2015 Houston Astros
American League Wild Card winners
League	American League
Division	West
Ballpark	Minute Maid Park
City	Houston,Texas
Record	86–76 (.531)
Divisional place	2nd
Owners	Jim Crane
General managers	Jeff Luhnow
Managers	A. J. Hinch
Television	Root Sports Southwest KUBE-TV (Bill Brown,Alan Ashby,Geoff Blum,Julia Morales)
Radio	Sportstalk 790 (Robert Ford,Steve Sparks,Milo Hamilton) KLAT (Spanish) (Francisco Romero,Alex Treviño)
Stats	ESPN.com Baseball Reference
← 2014 Seasons 2016 →

The2015Houston Astros season was the54th season for theMajor League Baseball (MLB) franchise located inHouston,Texas, their 51st as the Astros, third in both theAmerican League (AL) andAL West division, and 16th season atMinute Maid Park. They entered the season having finished in fourth place in the AL West with a 70–92 record, breaking a string of three consecutive seasons with at least 106 losses, and most successful season to date since joining the American League.

The 2015 season was the first forA. J. Hinch as manager, the 23rd in Astros' franchise history, succeedingTom Lawless.

In the first round of the JuneMLB draft, the Astros selected third basemanAlex Bregman at number 2 overall and outfielderKyle Tucker at number 5. The same day, the Astros promoted 2012number one overall selectionCarlos Correa the major leagues, and he achieved a number of rare feats related to brevity of career span that led to selection as June ALRookie of the Month.

The Astros sentDallas Keuchel andJose Altuve to the ALAll-Star squad. Keuchel was named starting pitcher for the AL, while Altuve was voted as starting second baseman.Craig Biggio wasinducted into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on July 29, making him the first player to be inducted as a Houston Astro, along with one-time teammateRandy Johnson, who was instrumental in the Astros'1998National League Central division title run.

In July,Scott Kazmir's 0.26earned run average (ERA) ranked as the third-lowest in MLB history for that month. On August 21,Mike Fiers tossed ano-hitter versus theLos Angeles Dodgers, the 11th in club history, and first-ever accomplished at Minute Maid Park.

With an 86–76 record—their first winning season since2008—and second-place finish in the AL West, the Astros made theplayoffs for the first time since theirWorld Series appearance in2005, and first as members of the American League. It was the tenthpostseason and third wild card qualification overall in franchise history. Houston defeated theNew York Yankees in theAL Wild Card (ALWC) Game before taking the eventual World Series championKansas City Royals to five games in theAmerican League Division Series (ALDS), nearly pulling off a major upset. During their postseason run,Colby Rasmus led the Astros inbatting (.412),home runs (4),runs batted in (RBI, 6), andon-base percentage (.583).

Four of the 2015 ALPitcher of the Month Awards were claimed by Astros—including three by Keuchel, who was the ALCy Young Award winner—and another by Kazmir. Keuchel led the AL gameswon (20–8),innings (232), andwalks plus hits per inning (1.017, WHIP), and finished second inearned run average (2.48 ERA). Keuchel and Altuve were named ALGold Glove Award winners. Altuve, the ALhits (200) andstolen bases (38) leader each for a second consecutive season, ranked third inbatting (.313) to claim aSilver Slugger Award. Correa, who led ALshortstops inhome runs (22) and hit .279 over 99 games, was named ALRookie of the Year.

The Houston Astros concluded the2014 season with a 70–92 win–loss record (.432winning percentage) and fourth-place finish in the AL West, a 19-game improvement from theseason before, ending three consecutive seasons each with at least 106 losses and a last-place finish. They missed thepostseason for the ninth consecutive season since the2005 World Series, while their most recent winning season had been in2008 (86–75).

