Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a professional baseball club in Houston, Texas, competing in MLB’s American League West.
Contents22 sections
Key facts
October 17, 1960An expansion franchise
George Kirksey, Craig Cullinan Jr., Bob Smith and Roy Hofheinz formed the Houston Sports Association to pursue a major league team. Expansion followed the proposed Continental League, and Houston received a franchise.[1]
April 10, 1962The Colt .45s debut
Playing as the Houston Colt .45s at Colt Stadium, the club beat the Cubs 11–2 in its debut.[1]
1965Astros and the Astrodome
The team became the Astros and moved into the Astrodome, losing its first official game there 0–2 to the Phillies.[2]
Artificial turf first covered the infield in 1966; the outfield followed in July.[3]
1980–1986Two division titles
Houston beat the Dodgers in a 1980 tiebreaker for its first division title. It won the NL West again at 96–66 in 1986 but lost the NLCS to the Mets.[2]
1997–1999Three NL Central titles
Larry Dierker led three consecutive division winners, each eliminated in the Division Series.[2]
2000–2002A new downtown ballpark
The club moved into Enron Field in 2000. After Enron’s bankruptcy, it briefly became Astros Field in 2002, then Minute Maid Park that June.[4]
2005A first World Series
The Astros reached their first World Series and were swept by the White Sox.[5]
November 22, 2011
Crane’s group completed its purchase.[6]
2013
Houston joined the American League.[7]
2013–2015Rebuilding and a postseason return
Houston went 51–111 in 2013, then improved to 86–76 and returned to the postseason in 2015.[5]
July 26, 2015Biggio enters the Hall of Fame
Craig Biggio entered the Hall of Fame after a 20-season Astros career with 3,060 hits. He had earned All-Star selections as both a catcher and a second baseman.[3]
November 1, 2017A first world championship
After Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston, the Astros beat the Dodgers in a seven-game World Series for their first championship.[5]
2019Back in the World Series
Houston lost Game 7 to the Nationals, 2–6. José Altuve had won ALCS MVP honors.[8]
January 13, 2020Sign-stealing findings and sanctions
MLB found electronic sign decoding and trash-can signals in 2017, with replay-room decoding continuing during part of 2018 but no evidence of trash-can signaling that year. Penalties included $5 million, first- and second-round draft picks in 2020–2021, and suspensions of Jeff Luhnow and A.J. Hinch through the day after the 2020 World Series.[9]
The club then fired Luhnow and Hinch.[10]
2021
World Series: lost 2–4 to the Braves.[11]
2022A second world championship
Dusty Baker’s team won its second title by beating the Phillies 4–1 in Game 6. Jeremy Peña was World Series MVP; Cristian Javier and three relievers combined on a no-hitter in Game 4.[12]
January 1, 2025Daikin Park naming takes effect
A 15-year naming partnership with Daikin took effect, renaming the home ballpark Daikin Park.[13]
August 24, 2026
General manager Dana Brown departed.[14]
September 2026A division title and a Wild Card exit
A 9–0 win over the Athletics on the final regular-season day secured the AL West title, following a missed postseason in 2025.[15]
81–81; swept by the White Sox in the Wild Card Series.[16]
Home ballpark and ownership
Daikin Park in Houston opened in 2000 and has a retractable roof and natural grass.[13]
Jim Crane is owner and chairman.[17]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Houston Astros: Official website: https://www.mlb.com/astros (opens in a new window).[18]
Houston Astros: X: https://x.com/astros (opens in a new window).[19]
Houston Astros: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astros (opens in a new window).[20]
Houston Astros: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Astros (opens in a new window).[21]
Houston Astros: YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3RPfeyaEIPosC4eIcNr4Gw (opens in a new window).[22]
Sources
- Houston Colt .45s (opens in a new window)
- Houston Astros (opens in a new window)
- Houston Astros Starting Nine (opens in a new window)
- Astros ballpark to be renamed Daikin Park from Minute Maid Park on Jan. 1 (opens in a new window)
- #Shortstops: Astros, Verlander inspire a city (opens in a new window)
- Group headed by Jim Crane completes purchase of Astros (opens in a new window)
- Astros Timeline (opens in a new window)
- Treasures from 2019 World Series Headed Home to Cooperstown (opens in a new window)
- Statement of the Commissioner: In re Houston Astros (opens in a new window)
- Jeff Luhnow, AJ Hinch dismissed by Astros (opens in a new window)
- 2021 MLB Playoff and World Series Schedule (opens in a new window)
- Treasures from 2022 World Series Headed Home to Cooperstown (opens in a new window)
- Daikin Park (opens in a new window)
- GM Dana Brown, Astros mutually agree to part ways (opens in a new window)
- Astros clinch AL West and return to playoffs (opens in a new window)
- After clawing way to AL West title, Astros’ postseason ends with ALWC sweep (opens in a new window)
- Jim Crane — Owner & Chairman (opens in a new window)
- Houston Astros official website (opens in a new window)
- Houston Astros — x (opens in a new window)
- Houston Astros — instagram (opens in a new window)
- Houston Astros — facebook (opens in a new window)
- Houston Astros — youtube (opens in a new window)