2019 Houston Astros season
| 2019 Houston Astros | ||
|---|---|---|
| American League Champions American League West Champions | ||
 | ||
| Division | West Division | |
| Ballpark | Minute Maid Park | |
| City | Houston, Texas | |
| Record | 107–55 (.660) | |
| Owners | Jim Crane | |
| Managers | A. J. Hinch | |
| Television | AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Todd Kalas, Geoff Blum) | |
| Radio | Sportstalk 790 KTRH 740 (weekday night games) Houston Astros Radio Network (Robert Ford, Steve Sparks, Geoff Blum) KLAT (Spanish) (Francisco Romero, Alex Treviño) | |
| Stats | ESPN.com Baseball Reference | |
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The 2019 Houston Astros season was the 58th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas, their 55th as the Astros, seventh in both the American League (AL) and AL West division, and 20th at Minute Maid Park.
The Houston Astros announced after last season that their weekly night games will air on KTRH 740.[1]
On September 18, the Astros clinched a postseason berth against the Texas Rangers and became the first team since the 2002–2004 New York Yankees to have three consecutive 100-win seasons, having done so in 2017 and 2018 as well. On September 22, the Astros clinched their third straight AL West title. For the first time in franchise history, the Astros finished the season with the best record in baseball and defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series by a margin of three games to two. They then defeated the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) by a margin of four games to two, winning the pennant and a trip to the World Series for the second time in three years. However, they were defeated by the Washington Nationals in seven games in the World Series.
Following the season, the Astros lead the league with a record six players selected to 2019's inaugural All-MLB Team. Earlier in the season, they also once again sent six players to the 2019 All-Star Game, the most from any team in baseball.
Justin Verlander, having lead the MLB in wins, went on to clinch his second American League Cy Young Award after an all-time historically dominant season alongside strikeout and ERA leader Gerrit Cole. Yordan Alvarez also won Rookie of the Year after a history-making season, while Alex Bregman finished as a runner-up for the AL MVP.
This was the Astros' final season with A. J. Hinch as manager and Jeff Luhnow as general manager; both were fired in January 2020 after MLB investigators confirmed that the team had used electronics to steal opponents’ signs back in the 2017 regular season.
Regular season
Game log
| 2019 Game Log: 107–55 (Home: 60–21; Away: 47–34) | ||||||||
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March/April: 18–12 (Home: 10–3; Away: 8–9)
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May: 20–8 (Home: 12–5; Away: 8–3)
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June: 15–12 (Home: 9–5; Away: 6–7)
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July: 16–8 (Home: 7–2; Away: 9–6)
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August: 19–9 (Home: 13–2; Away: 6–7)
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September: 19–6 (Home: 9–4; Away: 10–2)
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| Legend: = Win = Loss = Game postponed Bold = Astros team member | ||||||||
Season standings
American League West
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 107 | 55 | .660 | — | 60–21 | 47–34 |
| Oakland Athletics | 97 | 65 | .599 | 10 | 52–29 | 45–36 |
| Texas Rangers | 78 | 84 | .481 | 29 | 45–36 | 33–48 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 72 | 90 | .444 | 35 | 38–43 | 34–47 |
| Seattle Mariners | 68 | 94 | .420 | 39 | 35–46 | 33–48 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 107 | 55 | .660 |