On September 29, 2014, the Astros announced the hiring ofA. J. Hinch as the 23rd manager in franchise history, succeeding interim managerTom Lawless, who had replacedBo Porter, fired on September 1, 2014.^[1]

On January 6, 2015, results for theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum voting revealed thatCraig Biggio had beeninducted on his third ballot, becoming the first Houston Astro to be so honored. He spent his entire professional career as an Astro, from beingdrafted to retirement, including20 major league seasons, and held a number of team records and exclusive major league achievements, such as reaching the3,000-hit club (3,060 total). He is the only player in MLB history to reach 3,000 hits, 600doubles, 250home runs, and 400stolen bases.^[2]

Free agents

Major League free agents[3] Luke Gregerson (RHP) Oakland Athletics Incoming free agents Contracts expired after 2014 World Series Signed withHouston Astros[4] December 10, 2014 3 years, $18.5 million Pat Neshek (RHP) St. Louis Cardinals Signed withHouston Astros[4] December 10, 2014 2 years, $12.5 million Jed Lowrie (SS) Oakland Athletics Signed withHouston Astros[5] December 14, 2014 3 years, $23 million Colby Rasmus (OF) Toronto Blue Jays Signed withHouston Astros[6] January 20, 2015 1 year, $8 million Club option held Matt Albers (RHP) Astros becoming free agents following options decisions October 9, 2014 Option declined[7] Signed withChicago White Sox[8] February 13, 2015 1 year (minors) Outrighted off roster José Cisnero (RHP) Became free agent November 3, 2014 Signed withCincinnati Reds November 18, 2014 1 year (minors) Amateur free agents March 2 RHP José Urquidy [9] March 18 RHP Cristian Javier [10] March 19 LHP Framber Valdez [11]

After a five-year gap in contact with the Astros organization,^[16] formerfirst basemanJeff Bagwell accepted a formal invitation from Hinch to be a guest instructor inspring training.^[17]

Just two years removed from a 111-loss season, the Astros unexpectedly rebounded to start the 2015 season at 18–7 while occupying first place in the AL West for 139 days.^[18]

Starting pitcherAsher Wojciechowski (0–1) made his major league debut on April 9, ceding four runs on eight hits in four-plus innings as the Astros fell to Cleveland, 5–1. He was nearly on the losing end of a combined no-hitter toTrevor Bauer (1–0). who struck out a career-high 11. However,Jed Lowrie's home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth broke up the bid. The Astros lineup walked a total of seven times but also were struck out 16.^[21]

On April 14, right fielderGeorge Springer's over-the-wall catch robbedLeonys Martín of awalk-off grand slam in the 10th inning atGlobe Life Field inArlington. The Astros won, 6–4, over theTexas Rangers in 14 innings.^[22]

For the month of April, Keuchel was recognized as the AL'sPitcher of the Month, having produced a 3–0win–loss record (W–L) and an 0.73earned run average (ERA) over fivegames started.^[23] This was the first of three such awards in 2015 for the left-hander, the season in which his most dominant form as a major leaguer was on display.

Catalyzed byEvan Gattis' two-home run game on May 3, the Astros clinched an 8–7 triumph over theSeattle Mariners. The win, which moved the Astros to 18–7 on the season, introduced a new franchise record over their first 25 games of the season.^[24] Meanwhile, Altuve batted .467 (14-for-30), seven runs, eight RBI, five doubles, and one home run, while sharing ALPlayer of the Week honors withJosh Reddick of theOakland Athletics on May 3. Altuve also enjoyed an 11-gamehitting streak that spanned April 21—May 2.^[25]

On May 6,Will Harris surrendered a seventh inning home run toCarlos Peguero—one of two by Peguero—as the Rangers won, 11–3. The home run snapped Harris'scoreless innings streak at28+2⁄3 over 26 games, the longest-active in the majors.^[26]Adrián Beltré fell a home run short ofhitting for the cycle while starterColby Lewis (2–2) tossed 8 innings with one run allowed as the Rangers swept the three-game set following the Astros' 10 straight winning series.Samuel Deduno (0–1), making his second start for Houston after five appearances in relief, took the loss after yielding career-highs of 11 hits and 10 runs in4+2⁄3 innings.^[27]

After Springer suffered a concussion, the Astros selected outfielderPreston Tucker from Fresno to the major league roster on May 6, and he made his major league debut the following day,^[28] versus theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Trailing 2–0 going into the ninth inning, Angels closerHuston Street (2–1) allowed consecutive run-scoring singles toJake Marisnick and Tucker. It was also Tucker's first major league hit, which he augmented by drawing a walk. Altuve beat a potential inning-endingdouble play to scoreJonathan Villar for the decisive run as the Astros came back to win, 3–2.^[29]

