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2021 Houston Astros season

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2021 Houston Astros
American League champions
American League West champions
LeagueAmerican League
DivisionWest
BallparkMinute Maid Park
CityHouston, Texas
Record95–67 (.586)
Divisional place1st
OwnersJim Crane
General managersJames Click
ManagersDusty Baker
TelevisionAT&T SportsNet Southwest
(Todd Kalas, Geoff Blum)
RadioKTRH 740 Weekday Night Games Sportstalk 790
Houston Astros Radio Network
(Robert Ford, Steve Sparks, Geoff Blum)
KLAT (Spanish)
(Francisco Romero, Alex Treviño)
StatsESPN.com
Baseball Reference
← 2020
2022 →

The 2021 Houston Astros season was the 60th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 57th as the Astros, ninth in both the American League (AL) and AL West division, and 22nd at Minute Maid Park. They entered the season as a wild card qualifier through a second-place finish in the AL West for a fourth consecutive postseason appearance. Having ultimately progressed to the American League Championship Series (ALCS)—also their fifth consecutive—the Astros defeated the Boston 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 the 2021 All-Star Game: second baseman Jose Altuve, shortstop Carlos Correa, outfielder Michael Brantley, and pitcher Ryan Pressly. First baseman Yuli Gurriel won the AL batting title, his first, with a .319 batting average, becoming the second Cuban-born player and second Astro after Altuve to do so. Correa led AL position players with 7.2 Wins 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, sixth playoff berth over the previous seven years, and 15th playoff appearance overall. By winning the AL West, Dusty Baker became the first manager 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 the Chicago White Sox in the American League Division Series (ALDS) in four games to advance to their fifth straight ALCS. They faced the Boston Red Sox in a rematch of the 2018 ALCS. The Astros won the ALCS in six games for the fourth pennant in franchise history and third as an AL team. They advanced to the World Series for the third time in five years, but lost to the Atlanta Braves in six games.

Following the season, designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (second selection) and right fielder Kyle Tucker (first) were both selected for 2021's All-MLB Second Team. Gurriel and Correa each won their first Gold Glove Awards, while the Astros were named the AL Gold Glove Team. Correa also won the Platinum Glove and Fielding 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 the Silver Slugger Award. Baker and pitcher Luis García were named finalists for the AL Manager of the Year and AL 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 the AL Rookie of the Year Award, following Yordan Alvarez, who won it unanimously in 2019, and Cristian Javier, who finished in third in 2020.

Offseason

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Summary

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The Astros entered the 2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) season as having been defeated by the Tampa Bay Rays in seven games in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and runner-up for the 2020 AL 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 the 2004 New York Yankees as the only MLB clubs to lose a League Championship Series after mounting a 3–0 lead.[1]

Ace starting pitcher Justin Verlander missed the entire 2021 season recuperating from ulnar 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-day injured list as he continued to recover from the surgery.[3]

Offseason transactions

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Free agent signings

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Free agent departures

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Pitchers that elected for free agency included Joe Biagini, Chase De Jong, Roberto Osuna, Brad Peacock, Chris Devenski, and Dustin Garneau

Trades and waiver claims

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Players that were traded or claimed in the offseason by a different team included Brandon Bailey, Humberto Castellanos, Cionel Pérez, Carlos Sanabria, Cy Sneed, and Jack Mayfield.

Contract extensions

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Regular season

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Summary

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April

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Opening Day starter Zack Greinke pitching for the Kansas City Royals in 2009
Opening Day starting lineup
Uniform Player Position Starts
27Jose AltuveSecond baseman10
23Michael BrantleyLeft fielder3
2Alex BregmanThird baseman6
30Kyle TuckerRight fielder1
1Carlos CorreaShortstop5
44Yordan AlvarezDesignated hitter1
10Yuli GurrielFirst baseman4
3Myles StrawCenter fielder1
15Martín MaldonadoCatcher2
21Zack GreinkePitcher1
Venue: Oakland Coliseum • Final: Houston 8, Oakland 1

Sources:[11][12][13]

On April 1, starting pitcher Zack Greinke earned his first career Opening Day win, and 209th win overall, as the Astros defeated the Oakland Athletics, 8–1, at the Oakland 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, and Michael Brantley and Alex Bregman hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning.[14] Outfielder Chas McCormick made his MLB debut[15] as a defensive replacement for Brantley,[11] whose home run signaled his third successive on Opening Day.[16] Having won on a ninth consecutive Opening Day, Houston established a club record, and equaled the modern-era[a] 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-time closer in 2021.[17]

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.[18]

Manager Dusty Baker earned his 1,900th career win in the major leagues on April 22 by an 8–2 score versus the Los Angeles Angels.[19] In that game, Cristian Javier became the first Astros pitcher to record the first eight outs of a game by strikeout since Jim Deshaies on September 23, 1986, versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.[20] Over five innings, Javier set a new personal high with nine strikeouts and one walk and no earned runs.[19]

In their first rematch since the 2020 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the Astros defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 9–2, on April 30. Lance McCullers Jr. hurled seven shutout innings, striking out nine. Brantley and Carlos Correa both had four hits and Bregman hit a two-run home run. Four RBI came via Aledmys 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 pass Casey Stengel for 12th all-time.[21]

May

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Outfielder Kyle 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.[22]

During the May 7 game versus the Toronto Blue Jays, designated hitter Yordan 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.[23]

In the May 25 contest versus the Los 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-game hitting streak, the longest in the major leagues to that point in the season.[24]

June

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On June 4, Zack Greinke threw his first complete 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 the Toronto Blue Jays at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York. Martín Maldonado hit a grand slam, and Carlos Correa homered twice to lead the Astros' 16-hit attack.[25]

In the June 6 contest versus the Blue Jays, infielder Aledmys Díaz suffered a fracture in his left hand on a hit by pitch delivered from Ross Stripling. Díaz was expected to miss six to eight weeks.[26]

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 the Texas Rangers into extra innings. The Rangers took another lead in the tenth inning, 3–2. In the bottom of tenth, Jose Altuve belted a walk-off grand slam for a 6–2 Astros' win.[27]

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.[28] Third baseman Alex Bregman injured his left quadriceps in the first inning of the June 16 game as he attempted to avoid hitting into a double play. Catcher Garrett Stubbs was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land to take his place on the 25-man roster.[29]

Altuve hit his 150th career home run on June 23, served up by Thomas Eshelman of the Baltimore Orioles.[30]

All-Star Game selections

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The following Astros players were selected as reserves to play at the 91st All-Star Game, hosted by the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 13, 2021:[31]

  • Jose Altuve, second baseman: seventh selection, tied Craig Biggio for most appearances by an Astro[31]
  • Michael Brantley, outfielder: had batted .402 with nine doubles, one triple and 16 RBI in a one-month span since returning from injury[31]
  • Carlos Correa: shortstop: ranked fifth in AL in OPS (.926) at time of selection[31]
  • Ryan Pressly, relief pitcher: second selection. Pressly had not allowed an earned run in 12 consecutive appearances, leading to a 1.54 ERA over 35 innings and a 4–1 record. He was tied for first in save percentage (93.3%), and among relief pitchers in the AL, was third in ERA, fourth in WHIP (0.83) and hed tied for fifth in with 14 saves.[31]

