| 2001 Houston Astros | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National League Central champions | ||||
| League | National League | |||
| Division | Central | |||
| Ballpark | Enron Field | |||
| City | Houston,Texas | |||
| Record | 93–69 (.574) | |||
| Divisional place | 1st | |||
| Owners | Drayton McLane, Jr. | |||
| General managers | Gerry Hunsicker | |||
| Managers | Larry Dierker | |||
| Television | KNWS-TV FSN Southwest (Bill Brown,Jim Deshaies, Bill Worrell) | |||
| Radio | KTRH (Milo Hamilton,Alan Ashby) KXYZ (Francisco Ernesto Ruiz,Alex Treviño) | |||
| ||||
The2001Houston Astros season was the40th season for theMajor League Baseball (MLB) franchise located inHouston,Texas, their 37th as the Astros, 40th in theNational League (NL), eighth in theNL Central division, and second at Enron Field, later christened asMinute Maid Park. The Astros entered the season with a 72–90record, in fourth place and 23games behind the division-championSt. Louis Cardinals.
On April 3, pitcherScott Elarton made his onlyOpening Day start for the Astros, who hosted theMilwaukee Brewers and prevailed, 11–3. On May 4,Craig Biggio became the first player in franchise history to attain 2,000 careerhits. In theamateur draft, the Astros'first round selection was second basemanChris Burke, at 10th overall. On June 8, Houston played their firstinterleague game against their in-staterivals, theTexas Rangers, initiating the annual competition to win the Silver Boottrophy.
OutfieldersMoisés Alou (fourth selection) andLance Berkman (first), and pitcherBilly Wagner (second) each represented the Astros and played for the National League at theMLB All-Star Game.
On July 18 versusSt. Louis,Jeff Bagwell became the fourth player in Astros history tohit for the cycle, and fifth time overall. During the season, Bagwell also became first player in major league history to produce six consecutive seasons each with 30home runs, 100runs batted in (RBI), 100runs scored, and 100bases on balls (BB).
Three Astros producedhitting streaks of 18 games or more, including Alou (23), Berkman (21), and Biggio (18), while a fourth,Richard Hidalgo hit in 17 consecutive dating to the prior season.
In the regular season finale on October 7,Shane Reynolds led a 9–2 win over the Cardinals to become the seventh Astro to win 100 games. The win tied Houston with St. Louis with identical 93–69 win–loss records for best in the National League; however, the Astros retained thetiebreaker by virtue of claiming the season series, 9–7. Hence, the Cardinals were situated as the NLWild Card winners.
For the fourth time in five seasons, the Astros claimed the NL Central title, their seventh division title and seventhplayoff appearance in franchise history. For the third time in five seasons, the Astros faced theAtlanta Braves in aNational League Division Series (NLDS). The Braves defeated them for the third time in a three-game sweep. Days later, managerLarry Dierker resigned. The Astros, forestalled in all their attempts to win a playoff series, would not do so until2004.
Following the season, catcherBrad Ausmus won his first careerGold Glove Award. StarterRoy Oswalt was chosen asThe Sporting News NL Rookie Pitcher of the Year,[a] and to theTopps All-Star Rookie Team. Also, the Houston Astros were also recognized as Organization of the Year by theBaseball America and other outlets.
