Like It or Not, the Houston Astros Are Back in the A.L.C.S.

CHICAGO — No, they haven’t gone away.

To the chagrin of many around baseball, the Houston Astros — a franchise still reviled, still jeered and still trailed by a cloud of suspicion for cheating during its 2017 World Series winning season — continue winning.

With a 10-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, the Astros capped a three-games-to-one division series win to advance to familiar territory, the American League Championship Series, for the fifth year in a row. They are the first franchise to compete for five straight A.L. pennants since the Oakland Athletics did so from 1971 to 1975.

Beginning on Friday in Houston, the Astros will face the Boston Red Sox in a rematch of the 2018 A.L.C.S. The Red Sox, who won the World Series that year, are led by Manager Alex Cora, who was the Astros’ bench coach during the infamous 2017 season and was later suspended for the 2020 season for his role in Houston’s illegal sign-stealing scheme.

Although the Astros haven’t won a championship since 2017, they have come close — dropping a decisive Game 7 of the 2019 World Series to the Washington Nationals — and have remained a perennial contender.

Not even an investigation by Major League Baseball, after the cheating allegations came to light in November 2019, and the punishment that came as a result, could slow the Astros. Their general manager, Jeff Luhnow, and manager, A.J. Hinch, lost their jobs and were suspended. Opposing players and fans, when they returned to ballparks after a 2020 season staged largely without crowds because of the coronavirus pandemic, have since taken out their fury on the Astros in the form of signs, boos, hit-by-pitches and strong words.

Still, the Astros won. Under General Manager James Click and Manager Dusty Baker, both hired from outside the organization after the cheating fallout, the Astros reached the A.L.C.S. against the Tampa Bay Rays last season and fell one win short of another World Series appearance.

This season, the Astros continued with their time-tested formula: a relentless offense, vacuum-cleaner defense and a strong pitching staff. They won 95 games, claiming their fourth A.L. West division title in five years. And in October, they — again — posed a difficult challenge to opponents because their hitters led baseball in scoring during the regular season and were the hardest to strike out.

Over the years, stars have left (starter Gerrit Cole and outfielder George Springer), some have gotten injured (starter Justin Verlander) and others have emerged (outfielders Michael Brantley and Kyle Tucker). But the Astros remained a formidable force because of their core group: first baseman Yuli Gurriel, second baseman Jose Altuve, shortstop Carlos Correa and third baseman Alex Bregman. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, those four have played in more postseason games together (now 61) than any other four teammates in M.L.B. history.

The talent and experience of that group showed again this October. White Sox designated hitter Gavin Sheets gave his team a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo blast. But the Astros’ lineup is a buzz saw.

As Altuve faced more boos and chants of “cheat-er! cheat-er!” in the third inning, White Sox starter Carlos Rodon hit his opponent in the left arm with an errant pitch. Altuve dropped his bat and hung his head, and the Chicago fans cheered. He promptly stole second base.

The mood quickly changed when Bregman and designated hitter Yordan Alvarez resisted swinging at close pitches from Rodon with two outs and drew walks to load the bases. Then came the backbreaking blow from Correa.

Rodon jumped ahead of Correa, 0-2. But when he tried to sneak through another high 97-mile-per-hour fastball, Correa opponent was ready. He adjusted his swing to the pitch just above the strike zone and flicked it into the left field gap for a double that gave Houston a 2-1 lead. Standing at second base, Correa looked at the Astros’ dugout and pointed at his wrist as if to suggest the time was right.

The Astros, of course, didn’t stop there. They took a 5-1 lead in the fourth inning when catcher Martin Maldonado drove in a run with a single and Bregman, swinging at a 3-0 pitch, added two more with a double. It went on from there, with a three-run rally in the top of the ninth pushing the score to 10-1.

As they kept tacking on more runs, the reality sunk in at Guaranteed Rate Field and across baseball: The Astros are back — again.