With the four total selections, the Astros tied for second-most selections for 2021.[31]

July

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A lingering knee injury dampened Brantley's second-half performance. As of late July, he maintained a batting average of .336.[18]

In an attempt to revamp their bullpen by adding higher-velocity pitchers, the Astros acquired Yimi García from the Miami 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 in 36+1⁄3 innings. The Astros sent outfielder Bryan De La Cruz and pitcher Austin Pruitt in return.[32]

On July 30, the Astros traded Myles Straw to the Cleveland Indians for reliever Phil Maton and minor league catcher Yainer Díaz. Trading Straw allowed for the Astros to give rookie outfielders Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers more opportunities to play.[33] On July 31, the club selected Meyers' contract from Sugar Land and promoted him to the major league roster.[34]

August

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Jake Meyers made his Major League debut on August 1 as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of a 5–3 loss to the San Francisco Giants.[35]

Jake Meyers hit his first career home run on August 14 versus pitcher Jaime Barría of the Los Angeles Angels, and added a grand slam later in the same game as the Astros won, 8–2.[36]

Third baseman Alex Bregman returned from left quadriceps strain on August 25 after missing over two months. He scoring the winning run versus the Kansas City Royals on the day of his return, capping a 6–5, 10-inning score.[37]

September and October

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José Siri made his major league debut on September 3 as a pinch runner in the ninth inning versus the San 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 the Texas Rangers. He went 4-for-5 with two home runs and five runs batted in to power a 15–1 rout at Globe 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.[38] Yordan Alvarez added two home runs,[39] 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 after Alex Bregman, who hit 31 in 2018.[40]

In the September 17 contest versus the Arizona Diamondbacks, Jose Altuve homered off Madison Bumgarner at Minute Maid Park to collect his 849th career hit in the stadium. The hit tied him with Lance Berkman for most by an Astro in the venue. He then passed Berkman the next night with a double.[41][42]

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.[43]

During the final road trip of the season, twenty-seven members of the team paid homage to veteran pitcher Zack Greinke, known for his leisurely dress style. They wore fishing shirts, short shorts, and bucket hats. Lance McCullers Jr. also brought in a bag of groceries from Whole Foods – as is Greinke's habit to fill his locker – as replenishment for their upcoming flight. Greinke, who is from Florida, wore a bright orange Tampa 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 on Instagram. The team had chosen to honor the pitcher, in the final year of his contract, after a 7–6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in which had allowed five runs over four innings, raising his ERA on the season to 4.11.[44]

On September 23, Alvarez drove in two runs on a home run in the first inning against Los Angeles Angels to score his 100th RBI of the season. He was the second-youngest Astro to reach 100 RBI in one season, trailing César Cedeño, who did so at the age of 23 in 1974.[45] 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 the 2018 trade deadline, Pressly had produced a 2.19 ERA, 0.924 WHIP, and saved 42 games in 160+1⁄3 innings. He had converted 25 of 27 save chances on the season.[17]

On September 28, the Astros won 4–3 against the Tampa 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 in Major League Baseball history since 1931.[46] 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 15th postseason 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.[b] It was Baker's 11th career postseason appearance.[47]

In the final game of the 2021 regular season, Yuli Gurriel hit a walk-off single to score Jason Castro and defeat the Oakland Athletics.[48] With that hit, his batting average stood at .319 to lead teammate Michael Brantley and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays (both hit .311) for the AL batting championship. At age 37, Gurriel was the sixth-oldest player to win a batting title, the oldest to win their first batting title since Barry Bonds in 2002, and the first Cuban-born player since Tony Oliva in 1971.[c][49] Brantley, continuing to produce through lingering knee pain, saw 39 at bats in September.[18] It was the sixth time in his career he had finished in the top 10 in the AL in batting.[51]

Over the final month of the season, right fielder Kyle 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 awarded AL Player of the Month for September, his first career monthly award.[52]

Season standings

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American League West

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AL West
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Houston Astros 9567 .586 — 51‍–‍30 44‍–‍37
Seattle Mariners 9072 .556 5 46‍–‍35 44‍–‍37
Oakland Athletics 8676 .531 9 43‍–‍38 43‍–‍38
Los Angeles Angels 7785 .475 18 40‍–‍42 37‍–‍43
Texas Rangers 60102 .370 35 36‍–‍45 24‍–‍57

Record against opponents

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2021 American League record
Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2021
Team BAL BOS CWS CLE DET HOU KC LAA MIN NYY OAK SEA TB TEX TOR NL
Baltimore —6–130–72–52–53–34–32–42–48–113–33–41–184–35–147–13
Boston 13–6—3–44–23–32–55–23–35–210–93–34–38–113–410–916–4
Chicago 7–04–3—10–912–72–59–102–513–61–54–33–33–35–14–314–6
Cleveland 5–22–49–10—12–71–614–55–18–113–42–43–41–64–22–59–11
Detroit 5–23–37–127–12—5–28–111–68–113–31–65–14–36–13–311–9
Houston 3–35–25–26–12–5—3–413–63–42–411–811–84–214–54–29–11
Kansas City 3–42–510–95–1411–84–3—2–410–92–42–54–32–42–43–412–8
Los Angeles 4–23–35–21–56–16–134–2—5–24–34–158–111–611–84–311–9
Minnesota 4–22–56–1311–811–84–39–102–5—1–61–52–43–34–33–410–10
New York 11–89–105–14–33–34–24–23–46–1—4–35–28–116–18–1112–8
Oakland 3–33–33–44–26–18–115–215–45–13–4—4–154–310–92–511–9
Seattle 4–33–43–34–31–58–113–411–84–22–515–4—6–113–64–29–11
Tampa Bay 18–111–83–36–13–42–44–26–13–311–83–41–6—3–411–815–5
Texas 3–44–31–52–41–65–144–28–113–41–69–106–134–3—2–47–13
Toronto 14–59–103–45–23–32–44–33–44–311–85–22–48–114–2—14–6

Updated with the results of all games through October 3, 2021.