During a Houston Baseball Dinner on February 8,Craig F. Cullinan Jr., one of the key organizers along withR. E. "Bob" Smith, JudgeRoy Hofheinz and George Kirksey to expand Major League Baseball into Houston, was honored at a Houston Baseball Writers dinner with a lifetime achievement award. Cullinan later served as the Colt .45s firstteam president in1962.[1]
| 4 | Julio Lugo | SS |
| 7 | Craig Biggio | 2B |
| 5 | Jeff Bagwell | 1B |
| 17 | Lance Berkman | LF |
| 15 | Richard Hidalgo | CF |
| 31 | Daryle Ward | RF |
| 11 | Brad Ausmus | C |
| 6 | Chris Truby | 3B |
| 50 | Scott Elarton | P |
| Venue: | Enron Field • HOU 11, | MIL 3 |
OnOpening Day,Craig Biggio achieved his first career five-hit game.[b][6][7]
By slugging a home run in each of the first three games of the season,Chris Truby established a franchise record.[c][8] Also,Richard Hidalgo who had concluded the previous season with an activehitting streak which commenced on September 15, collected hits in the first three games of the season to extend to 17 up to April 5.[9]
After a back-and-forth skirmish on May 2 with theNew York Mets, the Astros finally came back to finish off the contest in 11 innings. Successive home runs fromLance Berkman andMoisés Alou got the Astros to a 6–5 win.Craig Biggio andDaryle Ward also homered for the Astros.[10]
With aninfield single on May 4, Biggio realized his 2,000th career hit, doing so atOlympic Stadium. He became the first Astros to attain the entirety of his 2,000 hits with the franchise, as well as the first player to attain this career milestone with the club.[11]
On May 6, right-handerRoy Oswalt made his major league debut at Olympic Stadium, as a relief appearance to close out a 13–7 Astons win over theMontreal Expos.Jeff Bagwell was 4-for-5 with ahome run and 5runs batted in (RBI),Richard Hidalgo andMoisés Alou homered, andLance Berkman went 3-for-4 with atriple and astolen base.Scott Elarton earned the win for Houston in spite of allowing nine hits and six runs over five innings.Mike Jackson andOctavio Dotel followed Elarton with three scoreless innings. Oswalt pitched the ninth and gotVladimir Guerrero for the first strikeout of his career. Next,José Vidro hit a line drive for a single, and former AstroGeoff Blum, who was 4-for-5, doubled to deep left center to score Vidrio. Finally, Oswalt retiredMilton Bradley on a ground ball to Bagwell to limit the damage to one run surrendered that day and close out the game.[12]
By connecting for a triple on May 7 against theChicago Cubs, Bagwell achieved the 700thextra base hit of his career.[13]
Biggio initiated a hitting streak on May 29 that lasted until June 18, during which he hit .338. The streak spanned a career-best 18 games. Due to the timing and those later produced by teammates Berkman andMoisés Alou, at least one of the three remained within a current streak until July 18,[9] a span of 45 games.[14]
While tossing six innings with three runs surrendered on May 30,Wade Miller also helped himself at the plate with a 3-for-3 performance to earn his seventh win and lead Houston to a 7–4 win over theSan Diego Padres. The win also ended an eight-gamelosing streak that had plunged the Astros below .500.[15]
Richard Hidalgo slugged thewalk-off home run and his fourth hit of the night on June 1, in the bottom of the ninth against theLos Angeles Dodgers for Houston's 10–9 win. Hidalgo’s effort was augmented byVinny Castilla, who collected three hits and a home run.[16]
On June 8, the first-everinterleague game between the Houston Astros and theTexas Rangers took place atThe Ballpark at Arlington, initiating the rivalry known as theLone Star Series. The Astros won the first game by a score of 5-4,[17] on a solohome run in the top of the 11th inning from Alou as the designated hitter.[18] The team that would win the most games between the two in a season would be awarded the Silver Boot. On June 10,Orlando Merced stroked apinch-hit, two-out, three-run home run in the top of the ninth to give the Astros the lead and eventual 6–5 win, which also decided into the Astros winning their first series against the Rangers.[19]
Starting June 17, Berkman put together a 21-game hitting streak that would end just after the All-Star break on July 12. He collected 41 hits for a rate of nearly two per game for a dividend batting average of .482. Combined with his uncanny patience and prodigious strength, Berkman'son-base percentage swelled to .541 while hisslugging percentage jumped to .941, slamming nine home runs, 10 doubles, and atriple. Moreover, four home runs landed in each of four consecutive contests from June 25–29, just one short of the then-club record amassed byCliff Johnson[9] from August 19–24,1975.[20]
