-catching.
There's George Springer, two months into his major league career, wearing a throwback Astros rainbow uniform. Atop the cover is "BASEBALL'S GREAT EXPERIMENT." Next to Springer, it teases "An Unprecedented Look at How a Franchise Is Going Beyond Moneyball to build the Game's NEXT BIG THING .
.. YOUR 2017 WORLD SERIES CHAMPS.
" According to Ben Reiter, the then-SI writer who authored the cover story and predicted an Astros championship in three years, Houston's struggling squad was far from the first option for the cover. The NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final both ended in five games and would be outdated for a June 30 cover..