Game log

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Legend
 Astros win
 Astros loss
 Postponement
BoldAstros team member
2021 Game Log: 95–67 (Home: 51–30; Away: 44–37)
April: 14–12 (Home: 7–7; Away: 7–5)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox/Streak
1April 1@ Athletics8–1Greinke (1–0)Bassitt (0–1)—10,4361–0W1
2April 2@ Athletics9–5Abreu (1–0)Luzardo (0–1)—5,4462–0W2
3April 3@ Athletics9–1McCullers Jr. (1–0)Irvin (0–1)Raley (1)5,8033–0W3
4April 4@ Athletics9–2Bielak (1–0)Manaea (0–1)—4,5044–0W4
5April 5@ Angels6–7Watson (1–0)Smith (0–1)Mayers (1)13,4474–1L1
6April 6@ Angels4–2Pressly (1–0)Iglesias (1–1)—11,1225–1W1
7April 8Athletics6–2Javier (1–0)Irvin (0–2)—21,7656–1W2
8April 9Athletics2–6Petit (2–0)Abreu (1–1)—21,7686–2L1
9April 10Athletics3–7Montas (1–1)Urquidy (0–1)—21,7606–3L2
10April 12Tigers2–6Mize (1–0)Greinke (1–1)—15,7796–4L3
11April 13Tigers2–8Boyd (2–1)Odorizzi (0–1)—17,0806–5L4
12April 14Tigers4–6Fulmer (1–0)McCullers Jr. (1–1)Garcia (2)14,7206–6L5
13April 16@ Mariners5–6Misiewicz (2–0)Stanek (0–1)—8,9676–7L6
14April 17@ Mariners1–0Greinke (2–1)Flexen (1–1)Pressly (1)8,9607–7W1
15April 18@ Mariners2–7Newsome (1–0)Odorizzi (0–2)—8,9597–8L1
16April 20@ Rockies2–6Gray (2–1)L. García (0–1)—10,1447–9L2
17April 21@ Rockies3–6Gomber (1–2)Urquidy (0–2)—7,1207–10L3
18April 22Angels8–2Javier (2–0)Cobb (1–1)—13,9858–10W1
19April 23Angels5–4 (10)Pressly (2–0)Iglesias (1–2)—21,7289–10W2
20April 24Angels16–2Emanuel (1–0)Canning (1–2)—21,82010–10W3
21April 25Angels2–4Rodriguez (1–0)L. García (0–2)Iglesias (3)21,78110–11L1
22April 26Mariners5–2Urquidy (1–2)Sheffield (1–2)Pressly (2)11,86211–11W1
23April 27Mariners2–0Javier (3–0)Gonzales (1–3)Pressly (3)14,41312–11W2
24April 28Mariners7–5Smith (1–1)Montero (2–1)Stanek (1)12,70713–11W3
25April 29Mariners0–1Kikuchi (1–1)L. García (0–3)Graveman (3)14,14913–12L1
26April 30@ Rays9–2McCullers Jr. (2–1)Yarbrough (1–3)—6,16914–12W1
May: 15–12 (Home: 11–5; Away: 4–7)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox/Streak
27May 1@ Rays3–1Urquidy (2–2)Fleming (1–3)Pressly (4)7,33515–12W2
28May 2@ Rays4–5Springs (2–0)Raley (0–1)Castillo (7)6,93315–13L1
29May 4@ Yankees3–7Luetge (2–0)Bielak (1–1)—10,85015–14L2
30May 5@ Yankees3–6Loáisiga (3–1)Raley (0–2)Chapman (7)9,89515–15L3
31May 6@ Yankees7–4Scrubb (1–0)Green (0–3)Pressly (5)10,04216–15W1
32May 7Blue Jays10–4Urquidy (3–2)Stripling (0–2)—25,41017–15W2
33May 8Blue Jays4–8Matz (5–2)Javier (3–1)—25,79417–16L1
34May 9Blue Jays7–4Abreu (2–1)Pearson (0–1)Pressly (6)24,35518–16W1
35May 10Angels4–5Suárez (1–0)Bielak (1–2)Iglesias (6)13,69518–17L1
36May 11Angels5–1McCullers Jr. (3–1)Slegers (2–1)—17,35019–17W1
37May 12Angels9–1Bielak (2–2)Heaney (1–3)—13,66820–17W2
38May 13Rangers4–3 (11)Raley (1–2)Martin (0–1)—16,34021–17W3
39May 14Rangers10–4Greinke (3–1)Benjamin (0–2)—24,49522–17W4
40May 15Rangers6–5L. García (1–3)Dunning (2–3)Pressly (7)25,85823–17W5
41May 16Rangers6–2Raley (2–2)Rodríguez (1–2)—26,06924–17W6
42May 18@ Athletics5–6Petit (5–0)Abreu (2–2)—4,83824–18L1
43May 19@ Athletics8–1Greinke (4–1)Montas (5–3)—3,92525–18W1
44May 20@ Athletics8–4L. García (2–3)Irvin (3–5)—4,56226–18W2
45May 21@ Rangers5–7 (10)Hearn (2–1)Abreu (2–3)—30,44526–19L1
46May 22@ Rangers4–8Allard (1–0)Scrubb (1–1)—38,05526–20L2
47May 23@ Rangers2–3 (10)King (5–3)Pressly (2–1)—36,44426–21L3
48May 25Dodgers2–9Kershaw (7–3)Greinke (4–2)—34,44326–22L4
49May 26Dodgers5–2L. García (3–3)Bauer (5–3)Abreu (1)30,93927–22W1
50May 28Padres3–10 (11)Melancon (1–0)Raley (2–3)—32,04527–23L1
51May 29Padres8–11 (12)Adams (2–0)Garza (0–1)Díaz (1)31,32327–24L2
52May 30Padres7–4Greinke (5–2)Snell (1–2)—29,01928–24W1
53May 31Red Sox11–2Urquidy (4–2)Rodríguez (5–4)—28,54329–24W2
June: 19–9 (Home: 8–4; Away: 11–5)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox/Streak
54June 1Red Sox5–1L. García (4–3)Richards (4–4)—23,44930–24W3
55June 2Red Sox2–1Valdez (1–0)Pivetta (6–1)Pressly (8)22,66431–24W4
56June 3Red Sox1–5Pérez (4–2)Odorizzi (0–3)—24,85331–25L1
57June 4@ Blue Jays13–1Greinke (6–2)Ryu (5–3)—5,51032–25W1
58June 5@ Blue Jays2–6Stripling (2–3)Urquidy (4–3)—5,32732–26L1
59June 6@ Blue Jays6–3L. García (5–3)Matz (6–3)Pressly (9)5,40433–26W1
60June 8@ Red Sox7–1Valdez (2–0)Pérez (4–3)—23,60434–26W2
61June 9@ Red Sox8–3Odorizzi (1–3)Eovaldi (7–3)Javier (1)21,00735–26W3
62June 10@ Red Sox8–12Hernández (1–2)Taylor (0–1)—23,37835–27L1
63June 11@ Twins6–4Stanek (1–1)Shoemaker (2–8)Pressly (10)17,22336–27W1
64June 12@ Twins2–5Berríos (7–2)L. García (5–4)Rogers (6)18,76736–28L1
65June 13@ Twins14–3Valdez (3–0)Pineda (3–4)—19,14737–28W1
66June 15Rangers6–3 (10)Pressly (3–1)Evans (0–2)—26,37938–28W2
67June 16Rangers8–4Greinke (7–2)Lyles (2–5)—22,73539–28W3
68June 17White Sox10–2Urquidy (5–3)Cease (5–3)—21,79540–28W4
69June 18White Sox2–1Pressly (4–1)Crochet (2–3)—30,89841–28W5
70June 19White Sox7–3Valdez (4–0)Lynn (7–3)—35,21042–28W6
71June 20White Sox8–2McCullers Jr. (4–1)Keuchel (6–2)—39,82143–28W7
72June 21@ Orioles10–2Odorizzi (2–3)Akin (0–3)—7,41444–28W8
73June 22@ Orioles3–1Greinke (8–2)López (2–9)Pressly (11)8,51045–28W9
74June 23@ Orioles13–0Urquidy (6–3)Eshelman (0–1)—10,01346–28W10
75June 24@ Tigers12–3L. García (6–4)Ureña (2–8)—12,65647–28W11
—June 25@ TigersPPD, RAIN; rescheduled for Jun 26
76June 26 (1)@ Tigers1–3 (7)Mize (5–4)Valdez (4–1)Cisnero (3)12,42247–29L1
77June 26 (2)@ Tigers3–2 (7)McCullers Jr. (5–1)Fulmer (4–4)Pressly (12)13,95048–29W1
78June 27@ Tigers1–2 (10)Soto (4–1)Taylor (0–2)—13,53248–30L1
79June 28Orioles7–9Fry (2–2)Bielak (2–3)Plutko (1)24,41948–31L2
80June 29Orioles3–13Wells (1–0)Garza (0–2)Tate (1)30,34648–32L3
81June 30Orioles2–5Scott (3–3)L. García (6–5)Sulser (3)28,12448–33L4
July: 16–8 (Home: 8–4; Away: 8–4)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox/Streak
82July 1@ Indians7–2Valdez (5–1)Mejía (1–3)—13,77249–33W1
83July 2@ Indians6–3McCullers Jr. (6–1)Hentges (1–3)Pressly (13)24,33750–33W2
