Astros Stat of the Day: Sept./Oct. 2021
MLB.com is keeping track of a Stat of the Day for the Astros this season, highlighting a unique, interesting or fun nugget from each game.
Oct. 3: Astros 7, A's 6 -- Greinke out of the 'pen
Zack Greinke pitched in relief for the first time since Aug. 24, 2007. His 424 straight pitching appearances without coming out of the bullpen is the 14th-longest streak among players to make their debut in the modern era.
Oct. 2: Astros 10, A's 4 -- Altuve a hitting machine
Jose Altuve went 4-for-5 with two runs scored, giving him 32 career four-hit games. That’s the second most in the Majors since he made his debut in 2011.
Oct. 1: A's 8, Astros 6 -- Castro heating up
Astros catcher Jason Castro, who hit a three-run homer, is 9-for-19 with three home runs and seven RBIs in his last nine games.
Sept. 30: Astros 3, Rays 2 -- Club-record 5 straight playoff berths
The Astros have made the playoffs for five consecutive years (2017-21) for the first time in their history.
Sept. 29: Rays 7, Astros 0 -- Rookie on a roll
The six strikeouts by Astros pitcher Luis Garcia gave him 167 for the season, which are the second most in a single season in club history by a rookie pitcher. Tom Griffin struck out 200 in 1969.
Sept. 28: Astros 4, Rays 3 -- Altuve matches personal best
Jose Altuve tied his career high (2019) with his 31st homer of the year in the eighth inning. That was also the 164th of his career, putting him seventh on the club's all-time home run list.
Sept. 26: Athletics 4, Astros 3 -- Bregman hot at the plate
Astros third baseman Alex Bregman is batting .303 (30-for-99) with four home runs, 19 RBIs and 13 walks in 27 games since he was reinstated from the IL on Aug. 25.
Sept. 25: Athletics 2, Astros 1 -- Bats gone quiet
The Astros have scored five runs in their past three games after scoring 29 runs in the three games prior to that.
Sept. 24: Athletics 14, Astros 2 -- Altuve hits a career high
By scoring two runs against Oakland (one coming on his 30th home run of the season), second baseman Jose Altuve set a career high with 113 runs scored this season. His previous best was 112 during his 2017 MVP season.
Sept. 23: Angels 3, Astros 2 -- Altuve extends streak
Jose Altuve extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a ninth-inning single. He's 15-for-45 (.333) during the streak.
Sept. 22: Astros 9, Angels 5 (12 innings) -- 100 RBIs for Yordan
Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez joined Alex Bregman (2018) and Cesar Cedeno (1974) as the only Houston players 24 years or younger to drive in at least 100 runs in a season. Alvarez is the 17th Astros player to reach 100 RBIs in a campaign.
Sept. 21: Astros 10, Angels 5 -- 100 runs for Correa
After scoring on Kyle Tucker's two-run home run in the second inning, Carlos Correa became the first shortstop in Astros history to score 100 runs in a single season.
Sept. 20: Astros 10, Angels 0 -- Rejuvenated Marwin
Marwin Gonzalez had two homers in 271 plate appearances with the Red Sox this season. Since making his Astros debut on Sept. 6, he has three homers in 22 plate appearances, including a ninth-inning grand slam that was his first slam since Aug. 24, 2018, with Houston (also at the Angels).
Sept. 19: Astros 7, D-backs 6 -- Greinke ties Cy Young
With three strikeouts in four innings, Zack Greinke tied Cy Young at No. 23 on MLB's all-time strikeouts list (2,806). It was a nice accomplishment on an otherwise underwhelming day for the veteran right-hander, who gave up five runs in his second start since coming off the COVID IL.
Sept. 18: D-backs 6, Astros 4 (10) -- Altuve makes MMP history
Jose Altuve's fifth-inning double was his 850th all-time hit in regular-season games at Minute Maid Park, setting a new stadium record. The mark was previously held by Lance Berkman (849). It was also Altuve's 336th career double with the Astros, which passed Jose Cruz (335) for fifth in franchise history.
Sept. 17: Astros 4, D-backs 3 (10) -- Altuve ties Berkman
Jose Altuve broke up Madison Bumgarner’s bid at history while making some of his own. Altuve’s two-run blast in the sixth inning broke up Bumgarner’s bid at a no-hitter and put the Astros in front. For Altuve, the home run was his 849th all-time hit in the regular season at Minute Maid Park, which ties Lance Berkman.