Lance McCullers Jr. made his major league debut on May 18 as the starting pitcher versus theOakland Athletics, surrendering one run, three hits, three walks, and struck out five over4+2⁄3 innings. In the sixth,Brett Lawrie hit a tie-breaking RBI single and the Oakland bullpen tossed4+2⁄3 scoreless frames to hold on to a 2–1 win. They improved to 2–13 in one-run games to snap a four-game losing streak while ending the Astros' five-game winning streak.^[30] McCullers earned his first major league win on May 23 to lead a 3–2 win over theDetroit Tigers, backed by a 5–4–3triple play.^[31]

For the month of May, Keuchel repeated as AL Pitcher of the Month, becoming the first pitcher sinceJohan Santana won two monthly awards in2004. Keuchel went 4–1 W–L in six May starts, produced a 2.62 ERA and 38 strikeouts in44+2⁄3 innings while surrendering a .223batting average against, and closed the month with successive complete games, including a four-hit, 11-strikeout shutout of the White Sox at Minute Maid Park. He tied for first in complete games for the month, tied for fourth in wins, and ranked eighth in strikeouts and ninth in ERA.^[32]

On June 3, the Astros overcame theBaltimore Orioles, 3–1, led by McCullers' first careercomplete game in his fourth start to go along with a first-time 11 strikeouts.Chris Carter led the Astros offense with home runs in the second and fifth innings for his 11th career multi-home run game and extend a season-high 11-game hitting streak.George Springer hit another home run in the sixth as the Astros improved to 21–0 in multi-home run games. This win set another record start in franchise history at 34–20.^[33]

Chris Colabello extended his career-best 17-game hitting streak on June 7 with two hits, one of which was a walk-off two-run single off Gregerson (0–1), as the Astros fell to theTorontop Blue Jays, 7–6, sweeping the three-game set.José Bautista hit two home runs for Toronto. In the eighth inning,Pat Neshek issued a two-out base on balls toJustin Smoak which ended 24 consecutive appearances without a walk, the second-longest streak to open a season in major league history.^{[Note 1]} The Astros lost for the first time in 30 games when leading after 8 innings.^[34]

The Astros promoted two top prospects on June 8: shortstopCarlos Correa, whom they selectedfirst overall in the2012 MLB draft, as the youngest player in the league,.^[35] and right-handerVince Velasquez, after just five starts atDouble-ACorpus Christi.^[36] Correa debuted atU. S. Cellular Field in a 3–1 loss to theChicago White Sox, going 1-for-4 and collected an RBI single offChris Sale. Though he struck out 14 Astros in that outing, Correa avoided a fate as one of the victims.^[37]

Also on June 8, the Astros first-round selections in theMLB draft included shortstopAlex Bregman fromLouisiana State University at number 2 overall,^[38] and outfielderKyle Tucker, younger brother of Preston, fromPlant High School inTampa, Florida, at number five overall.^[39]

On June 9, Correa singled in the sixth against Chicago and stole his first base before hitting his first MLB home run offZach Duke in the ninth inning.^[40]

On June 10, Velasquez made his major league debut, stifling Chicago over five shutout innings, and Springer attained his first career five-hit game. Velasquez became just the third Astro to feature five or more scoreless innings his major league debut,^{[Note 2]} while Springer's five hits was the first for an Astro sinceBrandon Barnes on July 19, 2013.^{[Note 3]} In spite of these achievements, the White Sox homered in each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings for a 4–1 decision over Houston and three-game sweep, running the Astros'losing streak to a season-high seven.^[41] What was a 6-game AL West lead shrunk to 2 games with this loss.^[42]

Powered by home runs from the quartet of Tucker, Correa,Jake Marisnick, and Carter, the Astros ended June 17 victorious atCoors Field, 8–4. Correa's three hits tallied 14 since his call-up to set a franchise record over the first nine games of a career.^[43] With three stolen bases versus theColorado Rockies in his tenth MLB game on June 18, Correa became the second-youngest player to do so over the preceding century, trailing onlyRickey Henderson by 21 days.^[44]

