| 2021 Houston Astros | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American League champions American League West champions | ||||
 | ||||
| League | American League | |||
| Division | West | |||
| Ballpark | Minute Maid Park | |||
| City | Houston,Texas | |||
| Record | 95–67 (.586) | |||
| Divisional place | 1st | |||
| Owners | Jim Crane | |||
| General managers | James Click | |||
| Managers | Dusty Baker | |||
| Television | AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Todd Kalas,Geoff Blum) | |||
| Radio | KTRH 740 Weekday Night GamesSportstalk 790 Houston Astros Radio Network (Robert Ford,Steve Sparks,Geoff Blum) KLAT (Spanish) (Francisco Romero,Alex Treviño) | |||
| Stats | ESPN.com Baseball Reference | |||
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The2021Houston Astros season was the60th season for theMajor League Baseball (MLB) franchise located inHouston,Texas, their 57th as the Astros, ninth in both theAmerican League (AL) andAL West division, and 22nd atMinute Maid Park. They entered the season as awild card qualifier through a second-place finish in the AL West for a fourth consecutivepostseason appearance. Having ultimately progressed to theAmerican League Championship Series (ALCS)—also their fifth consecutive—the Astros defeated theBoston Red Sox in six games to advance to the 2021 World Series, where they would be defeated by the Atlanta Braves in six games.
Four Astros players gained selection to the2021 All-Star Game: second basemanJose Altuve, shortstopCarlos Correa, outfielderMichael Brantley, and pitcherRyan Pressly. First basemanYuli Gurriel won the ALbatting title, his first, with a .319batting average, becoming the second Cuban-born player and second Astro after Altuve to do so. Correa led ALposition players with 7.2Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
The Astros concluded the regular season with a 95–67 record, while clinching an AL West title for the fourth time in the last five seasons. It was also the 11th division title in franchise history, sixthplayoff berth over the previous seven years, and 15th playoff appearance overall. By winning the AL West,Dusty Baker became the firstmanager in major league history to guide five different clubs to a division title, giving him eight division titles overall.
In the playoffs, the Astros defeated theChicago White Sox in theAmerican League Division Series (ALDS) in four games to advance to their fifth straightALCS. They faced theBoston Red Sox in a rematch of the2018 ALCS. The Astros won the ALCS in six games for the fourth pennant in franchise history and third as anAL team. They advanced to theWorld Series for the third time in five years, but lost to theAtlanta Braves in six games.
Following the season, designated hitterYordan Alvarez (second selection) and right fielderKyle Tucker (first) were both selected for 2021'sAll-MLB Second Team. Gurriel and Correa each won their firstGold Glove Awards, while the Astros were named the ALGold Glove Team. Correa also won thePlatinum Glove andFielding Bible Awards both for the first time.
An American League (and franchise) record five Astros were named Gold Glove finalists, along with another five as finalists for theSilver Slugger Award. Baker and pitcherLuis García were named finalists for theAL Manager of the Year andAL Rookie of the Year awards, respectively. Baker finished third in voting, and García finished second. This marked the third consecutive season that an Astros player was named a finalist for theAL Rookie of the Year Award, followingYordan Alvarez, who won it unanimously in2019, and Cristian Javier, who finished in third in2020..
The Astros entered the2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) season as having been defeated by theTampa Bay Rays in seven games in theAmerican League Championship Series (ALCS) and runner-up for the 2020AL pennant. The Astros played to a 3–0 deficit to begin the ALCS, won the next three, and were defeated 4–2 in Game 7. The Rays thus avoided joining the2004 New York Yankees as the only MLB clubs to lose a League Championship Series after mounting a 3–0 lead.[1]
Acestarting pitcherJustin Verlander missed the entire 2021 season recuperating fromulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery, also known as Tommy John surgery, which was performed on October 1, 2020. He was in the final year of his contract.[2] On February 27, 2021, the Astros placed the right-hander on the 60-dayinjured list as he continued to recover from the surgery.[3]
Pitchers that elected for free agency includedJoe Biagini,Chase De Jong,Roberto Osuna,Brad Peacock,Chris Devenski, andDustin Garneau
Players that were traded or claimed in the offseason by a different team includedBrandon Bailey,Humberto Castellanos,Cionel Pérez,Carlos Sanabria,Cy Sneed, andJack Mayfield.
| No.[12] | Player | Pos. | Times[13] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | |||
| 27 | Jose Altuve | 2B | 10 |
| 23 | Michael Brantley | LF | 3 |
| 2 | Alex Bregman | 3B | 6 |
| 30 | Kyle Tucker | RF | 1 |
| 1 | Carlos Correa | SS | 5 |
| 44 | Yordan Alvarez | DH | 1 |
| 10 | Yuli Gurriel | 1B | 4 |
| 3 | Myles Straw | CF | 1 |
| 15 | Martín Maldonado | C | 2 |
| Starting pitcher | |||
| 21 | Zack Greinke | SP | 1 |
On April 1,starting pitcherZack Greinke earned his first careerOpening Day win, and 209th win overall, as the Astros defeated theOakland Athletics, 8–1, at theOakland Coliseum. He pitched six scoreless innings, the 65th time his career he has produced at least six scoreless innings.Yordan Alvarez, returning from dual knee surgery that cost him nearly all of the 2020 season,drove in three runners, andMichael Brantley andAlex Bregman hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning.[14] OutfielderChas McCormick made his MLB debut[15] as a defensive replacement for Brantley.[11] It was the Astros' ninth consecutive Opening Day win, a club record, and equalled the modern era (since 1900) major league record for the longest streak, with the Seattle Mariners (2007–15), Cincinnati Reds (1983–91), New York Mets (1975–83) and St. Louis Browns (1937–45).[14]
Ryan Pressly first became Houston's full-timecloser in 2021.[16]
Brantley batted .345 in April and .410 in June, remaining at or near the top of the AL batting leaders for much of the season.[17]
ManagerDusty Baker earned his1,900th career win in the major leagues on April 22 by an 8–2 score versus theLos Angeles Angels.[18] In that game,Cristian Javier became the first Astros pitcher to record the first eight outs of a game by strikeout sinceJim Deshaies on September 23,1986, versus theLos Angeles Dodgers.[19] Over five innings, Javier set a new personal high with nine strikeouts and one walk and no earned runs.[18]
In their first rematch since the2020 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the Astros defeated theTampa Bay Rays, 9–2, on April 30.Lance McCullers Jr. hurled seven shutout innings, striking out nine. Brantley andCarlos Correa both had four hits and Bregman hit a two-run home run. Four RBI came viaAledmys Díaz' two hits. Brantley, Bregman, Alvarez and Correa produced consecutive hits in the third inning, leading to three of the runs. With this win, Baker reached 1,906 to passCasey Stengel for 12th all-time.[20]