84July 3@ Indians3–2Odorizzi (3–3)Morgan (1–3)Pressly (14)24,96151–33W3
85July 4@ Indians4–3 (10)Taylor (1–2)Clase (3–3)Raley (2)17,41252–33W4
86July 6Athletics9–6Abreu (3–3)Wendelken (1–1)Pressly (15)26,35353–33W5
87July 7Athletics4–3Taylor (2–2)Manaea (6–6)Pressly (16)21,15054–33W6
88July 8Athletics1–2Montas (8–7)McCullers Jr. (6–2)Diekman (7)29,24354–34L1
89July 9Yankees0–4Luetge (3–1)Odorizzi (3–4)—40,85754–35L2
90July 10Yankees0–1Cole (9–4)Greinke (8–3)—41,25954–36L3
91July 11Yankees8–7Garza Jr. (1–2)Green (3–5)—37,92855–36W1
–July 1391st All-Star GameAL 5–2 NLOhtani (1–0)Burnes (0–1)Hendriks (1)49,18455–36N/A
92July 16@ White Sox7–1McCullers Jr. (7–2)Cease (7–5)—34,51656–36W2
93July 17@ White Sox1–10Giolito (8–6)Odorizzi (3–5)—34,30456–37L1
94July 18@ White Sox0–4Rodón (8–3)Valdez (5–2)—34,14856–38L2
95July 19Indians4–3Greinke (9–3)Mejía (1–5)Pressly (17)21,96357–38W1
96July 20Indians9–3L. García (7–5)McKenzie (1–4)—26,58658–38W2
97July 21Indians4–5Shaw (3–3)Pruitt (0–1)Karinchak (11)21,71258–39L1
98July 23Rangers7–3Bielak (3–3)Allard (2–8)—38,85359–39W1
99July 24Rangers4–1Valdez (6–2)Gibson (6–3)—37,05060–39W2
100July 25Rangers3–1Greinke (10–3)Santana (0–1)Pressly (18)35,62761–39W3
101July 26@ Mariners8–11Graveman (4–0)Stanek (1–2)Sewald (4)15,16261–40L1
102July 27@ Mariners8–6McCullers Jr. (8–2)Flexen (9–5)—18,93062–40W1
103July 28@ Mariners11–4Odorizzi (4–5)Kikuchi (6–6)—18,90863–40W2
104July 30@ Giants9–6Valdez (7–2)Gausman (9–5)—28,02064–40W3
105July 31@ Giants6–8Jackson (2–0)Taylor (2–3)McGee (22)27,32464–41L1
August: 14–13 (Home: 7–5; Away: 7–8)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox/Streak
106August 1@ Giants3–5Webb (5–3)L. García (7–6)McGee (23)29,65564–42L2
107August 3@ Dodgers3–0McCullers Jr. (9–2)Buehler (11–2)Stanek (2)52,69265–42W1
108August 4@ Dodgers5–7Scherzer (9–4)Odorizzi (4–6)—52,72465–43L1
109August 5Twins3–5Jax (2–1)Valdez (7–3)Colomé (4)26,20865–44L2
110August 6Twins4–5 (11)Minaya (2–0)Montero (5–4)—29,63165–45L3
111August 7Twins4–0L. García (8–6)Pineda (4–7)—29,64766–45W1
112August 8Twins5–7Maeda (5–4)McCullers Jr. (9–3)Colomé (5)26,82566–46L1
113August 10Rockies5–0Odorizzi (5–6)Gray (7–8)—28,93167–46W1
114August 11Rockies5–1Valdez (8–3)Senzatela (2–9)—22,20068–46W2
115August 13@ Angels4–1Greinke (11–3)Sandoval (3–6)Pressly (19)23,98169–46W3
116August 14@ Angels8–2L. García (9–6)Barría (2–1)—27,12170–46W4
117August 15@ Angels1–3Detmers (1–2)McCullers Jr. (9–4)Iglesias (26)19,28170–47L1
118August 16@ Royals6–7Barlow (5–3)Y. García (3–8)—10,22870–48L2
119August 17@ Royals1–3Lynch (3–3)Valdez (8–4)Brentz (2)9,74870–49L3
120August 18@ Royals2–3Tapia (1–0)Taylor (2–4)Barlow (7)12,27870–50L4
121August 19@ Royals6–3 (10)Pressly (5–1)Davis (0–3)Javier (2)9,88471–50W1
122August 20Mariners12–3McCullers Jr. (10–5)Kikuchi (7–7)—26,89972–50W2
123August 21Mariners15–1Odorizzi (6–6)Gilbert (5–5)—29,90873–50W3
124August 22Mariners3–6 (11)Sewald (8–3)Stanek (1–3)Ramírez (1)27,52673–51L1
125August 23Royals1–7Lynch (4–3)Greinke (11–4)—18,74273–52L2
126August 24Royals4–0L. García (10–6)Singer (3–9)—22,96474–52W1
127August 25Royals6–5 (10)Graveman (5–0)Payamps (0–3)—21,05275–52W2
128August 27@ Rangers5–4Maton (3–0)Martin (3–4)Pressly (20)29,28676–52W3
129August 28@ Rangers5–2Valdez (9–4)Allard (3–11)Pressly (21)37,81077–52W4
130August 29@ Rangers2–13Hearn (4–4)Greinke (11–5)—31,06277–53L1
131August 30@ Mariners4–3Maton (4–0)Smith (2–3)Pressly (22)11,63078–53W1
132August 31@ Mariners0–4Sewald (9–3)Graveman (5–1)—10,45278–54L1
September: 15–12 (Home: 8–4; Away: 7–8)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox/Streak
133September 1@ Mariners0–1Sheffield (6–8)Odorizzi (6–7)Sewald (8)10,51978–55L2
134September 3@ Padres6–3Taylor (3–4)Pagán (4–1)Pressly (23)37,03379–55W1
135September 4@ Padres2–10Musgrove (10–8)Valdez (9–5)—35,33879–56L1
136September 5@ Padres3–4Melancon (4–2)Stanek (1–4)—35,00779–57L2
137September 6Mariners11–2McCullers Jr. (11–4)Kikuchi (7–8)Bielak (1)25,80280–57W1
138September 7Mariners5–4 (10)Stanek (2–4)Ramírez (1–3)—20,35381–57W2
139September 8Mariners5–8Castillo (3–5)Pressly (5–2)—19,08981–58L1
140September 10Angels10–5Valdez (10–5)Ohtani (9–2)—28,74082–58W1
141September 11Angels2–4Suárez (7–7)L. García (10–7)Iglesias (31)31,54782–59L1
142September 12Angels3–1McCullers Jr. (12–4)Quijada (0–1)Pressly (24)28,76383–59W1
143September 13@ Rangers15–1Javier (4–1)Howard (0–4)—18,90384–59W2
144September 14@ Rangers1–8Lyles (9–11)Greinke (11–6)—19,45184–60L1
145September 15@ Rangers7–2Urquidy (7–3)Arihara (2–4)—20,99185–60W1
146September 16@ Rangers12–1García (11–7)Otto (0–2)—19,12186–60W2
147September 17Diamondbacks4–3 (10)Stanek (3–4)Clippard (1–1)—22,59587–60W3
148September 18Diamondbacks4–6 (10)Wendelken (3–2)Y. García (3–9)Clippard (6)25,31487–61L1
149September 19Diamondbacks7–6Solomon (1–0)Sittinger (0–1)Pressly (25)23,88888–61W1
150September 20@ Angels10–0Valdez (11–5)Barría (2–4)—16,07089–61W2
151September 21@ Angels10–5Urquidy (8–3)Naughton (0–3)—18,33290–61W3
152September 22@ Angels9–5 (12)Y. García (4–9)Selman (0–1)—14,86391–61W4
153September 23@ Angels2–3Warren (2–0)McCullers Jr. (12–5)Iglesias (33)19,82991–62L1
154September 24@ Athletics2–14Montas (13–9)Bielak (3–4)—21,10591–63L2
155September 25@ Athletics1–2Chafin (2–3)Pressly (5–3)—13,03791–64L3
156September 26@ Athletics3–4Trivino (7–7)Stanek (3–5)—12,28891–65L4
157September 28Rays4–3Maton (5–0)Fleming (10–7)—32,29792–65W1
158September 29Rays0–7Rasmussen (4–1)García (11–8)—28,32192–66L1
159September 30Rays3–2McCullers Jr. (13–5)Yarbrough (9–7)Pressly (26)31,60893–66W1
October: 2–1 (Home: 2–1; Away: 0–0)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox/Streak
160October 1Athletics6–8Manaea (11–10)Valdez (11–6)Trivino (22)26,67293–67L1
161October 2Athletics10–4Maton (6–0)Blackburn (1–4)—29,20894–67W1
162October 3Athletics7–6Taylor (4–4)Trivino (7–8)—29,75295–67W2