Correa hit his fourth home run in just 15 games, andLuis Valbuena went deep twice to power a 13–3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on June 23. Also collecting his 20th hit, Correa surpassed a franchise mark of 19 shared byDoug Rader (1967) andJosh Anderson (2007) for hits in their first 15 games.Collin McHugh (8–3) worked a season-high eight innings, yielding two runs on nine hits.^[45]

Dallas Keuchel pitched a six-hit shutout and struck out a career-best 12 on June 25 to lead the Astros over the New York Yankees, 4–0.Jose Altuve collected three hits and scored three runs, andEvan Gattis hit an RBI single in the sixth and an RBI double in the eighth.^[46]

On June 28, Correa doubled twice and scored the tie-breaking run on a triple by Evan Gattis in the seventh inning to help lead the Astros over the Yankees, 3–1. Collin McHugh (9–3) was touched for a season-low two hits and struck out eight over eight innings beforeLuke Gregerson tossed a perfect ninth inning to convert his 18th save. Having hit nine doubles and five homers over his first 20 major league games, Correa's doubles total in that timeframe set an Astros record and he also joined Springer, Bagwell, andRusty Staub as the only players in franchise history to reach safely in 18 or more of their first 20 games.^[47] The 14extra base hits in the same span also tied Correa with three others behindChris Dickerson for most in MLB since 1993.^[48]

After batting .287 with four stolen bases, five home runs, nine doubles and 15 RBI in 21 games in June, Correa was named ALRookie of the Month. He led AL rookies in doubles, RBI, and slugging percentage (.852). Correa became the sixth Astro to receive the monthly award, joining teammates McHugh, winner for the previous September, and Springer, who won in May 2014.^[49]

For the first time in has career, Altuve was voted as starting second baseman in theMLB All-Star Game for the American League atGreat American Ball Park, suprassingOmar Infante of theKansas City Royals by more than 600,000 votes. His third career selection, Altuve joined Biggio andJeff Kent as Astros voted as All-Star Game starters at second base.^[50] Meanwhile, Keuchel was chosen as the ALstarting pitcher, becoming the fourth Astro to become an All-Star Game starting pitcher. Keuchel joined the ranks ofJ. R. Richard (1980),Mike Scott (1987), andRoger Clemens (2004).^[22]

Longtime Houston Astro Craig Biggio, who was a Hall of Fame electee for the class of 2015, delivered a thoughtful and commanding induction speech on July 29, 2015, that can be seenhere.Randy Johnson, who spent the latter part of the1998 season in Houston, pitched some of the best baseball of his career including a 1.28 ERA and four shutouts, made hisHall of fame speech.

The Astros traded forScott Kazmir from the Athletics on July 23, returning catcherJacob Nottingham and pitcherDaniel Mengden. Kazmir produced stellar results for Oakland in 2015, posting a 2.38 ERA over109+2⁄3 innings, 45.9% groundball rate, 8.3strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) and 2.9walks per nine innings (BB/9).^[51]

With one out in the bottom of the ninth on July 23, Altuve's walk-off home run gave the Astros a 5–4 victory over theBoston Red Sox, the final of his four hits.Colby Rasmus andMarwin González also connected for Houston.Josh Fields (3–1) worked the ninth to pick up the win.^[52]

Kazmir won his Astros debut on July 24, hurling seven scoreless innings versus Kansas City while allowing three hits and a walk to lead a 4–0 win^[53]

Correa's first-inning blast on July 28 ignited a 10–5 win over the Angels. His ninth home run, Correa became the first shortstop since 1914 to hit as many over his first 42 games while overtakingMarcus Semien for the AL lead at shortstop. It was also Correa's seventh 3-hit game to lead AL rookies.^[54]

On July 30, Kazmir, a Houston native, made his first home start, allowing three hits and striking out five over7+2⁄3 scoreless innings. Angels starterMatt Shoemaker was as brilliant, allowing seven hits over seven shutout innings. Valbuena made his first professional start at first base asJed Lowrie returned from the disabled list and played third. Both teams remained scoreless through eight innings.Jason Castro hit awalk-off, three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to secure a 3–0 win and three-game sweep of the Angels.^[55]