OutfielderKyle Tucker recorded a breakout season in 2021: from May 1 through the end of the season, he batted .320 and led the AL in on-base percentage, slugging and OPS.[21]
During the May 7 game versus theToronto Blue Jays,designated hitterYordan Alvarez drove in the 100th run of his career, doing so in 114 game as part of a 10–4 victory. He was the seventh-fastest player to reach 100 RBI in league history and the fastest to do so since the expansion era started in 1961. The next game, he homered and drove in three more in an 8–4 loss to the Blue Jays for 103 RBI in 115 games.[22]
In the May 25 contest versus theLos Angeles Dodgers, Greinke became the 135th pitcher in major league history to reach 3,000 career innings.Jose Altuve was hitless in four at bats to end a 17-gamehitting streak, the longest in the major leagues to that point in the season.[23]
On June 4,Zack Greinke threw his firstcomplete game since April 19, 2017, and first as a member of the Astros. He allowed six hits with one run and one walk and three strikeouts in a 13–1 win over theToronto Blue Jays atSahlen Field inBuffalo, New York.Martín Maldonado hit agrand slam, andCarlos Correa homered twice to lead the Astros' 16-hit attack.[24]
In the June 6 contest versus the Blue Jays, infielderAledmys Díaz suffered a fracture in his left hand on ahit by pitch delivered fromRoss Stripling. Díaz was expected to miss six to eight weeks.[25]
Down to the Astros' final strike in the ninth inning on June 15,Carlos Correa belted a solo home run to take the contest against theTexas Rangers intoextra innings. The Rangers took another lead in the tenth inning, 3–2. In the bottom of tenth,Jose Altuve belted awalk-off grand slam for a 6–2 Astros' win.[26]
The following day, June 16, Altuve connected for a lead-off home run against Texas; Altuve became the first player in major league history to record a walk-off grand slam and then a lead-off home run in the following game. The Astros won that game, 8–4, to sweep their in-state rivals and realize their 12th win in their past 16th games.[27]Third basemanAlex Bregman injured his leftquadriceps in the first inning of the June 16 game as he attempted to avoid hitting into a double play.CatcherGarrett Stubbs was recalled from Triple-ASugar Land to take his place on the 25-man roster.[28]
Altuve hit his 150th career home run on June 23, served up byThomas Eshelman of theBaltimore Orioles.[29]
The following Astros players were selected as reserves to play at the91st All-Star Game, hosted by theColorado Rockies atCoors Field on July 13, 2021:[30]
With the four total selections, the Astros tied for second-most selections for 2021.[30]
A lingering knee injury dampened Brantley's second-half performance. As of late July, he maintained a batting average of .336.[17]
In an attempt to revamp their bullpen by adding higher-velocity pitchers, the Astros acquiredYimi García from theMiami Marlins on July 28. Up until that trade, García saved 15 games with a 3.47 ERA over 39 total relief appearances in 2021. He struck out 35 in36+1⁄3 innings. The Astros sent outfielderBryan De La Cruz and pitcherAustin Pruitt in return.[31]
On July 30, the Astros tradedMyles Straw to theCleveland Indians for relieverPhil Maton and minor league catcherYainer Díaz. Trading Straw allowed for the Astros to give rookie outfieldersChas McCormick andJake Meyers more opportunities to play.[32] On July 31, the club selected Meyers' contract from Sugar Land and promoted him to the major league roster.[33]
Jake Meyers made his Major League debut on August 1 as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of a 5–3 loss to theSan Francisco Giants.[34]
Jake Meyers hit his first career home run on August 14 versus pitcherJaime Barría of theLos Angeles Angels, and added agrand slam later in the same game as the Astros won, 8–2.[35]
Third basemanAlex Bregman returned from left quadriceps strain on August 25 after missing over two months. He scoring the winning run versus theKansas City Royals on the day of his return, capping a 6–5, 10-inning score.[36]
José Siri made his major league debut on September 3 as a pinch runner in the ninth inning versus theSan Diego Padres.Jake Meyers promptly hit a single that scored Siri from second base to give Siri his first run as a major leaguer.
Siri made his first start in the majors on September 13, playing left field and facing theTexas Rangers. He went 4-for-5 with two home runs and five runs batted in to power a 15–1 rout atGlobe Life Field. He is the first player since the RBI statistic became official in 1920 to have that many RBI along with multiple home runs in their first major league start.[37]Yordan Alvarez added two home runs,[38] including his 30th of the season; at the age of 24, he is the second Astro to hit 30 home runs in a season at that age afterAlex Bregman, who hit 31 in2018.[39]
In the September 17 contest versus theArizona Diamondbacks,Jose Altuve homered offMadison Bumgarner at Minute Maid Park to collect his 849th career hit in the stadium. The hit tied him withLance Berkman for most by an Astro in the venue. He then passed Berkman the next night with a double.[40][41]
On September 21,Carlos Correa scored his 100th run on the season to become the first Astros shortstop to score 100 runs in a season.[42]
During the final road trip of the season, twenty-seven members of the team paid homage to veteran pitcherZack Greinke, known for his leisurely dress style. They wore fishing shirts, short shorts, andbucket hats.Lance McCullers Jr. also brought in a bag of groceries fromWhole Foods – as is Greinke's habit to fill his locker – as replenishment for their upcoming flight. Greinke, who is fromFlorida, wore a bright orangeTampa Bay Buccaneers hat, an oversized fishing shirt, and shorts.Martín Maldonado donned his own bright orange hat. With Greinke posing with his new cadre of imitators, the team posted photos of their amusement onInstagram. The team had chosen to honor the pitcher, in the final year of his contract, after a 7–6 win over theArizona Diamondbacks in which had allowed five runs over four innings, raising his ERA on the season to 4.11.[43]
On September 23, Alvarez drove in two runs on a home run in the first inning againstLos Angeles Angels to score his 100th RBI of the season. He was the second-youngest Astro to reach 100 RBI in one season, trailingCésar Cedeño, who did so at the age of 23 in1974.[44] It was a 9–5 win.Ryan Pressly completed a scoreless ninth in his 60th appearance of the season in this game, concluding the final condition for his contract for 2022 to fully vest. He would earn a guaranteed $10 million. Since being acquired by Houston at the2018 trade deadline, Pressly had produced a 2.19 ERA, 0.924 WHIP, and saved 42 games in160+1⁄3 innings. He had converted 25 of 27 save chances on the season.[16]
