EXCLUSIVE: Phil Garner Talks 2005 Astros’ Sleeper Surge
June 2, 2025 | Excellence Project – Season 8
📍Houston, TX – Minute Maid Park
As the calendar flips to June in the Excellence Project's eighth season, the 2005 Houston Astros find themselves sitting in third place in a brutal NL West division — just 3.5 games behind the co-leaders, the 1969 San Francisco Giants and 2013 San Diego Padres.
But to hear Astros skipper Phil Garner tell it, the best is yet to come.
We caught up with “Scrap Iron” in the dugout ahead of the Astros' series against the Reds to talk about the team’s pitching dominance, underdog status, and the quiet confidence building in the clubhouse.
🎙️ INTERVIEW: PHIL GARNER, MANAGER – 2005 HOUSTON ASTROS
Q: Phil, your team is sitting at 28-24, third in the NL West. What’s the mood in the clubhouse right now?
Garner:
We’re not rattled, not one bit. You look at our record, and sure, we’ve dropped a couple tough ones, but we’re right there. The vibe is strong. We’ve got some seasoned guys who’ve been through the grind — they know what it takes. We’re not worried about who's ahead of us today. We’re focused on who’s ahead of us tomorrow.
Q: The rest of the league is starting to call you a "dark horse." Do you embrace that label?
Garner:
You better believe it. I love that. You come into a season like this with juggernauts from every era — '69 Giants, '26 Cardinals, '72 Pirates — and you get a team like ours that nobody circles on the calendar. That’s fine. We’ll be the team you don’t want to face in September. Let ‘em sleep on us.
Q: Your rotation has been lights-out. Pettitte and Oswalt are both top five in ERA. Talk about what they’ve meant to this group.
Garner:
Andy’s been the anchor. He’s throwing like he’s got something to prove — and maybe he does. Eight wins already, ERA just above two? He’s locked in. Roy’s been equally nasty. I mean, hitters are walking back to the dugout shaking their heads. And we’re getting quality starts up and down the line. When your guys are going 7+, you’re in every ballgame.
Q: Offensively, you’re not leading any categories, but you're doing enough to win. How do you assess the bats right now?
Garner:
We haven’t exploded yet — but it's coming. Berkman’s heating up. Biggio’s still grinding out great at-bats. Ensberg is about to break out, I feel it. We’re a club that can manufacture runs when needed, but when the dam breaks — and it will — we’ll hang crooked numbers.
Q: You’re staring up at two very good clubs in the standings. What’s it going to take to pass them?
Garner:
Consistency. That’s it. We can’t afford those three-game skids. We've gotta grind series wins, pitch to contact, play clean defense, and keep applying pressure. We don’t have to win 10 in a row — we’ve got to win 2 out of 3 every week. I think if we do that, the standings will take care of themselves.
Q: Final question — do you believe the 2005 Astros can win the NL West in this tournament?
Garner: (smiles)
Without question. We’ve got the arms, we’ve got the grit, and we’ve got the guys who’ve been in big games. We’re built for the long haul, not just headlines in April. I say bring on the Giants, bring on the Padres — we’ll be ready.
With Pettitte and Oswalt forming a lethal tandem, the 2005 Astros are quietly turning into one of the tournament’s most dangerous teams — lurking behind the division leaders with purpose and poise.
Stay tuned. The West might not be settled for a long while.