The continuation of an outstanding month of July after being acquired, Kazmir produced a 0.26 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 34 innings over five starts split with Oakland and Houston on the way to being named AL Pitcher of the Month for the second time in his career. Kazmir also joined Keuchel for the third time on the season for Astros pitching. The third-lowest July ERA in MLB history, Kazmir surrendered no home runs, and batters managed just a .134 average against.^[56]

Behind a pair of two-home run games fromHank Conger andCarlos Correa on August 1—the first career multi-home run game for both—the Astros defeated theArizona Diamondbacks, 9–2. Conger's home run in fourth inning offJeremy Hellickson (7–7) was also his first careergrand slam, and first of the season for the Astros, the major league leader with 147 home runs.Dallas Keuchel yielded two runs on two hits over six innings and tallied 8 strikeouts to move to 13–5. It was Keuchel's 33rd consecutive games going at least 6 innings, which set a franchise record.^[57]

Adrián Beltré made history against the Astros on August 3, and McCullers endured the shortest outing of his career as the Rangers won out in a slugfest, 12–9. Beltré hit for the cycle for the third time his career, first to do so sinceBabe Herman in 1933. McCullers (5-4), the youngest starting pitcher in the majors at 21, induced just one out while surrendering six runs on seven hits. Castro hit a grand slam for Houston, the second in three days for the club, as well as his third homer in 14 at-bats. Correa hit a two-run home run in the first to put the Astros ahead, and Luis Valbuena also hit a solo home run in the second inning, his 20th of the season, and first over 83 at-bats since June 23.^[58]

During his first 50 games, Correa hit 13 home runs, the most by a shortstop in major league history,^{[Note 4]} and were the fifth-most among active players.^{[Note 5]} Correa also produced six games with at least three hits and a home run, just the second player with at least as many over the prior 100 years.^{[Note 6][59]}

On August 18,Marwin González belted his first career walk-off home run to punctuate a 3–2 win while making his first start of the year in left field. He went 3-for-4, adding a double and two RBI versus theTampa Bay Rays before his leadoff blast in the bottom of the 10th inning off All-Star closerBrad Boxberger.^[60]

Mike Fiers, making his third start for the Astros, pitched ano-hitter versus theLos Angeles Dodgers to lead a 3–0 win on August 21. The firstcomplete game of his career, Fiers (6–9) threw 134 pitches, and struck outJustin Turner for the game's final at bat. It was the first-ever no-hitter accomplished at Minute Maid Park, the first complete-game no-hitter for the Astros sinceDarryl Kile on September 8,1993 versus theMets, and first overall for Houston since a combined six-pitcher effort on June 11,2003, against theYankees.^[61] On August 23, Castro hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning to complete a three-game sweep of the NL West division-leading Dodgers. In the ninth, Correa hit a leadoff single offKenley Jansen, vying for an 18th consecutive converted save.Marwin González hit an RBI single that scored the tying run. It was the Astros' fourth last at-bat win over their prior eight game.^[62]

Following his no-hit performance, Fiers was named AL Player of the Week. In fact, per theElias Sports Bureau (ESB), Fiers' sterling outing made him the first since theTexas Rangers'Jim Bibby in1973 to have changed teams mid-season and author a no-hitter.^[63]

On August 25, the Astros won a tense contest atYankee Stadium, 15–1, led by Keuchel's seven shutout innings and Gattis' and Gómez' one-home run, four-RBI performances apiece. However, after flying out the in sixth inning, Gómez yelled toward the Yankees dugout. Keuchel, meanwhile, became the AL's first 15-game winner.^[64]

Keuchel, who was announced as AL Pitcher of the Month for August, became the first Astro to win more than two in a single season. He won four of six starts while turning in a 1.94 ERA, fifth best in the AL. Meanwhile, rotation matesCollin McHugh (1.89) andScott Feldman (1.33) both produced superior ERAs, highlighting a superlative month for Houston pitching.^[65]

Hank Conger hit his second grand slam of the season on September 4, whileCollin McHugh delivered7+2⁄3 innings with seven hits allowed and six strikeouts as the Astros defeated theMinnesota Twins, 8–0. Conger's slam was his tenth home run of the season, giving the Astros with ten players with at least as many. This broke the franchise record of 9 set in2000, and was one short of the major league record set by the2004 Detroit Tigers.^[66]

