Series trip finally arrives for longtime Astros favorites Biggio, Bagwell

ST. LOUIS – Craig Biggio has compiled some very impressive statistics during his 18 years with the Houston Astros, but there was one particular number he was not fond of having next to his name.

Biggio has played in 2,564 regular-season games, the most of any player in the major leagues without making a World Series appearance. That will change Saturday night, when the Astros make their first trip to the finals against the Chicago White Sox.

Longtime teammate Jeff Bagwell is not far behind, with 2,150 regular-season games in a Houston uniform.

With both players in the final stages of their careers, it had become a franchise project of sorts to get them to the World Series.

The fact that the Astros had never made it to the Fall Classic in their 44 years of existence made that quest no less urgent.

“Eighteen years for me, 15 for ‘Bags,’ ” Biggio said. “For the city of Houston, it’s been a long time. It finally happened. It’s unbelievable.”