Regular season
Summary
April−June
| April 3, 2017, at Minute Maid Park | ||
|---|---|---|
| Score: Houston 3, Seattle 0[4] | ||
| No. | Name | Pos. |
| Batting order | ||
| 4 | George Springer | CF |
| 2 | Alex Bregman | 3B |
| 27 | José Altuve | 2B |
| 1 | Carlos Correa | SS |
| 15 | Carlos Beltrán | DH |
| 22 | Josh Reddick | RF |
| 10 | Yuli Gurriel | 1B |
| 16 | Brian McCann | C |
| 3 | Nori Aoki | LF |
| Starting pitcher | ||
| 60 | Dallas Keuchel | |
The Astros began the regular season at home versus the Seattle Mariners on April 3, 2017.
One of the most memorable and debated manifestations to hallmark the 2017 season was José Altuve's height and style of play contrasts with that of New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge. At 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and 280 pounds (130 kg), Judge was a rookie who emerged as his chief rival in the 2017 American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) race,[5] eventually breaking the record for both home runs hit (52) and walks drawn (127) by a rookie while leading the AL.[6] In July, a photo emerged of the pair standing side by side in game versus the Yankees that displayed their drastic size difference and became a viral phenomenon.[5]
Two Astros pitchers were awarded the AL Pitcher of the Month Award in the first two months of the season. In April, left-handed starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel posted a 5–0 win–loss record (W–L), allowing six runs in six games started and 1.21 earned run average (ERA) over 44+2⁄3 innings pitched (IP). It was his fourth career monthly award, making him the first Astros pitcher to win four; J. R. Richard was the other Astros pitcher who had won three. Keuchel joined Bartolo Colón, Félix Hernández, Justin Verlander as active pitchers who had won at least four.[7]
From May 6−23, starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. completed 22 scoreless innings, which among Astros pitchers, was the longest scoreless inning streak since Roy Oswalt delivered 32 from August 27 through September 11, 2008. In that same span, McCullers also became the first Astros pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1984 to allow no earned runs over at least five innings pitched in each of four consecutive appearances.[8]
During the May 14 game versus New York at Yankee Stadium, third baseman Alex Bregman hit his first major league grand slam off Masahiro Tanaka in a 10–7 Astros win.[9] On May 20, Keuchel was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a pinched nerve in his neck.[10]
Shortstop Carlos Correa delivered a career-best five consecutive multiple-hit games from May 25−29, and totaled 14 such games on the month. In May, he was selected for his first AL Player of the Month Award, and McCullers his first AL Pitcher of the Month Award. In 26 games, Correa batted .386, eight doubles, seven home runs, 26 RBI and a 1.130 OPS. His batting average and RBI total led the AL, on-base percentage ranked third, hits and OPS fifth, and slugging tied for sixth.[8]
McCullers was credited with a 4−0 record in six starts during the month of May. He permitted an AL-leading 0.99 earned run average (ERA), 21 hits, and a .164 batting average against (BAA) with 37 strikeouts. He also ranked second in wins, third in BAA, and tied for fifth in strikeouts.[8]
With persistent neck problems, the Astros placed Keuchel back on the disabled list on June 8.[11]
July
In the July 9 game versus the Toronto Blue Jays, the Astros won 19–1 as Correa homered twice, collected four hits, and drove in a career-best five runs. He reached the 20-home run mark and saw a 15-game hitting streak snapped the previous day. It was the Astros' 60th win of the season, making them the fifth team within the previous 40 years to reach that many wins before the All-Star break.[12] The Astros entered the All-Star break with the best record in the AL, at 60–29,[13] marking the best 89-game start in franchise history. Their 16+1⁄2-game lead in the AL West marked the largest divisional lead the club had ever attained all-time.[14]
For the first time in franchise history, three Astros players were elected by fans as starters for the All-Star Game, held at Marlins Park in Miami. The starters were Altuve, Correa, and center fielder George Springer. As was former Astros manager Brad Mills' selection, Altuve, who typically hit third for the Astros, batted leadoff for the American League. Springer, the Astros leadoff hitter, batted cleanup. Two others Astros made the team, including Keuchel and McCullers.[15][16]
On July 18, Correa sustained a torn ligament in the left thumb, and the Astros placed him on the DL.[13]
