1998 Houston Astros season
| 1998 Houston Astros | |
|---|---|
| 1998 NL Central Champions | |
| Major League affiliations | |
| |
| |
| Location | |
| |
| Results | |
| Record | 102–60 (.630) |
| Divisional place | 1st |
| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Drayton McLane, Jr. |
| General manager(s) | Gerry Hunsicker |
| Manager(s) | Larry Dierker |
| Local television |
KNWS-TV Fox Sports Southwest (Bill Brown, Jim Deshaies) |
| Local radio |
KILT (AM) (Milo Hamilton, Alan Ashby) KXYZ (Francisco Ernesto Ruiz, Alex Treviño) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The 1998 Houston Astros season marked their second consecutive trip to the postseason. They won a club-record 102 games, the first and only time in club history with at least 100 wins in a season. The Astros won their second consecutive National League Central title.
Offseason
- December 22, 1997: Rob Butler signed as a Free Agent with the Houston Astros.[1]
Regular season
First baseman Jeff Bagwell hit his first career grand slam while tying a career-high six runs batted in (RBI) against Cincinnati on September 9 in a 13–7 victory. It was his 218th career home run, making his streak the then-longest among active players without a grand slam.[2]
Season standings
| NL Central | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 102 | 60 | 0.630 | — | 55–26 | 47–34 |
| Chicago Cubs | 90 | 73 | 0.552 | 12½ | 51–31 | 39–42 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 83 | 79 | 0.512 | 19 | 48–34 | 35–45 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 77 | 85 | 0.475 | 25 | 39–42 | 38–43 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 74 | 88 | 0.457 | 28 | 38–43 | 36–45 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 69 | 93 | 0.426 | 33 | 40–40 | 29–53 |
Record vs. opponents
1998 National League Records Sources: | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | ARI | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MIL | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | AL |
| Arizona | — | 1–8 | 5–7 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 6–2 | 4–5 | 4–8 | 6–3 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 2–7 | 6–3 | 3–9 | 5–7 | 2–7 | 5–8 |
| Atlanta | 8–1 | — | 3–6 | 7–2 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 4–5 | 8–1 | 7–2 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 7–2 | 6–3 | 9–7 |
| Chicago | 7–5 | 6–3 | — | 6–5 | 7–2 | 7–2 | 4–7 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 7–2 | 4–5 | 3–6 | 8–3 | 5–4 | 7–3 | 4–7 | 5–8 |
| Cincinnati | 5–4 | 2–7 | 5–6 | — | 4–5 | 9–0 | 3–8 | 5–4 | 6–5 | 8–1 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 5–7 | 1–11 | 2–7 | 8–3 | 7-6 |
| Colorado | 6–6 | 3–5 | 2–7 | 5–4 | — | 6–3 | 6–5 | 6–6 | 4–7 | 7–2 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 3–6 | 4–8 |
| Florida | 2–6 | 5–7 | 2–7 | 0–9 | 3–6 | — | 3–6 | 4–5 | 0–9 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 0–9 | 4–5 | 8–8 |
| Houston | 5–4 | 5–4 | 7–4 | 8–3 | 5–6 | 6-3 | — | 3–6 | 9–2 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 7–2 | 9–2 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 5–7 | 10–4 |
| Los Angeles | 8–4 | 1–8 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 5–4 | 6–3 | — | 5–4 | 5–4 | 3–5 | 5–4 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 4–5 | 8–5 |
| Milwaukee | 3–6 | 2–7 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 7–4 | 9–0 | 2–9 | 4–5 | — | 6–3 | 1–8 | 4–5 | 6–5 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 3–8 | 8–6 |
| Montreal | 7–2 | 6–6 | 2–7 | 1–8 | 2–7 | 7–5 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 3–6 | — | 8–4 | 5–7 | 2–7 | 4–4 | 3–6 | 3–6 | 6–10 |
| New York | 5–4 | 3–9 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 6–3 | 7–5 | 4–5 | 5–3 | 8–1 | 4–8 | — | 8–4 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 9–7 |
