The National League Championship Series (NLCS), also known as the National League Pennant, is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two National League (NL) Division Series. The winner of the NLCS wins the NL pennant and advances to the World Series, MLB's championship series, to play the winner of the American League's (AL) Championship Series. The NLCS began in 1969 as a best-of-five playoff and used this format until 1985, when it changed to a best-of-seven format.
The American League Championship Series (ALCS), also known as the American League Pennant, is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. The winner of the ALCS wins the AL pennant and advances to the World Series, MLB's championship series, to play the winner of the National League's (NL) Championship Series. The ALCS began in 1969 as a best-of-five playoff and used this format until 1985, when it changed to its current best-of-seven format.
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after spending their first 51 seasons in the National League (NL).
Darryl Andrew Kile was an American professional baseball starting pitcher. He pitched from 1991 to 2002 for three Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, primarily for the Houston Astros. Kile was known for his sharp, big-breaking curveball. He died at the age of 33 of coronary artery disease in 2002 in Chicago, where he and the St. Louis Cardinals were staying for a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs. He was the first active major league player to die during the regular season since 1979, when the New York Yankees' Thurman Munson died in a plane crash.
José Cruz Dilan, nicknamed "Cheo", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player, coach and baseball front office executive. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1970 to 1988, most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros.
Jeffrey Robert Bagwell is an American former professional baseball first baseman and coach who spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) playing career with the Houston Astros.
Craig Alan Biggio is an American former baseball second baseman, outfielder and catcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros, from 1988 to 2007. A seven-time National League (NL) All-Star often regarded as the greatest all-around player in Astros history, he is the only player ever to be named an All-Star and to be awarded Silver Slugger Award at both catcher and second base. With longtime teammates Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman, he formed the core of the "Killer B's" who led Houston to six playoff appearances from 1997 to 2005, culminating in the franchise's first World Series appearance in 2005. At the end of his career, he ranked sixth in NL history in games played (2,850), fifth in at bats (10,876), 21st in hits (3,060), and seventh in runs scored (1,844). His 668 career doubles ranked sixth in major league history, and are the second-most ever by a right-handed hitter; his 56 doubles in 1999 were the most in the major leagues in 63 years.
Michael Warren Scott is an American former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros. He won the National League Cy Young Award in 1986, becoming the first Astros pitcher to win the award. Scott is part of a select group of pitchers that have thrown a no-hitter and struck out 300 batters in the same season.
Cecil Celester Cooper is an American former professional baseball player, coach, manager and sports agent. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1971 to 1987 for the Boston Red Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers. Cooper was a member of the Red Sox team that won the 1975 American League pennant but he rose to prominence as a member of the Brewers, where he became a five-time American League All-Star player and a two-time American League RBI champion.
The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West and three teams from the National League East.
Lawrence Edward Dierker is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher, manager, and broadcaster. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964 to 1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Kenneth Roth Forsch is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher from 1970 to 1984, most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros where he helped the franchise win its first-ever National League Western Division title and postseason berth in 1980. A two-time All-Star player, Forsch pitched a no-hitter for the Astros on April 7, 1979. He ended his baseball career playing for the California Angels.
Yulieski Gourriel Castillo, commonly known as Yuli Gurriel and nicknamed "La Piña", is a Cuban professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. He previously played for Sancti Spiritus in the Cuban National Series (CNS), the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the Houston Astros and Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). Gurriel is a former member of Cuba's national team, and an Olympic Games gold medalist in 2004. A versatile infielder, he has also played shortstop, second base, and third base in the major leagues.
The 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 75th edition of the midseason exhibition baseball game between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 13, 2004, at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, the home of the Houston Astros of the National League. The game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 9–4, thus awarding the AL home-field advantage in the 2004 World Series.
José Carlos Altuve is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Having played for the Astros since 2011, he is the longest-tenured current member of the team, and the only one to have been with the Astros since they were in the National League.
George Chelston Springer III is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Houston Astros from 2014 to 2020.
Alexander David Bregman is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Andrew Joseph Reed is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox. He played college baseball at Kentucky and was drafted by the Astros in the second round of the 2014 MLB draft.
The 2021 Houston Astros season was the 60th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas, their 57th as the Astros, ninth in both the American League and American League West, and 22nd at Minute Maid Park.
1 2 3 Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to the trade deadline in 2019. Greinke's statistics for the entire season were considered for his All-MLB Team and Wilson awards selection, while the Gold Glove and Silver Sluggers Awards were both earned for his play in the National League. Greinke appeared in 26 of 36 total games with the Diamondbacks that season, and all 10 remaining games were with the Astros.
↑ Altuve is the only player in major league history to represent both the National (NL) and American Leagues (AL) in an All-Star Game as a member of the same team. His 2012 appearance was on the NL roster, while all subsequent appearances have been with the AL.
↑ Beginning in 2013, the Pitcher of the Year Award was redesignated as both a Starting Pitcher of the Year Award and Relief Pitcher of the Year Award, bestowed to one of each in both the AL and the NL.
↑ Prior to 2013, the award was given one pitcher each in both the AL and the NL.
↑ In 1961, and from 1963–2003, one Rookie Position Player of the Year and one Rookie Pitcher of the Year was selected from each league. Starting in 2004, this system was abandoned in favor of selecting one rookie from each league for the award.
↑ From 1938–1985, one Manager of the Year Award was given for all of MLB. Starting in 1986, it was bestowed to one of each in both the AL and the NL.
↑ Selection criteria for the Wilson MLB Defensive awards have evolved throughout its lifespan. Beginning in 2012, the year the awards were instituted, and through 2013, one award was presented to one player on each team, regardless of position, as well as one to the outstanding defender for each league, regardless of position or team. In 2014, the selection criteria were narrowed to one player at each position in the major leagues, regardless of team or league (AL or NL)—allowing teams to have multiple winners—while maintaining one award presented to the outstanding defender in each league. Further, in each year of the awards' existence, one award was presented to the outstanding defensive team in the major leagues. Since 2020, no Wilson MLB awards have been presented.
↑ Two awards are presented each year, one to a Houston Astro and one to a St. Louis Cardinal, each of whom exemplifies Kile's virtues of being "a good teammate, a great friend, a fine father and a humble man." The winners are selected, respectively, by the Houston and St. Louis chapters of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).[48]
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