81-81 FINAL RECORD; AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST DIVISION CHAMPS
IN THE STANDINGS: The Astros finished the regular season in first place in the AL West with an 81-81 record, topping the second-place Rangers by 1.0 game. The Astros clinched their division on the final day of the regular season with a strong finishing kick, as they went 4-2 in their final six games, all on the road, to overtake the Rangers for the division title.
IN THE POSTSEASON: The Astros made their 19th postseason appearance in club history in what was the 65th year of the franchise that began in 1962. This season marked the 14th time in club history for the Astros to enter the postseason as a division winner. The Astros have won three different divisions in their history, the NL West (1980, 1986), NL Central (1997-99, 2001) and AL West (2017-19, 2021-24, 2026).
SINCE 2015: After a one-year hiatus, the Astros were back in the postseason this year for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons (2015-26). The Astros join the Dodgers and Yankees as the only teams in the Majors to qualify for the postseason in at least 10 of the last 12 years (since 2015).
POSTSEASON VETS: Since 2015, the Astros have played more postseason games (107) and earned more postseason wins (62) than any other AL club. The Astros are 62-45 in that span for a .579 winning pct. in the postseason.
THE WILD CARD ROUND: The Astros played in the Wild Card round for the fourth time in their postseason history. The Astros are now 3-4 all-time in the Wild Card round, dispatching the Yankees in the one-game playoff in 2015, sweeping the Twins in the 2020 Wild Card Series and getting swept by the Tigers in 2024 and the White Sox in 2026.
ABOUT THE WILD CARD SERIES: The Astros were swept in the Wild Card Series by the White Sox, losing Game 1 by a score 6-3, and losing Game 2, 7-3. The Astros out-homered the White Sox, 4-2, including one each by SS Jeremy Peña and 2B Jose Altuve. The Astros had several big performances out of their bullpen in the series, including impressive 3.0-inning appearances by RHP Miguel Ullola and RHP Peter Lambert.
AT THE HELM: Astros manager Joe Espada has guided the Astros to the postseason in two of his three seasons as the Astros manager since taking over before the 2024 season. Espada has posted a 256-229 regular season record in his three years as the Astros manager and ranks ninth in club history in managerial wins.
SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: After starting the season 20-31 after 51 games, the Astros went 61-50 (.550) in their last 110 games (starting on May 22). Their record since that date ranked fourth in the AL, trailing only playoff teams, the Red Sox (65-48), Yankees (63-47) and Rays (65-49).
LEAD PROTECTORS: The Astros went 70-0 when leading after 8.0 innings on the season. They were one of just four clubs that did not lose a game when leading after 8.0 innings, along with the Rays (85-0), Diamondbacks (72-0), and Rangers (70-0).
ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros posted a 42-39 record on the road, which was three games better than their home record (39-42), giving the Astros their sixth straight season with a winning road record. Houston started the season 1-9 on their first road trip before rebounding for a 41-30 (.577) road record after April 14.
MEASURING UP: The Astros went 29-26 (.527) against teams that finished with a winning record, with that winning percentage ranking fourth in the Majors, trailing only the Rays (40-28) in the AL. The Astros had winning records against five eventual playoff teams, the Cubs (3-0), Red Sox (5-1), White Sox (5-2), Guardians (4-2) and Phillies (2-1).
SILVER BOOT SECURED: The Astros finished their season series with a 9-4 record against the Rangers, securing them the 2026 Silver Boot. The Astros have now won the Silver Boot in 10 consecutive seasons (every year since 2017), during which the Astros have gone 102-55 vs. the Rangers.
GOIN’ DEEP: The Astros hit 226 regular season homers as a team this year, which were the most in the Majors. The last time the Astros led the Majors in home runs was in 2000, when they hit 249 homers. The 2026 Astros also led the AL in SLG (.417) and OPS (.732).
20-HR CLUB: The Astros had five players reach 20 home runs this season: DH Yordan Alvarez (42), 1B Christian Walker (29), 3B Isaac Paredes (25), SS Jeremy Peña (22) and RF Cam Smith (21). They were one of just three teams in the Majors to do so, along with the Braves (5) and Cubs (5).
TWO-OUT MAGIC: The Astros led the American League in two-out runs with 324 on the season, trailing only the Cubs (333) in the Majors. 3B Isaac Paredes was the driving force behind this, as he led the Majors in two-out RBI with 46.
UP TO THE CHALLENGE: Astros hitters were third in the AL in successful ABS challenges with 93 (in 185 chances). Among individual players, Jose Altuve had 21 successful challenges on the year, the most in the American League.
ABOUT THE ROSTER: The Astros used 28 different position players and 31 true pitchers for a total of 59 players used in the 2026 season. They used 19 different starting pitchers, a franchise record.
THE LINEUP: The Astros used 156 different lineups in their 162 games, repeating a lineup just six times on the season. DH Yordan Alvarez had the most starts at any spot in the lineup among Astros, hitting second 147 times.
ANNUAL HOUSTON BBWAA AWARDS: The Houston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America announced the 2026 Astros award winners as below:
• Astros MVP: Yordan Alvarez
• Astros Pitcher of the Year: Peter Lambert
• Astros Rookie of the Year: AJ Blubaugh
• Darryl Kile Good Guy Award: Bryan Abreu
• Fred Hartman Long and Meritorious Service to Baseball Award: Brent Strom
Feb. 11……………First day of Spring Training
March 26 ………………….Astros Opening Day
April 3 ……………Alvarez records 500th RBI
April 6 ……………..Alvarez named AL POTW
April 21 ……..Altuve plays in 2,000th game
May 4 ………Alvarez named April AL POTM
May 13 …………..Cole walkoff single vs. SEA
May 25 ……..Astros throw no-hitter at TEX
June 3 ……….Arrighetti named May POTM
June 3 ………..Hader makes season debut
June 4 ……..Paredes hits 100th career HR
June 8 …………….Alvarez named AL POTW
June 8 …..Alvarez has six RBI in an inning
July 4 ………………Alvarez walkoff HR vs. TB
July 6 ………………Alvarez named AL POTW
July 11 ………………….2026 MLB draft begins
July 14 ……………..The 2026 All-Star Game
July 17 ……………Peña begins 15g hit streak
July 27 ………………..Peña named AL POTW
July 31…………Astros move into first place
Aug. 2 ……………..Astros win 11 of 12 games
Aug. 3 ……………Alvarez named July POTM
Aug. 3 …………………Astros trade for Varsho
Aug. 14 …………..Walker walkoff HR vs. SEA
Aug. 15 ……………Two added to Astros HOF
Sept. 3 ……….Hader named August ROTM
Sept. 4 ….Hader earns 250th career save
Sept. 9 …………..Altuve records 2,500th hit
Sept. 24 ……..Spence has three-HR game
Sept. 27 …………………Astros clinch division
Sept. 29……………Game 1 of the WC Series