Houston is in its sports equinox season as the Astros, Texans and Rockets share the city’s sports spotlight each September and October. The three-team convergence has resulted in a three-team disaster over the past 24 hours.
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That’s not hyperbole. Disaster, frankly, might be underselling the distress in the Bayou City these past few days. Read through this list of indignities in late September, then check in on the Houston sports fan in your life. They need it.
Houston Astros
Entered Friday tied with the Seattle Mariners for the American League West lead.
Lost All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña to an oblique injury.
Lost three straight games to Seattle at Daikin Park.
Enter Monday trailing Seattle by three games for the AL West lead.
Enter Monday one game behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final AL playoff spot.
Houston Texans
Entered Sunday at 0-2 after a 20-19 loss at home on Monday Night Football
Lost All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. to an oblique injury
Enter Week 4 three games behind the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC South lead.
Houston Rockets
Yikes. I think that list covers it?
Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet could miss all of 2025-26 with a torn ACL (Jason Fochtman/Getty Images)
Houston’s baseball team-the city’s current pride and joy-choked away its division lead in shocking fashion. Its football team is in the middle of a disappointing decline. The Rockets haven’t started their 2025-26 season yet, and their summer was a dream thanks to the blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant. That dream was clouded by a nightmare on Monday, with VanVleet’s injury shutting down Houston’s point guard and team leader.
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I suspect many Houston fans spent their Sunday night slumped on the couch after Sunday Night Baseball, sighing, “at least basketball season is close.” Even that excitement was muted by Monday afternoon.
Any city would be flummoxed and frustrated by a similar mix of poor performance and bad injury luck. For a certain group of Houston fans, Sunday and Monday brought something more like sports trauma. A group of longtime Houston sports fans often refer to what they call the Houston Sports Curse, which they believe is responsible for Chris Paul’s torn hamstring in 2018, the Bills’ playoff miracle at the Houston Oilers in 1992, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Game 5 comeback at the Astrodome in 1980, and many other frustrations over the past 50-plus years.
Jeremy Pena #3 of the Houston Astros reacts to striking out during the eighth inning against the Seattle Mariners in game three of the American League Division Series at T-Mobile Park on October 15, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Perhaps Houston isn’t truly cursed like some of its fans claim. Maybe the proximity to the pain distorts reality, creating a false sense of security considering the Rockets’ two titles in the 1990s and the Astros’ recent pair of championships. But now isn’t exactly the time for rational thinking for Houston fans. The Astros are in free fall. The Texans look like a mess, and the Rockets, while still impressive, just lost one of their most important players.
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2025 started as a year full of hope in Houston, with each of its three big teams holding some level of championship ambition. While not completely lost, these hopes are now seriously diminished after a tough weekend. Maybe the next equinox will bring better days. For now, the summer’s end has only brought disappointment.
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