Postseason

[edit]

Game log

[edit]
2021 Postseason Game Log: 9–7 (Home: 5–3; Away: 4–4)
ALDS vs White Sox: 3–1 (Home: 2–0; Away: 1–1)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox/Streak
1October 7White Sox6–1McCullers Jr. (1–0)Lynn (0–1)—40,4971–0W1
2October 8White Sox9–4Stanek (1–0)Bummer (0–1)—41,3152–0W2
3October 10@ White Sox6–12Kopech (1–0)Y. García (0–1)—40,2882–1L1
—October 11@ White SoxPostponed (rain, makeup October 12)
4October 12@ White Sox10–1Y. García (1–1)Rodón (0–1)—40,1703–1W1
ALCS vs Red Sox: 4–2 (Home: 2–1; Away: 2–1)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox/Streak
1October 15Red Sox5–4Stanek (1–0)Robles (0–1)Pressly (1)40,5341–0W1
2October 16Red Sox5–9Eovaldi (1–0)L. García (0–1)—41,4761–1L1
3October 18@ Red Sox3–12Rodríguez (1–0)Urquidy (0–1)—37,6031–2L2
4October 19@ Red Sox9–2Graveman (1–0)Eovaldi (1–1)—38,0102–2W1
5October 20@ Red Sox9–1Valdez (1–0)Sale (0–1)—37,5993–2W2
6October 22Red Sox5–0L. García (1–1)Eovaldi (1–2)—42,7184–2W3
WS vs Braves: 2–4 (Home: 1–2; Away: 1–2)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordBox/Streak
1October 26Braves2–6Minter (1–0)Valdez (0–1)—42,8250–1L1
2October 27Braves7–2Urquidy (1–0)Fried (0–1)—42,8331–1W1
3October 29@ Braves0–2Anderson (1–0)L. García (0–1)Smith (1)42,8981–2L1
4October 30@ Braves2–3Matzek (1–0)Javier (0–1)Smith (2)43,1251–3L2
5October 31@ Braves9–5Urquidy (2–0)Minter (1–1)—43,1222–3W1
6November 2Braves0–7Fried (1–1)L. García (0–2)—42,8682–4L1

Postseason rosters

[edit]
Playoff rosters
American League Division Series
American League Championship Series
World Series

Awards notes

[edit]

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 +78 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), second in MLB to only the St. Louis Cardinals with +86, the winners of the National 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). Shortstop Carlos Correa won his first career of both the Platinum Glove and Gold Glove Awards, marking the first time an Astros player has won a Platinum Glove. Correa led the AL with +21 DRS in 2021.[74]

Five Astros players were announced on October 25, 2021, as finalists for the Silver Slugger Award, including Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Correa, Yuli Gurriel, and Kyle Tucker.[75] However, all of the five were claimed by players on other teams, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of Toronto at first base, Marcus Semien of Toronto at second base, Xander Bogaerts of Boston at shortstop, Teoscar Hernández, Aaron Judge and Cedric Mullins in the outfield, and Shohei Ohtani at designated hitter.[76]

Starting pitcher Luis García finished second to Randy Arozarena of Tampa Bay in the American League Rooke of the Year balloting, receiving two first-place votes [77]

Manager Dusty Baker was named as a finalist for AL Manager of the Year Award.[78] 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.[79]

Statistics

[edit]

Note: Yellow background is team leader in specific category.