As of June 17, the Astros toiled around the .500 mark with a 33–33 record; however, they went on to finish off the season at a 59-36 (.621) pace. The league later announced that Houston would be awarded the site of the2004 All-Star Game.[21]
Bagwell andLance Berkman had 4 RBI apiece on June 18 to lead a 13–5 win over theColorado Rockies, although the Rockies outhit the Astros, 14–12.[22]
The Astros launched five home runs on June 21 against theCincinnati Reds, but still lost in 11 innings, 8–7.Craig Biggio, Bagwell, Hidalgo and Berkman (twice) all connected for Houston. The Reds hit four home runs.[23] The following game, Alou commenced a 23-gamehitting streak and had 2 RBI, though Houston dropped a second-consecutiveextra innings contest to Cincinnati, 7–5.[24]
For the second time in his career, Bagwell amassed sevenruns batted in (RBI) in a game – the second time he tied the club record – against theKansas City Royals on July 7.[13] Over four successive games from July 8–13, Bagwell homered and totaled five home runs in that span.[25]
While hosting theSt. Louis Cardinals at Enron Field on July 18, Bagwellhit for the cycle. He went 4-for-5 with a BB and five RBI as the Astros won, 17–11.[26][27] In the second-highest scoring game in the stadium's history, he collected each of the four hits off a different pitcher, including two in the same inning: a single in the first offMike Matthews, double in the fifth offLuther Hackman, homer in the fifth offGene Stechschulte and a triple in the seventh offAndy Benes.[28] It was the Astros' first cycle sinceAndújar Cedeño at TheAstrodome on August 25,1992, and Biggio hit the next on April 8,2002.[29] With 11extra-base hits, the Astros tied the franchise record set the year prior in a game against theCubs.[30] The two clubs combined for 14 runs in the fifth inning: St. Louis scored six to erase a 6–2 deficit, and in the bottom of the inning, Houston tallied eight to take the lead for good. Meanwhile, Alou also homered among three hits to extend the 23rd consecutive and final game of his hitting streak,[24] tyingIchiro Suzuki for longest in the majors that year,[30] and tyingArt Howe (1981) andLuis Gonzalez (1997) for the-second longest in club history. TeammateTony Eusebio had hit in 24 consecutive the year prior to establish the club record at the time.[31]
With an opportunity to extend his hitting streak on the line on July 19, Alou fouled off three pitches during his final at bat in the ninth inning before drawing a walk to close out an 0-for-3 performance, falling one short of the club record. During the streak, Alou stroked 34 hits over 82 at-bats (.415 average). Also, he cranked six homers, six doubles, piling on a staggering 22 RBI, with a stout .707slugging percentage, and .489on-base percentage (OBP)l.[9]
Bagwell was named NLPlayer of the Month for July after batting .333 with nine HR, breaking his own club record with 36 RBI in a month, exceeding 34 RBI in August 2000.[13]
While hitting his 32nd HR on August 19, 2001, againstPittsburgh, Bagwell collected his 100th RBI. It was the sixth consecutive season he reached at least 30 HR and 100 RBI, making him the eighth player in MLB history to achieve such a streak, and the only Houston player to do so. Five days later, also against Pittsburgh, he scored his 100th run, joiningJimmie Foxx,Lou Gehrig, andBabe Ruth as the only players in MLB history with six consecutive seasons of 30 homers, 100 RBI and 100 runs scored. On September 30 at Chicago, Bagwell walked for his 100th of the season, thus making him the only player in MLB history register six consecutive seasons of at least 30 HR, 100 RBI, 100 runs scored, and 100 walks.[13]
Starting August 30 to September 18, Oswalt tossed 24consecutive scoreless innings before yielding a home run atPacific Bell Park toAndrés Galarraga of theSan Francisco Giants.[32]
Oswalt earned his first major leagueshutout on September 9, tossing it at home against theMilwuakee Brewers and striking out a career-high 12.[32]
On October 4,Barry Bonds hit his 70th home run of the season off Houston pitcherWilfredo Rodríguez to tieMark McGwire'ssingle season home run record.[33]
Having lost seven of their previous eight, on October 7, the Astros commenced the final day of the regular season just one win away from clinching their fourth NL Central division title in five years. Jeff Bagwell and Richard Hidalgo homered as Houston battered former teammate forDarryl Kile for 10 hits and 7 runs over6+2⁄3 innings. Meanwhile, Houston starterShane Reynolds stymied the Cardinals for just one run over7+1⁄3 innings as the Astros triumphed, 9–2. The win evened Houston and St. Louis with identical 93–69 records for best in the National League; however, the Astros became the division champions by winning the season series, 9–7, from St. Louis.[34] Reynolds, who picked up his 14th victory of the season, also won the 100th of his career to lead Houston's clinching of the title, and became the first Astro to achieve this milestone sinceMike Scott in1989.[35][36]