On September 28, the Astros won 4–3 against theTampa Bay Rays on consecutive walks with the bases loaded, which was the first time they had done so in team history and only the eighth time inMajor League Baseball history since 1931.[45] The Astros clinched the AL West on September 30 with a win over Tampa Bay at Minute Maid Park for their fourth division title in five seasons. It was Houston's tenth division title and 15thpostseason entrance. For the first time in franchise history, the Astros gained a postseason berth for the fifth consecutive season. With a combined record of 432–272 (.614) since 2017, Houston had attained the most wins in the major leagues in that span. Manager Dusty Baker secured his eighth division title while becoming the first manager to guide five different clubs to a division title.[a] It was Baker's 11th career postseason appearance.[46]
In the final game of the 2021 regular season,Yuli Gurriel hit a walk-off single to scoreJason Castro and defeat theOakland Athletics.[47] With that hit, hisbatting average stood at .319 to lead teammateMichael Brantley andVladimir Guerrero Jr. of theToronto Blue Jays (both hit .311) for the ALbatting championship. At age 37, Gurriel was the sixth-oldest player to win a batting title, the oldest to win their first batting title sinceBarry Bonds in2002, and the firstCuban-born player sinceTony Oliva in1971.[b][48] Brantley, continuing to produce through lingering knee pain, saw 39 at bats in September.[17] It was the sixth time in his career he had finished in the top 10 in the AL in batting.[50]
Over the final month of the season,right fielderKyle Tucker batted .346 with eight home runs, 20 runs scored, 19 RBI, .438 on-base percentage, and .692 slugging percentage for a 1.130 OPS. He was awardedAL Player of the Month for September, his first career monthly award.[51]
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 95 | 67 | .586 | — | 51–30 | 44–37 |
| Seattle Mariners | 90 | 72 | .556 | 5 | 46–35 | 44–37 |
| Oakland Athletics | 86 | 76 | .531 | 9 | 43–38 | 43–38 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 77 | 85 | .475 | 18 | 40–42 | 37–43 |
| Texas Rangers | 60 | 102 | .370 | 35 | 36–45 | 24–57 |
American League Wild Card[edit]
| Astros team leaders[edit]
†Minimum 3.1plate appearances per team games played | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | HOU | KC | LAA | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | — | 6–13 | 0–7 | 2–5 | 2–5 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 8–11 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 1–18 | 4–3 | 5–14 | 7–13 |
| Boston | 13–6 | — | 3–4 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 5–2 | 10–9 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 8–11 | 3–4 | 10–9 | 16–4 |
| Chicago | 7–0 | 4–3 | — | 10–9 | 12–7 | 2–5 | 9–10 | 2–5 | 13–6 | 1–5 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 14–6 |
| Cleveland | 5–2 | 2–4 | 9–10 | — | 12–7 | 1–6 | 14–5 | 5–1 | 8–11 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 1–6 | 4–2 | 2–5 | 9–11 |
| Detroit | 5–2 | 3–3 | 7–12 | 7–12 | — | 5–2 | 8–11 | 1–6 | 8–11 | 3–3 | 1–6 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 6–1 | 3–3 | 11–9 |
| Houston | 3–3 | 5–2 | 5–2 | 6–1 | 2–5 | — | 3–4 | 13–6 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 11–8 | 11–8 | 4–2 | 14–5 | 4–2 | 9–11 |
| Kansas City | 3–4 | 2–5 | 10–9 | 5–14 | 11–8 | 4–3 | — | 2–4 | 10–9 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 12–8 |
| Los Angeles | 4–2 | 3–3 | 5–2 | 1–5 | 6–1 | 6–13 | 4–2 | — | 5–2 | 4–3 | 4–15 | 8–11 | 1–6 | 11–8 | 4–3 | 11–9 |
| Minnesota | 4–2 | 2–5 | 6–13 | 11–8 | 11–8 | 4–3 | 9–10 | 2–5 | — | 1–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 3–4 | 10–10 |
| New York | 11–8 | 9–10 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 6–1 | — | 4–3 | 5–2 | 8–11 | 6–1 | 8–11 | 12–8 |
| Oakland | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 6–1 | 8–11 | 5–2 | 15–4 | 5–1 | 3–4 | — | 4–15 | 4–3 | 10–9 | 2–5 | 11–9 |
| Seattle | 4–3 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 1–5 | 8–11 | 3–4 | 11–8 | 4–2 | 2–5 | 15–4 | — | 6–1 | 13–6 | 4–2 | 9–11 |
| Tampa Bay | 18–1 | 11–8 | 3–3 | 6–1 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 6–1 | 3–3 | 11–8 | 3–4 | 1–6 | — | 3–4 | 11–8 | 15–5 |
| Texas | 3–4 | 4–3 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 1–6 | 5–14 | 4–2 | 8–11 | 3–4 | 1–6 | 9–10 | 6–13 | 4–3 | — | 2–4 | 7–13 |
| Toronto | 14–5 | 9–10 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 11–8 | 5–2 | 2–4 | 8–11 | 4–2 | — | 14–6 |
Updated with the results of all games through October 3, 2021.
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| Bold | Astros team member |
| 2021 Game Log: 95–67 (Home: 51–30; Away: 44–37) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April: 14–12 (Home: 7–7; Away: 7–5)
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May: 15–12 (Home: 11–5; Away: 4–7)
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June: 19–9 (Home: 8–4; Away: 11–5)
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July: 16–8 (Home: 8–4; Away: 8–4)
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August: 14–13 (Home: 7–5; Away: 7–8)
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September: 15–12 (Home: 8–4; Away: 7–8)
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| 2021 Postseason Game Log: 9–7 (Home: 5–3; Away: 4–4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ALDS |
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American League Division Series (ALDS) vs. Chicago White Sox[edit]Main article:2021 American League Division Series The Astros played theChicago White Sox in the ALDS. The managers of the two clubs—Dusty Baker of the Astros andTony La Russa of the White Sox—had faced each other over 200 times previously as managers of other major league clubs. This series capped a historic rivalry in two intertwining professional baseball careers of which both spanned more than 50 years.[52]
The Astros startedLance McCullers Jr., while the White Sox startedLance Lynn. The Astros got the scoring started with a line drive single off the bat of rookie center fielderJake Meyers. The Astros tacked on two more runs in the third on aAlex Bregman fielders choice and aYordan Alvarez double that made it 3–0 Astros.Michael Brantley added on to the lead with a two run single to make it 5–0. Alvarez added a solo homer to cap the scoring for Houston as McCullers would pitch6+2⁄3 innings of scoreless ball. The White Sox would get on the board in the 8th inning on aJosé Abreu single that made it 6–1 before Astros closerRyan Pressly shut the door in the 9th inning to seal the Game 1 victory for the Astros.
The Astros startedFramber Valdez, while the White Sox startedLucas Giolito. The White Sox got the scoring started with a fielder's choice RBI fromEloy Jiménez. The Astros took the lead in the bottom of the 2nd with an RBI single fromKyle Tucker and aChas McCormick sacrifice fly made it 2–1 Astros. The White Sox would storm back in the 5th, on RBI singles fromLuis Robert & José Abreu and a sac fly fromYasmani Grandal. The Astros would tie it in the bottom half of the 5th from a 2 run single from AL batting championYuli Gurriel. The Astros would blow it open in the 7th off relieversAaron Bummer andCraig Kimbrel, with Yordan Alvarez driving in Jose Altuve,Carlos Correa driving in both Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez before Tucker hit a 2 run home run to left to cap off the scoring. Astros relievers Ryan Pressly andKendall Graveman each worked scoreless innings to seal the Game 2 win and give the Astros a 2–0 lead heading toGuaranteed Rate Field for Game 3.