| New York Yankees | 103 | 59 | .636 |
| Minnesota Twins | 101 | 61 | .623 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Athletics | 97 | 65 | .599 | +1 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 96 | 66 | .593 | — |
| Cleveland Indians | 93 | 69 | .574 | 3 |
| Boston Red Sox | 84 | 78 | .519 | 12 |
| Texas Rangers | 78 | 84 | .481 | 18 |
| Chicago White Sox | 72 | 89 | .447 | 23½ |
| Los Angeles Angels | 72 | 90 | .444 | 24 |
| Seattle Mariners | 68 | 94 | .420 | 28 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 67 | 95 | .414 | 29 |
| Kansas City Royals | 59 | 103 | .364 | 37 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 54 | 108 | .333 | 42 |
| Detroit Tigers | 47 | 114 | .292 | 48½ |
Record against opponents
Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2019 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | HOU | KC | LAA | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL |
| Baltimore | — | 7–12 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 0–6 | 2–17 | 1–6 | 3–4 | 7–12 | 1–6 | 8–11 | 7–13 |
| Boston | 12–7 | — | 5–2 | 3–3 | 5–2 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 5–14 | 4–3 | 4–3 | 7–12 | 4–3 | 11–8 | 10–10 |
| Chicago | 3–3 | 2–5 | — | 11–8 | 12–6 | 4–3 | 9–10 | 2–5 | 6–13 | 4–3 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 4–3 | 6–14 |
| Cleveland | 4–3 | 3–3 | 8–11 | — | 18–1 | 3–4 | 12–7 | 6–0 | 10–9 | 4–3 | 1–5 | 5–1 | 1–6 | 4–3 | 6–1 | 8–12 |
| Detroit | 4–3 | 2–5 | 6–12 | 1–18 | — | 1–6 | 10–9 | 3–3 | 5–14 | 3–3 | 1–6 | 1–6 | 2–4 | 0–6 | 3–4 | 5–15 |
| Houston | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 6–1 | — | 5–1 | 14–5 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 11–8 | 18–1 | 3–4 | 13–6 | 4–2 | 11–9 |
| Kansas City | 3–3 | 1–5 | 10–9 | 7–12 | 9–10 | 1–5 | — | 2–4 | 5–14 | 2–5 | 2–5 | 2–5 | 3–4 | 2–5 | 1–6 | 9–11 |
| Los Angeles | 3–4 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 0–6 | 3–3 | 5–14 | 4–2 | — | 1–5 | 2–5 | 6–13 | 10–9 | 3–4 | 9–10 | 6–1 | 12–8 |
| Minnesota | 6–0 | 3–3 | 13–6 | 9–10 | 14–5 | 4–3 | 14–5 | 5–1 | — | 2–4 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 5–2 | 6–1 | 4–3 | 8–12 |
| New York | 17–2 | 14–5 | 3–4 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 5–2 | 4–2 | — | 2–4 | 6–1 | 12–7 | 3–3 | 11–8 | 12–8 |
| Oakland | 6–1 | 3–4 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 6–1 | 8–11 | 5–2 | 13–6 | 4–3 | 4–2 | — | 10–9 | 4–3 | 13–6 | 0–6 | 11–9 |
| Seattle | 4–3 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 6–1 | 1–18 | 5–2 | 9–10 | 2–5 | 1–6 | 9–10 | — | 2–4 | 8–11 | 4–2 | 9–11 |
| Tampa Bay | 12–7 | 12–7 | 4–2 | 6–1 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 4–3 | 4–3 | 2–5 | 7–12 | 3–4 | 4–2 | — | 3–3 | 13–6 | 14–6 |
| Texas | 6–1 | 3–4 | 3–4 | 3–4 | 6–0 | 6–13 | 5–2 | 10–9 | 1–6 | 3–3 | 6–13 | 11–8 | 3–3 | — | 3–3 | 9–11 |
| Toronto | 11–8 | 8–11 | 3–4 | 1–6 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 6–1 | 1–6 | 3–4 | 8–11 | 6–0 | 2–4 | 6–13 | 3–3 | — | 3–17 |
Season notes
- Yuli Gurriel became the first Astro with a run and RBI in seven consecutive games, and the fifth to homer in five consecutive games on July 7, including a game-tying grand slam in an 11–10 win versus the Los Angeles Angels. He won the AL Player of the Week Award for the week ending July 8, his second weekly honor, after homering in all five of the Astros games for a total of six, among nine hits and an OPS of 1.812.[2]
- During a contest versus the St. Louis Cardinals on July 28, José Altuve homered for his 1,500th career hit, one of three hits in a 6–2 win that afternoon, in his 1,190th career game. The only players in the divisional play era to reach the milestone faster were Ichiro Suzuki, Wade Boggs, Kirby Puckett, Nomar Garciaparra, Tony Gwynn and Derek Jeter.[3]