Batting

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]
Final regular season batting statistics
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
CMartín Maldonado125426373406410112361124712700.172.272.300.571585914.20.25529.12.5−0.1
1BYuli Gurriel143605530831693101581245596811.319.383.462.846131416123.79.25592.76.43.7
2BJose Altuve1466786011171673213183294669153.278.350.489.8391274963.67.324103.16.14.4
SSCarlos Correa14864055510415534126922697511600.279.366.485.85013141664.08.34196.76.27.2
3BAlex Bregman9140034854941701255147445310.270.355.422.77711341343.98.28251.65.12.1
LFMichael Brantley†12150846968146293847205335310.311.362.437.79911951113.68.19872.25.82.5
CFMyles Straw9837032544851312341063871175.262.339.326.665852724.09.21839.14.11.4
RFKyle Tucker†1405675068314937330922825390142.294.359.557.91714711053.84.39199.97.25.7
DHYordan Alvarez†14459853792149351331042855014510.277.346.531.87713681634.01.34893.96.23.2
OFChas McCormick108330284477312014501272510442.257.319.447.7661074574.01.28540.94.92.3
3BAledmys Díaz843192942876190845119166201.259.317.405.721979703.57.19736.14.31.6
CJason Castro†6617914922357082166255400.235.356.443.7991183404.31.37623.85.41.0
CFJake Meyers4916314622388062864105030.260.323.438.7611074014.02.26722.15.41.2
3BAbraham Toro↔351221091723106204292131.211.287.385.672833113.82.27512.73.90.8
IFRobel García↔4611710681630182284200.151.216.208.423181213.87.1322.90.8−0.8
UTTaylor Jones351081021125812164142900.245.269.402.670810523.93.1969.53.10.1
OFJosé Siri214946101401492811731.304.347.609.9561552004.06.3709.67.80.3
CGarrett Stubbs†18383426200382700.176.222.235.458260003.00.1161.61.4−0.2
IFMarwin González↔143634560038151800.176.222.441.663761304.03.2942.42.1−0.5
IFJacob Wilson6141322110151200.154.214.385.599600104.14.3080.71.70.0
2BAlex De Goti27622000121200.333.429.333.7621150003.57.1671.06.70.1
DHRonnie Dawson†36521000011000.200.333.200.533530103.33.2000.10.5−0.1
PLuís García36600000000100.000.000.000.000−1000002.33.000−0.6−2.7−0.1
PLance McCullers Jr.†34400000000300.000.000.000.000−1000004.25.000−0.4−2.9−0.1
PJosé Urquidy24401000010300.250.250.250.500390004.75.0000.21.80.0
PFramber Valdez24400000000200.000.000.000.000−1000003.50.000−0.4−2.8−0.1
PZack Greinke12200000000100.000.000.000.000−1000002.00.000−0.2−2.80.0
PJake Odorizzi11100000000000.000.000.000.000−1000001.00.000−0.1−2.70.0
Final regular season team batting totals
PosPlayerGPAABRH2B3BHRRBITBBBSOSBCSAVGOBPSLGOPSOPS+HBPGIDPSFP/PASECARCRC27WAR
Position player totals62705572863149529914221834248556912125316.268.340.446.7861146413654
Pitcher totals2121010000101000.048.048.048.095–74000
Team totals16262915593863149629914221834248656912225316.267.339.444.78311364136543.90.285838.65.3
Rank in 15 AL teams111212512421421132171
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

Pitching

[edit]

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 GreinkeSP1164.1630290171.016482793612021.17
Lance McCullers Jr.SP1353.1628280162.1122595776185101.22
Luis GarcíaSP1183.4830280155.113362605016731.18
Framber ValdezSP1163.1422220134.2110524758125111.25
José UrquidySP833.6220200107.0874343199020.99
Jake OdorizziSP674.2124230104.2975149349131.25
Cristian JavierRP413.553692101.16741405313071.18
Ryne StanekRP353.42720268.1463226378351.22
Ryan PresslyCL532.256402664.0491916138100.97
Brooks RaleyRP234.78580249.0433026166531.20
Blake TaylorRP443.16510042.2381915224101.41
Brandon Bielak—344.50282150.0482925214631.38
Bryan Abreu—335.75310136.0352623183631.47
Phil Maton—404.97270025.1291514122431.62
Kendall Graveman—113.13230023.02088122751.39
Joe Smith—117.48270021.235181841731.80
Yimi García—125.48230021.118151352501.08
Andre Scrubb—115.03180019.2151111142101.48
Kent Emanuel—102.55100017.2125541310.91
Peter Solomon—101.2960014.0102281001.29
Ralph Garza Jr.—124.0990011.0116571401.64
Enoli Paredes—006.2312008.27106171522.77
Nivaldo Rodríguez—002.454007.14224331.09
Rafael Montero—010.004006.03102500.83
Josh James—005.405005.04332801.20
Tyler Ivey—007.711104.26441301.50
Pedro Báez—002.084004.12111500.69
Seth Martinez—0015.003003.05553302.67
Austin Pruitt—016.752002.23220111.13
Ryan Hartman—003.861002.13110201.29
Robel Garcia—0036.001001.05440005.00
Totals95673.78162162341445.012316586075491456701.23
Rank in 15 AL Teams2144——122234116115

Source:

Awards and achievements

[edit]

Milestones

[edit]

= MLB debuts

[edit]
Houston Astros 2021 MLB debuts
Player—Appeared at position
Date and opponent
  • April 1 at OAK
  • April 14 vs DET
  • April 16 at SEA
  • May 21 at TEX
  • May 29 vs SDP
  • August 1 at SFG
  • September 3 at SDP
 Ref.

[80][81]
[82][83]
[84][85]
[86][87]
[88][89]
[90][91]
[92][93]

Career honors

[edit]

Annual awards

[edit]

AL batting leaders

[edit]
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 to Cleveland Indians on July 30, 2021.[102]
Reference:[103]

AL pitching leaders

[edit]
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
Championship win probability added (cWPA) Ryan Pressly 2.6 1st Lance McCullers Jr. 2.0 8th
Reference:[104]

AL fielding leaders

[edit]
Category Player Figure AL rank Player Figure AL rank
Defensive Wins 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:[103][105]

Roster

[edit]
2021 Houston Astros
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

 Manager

Coaches

Minor league system and first-year player draft

[edit]

Teams

[edit]

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 the Sugar Land Skeeters as their AAA club; the Skeeters were previously members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and unaffiliated with any major league clubs.[106] Sugar Land replaced the Round 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