On September 11, Altuve doubled offJered Weaver atAngel Stadium to procure his 800th career hit. Playing in his 647th career game, Altuve overtookCésar Cedeño for fastest in club history to the milestone, who did so in 707 games.^[67] Down to his final strike in the ninth and 3–0 deficit to the Angels on September 13,Preston Tucker hit a solo home run. Springer tripled just beyond a diving right fielderKole Calhoun and scored on Altuve's bloop single. Correa then reached as his ground ball stuck inside ofTaylor Featherston's glove, setting up pinch hitterJed Lowrie for a three-run home that also eluded Calhoun's reach and landed into the right-field seats. Lowrie's home run capped the Astros' five-run 9th inning rally off AL saves leaderHuston Street (3–3) for a 5–3 victory, evading a four-game losing streak while also battling the Angels for a wild-card berth.^[68]

The Astros, having led the AL West since July 28, lost to the Rangers in a walk-off on September 15, who overtook the Astros for sole possession of first place for the first time all season. The Astros lost in the eighth inning or later to Texas for the second consecutive night, and dropped their fifth straight overall to the Rangers, resulting in a road record of 29–44.^[69]

Keuchel tossed seven strong innings on September 27 to lead a 4–2 over Texas and improved to 19–8, including to 15–0 at home. He struck out 10, allowed two hits and one run. One strikeout set the club record for strikeouts for a left-hander when he fannedMike Napoli in the first inning and ended the game with 213.Mike Cuellar had 203 for Houston in1967.Chris Carter homered offRoss Ohlendorf to up the score 3–1. Pinch runnerCarlos Gómez stole second base and scored on a passed ball in the eighth to up Houston's advantage to 4–2.^[70]

With a 15–0 W–L record and 1.46 ERA at Minute Maid Park, Keuchel established the major league record for most wins at home while remaining undefeated there in one season. Prior to Keuchel, rotation matesDave Ferriss andTex Hughson jointly held the record while with the1946 Red Sox, each going 13–0 atFenway Park. Keuchel's ERA was also the lowest home ERA by an AL pitcher sinceNolan Ryan surrendered just a 1.07 figure for the1972 Angels.^[71]

Sitting three wins away in the final three games to guarantee a postseason berth, the Astros faced theSeattle Mariners on September 30. A day after being passed for the final wild card slot, the Astros regained control with a 7–6 win. Seattle was ahead 6–3 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Carter hit a game-tying three-run home run, his 24th.Colby Rasmus in an RBI blooper single over the drawn-in infield offDanny Farquhar (1–7) in the seventh for the go-ahead run.^[72]

On October 1,Evan Gattis delivered his 11th triple of the season. He was the first major leaguer to log at least 10 triples without a stolen base in one season sinceYankees infielderJerry Lumpe in 1962.^[73] The Astros' leader in this category in 2015, Gattis, in this third season, had hit 1 over his first two major league seasons.

On a record-setting night atChase Field on October 2, Correa hit his 22nd home run of the season to surpassLance Berkman's record of 21 for an Astros rookie, which he hit in 2000.^{[Note 7][74]} The Astros also set a team scoring record, running away to a 21–5 score. Correa total four runs scored, stole a base, and hit his first triple.George Springer, Rasmus, andLuis Valbuena all added home runs for Houston. Duffy's single in the eighth to score Springer and Villar drove home the record-setting run. Keuchel reached 20 wins, becoming the first Astro to reach the plateau sinceRoy Oswalt (20–12) in 2005.^[75] Leading a 6–2 win over theArizona Diamondbacks on October 4,Collin McHugh was the winning pitcher (19–7), just one behind Keuchel, who led the AL. They became the first Astros duo to win at least 19 apiece sinceMike Hampton (22–4) andJosé Lima (21–10) did so in1999.^[76]

Altuve doubled versus the Diamondbacks on the final day of the season to reach the 200-hit milestone, one season after setting the club record for hits (225), and becoming the first player in club history to record multiple 200-hit seasons.^[77] The Astros' regular season ended with a 5–3 loss to Arizona; however, they qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2005 with an 86–76 record, securing a trip to Yankee Stadium to face New York in theAL Wild Card Game.^[78]