The Astros received recognition as Organization of the Year by each of SportsTicker,Topps,Baseball America, andBaseball Weekly.[21]
With a 21-game improvement from the year prior, this Astros team set the franchise record for largest year-to-year margin, surpassing the1997–1998 clubs, at 18 games.[35]
Houston claimed their fourth NL Central division title, of a possible seven since the inception of the division in1994.[d][37] This remained the most division titles won by any team in the NL Central until2005, whenSt. Louis claimed their fifth.[e][37]
Likewise, with managerLarry Dierker at the helm for each NL Central division title, he extended his club record. Later,A. J. Hinch matched Dierker for mostplayoff appearances as manager for the Astros, consisting of oneAmerican League (AL)Wild Card title (2015) and threeAL West division titles (2017,2018, and2019).[37]
Lance Berkman led the major leagues with 55 doubles, becoming the fifth Astro to headline the National League, and eighth instance overall. Prior to Berkman,Rusty Staub (1967),César Cedeño (twice,1971 and1972), fellow "Killer B's"Craig Biggio (thrice,1994,1998, and1999) andJeff Bagwell (1996).[38] Berkman's effort was second in club history to Biggio's 56 in 1999.[39]
Having won theGold Glove Award,Brad Ausmus was named for the first time in his career, as well as becoming Houston's first catcher to receive the award.[40]
Oswalt, who pitched 28 games including 20 starts in total as a first-year major leaguer, turned in a 2.73earned run average (ERA). With a stellar 14–3win–loss record, this set the franchise record for wins by a rookie pitcher.[41] Hence, Oswalt was recognized withThe Sporting NewsNL Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award, the third Astros rookie pitcher named accordingly,[a] succeedingTom Griffin in1969 andAl Osuna in1991,[42] and was the seventh Astros rookie overall.[f][43]
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 93 | 69 | .574 | — | 44–37 | 49–32 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 93 | 69 | .574 | — | 54–28 | 39–41 |
| Chicago Cubs | 88 | 74 | .543 | 5 | 48–33 | 40–41 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 68 | 94 | .420 | 25 | 36–45 | 32–49 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 66 | 96 | .407 | 27 | 27–54 | 39–42 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 62 | 100 | .383 | 31 | 38–43 | 24–57 |
Source:MLB Standings Grid – 2001 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | AZ | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MIL | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | AL |
| Arizona | — | 5–2 | 6–3 | 5–1 | 13–6 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 10–9 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 12–7 | 10–9 | 2–4 | 7–8 |
| Atlanta | 2–5 | — | 4–2 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 9–10 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 3–3 | 13–6 | 10–9 | 10–9 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 9–9 |
| Chicago | 3–6 | 2–4 | — | 13–4 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 8–9 | 4–2 | 8–9 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 10–6 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 9–8 | 9–6 |
| Cincinnati | 1–5 | 2–4 | 4–13 | — | 3–6 | 4–2 | 6–11 | 4–2 | 6–10 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 9–8 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 7–10 | 4–11 |
| Colorado | 6–13 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 6–3 | — | 4–2 | 2–4 | 8–11 | 5–1 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 9–10 | 9–10 | 6–3 | 2–10 |
| Florida | 2–4 | 10–9 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | — | 3–3 | 2–5 | 4–2 | 12–7 | 7–12 | 5–14 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 12–6 |
| Houston | 4–2 | 3–3 | 9–8 | 11–6 | 4–2 | 3–3 | — | 2–4 | 12–5 | 6–0 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 9–8 | 3–6 | 3–3 | 9–7 | 9–6 |
| Los Angeles | 9–10 | 5–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 11–8 | 5–2 | 4–2 | — | 5–1 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 7–2 | 9–10 | 11–8 | 3–3 | 6–9 |
| Milwaukee | 3–3 | 3–3 | 9–8 | 10–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 5–12 | 1–5 | — | 4–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 6–11 | 1–5 | 5–4 | 7–10 | 5–10 |