Awards

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Major League Baseball draft

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2021 Houston Astros complete draft list
Round Pick Name (Age) Pos. B / T School City, state Date sgnd. Ref.
1
2
3 87 Tyler Whitaker (18) CF R/R Bishop Gorman High School Las Vegas, NV [108]
4 117 Álex Úlloa (18) SS R/R Calvary Christian Academy Fort Lauderdale, FL Unsigned [108]
132 Chayce McDermott P L/R Ball State Anderson, IN July 17, 2021
5 148 Quincy Hamilton OF L/L Wright State Anchorage, AK July 16, 2021
6 178 Spencer Arrighetti P R/R UL Lafayette Albuquerque, NM July 15, 2021
7 208 Joey Loperfido OF L/R Duke Philadelphia, PA July 21, 2021
8 238 Colton Gordon P L/L Central Florida St. Petersburg, FL July 16, 2021
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
Footnotes
  1. ↑ since 1900.
  2. ↑ The previous four clubs were the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals.
  3. ↑ Baker was also manager of the San Francisco Giants in 2002, for whom Bonds played when won his first batting title,[49] and when the Giants clinched the National League pennant.[50]
  4. ↑ Per the Elias Sports Bureau. The first game in which the foursome started together occurred on September 3, 2016, in a 12–4 loss to the Texas Rangers. The 2016 season was Gurriel's first in MLB, who made his debut the latest of the four.
  5. ↑ Acosta started with the Houston franchise in 1999 as a broadcast intern, eventually becoming the Astros Team Historian, and an expert on the history of the Astrodome. His achievements include significant effort in the design, concept, and establishment of the Astros Hall of Fame in 2019, and of the creation of the Astros Hall of Fame Board.
Sources
  1. ↑ Dougherty, Jesse (October 17, 2020). "The Rays are off to the World Series after sending the Astros home in Game 7 of the ALCS". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Justin Verlander throws from 90 feet as Astros ace progresses in rehab from Tommy John surgery". ESPN. Associated Press. May 7, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  3. ↑ RotoWire Staff (February 27, 2021). "Astros' Justin Verlander: Moved to 60-day injured list". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  4. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (January 7, 2021). "Reliever Stanek signs 1-year deal with Astros". MLB.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  5. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (January 13, 2021). "Astros sign veteran Báez to two-year deal". MLB.com. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  6. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (January 22, 2021). "Astros, Jason Castro finalize 2-year deal". MLB.com. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  7. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (March 8, 2021). "Astros finalize 2-year deal with Odorizzi". MLB.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  8. ↑ Matheson, Keegan (January 23, 2021). "Springer, Blue Jays finalize 6-year deal". MLB.com. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  9. ↑ Piecoro, Nick (April 12, 2021). "Arizona Diamondbacks sign veteran outfielder Josh Reddick". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  10. ↑ ESPN (March 24, 2011). "RHP Lance McCullers Jr. agrees to $85M extension with Houston Astros, sources say". ESPN. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Gameday: Astros 8, Athletics 1". MLB.com. April 1, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  12. ↑ "2021 Houston Astros uniform numbers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Houston Astros Opening Day starters". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  14. 1 2 McTaggart, Brian (April 2, 2021). "Greinke's gem lifts Astros to record OD win". MLB.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Chas McCormick stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Michael Brantley home runs". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  17. 1 2 Rome, Chandler (September 23, 2021). "Ryan Pressly reaches vesting threshold, guaranteeing 2022 salary with Astros". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  18. 1 2 3 Smith, Brian T. (October 7, 2021). "Michael Brantley returns at perfect time for Astros". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  19. 1 2 McTaggart, Brian (April 22, 2021). "Javier fans career-high 9 in rotation return". MLB.com. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  20. ↑ MLB Stats [@MLBStats] (April 22, 2021). "Cristian Javier is the first @astros pitcher to record the first 8 outs of a game via strikeout since 1986 (Jim Deshaies 9/23). h/t: @StatsBySTATS https://t.co/plUtMaXxj2" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Twitter.
  21. ↑ "McCullers leads Astros over Rays 9–2, 1st meeting since ALCS". ESPN. Associated Press. April 30, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  22. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (December 1, 2021). "Houston's all-time single-season team". MLB.com. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  23. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (May 8, 2021). "'He's a hitter': Yordan goes off once more". MLB.com. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Kershaw's strong start gives Dodgers 9–2 win over Astros". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 25, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  25. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (June 4, 2021). "Greinke hurls CG in Astros' 13-run onslaught". MLB.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  26. ↑ ESPN (June 6, 2021). "Houston Astros' Aledmys Diaz out 6 to 8 weeks with broken hand". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  27. ↑ Schwartzburg, Seth (June 15, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 15". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  28. ↑ Footer, Alyson (June 16, 2021). "Astros hit 6 homers to sweep away Rangers". MLB.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  29. ↑ Footer, Alyson (June 17, 2021). "Quad injury forces Bregman to IL". MLB.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Jose Altuve Career Home Runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lerner, Danielle (July 4, 2021). "Astros' Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Michael Brantley, Ryan Pressly selected as All-Star reserves". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  32. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (July 28, 2021). "Astros trade for MIA reliever Yimi García". MLB.com. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  33. ↑ Young, Matt (July 30, 2021). "Astros trade Myles Straw to Cleveland for reliever Phil Maton". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  34. ↑ Kaplan, Jake (July 31, 2021). "In their surprise trade of Myles Straw, the Astros make a big bet on Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers". The Athletic. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  35. ↑ Kaplan, Jake (August 2, 2021). "On the arrival of Astros outfielder Jake Meyers, a late bloomer from a Nebraska baseball family". The Athletic. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  36. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (August 15, 2021). "Jake rakes! Meyers hits 1st HR, adds slam". MLB.com. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  37. ↑ ESPN News Services (August 25, 2021). "Alex Bregman, out since June, returns to Houston Astros, scores winning run". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  38. ↑ Berman, Mark [@MarkBermanFox26] (September 14, 2021). "How about this remarkable fact provided by the #Astros: Since RBIs became official in 1920, no player, entering tonight, had ever had 2 or more HR and 5 or more RBIs in their first-career start. Jose Siri is the first" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Twitter.
  39. ↑ "Siri, tell me how to make history: Rook does it". MLB.com. September 13, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  40. ↑ Rome, Chandler [@Chandler_Rome] (September 13, 2021). "Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman are the two youngest players in Astros history to have 30-homer seasons. Bregman had 31 during his age-24 season in 2018. Alvarez has 30 now during his age-24 season" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Twitter.
  41. ↑ Houston Astros [@astros] (September 17, 2021). "Jose Altuve hit his 849th career hit inside Minute Maid Park which ties Lance Berkman for the stadium record. https://t.co/sPkRpyd7ed" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Twitter.
  42. ↑ Houston Astros [@astros] (September 18, 2021). "With that double, @JoseAltuve27 now has the most hits in Minute Maid Park history with 850! 🐐 #ForTheH https://t.co/Jy65RRBmWU" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Twitter.
  43. ↑ MLB Stats [@MLBStats] (September 22, 2021). ".@TeamCJCorrea is the first @astros SS to score 100 runs in a season. https://t.co/MzG1o4kIwv" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
  44. ↑ Rome, Chandler (September 19, 2021). "Astros travel dressed as Zack Greinke in fishing shirts, short shorts and bucket hats". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  45. ↑ Schwab, Michael [@michaelschwab13] (September 22, 2021). "Yordan Alvarez is the 2nd youngest Astro to reach 100+ RBI, passing Bregman. https://t.co/OTJJp6cjYC" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Twitter.