Sept. 16: Astros 12, Rangers 1 -- Gurriel pads batting average
With a 2-for-6 night, including an RBI single, Yuli Gurriel took over the Astros' team lead with a .31535 batting average, a tick higher than teammate Michael Brantley (.31498). The two rank second and third in the American League, respectively, behind Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.317). Brantley is on the 10-day IL, so his average will stay the same until at least next week.
Sept. 15: Astros 7, Rangers 2 -- Tucker scorching hot
After collecting a single, double and solo homer, Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker is hitting .420 (29-for-69) in 20 games since returning from the IL on Aug. 24. He has 18 runs, seven doubles, two triples, four home runs and 12 RBIs during that stretch.
Sept. 14: Rangers 8, Astros 1 -- Greinke closes in on Cy
With four strikeouts, Zack Greinke, the active MLB leader in starts (487) and wins (219), now has 2,803 career strikeouts and moved within three strikeouts of Cy Young (2,806) for 24th on the all-time list. Greinke won the AL edition of Young's namesake award in 2009 as a member of the Royals.
Sept. 13: Astros 15, Rangers 1 -- History books for Siri
Not only did Jose Siri make history by becoming the first player with two-plus homers and five-plus RBIs in his first career start, he became the first MLB player to record four-plus hits and five-plus RBIs in his first start, as well.
Sept. 12: Astros 3, Angels 1 -- The AL West goes through Houston
With the victory, the Astros improved to 41-21 against AL West teams in 2021, winning the season series against the Angels (10-5), Mariners (11-8) and Rangers (11-4). The Astros are 9-4 against the A’s with six games remaining against Oakland.
Sept. 11: Angels 4, Astros 2 -- Bregman caps impressive streak
Alex Bregman's 10-game hitting streak ended on Saturday, but the numbers he put up during that stretch are notable. The third baseman hit .432 (16-for-37) with 10 RBIs and a 1.099 OPS. Since returning from the IL, Bregman has hit safely in 12 of 14 games.
Sept. 10: Astros 10, Angels 5 -- Altuve racking up doubles
Jose Altuve's double in the third inning was the 333rd of his career. He's two doubles shy of tying Jose Cruz for fifth on the franchise's all-time list.
Sept. 8: Mariners 8, Astros 5 -- Tucker on a roll
In 14 games since returning from the injured list (COVID-19 diagnosis), Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker is batting .429 (21-for-49) with two runs, six doubles, two triples, two homers and eight RBIs.
Sept. 7: Astros 5, Mariners 4 -- Altuve snaps homer drought
In the second inning Jose Altuve slugged his first home run since hitting a pair on July 30 in San Francisco. That snapped a drought that spanned 134 at-bats without a home run.
Sept. 6: Astros 11, Mariners 2 -- Racking up wins vs. Seattle
Right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. recorded his 10th career win against the Mariners, which is his most against any single opponent in his career. Nearly a quarter of McCullers' 43 career wins have come against the AL West division foes.
Sept. 5: Padres 4, Astros 3 -- Correa climbs the HR chart
Carlos Correa moved up in the Astros’ chart by slugging his 129th home run, every one in an Astros uniform. The homer moves him into sole possession of 13th on the Astros’ all-time list, ahead of Doug Rader. Correa trails Carlos Lee (133) for 12th place.
Sept. 4: Padres 10, Astros 2 -- Framber’s unusual inning
Framber Valdez struggled with his command in the second inning. He hit two batters and balked in a run during a four-run frame. His two hit batsmen and one balk made him the fifth pitcher in Astros franchise history and first since 2017 to have at least one balk and hit two or more batters in an outing. The last Astros pitcher to do so was Lance McCullers Jr. on May 17, 2017. The other Astros pitchers to have such an outing are Scott Feldman (June 1, 2014), Shane Reynolds (June 24, 1994) and Joaquin Andujar (June 21, 1988).
Sept. 3: Astros 6, Padres 3 -- Tucker on a tear
Since coming off the injured list on Aug. 24, Kyle Tucker has been one of the Astros' most productive hitters. Following a 2-for-3 two-RBI game that included a go-ahead homer in eighth, Tucker is slashing .387/.393/.630 in his first nine games back from the IL.
Sept. 1: Mariners 1, Astros 0 -- Hot and cold
After scoring 30 runs in three games against the Mariners on Aug. 20-22, the Astros have scored 27 runs in their past nine games (three runs per game).