The Astros startedLuis García, while the White Sox startedDylan Cease. The White Sox once again got on the board first with an Eloy Jiménez RBI single. The Astros would strike back in the 2nd on a Kyle Tucker RBI double and a Jake Meyers RBI single. Tucker hit his 2nd homer of the series to make it 5–1 in the 3rd. The White Sox would answer with 5 runs in the bottom of the third. Yasmani Grandal hit a 2 run homer andLeury García hit a go ahead three run home run. The Astros would tie in the top of the 4th on an Alex Bregman RBI single. The White Sox would put up 3 in the bottom of the 4th on RBI singles from José Abreu, Eloy Jiménez along with a fielder's choice RBI off the bat of Grandal to make it 9–6 Chicago.Andrew Vaughn would come off the bench and double inYoan Moncada, García would double in Vaughn and Anderson would single in Garcia to make it 12–6. That would be the end of scoring and White Sox closer Liam Hendriks would shut the door to send the series to a Game 4.
The Astros started Game 1 starter Lance McCullers Jr., while the White Sox startedCarlos Rodón. The game was postponed on October 11 and was moved to October 12th. The White Sox again got the scoring started with a solo homer from rookieGavin Sheets. Center fielderJake Meyers sustained an injury to his left shoulder while attempting to catch Sheets' home run ball on the fly. He exited the game and was replaced byChas McCormick.[53] The Astros took the lead in the 3rd on an RBI double from Carlos Correa. The Astros scored three more runs in the fourth on an RBI single fromMartín Maldonado and an RBI double from Alex Bregman. Another run scored for Houston as Michael Brantley drove in McCormick, and they tacked on another run on an RBI single from Brantley that scored Jose Altuve. Altuve broke the game open with a three-run homer off White Sox closer Liam Hendriks. Astros closer Ryan Pressly would allow a single to Eloy Jiménez but shut the door afterwards to send Houston to their fifth straight ALCS.[54] |
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American League Championship Series vs. Boston Red Sox[edit]Main article:2021 American League Championship Series This was Houston's fifth straight ALCS appearance. The Astros faced theBoston Red Sox in a rematch of the2018 ALCS, which the Astros lost in five games. With home field advantage in the series, the Astros started game 1 at home, where Altuve and Correa played their 65th career postseason game together. It was the most for a second baseman/shortstop duo in MLB history (this was also in addition to Altuve-Bregman-Correa-Gurriel being the most experienced playoff quartet with 61 games).[55] The Astros won the ALCS in game six, advancing to their third World Series appearance in five years.
The Astros startedFramber Valdez, while the Red Sox startedChris Sale. The Astros got on the board first with a sacrifice fly from Yordan Alvarez. The Red Sox would respond with a game tying home run fromKiké Hernández, a fielders choice RBI fromJ. D. Martinez and a RBI double fromHunter Renfroe before knocking Valdez out of the game after2+2⁄3. Sale would last only2+2⁄3 as well before being pulled. The Astros would tie it on Altuve's 20th career postseason home run, tying him with Hall of Famer and Yankees former captainDerek Jeter. The Astros would retake the lead on a solo homer from Carlos Correa before adding another run on a sac fly in the 8th. Hernández hit another homer off Astros closer Ryan Pressly before Pressly shut the door to seal the 5–4 Game 1 win for Houston.
The Astros startedLuis García, while the Red Sox startedNathan Eovaldi. The Red Sox got things started with a grand slam from DH J.D. Martinez. The Red Sox would add another slam in the 2nd to make it 8–0 as Luis García left the game with a right knee injury. Kiké Hernández would add another run on a home run offJake Odorizzi. The Astros would add three runs in the 4th off starter Nathan Eovaldi with an RBI double from Kyle Tucker and an RBI single from Yuli Gurriel. The Astros would tack on two more runs with homers from Gurriel andJason Castro before the Red Sox sealed the win, 9–5.
On the mound, the Astros started right-handerJosé Urquidy, while the Red Sox started left-handerEduardo Rodríguez. The Astros' startinginfield consisted ofYuli Gurriel,Jose Altuve,Alex Bregman, andCarlos Correa, who established an MLB postseason record with four teammates starting their 64th postseason game together.[c][57] The Red Sox scored first with RBIs fromChristian Vázquez andChristian Arroyo beforeKyle Schwarber hit Boston's third grand slam to break it open at 6–0, knocking Urquidy out of the game. Vázquez would add another run on an RBI single before Arroyo hit a 2-run homer to make it 9–0 after 3 innings. The Astros got on the board on a 3-run homer from Kyle Tucker. The Red Sox would add three more runs on a 2-run homer from J.D. Martinez and a solo homer from Rafael Devers beforeHirokazu Sawamura shut the door to seal the 12–3 win for the Red Sox.
The Astros startedZack Greinke, while the Red Sox countered withNick Pivetta. The Astros got on the board first with a solo homer from Alex Bregman in the top of the 1st. The Red Sox responded immediately with a 2-run homer fromXander Bogaerts in the bottom of the 1st. No other scoring occurred until the top of the eighth inning, when Jose Altuve tied the game with a leadoff homer. The Astros batted a total of 12 times in the ninth inning, with Correa leading the frame off with a double. On the hill for Boston to attempt to hold the contest at a 2–2 tie was Eovaldi, typically their number-one starting pitcher. Eovaldi struck out Kyle Tucker, then intentionally walked Yuli Gurriel, which brought Chas McCormick's spot to bat. Baker opted to pinch hit for McCormick with Aledmys Díaz, whom Eovaldi also struck out. Jason Castro next batted for Maldonado, and with a 1–2 count,umpireLaz Díaz called a slow curveball on that appeared to find the outside corner for a ball. After a foul ball, Castro singled on split-finger fastball to score Correa, putting the Astros back on top, 3–2. Next, Altuve worked a full-count walk to load the bases, leading Cora to remove Eovaldi forMartín Pérez. Michael Brantley greeted Pérez' first pitch–a fastball–with a double to clear the bases and increase the score to 6–2. Yordan Alvarez singled in Brantley to make it 7–2 and Correa and Tucker both followed with RBI singles to make it 9–2. The seven runs scored tied the postseason record for runs scored in a ninth inning. Astros closer Ryan Pressly allowed two singles in the 9th inning but allowed neither baserunner to score, securing the Game 4 win for the Astros and knot up the ALCS at 2 games apiece.[58]