Keuchel, who had never had pitched on three days' rest prior to the Wild Card Game, stifled the Yankees with three hits allowed over six innings to lead a 3–0 Astros win. This performance followed another 16 scoreless frames against during the regular season.Colby Rasmus (2nd inning) andCarlos Gómez (4th) both hit leadoff homers for Houston. In the seventh inning,Jonathan Villar pinch-ran forChris Carter,stole second base, and scored on a single byJose Altuve for the final run of the contest.Tony Sipp,Will Harris, andLuke Gregerson picked up one scoreless inning apiece, with Gregerson registering the save. The Astros advanced to the American League Division Series to meet the Kansas City Royals.^[80]

Game 1

In the top of the first inning, Houston took a 2–0 lead via RBI groundouts fromColby Rasmus andEvan Gattis. In the second inning,Jose Altuve's RBI single added to the Astros lead for a 3–0 score.Kendrys Morales homered off Astros starterCollin McHugh in the bottom half of the second for Kansas City's first run of the game.George Springer (5th inning) and Rasmus (8th) each homered while the offense struck out 14 times. Behind McHugh, the Astros took Game 1 of the ALDS, 5–2.^[81]

Game 2

The first two innings of Game 2 commenced in a similar fashion to Game 1 with the Astros taking a 3–0 lead and the Royals answering with a home run in the bottom of the second inning. Rasmus hit an RBI double in the first inning, and Springer added a run-run single in the second inning.Salvador Pérez answered with a home run in the bottom of the second to make the score 3–1. Rasmus hit another home run in the top of the third inning, and the Royals answered with a run whenAlex Ríos scored on a double play thatBen Zobrist hit into. In the bottom of the sixth,Josh Fields issued a game-tying, bases-loaded walk to Pérez. Fields struck out the next two batters to end the inning and limit the Royals' scoring. In the bottom of the seventh inning,Will Harris (0–1) relieved Fields, and was greeted with a triple byAlcides Escobar. Zobrist then singled Escobar home, accounted for the game-winning RBI and 5–4 victory for Kansas City.^[82]

Game 3

In Game 3,Chris Carter homered and Dallas Keuchel worked through seven challenging innings to lead a 4–2 win for the Astros and take a 2–1 ALDS lead. Keuchel allowed one run on five hits while squelching multiple Royals scoring threats to remain undefeated at home for the season with a 1.45 ERA.Jason Castro hit a two-RBI single in the fifth while Carter was triple short of hitting for the cycle. In the top of the ninth,Luke Gregerson surrendered a leadoff home run toAlex Gordon before finishing off the save opportunity to secure the Astros' first playoff home win since 2005.^[83]

Houston Astros 2015 MLB draft selections

Rd.	Pick	Player	Pos.	School	Origin	Signed
1	2	Alex Bregman[Note 8]	SS	Louisiana State		Y
	5	Kyle Tucker	OF	H. B. Plant High School		Y
	37	Daz Cameron[Note 9]	OF	Eagle's Landing Christian Academy		Y
2	46	Thomas Eshelman	RHP	Cal State Fullerton		Y
3	79	Riley Ferrell	RHP	Texas Christian		Y
4	109	Anthony Hermelyn	C	Oklahoma		Y
5	139	Trent Thornton	RHP	North Carolina		Y
6	169	Nestor Muriel	CF	Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy		Y
7	199	Michael Freeman	LHP	Oklahoma State		Y
8	229	Garrett Stubbs	C	Southern California		Y
9	259	Zac Person	LHP	Louisiana State		Y
10	289	Scott Weathersby	RHP	Mississippi		Y
11	319	Patrick Sandoval	LHP	Mission Viejo High School		Y
12	349	Myles Straw	CF	St. Johns River State		Y
22	649	Cole Sands	RHP	North Florida Christian School		N[Note 10]
26	769	Ralph Garza Jr.	RHP	Oklahoma		Y
28	829	Zac Grotz	RHP	Embry–Riddle		Y
35	1039	Kody Clemens	SS	Texas—Austin		N[Note 11]
Ref.:[85]

Team rate stats leaders qualified at 243 PA.

Stats key:W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; Hld = Holds; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts; BF = Batters faced; WHIP = Walks plus hits per inning pitched. Team rate stats leaders qualified at 243 batted faced.