Rookie third baseman Colin Moran sustained fractures of the facial bones during a game versus the Baltimore Orioles on July 22. The injury occurred as he fouled off a pitch, and the batted ball struck him directly in the face. He underwent surgery to repair the fractures on July 31.[17]
On July 30, 2017, former Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.[18]
In July, Altuve batted .485 for the fifth-highest average in one month since 1961. Over 23 games, he accumulated 48 hits, 10 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 21 RBI and 1.251 OPS. He carried a 19-game hitting streak from July 2–23. He also recorded five consecutive multi-hit games during the week of July 3–9, becoming the ninth player in MLB history to do so. His average set the Astros record for one calendar month—surpassing Richard Hidalgo's .476 average in September of 2000—and he won his second AL Player of the Month Award. Yuli Gurriel won the AL Rookie of the Month Award in July, and he led all AL rookies with .565 slugging percentage, .899 OPS, 28 hits, nine doubles, and 20 RBI. The nine doubles tied Lance Berkman's club record for rookies in a single month.[19]
August
On August 10, Bregman tied the Astros' record for extra-base hits in consecutive games at 10 games, first accomplished by Hidalgo.[20] In a 27-game stretch following the All-Star break, the Astros slumped, going 11–16.[13]
On August 13, 2017, the Chicago White Sox traded reliever Tyler Clippard to the Astros for a player to be named later or cash considerations.[21]
On Saturday, August 26, Hurricane Harvey reached Houston. The Astros were playing a series versus the Los Angeles Angels at the time, and were scheduled to return home to host the Texas Rangers. The games versus the Rangers were relocated to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, as more than 50 inches of rain inundated parts of Greater Houston and flooded more than one-third. Team officials planned for the next series versus the New York Mets also to be played at Tropicana Field, but mayor Sylvester Turner encouraged Astros president Reid Ryan to return the team to Houston to play the Mets. "You guys come home and play baseball," said Turner to Ryan. "This will be the beginning of our rebuild."[22]
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the Astros assisted in the rebuild of various parts of the city during their off-time. One establishment included the Houston chapter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Individual members of the team delivered meals, cleaned up damaged homes, and rescued pets. They visited the George R. Brown Convention Center, which housed more than 7,000 people displaced from their homes.[22]
Having lost 17 of 27 games as of August 31, the Astros acquired right-handed ace and former Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander from the Detroit Tigers just moments before the trade deadline. Detroit received prospects Franklin Pérez, Jake Rogers, and Daz Cameron.[23] The Astros also claimed outfielder Cameron Maybin off waivers from the Angels on August 31.[24] Correa and McCullers returned from the disabled list at that time.[22] Verlander won all five regular season starts in an Astros uniform to help lead them to a 22–8 record over their final month and an overall registry of 101–61, clinching the AL West division title.[22]
September/October
Verlander's debut as an Astro occurred on September 5 in a 3–1 victory versus the Mariners. The only run he allowed was a home run to Kyle Seager and he struck out seven over six innings. Maybin homered in the seventh inning to break a 1–1 tie, giving the Astros their sixth consecutive win.[25]
Moran returned to the Astros on September 19, having completed a rehabilitation assignment at Class-A Quad Cities River Bandits. He had sustained a fracture below the left eye in a game on July 22.[26]
On September 19, Altuve was announced as the recipient of MLB's Lou Gehrig Memorial Award for 2017, as the player "who best exemplifies the giving character" of Gehrig.[27]
In the last series of the regular season, the Astros defeated the Red Sox 3–2 on September 29 for their 100th win of the season. Charlie Morton (14–7) pitched six innings to earn the win and Bregman hit a tie-breaking home run. The Astros joined the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians as 100-game winners in 2017, marking the first time since 2003 that three or more teams reached the milestone, and the sixth time overall in major league history. It was Houston's first 100-win season since 1998, when they won a club-record 102 games.[28] The Astros defeated the Boston Red Sox on the last day of the regular season, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, to finish the season with a record of 101–61.