- On August 3, MLB named three Astros as winners of all three monthly awards for July, including Yuli Gurriel as AL Player of the Month, Gerrit Cole as AL Pitcher of the Month, and Yordan Álvarez as AL Rookie of the Month.[4]
- On August 10 at Camden Yards versus the Baltimore Orioles, the Astros set a franchise record for runs scored with a 23–2 win, and for extra base hits with 13, including six home runs.[5] Three of the home runs came via rookie Yordan Álvarez, including a grand slam. With a career-high seven runs driven in, his total stood at 51 to establish the major league record for the first 45 games.[6] On September 28, Justin Verlander struck out Kole Calhoun of the Los Angeles Angels for his 3000th strikeout and his 300th strikeout. Verlander and Gerrit Cole became the 2nd duo since Randy Johnson & Curt Schilling in 2002 to reach 300 strikeouts. The Astros also clinched home field advantage throughout the MLB postseason on September 28.
- In the clubhouse after their ALCS victory,[7] Houston assistant general manager Brandon Taubman taunted female reporters. The team initially denied a Sports Illustrated report about his behavior, and accused the publication of making up the story. The Astros later fired Taubman, retracted their statement and issued an apology.[8]
Postseason
Game log
| 2019 Postseason Game Log: (10–8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Achievements
Grand Slams
| No. | Date | Astros batter | H/A | Pitcher | Opposing team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 12 | José Altuve | Away | Shawn Armstrong | Seattle Mariners |
| 2 | April 12 | Yuli Gurriel | Away | R. J. Alaniz | Seattle Mariners |
| 3 | April 16 | Alex Bregman | Away | Liam Hendriks | Oakland Athletics |
| 4 | May 5 | Alex Bregman | Away | Cam Bedrosian | Los Angeles Angels |
| 5 | May 11 | Aledmys Díaz | Home | Kyle Dowdy | Texas Rangers |
| 6 | June 14 | Robinson Chirinos | Home | Thomas Pannone | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 7 | June 23 | Tyler White | Away | J. A. Happ | New York Yankees |
| 8 | July 7 | Yuli Gurriel | Home | Cam Bedrosian | Los Angeles Angels |
| 9 | July 14 | José Altuve | Away | Kyle Bird | Texas Rangers |
| 10 | July 27 | Carlos Correa | Away | Michael Wacha | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 11 | August 10 | Yordan Álvarez | Away | Tayler Scott | Baltimore Orioles |
| 12 | October 26 | Alex Bregman | Away | Fernando Rodney | Washington Nationals |
Roster
Farm system
See also
References
- ^ "Astros' radio changes likely to be boon for fans". Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ Houston Chronicle Sports (July 8, 2019). "Astros' Yuli Gurriel earns AL Player of the Week honors". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- ^ Langosch, Jenifer (July 28, 2019). "1,500 hits: Altuve is fastest Astro to milestone: Second baseman hits 3-run HR, collects 3 hits in Houston's victory". MLB.com. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ Rome, Chandler (August 3, 2019). "Astros trio gets AL monthly honors for July". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- ^ "Yordan Alvarez belts 3 homers as Astros destroy Orioles". New York Post. The Associated Press. August 11, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- ^ Rome, Chandler (August 10, 2019). "Astros insider: Yordan Álvarez is cerebral, powerful and humble". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- ^ Folkenflik, David (October 22, 2019). "Astros Executive's Rant At Reporters Draws Firestorm On Eve Of Series". NPR.com. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ Passan, Jeff (November 12, 2019). "Ex-Astros pitcher Mike Fiers: Team stole signs with camera". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
External links
- Houston Astros season official site
- 2019 Houston Astros season at Baseball Reference