The ALCS Game 5 featured a rematch of Game 1 starters: Framber Valdez for the Astros, and Chris Sale for the Red Sox. Houston scored first with an solo home run from Yordan Alvarez over theGreen Monster. Valdez did not allow a Boston baserunner until the fifth inning. The Astros scored five runs in the top of the sixth, chasing Sale with one out. Alvarez doubled home two more runs to make it 3–0, then Yuli Gurriel doubled home Alvarez; rookie outfielderJosé Siri singled home Kyle Tucker and Gurriel to cap a five-run 6th inning. Both Alvarez and Gurriel collected three hits and three RBI;[59] all of Alvarez' hits landed to the opposite field. This marked the first occasion in Alvarez' career in which he had produced at least three opposite-field hits; meanwhile Sale had allowed four total hits in 2021 to left-handed batters in42+2⁄3 IP.[60] Michael Brantley hit an RBI single in the seventh to up the score to 7–0. Rafael Devers got Boston on the board with a solo home run versus Valdez in the bottom of the 7th. Gurriel drove in two more in the 9th to make it 9–1. Valdez went eight innings and got the win, limiting Boston to three total hits and one walk while striking out five; he is the seventh visiting pitcher to go at least eight innings while allowing a run or fewer at Fenway Park in the postseason and the first sinceCharles Nagy in1998.[59]Ryne Stanek shut the door in the 9th seal the Game 5 win and send the series back to Houston with the Astros up 3 games to 2.[61][62]
The ALCS Game 6 featured a rematch of Game 2 starters Luis Garcia for the Astros and Nathan Eovaldi for the Red Sox. The Astros got on the board first with an RBI double deep to center field from Yordan Alvarez. Kiké Hernández appeared to be in position to catch Alvarez' batted ball, but the ball bounced off his arm just below the glove and dropped to the ground for the two-base hit. Garcia allowed no hits until the sixth inning, when Hernández tripled with two outs. Baker removed Garcia, who left to a standing ovation from the fans. His5+2⁄3 no-hit innings equaledBrandon Backe's club record for a postseason contest; Backe also started with5+2⁄3 no-hit innings in the2004 NLDS. The Astros got another run in the sixth on a double play that scored Alvarez from 3rd to make it 2–0 Houston. In the seventh, Boston encountered their best chance to score with runners at first and third and one out following Alex Verdugo's single.Kendall Graveman struck out pinch-hitterTravis Shaw; at that instant, Maldonado threw perfectly to Carlos Correa, covering second, to catch Verdugo attempting to steal for an inning-ending double play. Kyle Tucker added insurance runs in the eighth with a three-run home run off relieverAdam Ottavino. Ryan Pressly closed the game in the ninth to defeat the Red Sox, 5–0, capturing the Astros' third pennant in the last five seasons.[63] The ALCS win brought Baker his firstAL pennant. Thus, Baker became the ninth manager in major league history to win a pennant in both the American andNational Leagues, having first won in 2002.[64] |
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Origins of the Astros' pennant-winning roster[edit]Having reached the World Series for the third time in five seasons, just six players remained from the2017 World Series winner; of the six, two did not play in the 2021 ALCS:Lance McCullers Jr andMarwin González.[65]
World Series vs. Atlanta Braves[edit]Main article:2021 World Series This World Series appearance marked Houston's third World Series appearance in five years and fourth World Series appearance overall.
Game 1 of the World Series featured a matchup ofCharlie Morton, who pitched for the Astros in2017 and2018 before leaving in free agency, for the Braves againstFramber Valdez for the Astros. The Braves got the scoring started with a leadoff home run fromJorge Soler andAustin Riley doubled inOzzie Albies. Soler drove in his 2nd run of the game on a fielder's choice RBI.Adam Duvall would add a 2-run home run to make it 5–0 Atlanta. Morton would leave the game after2+1⁄3 after taking a comebacker to his ankle in the 2nd inning, which fractured his right fibula and ruled Morton out for the rest of the series. The Astros would get a run in the 4th after an error from shortstopDansby Swanson. The Braves would get another run in the 8th onFreddie Freeman sac fly. The Astros would tack on a run in the 8th as well on a RBI groundout from Carlos Correa. Braves closerWill Smith would walkAledmys Díaz before shutting the door to seal the Game 1 win for Atlanta, 6–2.
Game 2 featured a matchup ofMax Fried for the Braves andJosé Urquidy for the Astros. The Astros got on the board first with an Alex Bregman sac fly that scored Jose Altuve. The Braves would respond in the top of the 2nd with a solo homer from catcherTravis d'Arnaud. The Astros would tack on four runs in the bottom of the 2nd with RBI singles from rookie outfielder José Siri, catcher Martín Maldonado and veteran outfielder Michael Brantley. Freddie Freeman would drive in his 2nd RBI of the series with an RBI single that made it 5–2 Houston. The Astros would tack on a run in the 6th on an fielder's choice error. Altuve would add another run on his 22nd career postseason home run, tying him for 2nd place on the all time postseason home run leaderboard withBernie Williams. Kendall Graveman would shut the door in the 9th to tie the series at 1 game apiece heading to Atlanta for Game 3.
Game 3 featured a matchup of rookie right handerLuis García, while Atlanta went with right handerIan Anderson. The Braves held the Astros hitless for the first seven innings until Aledmys Díaz hit a single to right field in the eighth inning to end the Braves' no-hit bid. The Astros managed just one more hit as the Braves won, 2–0, to take a 2–1 Series lead.[67]
The Braves opted for a bullpen game in Game 4, starting the left-hander Dylan Lee. The Astros went with right-hander Zack Greinke. Houston scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning when Carlos Correa drove in Jose Altuve. Altuve would add to the lead with a solo home run off ofKyle Wright in the fourth, passing Bernie Williams for second all time on the postseason home runs list. The Braves would not get on the board until the sixth, when Austin Riley drove in Eddie Rosario against reliever Phil Maton. In the seventh inning, the Braves' Dansby Swanson stepped up and hit a game-tying solo home run off reliever Cristian Javier. Jorge Soler came off the bench and proceeded to follow up Dansby Swanson's homer with one of his own, this one giving Atlanta the lead. Tyler Matzek pitched a scoreless top of the eighth, aided by a great catch by Eddie Rosario robbing Jose Altuve of extra bases. Will Smith recorded his second save of the series, and the Braves moved win away from a World Series title.
The Astros started Framber Valdez, while the Braves went with another bullpen game, starting Tucker Davidson. The Braves started off strong with a first inning grand slam by Adam Duvall. The Astros got an RBI double from Alex Bregman and a sac fly by Martin Maldonado to make it 4–2. In the top of the third, an RBI double by Carlos Correa and a sacrifice groundout by Yuli Gurriel made it a tie game at 4-4. Freddie Freeman put the Braves back up with a 460-foot home run into right field. In the fifth, with two on base, Braves reliever A.J. Minter intentionally walked Alex Bregman. Maldonado came up and drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game. He was followed by pinch-hitter Marwin González, who drove in two more with a single. In the top of the 7th, Maldonado tacked on his third RBI of the night with a double that scored Kyle Tucker. In the eighth, the Astros got one more on an RBI double by Carlos Correa, his second of the night. Kendall Graveman pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth to secure the 9–5 victory for Houston and force Game 6.