  46. ↑ Spaeder, Ryan [@theaceofspaeder] (September 28, 2021). "Most recent teams to tie and then walk-off a game on consecutive bases on balls: Sept. 28, 2021 – #Astros July 2, 2019 – Dodgers May 6, 1994 – Cardinals May 3, 1979 – Brewers April 18, 1979 – Padres April 18, 1969 – Dodgers July 27, 1961 – Cubs July 18, 1931 – Athletics" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Twitter.
  47. ↑ MLB Press Release (September 30, 2021). "Astros clinch American League West division title for fourth time in five seasons". MLB.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  48. ↑ Lerner, Danielle (October 6, 2021). "After worst year of his career, batting champ Yuli Gurriel primed for World Series run at age 37". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  49. 1 2 Young, Matt (October 3, 2021). "Yuli Gurriel becomes second Astros player to win a batting title". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  50. ↑ "Dusty Baker managerial record". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  51. ↑ "Michael Brantley stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  52. 1 2 Adler, David (October 4, 2021). "Tucker, O'Neill top players for September". MLB.com. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  53. ↑ Young, Matt (October 6, 2021). "Details behind the longtime feud between Dusty Baker, Tony La Russa: The Astros, White Sox managers have a long history with each other". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  54. ↑ Zwerneman, Brent (October 22, 2021). "It stings, but injured Jake Meyers is ready to find other ways to help Astros". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  55. ↑ Pope, Lamond (October 12, 2021). "'A fun ride' for the 2021 Chicago White Sox ends well short of the ultimate goal after a Game 4 loss in the ALDS: 'It hurts, but ... we're only going to grow from it'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  56. ↑ Houston Astros [@astros] (October 16, 2021). ".@JoseAltuve27 & @TeamCJCorrea have played 65 career postseason games together, the most by any 2B/SS duo in @MLB history. #ForTheH https://t.co/JsPg1i09VY" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Twitter.
  57. ↑ "MLB Postseason". MLB.com. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  58. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (October 17, 2021). "One of best ever? Astros INF has a case: Awards, accomplishments continue to pile up for foursome after 5 years together". MLB.com. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  59. ↑ Young, Matt (October 20, 2021). "A deep dive into the ninth inning that saved the Astros season". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  60. 1 2 McTaggart, Brian (October 20, 2021). "Framber's gem lifts Astros to cusp of pennant". MLB.com. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  61. ↑ Kramer, Daniel (October 20, 2021). "Alvarez (3 hits, 3 RBIs) unleashes in Game 5". MLB.como. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  62. ↑ Browne, Ian (October 20, 2021). "Sox on brink of elimination as bats stay cold". MLB.com. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  63. ↑ MLB Network [@MLBNetwork] (October 21, 2021). "Fenway dominance. @astros l #ForTheH https://t.co/gv8eLzUbRt" (Tweet) (in Haitian Creole). Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Twitter.
  64. ↑ Rieken, Kristie (October 22, 2021). "The Houston Astros advance to the World Series for the 2nd times in 3 years, eliminating the Boston Red Sox 5–0 in Game 6 of the ALCS". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  65. ↑ Langs, Sarah (October 23, 2021). "He's back! 7 incredible facts on Dusty in WS". MLB.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  66. ↑ Polishuk, Matt (October 23, 2021). "How The Astros Built Their AL Championship Team". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  67. ↑ "MLB Postseason". MLB.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  68. ↑ Suteland, Edward (October 30, 2021). "The play that broke up Braves' combined no-hitter vs. Astros in World Series Game 3, explained". Sporting News. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  69. ↑ "Soler clears train tracks for massive 3-run HR". MLB.com. November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  70. ↑ Castrovince, Anthony (November 2, 2021). "Braves win 1st World Series title since 1995". MLB.com. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  71. ↑ McCalvy, Adam (November 3, 2021). "Soler clears train tracks, hauls in Series MVP". MLB.com. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  72. ↑ "Joc Pederson celebrating World Series win with his pearls and a cigar is a mood". For The Win. November 3, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  73. ↑ Apstein, Stephanie. "Pearls Before Swing". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  74. 1 2 3 Adler, David (November 12, 2021). "Arenado, Correa take home Platinum Gloves: Cardinals, Astros named best defensive squads with Gold Glove Team Awards". MLB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  75. ↑ Murphy, Brian (October 25, 2021). "Silver Slugger Award finalists announced". MLB.com. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  76. ↑ Harrigan, Thomas (November 11, 2021). "Silver Slugger Award winners announced". MLB.com. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  77. ↑ Berry, Adam (November 15, 2021). "Arozarena wins AL ROY Award; Wander 3rd". MLB.com. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  78. ↑ Rome, Chandler (November 8, 2021). "Astros' Dusty Baker finalist for AL Manager of the Year". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  79. ↑ Landry, Kennedi (November 16, 2021). "Baker third in AL Manager of Year balloting: Astros skipper previously a three-time winner in NL with San Francisco". MLB.com. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  80. ↑ "Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics box score, April 1, 2021". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  81. ↑ "Chas McCornick stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  82. ↑ "Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros box score, April 14, 2021". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  83. ↑ "Ronnie Dawson stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  84. ↑ "Houston Astros at Seattle Mariners box score, April 16, 2021". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  85. ↑ "Alex De Goti stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  86. ↑ "Houston Astros at Texas Rangers box score, May 21, 2021". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  87. ↑ "Tyler Ivey stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  88. ↑ "Ralph Garza stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  89. ↑ "San Diego Padres at Houston Astros box score". Baseball-Reference.com. May 29, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  90. ↑ "Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants box score, August 1, 2021". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  91. ↑ "Jake Meyers stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  92. ↑ "Houston Astros at San Diego Padres box score, September 3, 2021". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  93. ↑ "José Siri stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  94. ↑ Vera, Alejandra (September 3, 2021). "Robert Pérez, Bob Abreu, Edgardo Alfonzo serán exaltados al Salón de la Fama del Béisbol Venezolano". museodebeisbol.com (in Spanish). Prensa Museo de Béisbol. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  95. ↑ Castrovince, Anthony (November 23, 2021). "The '21 All-MLB Team is here. And it's stacked". MLB.com. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  96. ↑ Wagner, James (October 21, 2021). "In a place he never thought he'd be, and thriving: Houston's Yordan Alvarez grew up in Cuba believing he'd never need to learn English. The M.V.P. of the A.L.C.S. lets his tape measure homers do the talking". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  97. 1 2 3 4 5 Astros Press Release (October 5, 2021). "Houston BBWAA announces Astros award winners". MLB.com. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  98. ↑ Rome, Chandler (October 28, 2021). "Five Astros are finalists for American League Gold Glove awards". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  99. ↑ Adler, David (November 7, 2021). "Your 2021 Gold Glove Award winners are ..." MLB.com. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  100. ↑ Foster, Jason (October 28, 2021). "Sporting News 2021 MLB awards: Ohtani voted top player; Posey leads Giants in strong showing". Sporting News. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  101. ↑ "Heart and Hustle Award". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  102. ↑ "Myles Straw stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  103. 1 2 "2021 American League batting leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  104. ↑ "2021 American League pitching leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  105. ↑ "2021 American League fielding leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  106. ↑ Lacques, Gabe (December 9, 2020). "Major League Baseball issues invites for minor-league affiliates; here are teams that didn't make cut". USA Today. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  107. ↑ "Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  108. 1 2 "Astros 2021 MLB Draft recap". MLB.com. June 13, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
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