Having achieve 200 hits on the season, Altuve became just the fifth hitter since integration in 1947 to record four straight 200-hit seasons, following Wade Boggs (1983−89), Kirby Puckett (1986−89), Ichiro Suzuki (2001−2010), and Michael Young (2003−07).[29] He also became the first hitter in Major League history to solely lead his respective league in hits for four years in a row while also collecting his third career batting title. Suzuki technically led the AL in hits from 2006 to 2010, but tied with Dustin Pedroia in 2008.[30]
Season standings
American League West
| AL West | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 101 | 61 | 0.623 | — | 48–33 | 53–28 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 80 | 82 | 0.494 | 21 | 43–38 | 37–44 |
| Seattle Mariners | 78 | 84 | 0.481 | 23 | 40–41 | 38–43 |
| Texas Rangers | 78 | 84 | 0.481 | 23 | 41–40 | 37–44 |
| Oakland Athletics | 75 | 87 | 0.463 | 26 | 46–35 | 29–52 |
American League Division Leaders
| Division Leaders | W | L | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Indians | 102 | 60 | 0.630 |
| Houston Astros | 101 | 61 | 0.623 |
| Boston Red Sox | 93 | 69 | 0.574 |
| Wild Card teams (Top 2 teams qualify for postseason) |
W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 91 | 71 | 0.562 | +6 |
| Minnesota Twins | 85 | 77 | 0.525 | — |
| Kansas City Royals | 80 | 82 | 0.494 | 5 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 80 | 82 | 0.494 | 5 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 80 | 82 | 0.494 | 5 |
| Seattle Mariners | 78 | 84 | 0.481 | 7 |
| Texas Rangers | 78 | 84 | 0.481 | 7 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 76 | 86 | 0.469 | 9 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 75 | 87 | 0.463 | 10 |
| Oakland Athletics | 75 | 87 | 0.463 | 10 |
| Chicago White Sox | 67 | 95 | 0.414 | 18 |
| Detroit Tigers | 64 | 98 | 0.395 | 21 |
Record against opponents
Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2017 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | HOU | KC | LAA | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL |
| Baltimore | — | 10–9 | 4–3 | 1–6 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 7–12 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 8–11 | 6–1 | 12–7 | 8–12 |
| Boston | 9–10 | — | 6–1 | 4–3 | 3–4 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 5–2 | 8–11 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 11–8 | 5–1 | 13–6 | 16–4 |
| Chicago | 3–4 | 1–6 | — | 6–13 | 10–9 | 4–2 | 10–9 | 3–4 | 7–12 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 6–14 |
| Cleveland | 6–1 | 3–4 | 13–6 | — | 13–6 | 5–1 | 12–7 | 6–0 | 12–7 | 5–2 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 6–1 | 4–2 | 6–14 |
| Detroit | 4–3 | 4–3 | 9–10 | 6–13 | — | 3–4 | 8–11 | 3–4 | 8–11 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 1–6 | 2–5 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 8–12 |
| Houston | 5–1 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 4–3 | — | 3–4 | 12–7 | 5–1 | 5–2 | 12–7 | 14–5 | 3–4 | 12–7 | 4–3 | 15–5 |
| Kansas City | 3–3 | 4–2 | 9–10 | 7–12 | 11–8 | 4–3 | — | 6–1 | 8–11 | 2–5 | 3–3 | 5–2 | 4–3 | 1–6 | 3–3 | 9–11 |
| Los Angeles | 4–2 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 0–6 | 4–3 | 7–12 | 1–6 | — | 2–5 | 4–2 | 12–7 | 12–7 | 3–4 | 8–11 | 4–3 | 11–9 |
| Minnesota | 5–2 | 2–5 | 12–7 | 7–12 | 11–8 | 1–5 | 11–8 | 5–2 | — | 2–4 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 4–3 | 13–7 |
| New York | 12–7 | 11–8 | 4–3 | 2–5 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 5–2 | 2–4 | 4–2 | — | 2–5 | 5–2 | 12–7 | 3–3 | 9–10 | 15–5 |
| Oakland | 3–4 | 4–3 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 5–1 | 7–12 | 3–3 | 7–12 | 3–3 | 5–2 | — | 7–12 | 2–5 | 10–9 | 2–5 | 7–13 |
| Seattle | 2–4 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 6–1 | 5–14 | 2–5 | 7–12 | 4–3 | 2–5 | 12–7 | — | 5–1 | 11–8 | 1–6 | 12–8 |
| Tampa Bay | 11–8 | 8–11 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 4–3 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 7–12 | 5–2 | 1–5 | — | 2–4 | 9–10 | 11–9 |
| Texas | 1–6 | 1–5 | 3–4 | 1–6 | 5–1 | 7–12 | 6–1 | 11–8 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 9–10 | 8–11 | 4–2 | — | 3–4 | 14–6 |
| Toronto | 7–12 | 6–13 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 3–4 | 10–9 | 5–2 | 6–1 | 10–9 | 4–3 | — | 9–11 |