The Astros started Luis García, while the Braves sent Max Fried to the mound. The Braves took a 3–0 lead in the top of the third inning on a single andwalk followed by a towering two-out home run byJorge Soler that leftMinute Maid Park over the raised train tracks in left field.[68] Garcia exited after Soler's home run, having pitched2+2⁄3 innings while striking out three batters. In the top of the fifth, a two-run home run byDansby Swanson followed by a walk then a two-out double byFreddie Freeman extended Atlanta's lead to 6–0. In the top of the seventh, Freeman hit a solo home run with two outs to make it 7–0.Tyler Matzek entered in relief in the bottom of the seventh; Fried allowed no runs on four hits while striking out six batters and walking none in six innings. AtlantacloserWill Smith was brought in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. He allowed a leadoff single toMichael Brantley and retired the next three batters, the last out being aYuli Gurriel infield grounder fielded by Swanson, who threw to Freeman, giving the Braves the title.[69] With this final inning,Will Smith finished off a postseason in which he closed 11 of 16 Braves games while allowing no runs.Jorge Soler won theWorld Series Most Valuable Player Award.[70] With the World Series victory,Joc Pederson became a back-to-back World Series winner on two different teams, joining names likeJack Morris,Ryan Theriot,Jake Peavy andBen Zobrist who previously accomplished that feat.[71] Pederson had become a fan-favorite throughout his three-month stay in Atlanta, particularly for his preference to wear pearls.[72] |
For recognition of their defensive prowess,Rawlings Sporting Goods announced that the Houston Astros were the winners of the 2021 American League (AL) Gold Glove Team Award, the second iteration of the team-wide award, and Houston's first. The Astros led the American League with +78Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), second in MLB to only theSt. Louis Cardinals with +86, the winners of theNational League Gold Glove Team Award. The Astros also led the AL with +45 outs above average (OAA), second in the major leagues to the Cardinals (+50). ShortstopCarlos Correa won his first career of both thePlatinum Glove andGold Glove Awards, marking the first time an Astros player has won a Platinum Glove. Correa led the AL with +21 DRS in 2021.[73]
Five Astros players were announced on October 25, 2021, as finalists for theSilver Slugger Award, includingJose Altuve,Yordan Alvarez, Correa,Yuli Gurriel, andKyle Tucker.[74] However, all of the five were claimed by players on other teams, includingVladimir Guerrero Jr. of Toronto at first base,Marcus Semien of Toronto at second base,Xander Bogaerts of Boston at shortstop,Teoscar Hernández,Aaron Judge andCedric Mullins in the outfield, andShohei Ohtani at designated hitter.[75]
Starting pitcher Luis García finished second toRandy Arozarena of Tampa Bay in the American LeagueRooke of the Year balloting, receiving two first-place votes[76]
Manager Dusty Baker was named as a finalist for ALManager of the Year Award.[77] He finished third, garnering two first-place votes, five for second place, and eight for third place.Kevin Cash of Tampa Bay was the winner.[78]
Note: Yellow background is team leader in specific category.
| Pos | Player | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | TB | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ | HBP | GIDP | SF | P/PA | SECA | RC | RC27 | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Martín Maldonado | 125 | 426 | 373 | 40 | 64 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 36 | 112 | 47 | 127 | 0 | 0 | .172 | .272 | .300 | .571 | 58 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 4.20 | .255 | 29.1 | 2.5 | −0.1 |
| 1B | Yuli Gurriel | 143 | 605 | 530 | 83 | 169 | 31 | 0 | 15 | 81 | 245 | 59 | 68 | 1 | 1 | .319 | .383 | .462 | .846 | 131 | 4 | 16 | 12 | 3.79 | .255 | 92.7 | 6.4 | 3.7 |
| 2B | Jose Altuve | 146 | 678 | 601 | 117 | 167 | 32 | 1 | 31 | 83 | 294 | 66 | 91 | 5 | 3 | .278 | .350 | .489 | .839 | 127 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 3.67 | .324 | 103.1 | 6.1 | 4.4 |
| SS | Carlos Correa | 148 | 640 | 555 | 104 | 155 | 34 | 1 | 26 | 92 | 269 | 75 | 116 | 0 | 0 | .279 | .366 | .485 | .850 | 131 | 4 | 16 | 6 | 4.08 | .341 | 96.7 | 6.2 | 7.2 |
| 3B | Alex Bregman | 91 | 400 | 348 | 54 | 94 | 17 | 0 | 12 | 55 | 147 | 44 | 53 | 1 | 0 | .270 | .355 | .422 | .777 | 113 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 3.98 | .282 | 51.6 | 5.1 | 2.1 |
| LF | Michael Brantley† | 121 | 508 | 469 | 68 | 146 | 29 | 3 | 8 | 47 | 205 | 33 | 53 | 1 | 0 | .311 | .362 | .437 | .799 | 119 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 3.68 | .198 | 72.2 | 5.8 | 2.5 |
| CF | Myles Straw | 98 | 370 | 325 | 44 | 85 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 34 | 106 | 38 | 71 | 17 | 5 | .262 | .339 | .326 | .665 | 85 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 4.09 | .218 | 39.1 | 4.1 | 1.4 |
| RF | Kyle Tucker† | 140 | 567 | 506 | 83 | 149 | 37 | 3 | 30 | 92 | 282 | 53 | 90 | 14 | 2 | .294 | .359 | .557 | .917 | 147 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 3.84 | .391 | 99.9 | 7.2 | 5.7 |
| DH | Yordan Alvarez† | 144 | 598 | 537 | 92 | 149 | 35 | 1 | 33 | 104 | 285 | 50 | 145 | 1 | 0 | .277 | .346 | .531 | .877 | 136 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 4.01 | .348 | 93.9 | 6.2 | 3.2 |
| OF | Chas McCormick | 108 | 330 | 284 | 47 | 73 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 50 | 127 | 25 | 104 | 4 | 2 | .257 | .319 | .447 | .766 | 107 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 4.01 | .285 | 40.9 | 4.9 | 2.3 |
| 3B | Aledmys Díaz | 84 | 319 | 294 | 28 | 76 | 19 | 0 | 8 | 45 | 119 | 16 | 62 | 0 | 1 | .259 | .317 | .405 | .721 | 97 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 3.57 | .197 | 36.1 | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| C | Jason Castro† | 66 | 179 | 149 | 22 | 35 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 21 | 66 | 25 | 54 | 0 | 0 | .235 | .356 | .443 | .799 | 118 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4.31 | .376 | 23.8 | 5.4 | 1.0 |
| CF | Jake Meyers | 49 | 163 | 146 | 22 | 38 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 28 | 64 | 10 | 50 | 3 | 0 | .260 | .323 | .438 | .761 | 107 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4.02 | .267 | 22.1 | 5.4 | 1.2 |
| 3B | Abraham Toro↔ | 35 | 122 | 109 | 17 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 20 | 42 | 9 | 21 | 3 | 1 | .211 | .287 | .385 | .672 | 83 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3.82 | .275 | 12.7 | 3.9 | 0.8 |
| IF | Robel García↔ | 46 | 117 | 106 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 22 | 8 | 42 | 0 | 0 | .151 | .216 | .208 | .423 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3.87 | .132 | 2.9 | 0.8 | −0.8 |
| UT | Taylor Jones | 35 | 108 | 102 | 11 | 25 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 41 | 4 | 29 | 0 | 0 | .245 | .269 | .402 | .670 | 81 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3.93 | .196 | 9.5 | 3.1 | 0.1 |
