Minute Maid Park, home field of the Astros since the 2000 season.
This is a list of seasons completed by the Houston Astros, originally known as the Houston Colt .45s, a professional baseball franchise based in Houston, Texas; they played in the National League from their inception in 1962 to the 2012 season; in 2013, the team was moved to the American League.
The Astros in total have completed 61 seasons in Major League Baseball, qualifying for the postseason sixteen times and reaching the World Series five times (2005, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022) with two world championships (2017, 2022). The team was established as an expansion franchise in 1962, one of eight teams that was created in the decade. The team's first winning season was in 1972. In 1980, the Astros made their first postseason appearance. From 1997 to 2005, the team made postseason appearances in six out of nine seasons. From 2006 to 2013, the franchise experienced a steady decline, bottoming out with three consecutive 100-loss seasons in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2015, the team defeated the New York Yankees in the 2015 American League Wild Card Game. This was the Astros' first postseason appearance as an American League team, and first overall since 2005. It was also the Astros' first playoff win since Game 6 of the 2005 National League Championship Series. Houston would qualify for the playoffs again in 2017, defeating the Boston Red Sox in the 2017 American League Division Series and the New York Yankees in the 2017 American League Championship Series. The team would go on to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 World Series, winning the championship for the first time in team history. The Astros are one of just a few teams in MLB history to post three consecutive 100-win seasons, a record oddly symmetrical with the three consecutive 100-loss seasons posted several years prior during their rebuild. During this esteemed era of baseball from 2015 to 2024, they have reached the playoffs eight times in a span of nine seasons (after having appeared in the postseason nine times total from 1962 to 2005), going 62–41 in postseason play since 2015.
Through 62 seasons of baseball (58 while known as the Astros), the Astros have recorded 35 seasons at .500 or better (with four exactly at .500) and have qualified for the playoffs seventeen times; of the fourteen expansion teams that have been created since 1961, their seventeen appearances are the most for any team. They are the only team in the history of Wild Card era baseball to play in seven consecutive League Championship Series and also the only expansion era team with an all-time record above .500.
AThe Astros finished the season tied for first place with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Houston defeated the Dodgers, 7–1, in a one-game playoff to clinch the division title.[3] BThe 1981 Major League Baseball strike caused the season to be split into two halves. The Astros earned a berth in an expanded postseason tournament by finishing in first place in their division in the second half of the season. The Los Angeles Dodgers had finished the first half in first place to earn the division's other playoff berth. CThe 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, which started on August 12, 1994, led to the cancellation of the playoffs and World Series. DThe 1994–95 MLB strike lasted until April 2, 1995, causing the shortening of the 1995 season to 144 games. EIn a rare occurrence, because he was traded mid-season, Zack Greinke technically won both his Gold Glove and DPOY Award in the NL, despite stats from the latter third of the season, which he spent with the Astros in the AL, also factoring into the awards. He also won a Silver Slugger; however, due to the designated hitter option, he had no offensive stats from the AL to factor into this award, so, unlike the others, it is not considered part of his Astros resume for the year.
Record by decade
The following table describes the Astros' MLB win–loss record by decade.
Decade
Wins
Losses
Pct
1960s
555
739
.429
1970s
793
817
.493
1980s
819
750
.522
1990s
813
742
.523
2000s
832
787
.514
2010s
789
831
.487
2020s
408
299
.577
All-time
5009
4965
.502
These statistics are from Baseball-Reference.com's Houston Astros History & Encyclopedia,[4] and are current through 2023.
The Astros have made the postseason eighteen times, with the first one being in the 1980 season. They are one of only eight teams (as of 2023) to have a winning postseason series record.
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) 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) 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.
In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring each of the two division winners with the best records and the winners of the wild-card play-offs.
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). They are one of two major league clubs based in Texas; the Texas Rangers belong to the same division.
The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created for the 1969 season when the National League (NL) expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos. For purpose of keeping a regular-season of 162 games, half of the teams were put into the new East Division and half into the new West Division. Within each division, the teams played 18 games each against their five division mates, and also 12 games against the teams in the opposite division, totaling 162 games. Prior to 1969, the National League had informal, internal divisions strictly for scheduling purposes.
The 1981 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 1981 National League playoffs which began on Tuesday, October 6, and ended on Sunday, October 11. The Division Series was created on August 6 in response to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, which caused the cancellation of roughly one-third of the regular season between June 12 and August 9; by the time play was resumed, it was decided that the best approach was to have the first-half leaders automatically qualify for postseason play, and allow all the teams to begin the second half with a clean slate. The series were best-of-five games.
Andrew Friedman is an American baseball executive. He is currently the president of baseball operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as the general manager for MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, where Sporting News named him Executive of the Year in 2008. That year, for the first time in franchise history, the Rays both qualified for the playoffs and played in the World Series. In Los Angeles, as of 2024, Friedman and the Dodgers have won two World Series, four pennants, and eight division titles since he took the job after the 2014 season. Baseball America called the Dodgers the model franchise in the sport under Friedman’s tenure as President.
Throughout its history, Major League Baseball rivalries have occurred between many teams and cities. Rivalries have arisen for many different reasons, the primary ones including geographic proximity, familiarity with opponents, various incidents, and cultural, linguistic, or national pride.
The 1962 Major League Baseball expansion was the formation of two new Major League Baseball (MLB) teams for the 1962 season. The Houston Colt .45s and the New York Mets were added to the National League (NL), becoming the 19th and 20th teams in MLB's two leagues. The Colt .45s were the first major league team in Houston while the Mets filled the void left when the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers of the NL moved to California after the 1957 season.
The 2017 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2017 season. The 113th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the American League (AL) champion Houston Astros. The series was played between October 24 and November 1.
The 2017 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2017 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. This was the first edition of the postseason in which home field advantage in the World Series was awarded to the team with the better regular season record, rather than the winner of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
The 2017 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the Los Angeles Dodgers against the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs for the National League pennant and the right to play in the 2017 World Series. The series was a rematch of the 2016 NLCS, which Chicago won four games to two en route to their first World Series victory since 1908. This was just the 10th time two teams have met in at least two straight League Championship Series, which have existed since divisional play began in 1969. The series was the 48th in league history. The Dodgers beat the Cubs in five games to win the NL pennant for the first time in 29 years, their last one in 1988.
The 2018 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2018 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2015 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2015 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 1981 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 1981 season. The season had a players' strike, which lasted from June 12 to July 31, and split the season into two halves. Teams that won their division in each half of the season advanced to the playoffs. Teams faced each other in a League Division Series for the first time, a round of the postseason that did not return until 1995, where it became a permanent addition. The winners of the LDS moved on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2019 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2019 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2020 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2020 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league played only a 60-game season, and an expanded 16-team postseason tournament began on September 29, with games of all but the first round being played at neutral sites. A new best-of-three Wild Card series was added as the opening round of this postseason due to the shortened season caused by the pandemic; it would become a permanent addition to the postseason format starting in 2022.
The 2021 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 2021 season. The winners of the Division Series advanced to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. After the 2020 postseason, MLB returned to a 10-team playoff format following the loosening of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This was the last postseason to feature the 10-team format, as the league expanded to a 12 team-format for the 2022 postseason.
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