| Montreal | 3–3 | 6–13 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 7–12 | 0–6 | 4–2 | 2–4 | — | 8–11 | 9–10 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 2–4 | 8–10 |
| New York | 3–3 | 9–10 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 12–7 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 11–8 | — | 11–8 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 10–8 |
| Philadelphia | 4–3 | 9–10 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 14–5 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 10–9 | 8–11 | — | 5–1 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 7–11 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–4 | 1–5 | 6–10 | 8–9 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 8–9 | 2–7 | 11–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 1–5 | — | 2–4 | 1–5 | 3–14 | 8–7 |
| San Diego | 7–12 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 10–9 | 4–3 | 6–3 | 10–9 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 2–5 | 4–2 | — | 5–14 | 1–5 | 6–9 |
| San Francisco | 9–10 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 10–9 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 8–11 | 4–5 | 5–2 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 14–5 | — | 4–2 | 10–5 |
| St. Louis | 4–2 | 3–3 | 8–9 | 10–7 | 3–6 | 3–3 | 7–9 | 3–3 | 10–7 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 14–3 | 5–1 | 2–4 | — | 8–7 |
| 2001 Houston Astros | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers Infielders | Outfielders Other batters | Manager Coaches
| ||||||
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Brad Ausmus | 128 | 422 | 98 | .232 | 5 | 34 |
| 1B | Jeff Bagwell | 161 | 600 | 173 | .288 | 39 | 130 |
| 2B | Craig Biggio | 155 | 617 | 180 | .292 | 20 | 70 |
| SS | Julio Lugo | 140 | 513 | 135 | .263 | 10 | 37 |
| 3B | Vinny Castilla | 122 | 445 | 120 | .270 | 23 | 82 |
| LF | Lance Berkman | 156 | 577 | 191 | .331 | 34 | 126 |
| CF | Richard Hidalgo | 146 | 512 | 141 | .275 | 19 | 80 |
| RF | Moisés Alou | 136 | 513 | 170 | .331 | 27 | 108 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Vizcaíno | 107 | 256 | 71 | .277 | 1 | 14 |
| Daryle Ward | 95 | 213 | 56 | .263 | 9 | 39 |
| Tony Eusebio | 59 | 154 | 39 | .253 | 5 | 14 |
| Orlando Merced | 94 | 137 | 36 | .263 | 6 | 29 |
| Chris Truby | 48 | 136 | 28 | .206 | 8 | 23 |
| Charlie Hayes | 31 | 50 | 10 | .200 | 0 | 4 |
| Glen Barker | 70 | 24 | 2 | .083 | 0 | 1 |
| Scott Servais | 11 | 16 | 6 | .375 | 0 | 0 |
| Mendy López | 10 | 15 | 4 | .267 | 1 | 3 |
| Bill Spiers | 4 | 3 | 1 | .333 | 0 | 0 |
| Adam Everett | 9 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Keith Ginter | 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wade Miller | 32 | 212.0 | 16 | 8 | 3.40 | 183 |
| Shane Reynolds | 28 | 182.2 | 14 | 11 | 4.34 | 102 |
| Roy Oswalt | 28 | 141.2 | 14 | 3 | 2.73 | 144 |
| Scott Elarton | 20 | 109.2 | 4 | 8 | 7.14 | 76 |
| Pedro Astacio | 4 | 28.2 | 2 | 1 | 3.14 | 19 |
| Tony McKnight | 3 | 18.0 | 1 | 0 | 4.00 | 10 |
| Carlos Hernández | 3 | 17.2 | 1 | 0 | 1.02 | 17 |
| Brian Powell | 1 | 3.0 | 0 | 1 | 18.00 | 3 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Mlicki | 19 | 86.2 | 7 | 3 | 5.09 | 49 |
| Ron Villone | 31 | 68.0 | 5 | 7 | 5.56 | 65 |
| Tim Redding | 13 | 55.2 | 3 | 1 | 5.50 | 55 |
| José Lima | 14 | 53.0 | 1 | 2 | 7.30 | 41 |
| Kent Bottenfield | 13 | 52.0 | 2 | 5 | 6.40 | 39 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billy Wagner | 64 | 2 | 5 | 39 | 2.73 | 79 |
| Mike Jackson | 67 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4.70 | 46 |
| Nelson Cruz | 66 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4.15 | 75 |
| Octavio Dotel | 61 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2.66 | 145 |
| Jay Powell | 35 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3.72 | 28 |
| Mike Williams | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4.03 | 16 |
| Wayne Franklin | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.75 | 9 |
| Scott Linebrink | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.61 | 9 |
| Joe Slusarski | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9.00 | 6 |
| Ricky Stone | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.35 | 4 |
| Jim Mann | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.38 | 5 |
| Wilfredo Rodríguez | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15.00 | 3 |
Atlanta wins the series, 3-0
| Game | Home | Score | Visitor | Score | Date | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | 4 | Atlanta | 7 | October 9 | 1-0 (ATL) |
| 2 | Houston | 0 | Atlanta | 1 | October 10 | 2-0 (ATL) |
| 3 | Atlanta | 6 | Houston | 2 | October 12 | 3-0 (ATL) |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Lexington; LEAGUE CO-CHAMPIONS: New Orleans