| OF | José Siri | 21 | 49 | 46 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 28 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 1 | .304 | .347 | .609 | .956 | 155 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4.06 | .370 | 9.6 | 7.8 | 0.3 |
| C | Garrett Stubbs† | 18 | 38 | 34 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .176 | .222 | .235 | .458 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | .116 | 1.6 | 1.4 | −0.2 |
| IF | Marwin González↔ | 14 | 36 | 34 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | .176 | .222 | .441 | .663 | 76 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4.03 | .294 | 2.4 | 2.1 | −0.5 |
| IF | Jacob Wilson | 6 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .154 | .214 | .385 | .599 | 60 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4.14 | .308 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| 2B | Alex De Goti | 2 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .429 | .333 | .762 | 115 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.57 | .167 | 1.0 | 6.7 | 0.1 |
| DH | Ronnie Dawson† | 3 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .333 | .200 | .533 | 53 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.33 | .200 | 0.1 | 0.5 | −0.1 |
| P | Luís García | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | −100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.33 | .000 | −0.6 | −2.7 | −0.1 |
| P | Lance McCullers Jr.† | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | −100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.25 | .000 | −0.4 | −2.9 | −0.1 |
| P | José Urquidy | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .250 | .250 | .500 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.75 | .000 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| P | Framber Valdez | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | −100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.50 | .000 | −0.4 | −2.8 | −0.1 |
| P | Zack Greinke | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | −100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 | .000 | −0.2 | −2.8 | 0.0 |
| P | Jake Odorizzi | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | −100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 | .000 | −0.1 | −2.7 | 0.0 |
| Pos | Player | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | TB | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ | HBP | GIDP | SF | P/PA | SECA | RC | RC27 | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position player totals | 6270 | 5572 | 863 | 1495 | 299 | 14 | 221 | 834 | 2485 | 569 | 1212 | 53 | 16 | .268 | .340 | .446 | .786 | 114 | 64 | 136 | 54 | |||||||
| Pitcher totals | 21 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | .048 | .048 | .048 | .095 | –74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Team totals | 162 | 6291 | 5593 | 863 | 1496 | 299 | 14 | 221 | 834 | 2486 | 569 | 1222 | 53 | 16 | .267 | .339 | .444 | .783 | 113 | 64 | 136 | 54 | 3.90 | .285 | 838.6 | 5.3 | ||
| Rank in 15 AL teams | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||
| Pos | Player | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | TB | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ | HBP | GIDP | SF | P/PA | SECA | RC | RC27 | WAR |
Note: Pos = Position; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts; HBP = Hit by pitch; WHIP = Walks + hits per inning pitched
| Player | Pos | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HBP | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zack Greinke | SP | 11 | 6 | 4.16 | 30 | 29 | 0 | 171.0 | 164 | 82 | 79 | 36 | 120 | 2 | 1.17 |
| Lance McCullers Jr. | SP | 13 | 5 | 3.16 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 162.1 | 122 | 59 | 57 | 76 | 185 | 10 | 1.22 |
| Luis García | SP | 11 | 8 | 3.48 | 30 | 28 | 0 | 155.1 | 133 | 62 | 60 | 50 | 167 | 3 | 1.18 |
| Framber Valdez | SP | 11 | 6 | 3.14 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 134.2 | 110 | 52 | 47 | 58 | 125 | 11 | 1.25 |
| José Urquidy | SP | 8 | 3 | 3.62 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 107.0 | 87 | 43 | 43 | 19 | 90 | 2 | 0.99 |
| Jake Odorizzi | SP | 6 | 7 | 4.21 | 24 | 23 | 0 | 104.2 | 97 | 51 | 49 | 34 | 91 | 3 | 1.25 |
| Cristian Javier | RP | 4 | 1 | 3.55 | 36 | 9 | 2 | 101.1 | 67 | 41 | 40 | 53 | 130 | 7 | 1.18 |
| Ryne Stanek | RP | 3 | 5 | 3.42 | 72 | 0 | 2 | 68.1 | 46 | 32 | 26 | 37 | 83 | 5 | 1.22 |
| Ryan Pressly | CL | 5 | 3 | 2.25 | 64 | 0 | 26 | 64.0 | 49 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 81 | 0 | 0.97 |
| Brooks Raley | RP | 2 | 3 | 4.78 | 58 | 0 | 2 | 49.0 | 43 | 30 | 26 | 16 | 65 | 3 | 1.20 |
| Blake Taylor | RP | 4 | 4 | 3.16 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 42.2 | 38 | 19 | 15 | 22 | 41 | 0 | 1.41 |
| Brandon Bielak | — | 3 | 4 | 4.50 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 50.0 | 48 | 29 | 25 | 21 | 46 | 3 | 1.38 |
| Bryan Abreu | — | 3 | 3 | 5.75 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 36.0 | 35 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 36 | 3 | 1.47 |
| Phil Maton | — | 4 | 0 | 4.97 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 25.1 | 29 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 24 | 3 | 1.62 |
| Kendall Graveman | — | 1 | 1 | 3.13 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 27 | 5 | 1.39 |
| Joe Smith | — | 1 | 1 | 7.48 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 21.2 | 35 | 18 | 18 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 1.80 |
| Yimi García | — | 1 | 2 | 5.48 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 21.1 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 1.08 |
| Andre Scrubb | — | 1 | 1 | 5.03 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 19.2 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 0 | 1.48 |
| Kent Emanuel | — | 1 | 0 | 2.55 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 0.91 |
| Peter Solomon | — | 1 | 0 | 1.29 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1.29 |
| Ralph Garza Jr. | — | 1 | 2 | 4.09 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 1.64 |
| Enoli Paredes | — | 0 | 0 | 6.23 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 2.77 |
| Nivaldo Rodríguez | — | 0 | 0 | 2.45 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1.09 |
| Rafael Montero | — | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0.83 |
| Josh James | — | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1.20 |
| Tyler Ivey | — | 0 | 0 | 7.71 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.2 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1.50 |
| Pedro Báez | — | 0 | 0 | 2.08 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0.69 |
| Seth Martinez | — | 0 | 0 | 15.00 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2.67 |
| Austin Pruitt | — | 0 | 1 | 6.75 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.13 |