| Philadelphia | 7-2 | 4–8 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 7–5 | 4–8 | — | 8–1 | 1–8 | 2–6 | 3–6 | 7–9 |
| Pittsburgh | 3–6 | 2–7 | 3–8 | 7–5 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 2–9 | 5–7 | 5–6 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 1–8 | — | 5–4 | 2–7 | 6–5 | 6–7 |
| San Diego | 9–3 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 11–1 | 7–5 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 7–5 | 6–3 | 4–4 | 5–4 | 8–1 | 4–5 | — | 8–4 | 6–3 | 6–7 |
| San Francisco | 7–5 | 2–7 | 3–7 | 7–2 | 5–7 | 9–0 | 3–6 | 6–6 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 6–2 | 7–2 | 4–8 | — | 7–5 | 8–5 |
| St. Louis | 7–2 | 3–6 | 7–4 | 3–8 | 6–3 | 5-4 | 7–5 | 5–4 | 8–3 | 6–3 | 3–6 | 6–3 | 5–6 | 3–6 | 5–7 | — | 4–9 |
Notable Transactions
July 31, 1998: Randy Johnson was traded by the Seattle Mariners to the Houston Astros for a player to be named later, Freddy Garcia, and Carlos Guillén. The Houston Astros sent John Halama (October 1, 1998) to the Seattle Mariners to complete the trade.[3]
Roster
| 1998 Houston Astros | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
Other batters
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Brad Ausmus | 128 | 412 | 111 | .269 | 6 | 45 |
| 1B | Jeff Bagwell | 147 | 540 | 164 | .304 | 34 | 111 |
| 2B | Craig Biggio | 160 | 646 | 210 | .325 | 20 | 88 |
| SS | Ricky Gutierrez | 141 | 491 | 128 | .261 | 2 | 46 |
| 3B | Bill Sipers | 123 | 384 | 105 | .273 | 4 | 43 |
| LF | Moises Alou | 159 | 584 | 182 | .312 | 38 | 124 |
| CF | Carl Everret | 133 | 467 | 138 | .296 | 15 | 76 |
| RF | Derek Bell | 156 | 630 | 198 | .314 | 22 | 108 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Reynolds | ||||||
| Jose Lima | ||||||
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
National League Divisional Playoffs
Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres
The Astros season ended by defeat in four games to the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series,[4] including losing two starts against Kevin Brown – one of the league's highest-accomplished pitchers that year[5] – both by a 2–1 score. As the Game 1 starter opposing Randy Johnson, Brown allowed no runs in eight innings and struck out 16 Astros, a career-high, and second to that point in MLB playoff history only to Bob Gibson's 17-strikeout performance in the 1968 World Series. [6] Bagwell, Derek Bell, and Craig Biggio combined for six hits in 51 at bats in this series.[7]
| Game | Home | Score | Visitor | Score | Date | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | 1 | San Diego | 2 | September 29 | 1-0 (SD) |
| 2 | Houston | 5 | San Diego | 4 | October 1 | 1-1 |
| 3 | San Diego | 2 | Houston | 1 | October 3 | 2-1 (SD) |
| 4 | San Diego | 6 | Houston | 1 | October 4 | 3-1 (SD) |
Awards and Records
- Larry Dierker, National League Manager of the Year
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: New Orleans; LEAGUE CO-CHAMPIONS: Auburn
References
- ↑ Rob Butler Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- ↑ "Bagwell has a career day in 13–7 victory". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. September 9, 1998. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ↑ Randy Johnson Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- ↑ Swydan, Paul (May 17, 2013). "The 1998 Astros were pretty good at hitting". Fangraphs. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
- ↑ Newhan, Ross (October 5, 1998). "Once again, Biggio Bagwell and Bell are wannabes in playoffs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- ↑ Newhan, Ross (September 30, 1998). "Powerful Astros are shut down by a Brown out". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- ↑ Diamos, Jason (October 5, 1998). "Padres defeat Johnson; next up are the Braves". The New York Times. Retrieved February 17, 2016.