Astros Rookie Jeremy Peña Has "Mamba Mentality" In His Approach To The 2022 Postseason

Brian Barefield | 10/13/2022, 9 p.m.
As the press conference was ending, Peña was asked a question about his outlook on being up 2-0 in the …
Jeremy Peña

HOUSTON - As the music in the Houston Astros clubhouse began to lower. The assembly of media members who had been waiting patiently for one of the unsung heroes from Game 2 American League Division Series victory over the Seattle Mariners began to stir.

Astros rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña walked up calmly in front of all the bright lights and cameras and positioned himself to take on the plethora of questions that were about to be sent his way. His demeanor was that of a player who had played in many postseason games, not the two he had started over the last three days.

"The environment is electric, and we have a great team," said Peña when asked about playing in the postseason for the first time. "We have the pieces to make a special run. So, it is just showing up and competing every single game."

All eyes have been fixated on the power at the plate by left fielder Yordan Alvarez, who has hit the go-ahead home runs in the series' first two games to give the Astros a 2-0 lead in the American League Division Series against the Seattle Mariners.

Yet, the unsung hero who also deserves some of the accolades given to Alvarez thrown his way is Peña, who has provided the situations for Alvarez to be the hero.

On Tuesday, the rookie fought off pitches in the bottom of the ninth inning against Mariners relievers in Paul Sewald and was down to his final strike and a Game 1 loss for the Astros before getting on base with a single to extend the game.

Photo Credit-David J. Phillip

Photo Credit-David J. Phillip

There is no need to recap what happened after that as Minute Maid Park is still buzzing from that Alvarez home run to give them the victory.

In the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 2, it seemed as if the Astros went back into time to set up the Game 1 scenario for Peña and Alvarez to see if they could pull off the same feat.

With two outs in the inning and Houston trailing Seattle by a score of 2-1, Peña was able to get a bloop single off of Mariners ace Luis Castillo who had kept the Astros bats at bay for the most part outside of a solo home run given up to right fielder Kyle Tucker in the bottom of the second inning.

As Peña stood on first base, he got a chance to witness Alvarez send a 371-foot shot into the Crawford Boxes to give the Astros a 3-2 lead. They would add an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning when third baseman Alex Bregman hit an RBI single to help bring Peña home from second base.

"So far he's been unfazed by the playoffs or anything," Astros manager Dusty Baker said about his rookie shortstop. "He's a very calm and mature young man."

The first two games of this postseason may have eased the tension of some Astros fans who were a little apprehensive in knowing if the rookie shortstop could handle the pressure of the big stage. With his .375 batting average, three runs, and a double, some are starting to believe.

Photo Credit-David J. Phillips

Photo Credit-David J. Phillips

As the press conference was ending, Peña was asked a question about his outlook of being up 2-0 in the series over the Mariners and headed to play two games in Seattle. He channeled the energy and emotions of one of his favorite athletes of all time in the late NBA Hall of Fame Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant.

During the 2009 NBA Finals, the Lakers took a 2-0 lead over the Orlando Magic. When Bryant was asked during the press conference why he didn't look happy after the game, he responded with one of the most iconic three words ever said by an athlete.

"Job's not finished," Bryant said.

Peña echoed those sentiments Thursday in the same stoic, business-like manner that Bryant did 13 years ago.

"Job's not finished," Peña said. "We know there is still a lot of work to do. We are going to prepare and show up to play in Seattle."