| Ryan Hartman | — | 0 | 0 | 3.86 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1.29 |
| Robel Garcia | — | 0 | 0 | 36.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.00 |
| Totals | 95 | 67 | 3.78 | 162 | 162 | 34 | 1445.0 | 1231 | 658 | 607 | 549 | 1456 | 70 | 1.23 | |
| Rank in 15 AL Teams | 2 | 14 | 4 | — | — | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 5 |
Source:[1]
| Player—Appeared at position | Date and opponent | Ref. |
| Player | Pos. | Sel. | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Altuve | 2B | 7th | [30] |
| Michael Brantley | OF | 5th | |
| Carlos Correa | SS | 2nd | |
| Ryan Pressly | RHP | 2nd | |
| Houston Astros award winners | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name of award | Recipient | Ref | ||
| All-MLB Team | Second Team | Outfielder | Kyle Tucker | [94] |
| Designated hitter | Yordan Alvarez | |||
| American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player (ALCS MVP) | Yordan Alvarez | [95] | ||
| American League Player of the Month | September | Kyle Tucker | [51] | |
| Darryl Kile Award | Alex Bregman | [96] | ||
| Fielding Bible Award | Shortstop | Carlos Correa | [97] | |
| Fred Hartman Long and Meritorious Service to Baseball | Mike Acosta[d] | [96] | ||
| Gold Glove Award | First baseman | Yuli Gurriel | [98] | |
| Shortstop | Carlos Correa | |||
| Gold Glove Team | American League | Houston Astros | [73] | |
| Houston AstrosMost Valuable Player (MVP) | Carlos Correa | [96] | ||
| Houston Astros Pitcher of the Year | Lance McCullers Jr. | [96] | ||
| Houston AstrosRookie of the Year | Luis García | [96] | ||
| Platinum Glove Award | American League | Carlos Correa | [73] | |
| Sporting News AL All-Star | Shortstop | Carlos Correa | [99] | |
| Outfielder | Kyle Tucker | |||
| Topps All-Star Rookie Team | Right-handed pitcher | Luis García | ||
| Category | Player | Figure | AL rank | Player | Figure | AL rank | Player | Figure | AL rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting average (AVG) | Yuli Gurriel | .319 | 1st | Michael Brantley | .311 | 2nd | Kyle Tucker | .294 | 9th |
| On-base percentage (OBP) | Yuli Gurriel | .383 | 2nd | Carlos Correa | .366 | 9th | |||
| Slugging percentage (SLG) | Kyle Tucker | .557 | 3rd | Yordan Alvarez | .531 | 10th | |||
| On-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) | Kyle Tucker | .917 | 3rd | Yordan Alvarez | .877 | 9th | |||
| Wins Above Replacement (WAR)—position players | Carlos Correa | 7.2 | 1st | Kyle Tucker | 5.7 | 8th | |||
| Games played | Myles Straw** | 158 | 9th—tied | ||||||
| Plate appearances | Jose Altuve | 678 | 8th | ||||||
| Runs scored | Jose Altuve | 117 | 3rd | Carlos Correa | 104 | 7th | |||
| Hits | Yuli Gurriel | 169 | 8th—tied | ||||||
| Doubles (2B) | Kyle Tucker | 37 | 5th—tied | Yordan Alvarez | 35 | 9th—tied | |||
| Runs batted in (RBI) | Yordan Alvarez | 104 | 8th | ||||||
| Stolen bases (SB) | Myles Straw** | 30 | 2nd—tied | ||||||
| Singles | Yuli Gurriel | 123 | 6th—tied | ||||||
| Adjusted OPS+ | Kyle Tucker | 147 | 5th | Yordan Alvarez | 136 | 8th | |||
| Extra base hits | Kyle Tucker | 70 | 10th—tied | ||||||
| Times on base | Jose Altuve | 237 | 8th—tied | ||||||
| Runs created (RC) | Jose Altuve | 105 | 10th | ||||||
| Note: **Played first 98 games of season with Astros before trade toCleveland Indians on July 30, 2021.[100] Reference:[101] | |||||||||
| Category | Player | Figure | AL rank | Player | Figure | AL rank | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earned run average (ERA) | Lance McCullers Jr. | 3.16 | 2nd | ||||||
| Wins | Lance McCullers Jr. | 13 | 5th—tied | ||||||
| Winning percentage | Lance McCullers Jr. | .722 | 2nd—tied | Zack Greinke | .647 | 10th—tied | |||
| Walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) | Zack Greinke | 1.170 | 5th | Lance McCullers Jr. | 1.220 | 8th | |||
| Hits per nine innings pitched (H/9) | Lance McCullers Jr. | 6.764 | 1st | Zack Greinke | 8.632 | 8th | |||
| Bases on balls per nine innings pitched (BB/9) | Zack Greinke | 1.895 | 2nd | ||||||
| Strikeouts per nine innings pitched (K/9) | Lance McCullers Jr. | 10.257 | 4th | ||||||
| Games pitched | Ryne Stanek | 72 | 4th—tied | ||||||
| Saves | Ryan Pressly | 26 | 4th | ||||||
| Strikeouts (SO or K) | Lance McCullers Jr. | 185 | 9th—tied | ||||||
| Complete games | Zack Greinke | 1 | 3rd—tied | ||||||
| Home runs allowed (HR) | Zack Greinke | 30 | 5th—tied | ||||||
| Bases on balls allowed (BB) | Lance McCullers Jr. | 76 | 1st | ||||||
| Hits allowed | Zack Greinke | 164 | 9th—tied | ||||||
| Strikeout-to-walk ratio (K/BB) | Zack Greinke | 3.333 | 9th | ||||||
| Home runs per nine innings (HR/9) | Lance McCullers Jr. | 0.721 | 1st | ||||||
| Wild pitches | Luis García | 9 | 9th—tied | Framber Valdez | 9 | 9th—tied | |||
| Hits by pitch | Framber Valdez | 11 | 3rd—tied | Lance McCullers Jr. | 10 | 7th—tied | |||
| Games finished | Ryan Pressly | 49 | 4th | ||||||
| Adjusted ERA+ | Lance McCullers Jr. | 136 | 2nd | ||||||
| Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) | Lance McCullers Jr. | 3.52 | 6th | ||||||
| Adjusted pitching runs | Lance McCullers Jr. | 22 | 6th | ||||||
| Championshipwin probability added (cWPA) | Ryan Pressly | 2.6 | 1st | Lance McCullers Jr. | 2.0 | 8th | |||
| Reference:[102] | |||||||||
| Category | Player | Figure | AL rank | Player | Figure | AL rank | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DefensiveWins Above Replacement—(dWAR, Baseball-Reference) | Carlos Correa | 2.9 | 1st | ||||||
| Putouts (P) | Martín Maldonado | 1,058 | 4th | Yuli Gurriel | 1,057 | 5th | |||
| Assists (A) | Carlos Correa | 384 | 4th | ||||||
| References:[101][103] | |||||||||
| 2021 Houston Astros | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers Infielders | Outfielders
Other batters | Manager Coaches
| ||||||
In advance of the 2021 season, Major League Baseball took direct control of, and restructured, Minor League Baseball in part with the intent of cost efficiency, and enhancing the experience and compensation for its players and directly managing their development plans. The legacy league names were replaced with generic names depicting their level of play. One significant change for Astros included aligning theSugar Land Skeeters as their AAA club; the Skeeters were previously members of theAtlantic League of Professional Baseball and unaffiliated with any major league clubs.[104] Sugar Land replaced theRound Rock Express.
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Sugar Land Skeeters | Triple-A West | Mickey Storey |
| AA | Corpus Christi Hooks | Double-A Central | Gregorio Petit |
| High-A | Asheville Tourists | High-A East | Nate Shaver |
| Low-A | Fayetteville Woodpeckers | Low-A East | Rey Hernandez |
| Rookie | FCL Astros | Florida Complex League | Ricardo Rivera |
| Rookie | DSL Astros | Dominican Summer League | Carlos Lugo |
| 2021 Houston Astros complete draft list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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