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1998 Houston Astros season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1998 Houston Astros
National League Central champions
LeagueNational League
DivisionCentral
BallparkAstrodome
CityHouston, Texas
Record102–60 (.630)
Divisional place1st
OwnersDrayton McLane, Jr.
General managersGerry Hunsicker
ManagersLarry Dierker
TelevisionKNWS-TV 51
(Bill Brown, Milo Hamilton, Jim Deshaies)
Fox Sports Southwest
(Bill Brown, Milo Hamilton, Jim Deshaies, Bill Worrell)
RadioKILT–AM 610
(Milo Hamilton, Alan Ashby)
KXYZ–AM 1320
(Francisco Ernesto Ruiz, Alex Treviño)
← 1997 Seasons 1999 →

The 1998 Houston Astros season was the 37th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 34th as the Astros, 37th in the National League (NL), fifth in the NL Central division, and 34th at The Astrodome. The Astros entered the season having captured their first-ever NL Central division crown with an 84–78 record and fourth division title overall; however, their season ended in a National League Division Series (NLDS) sweep by the Atlanta Braves.

On April 5, pitcher Shane Reynolds made his third consecutive Opening Day start for the Astros, who hosted the San Francisco Giants and won, 9–4. In the amateur draft, the Astros' first round selection was pitcher Brad Lidge, at 17th overall.

Left fielder Moisés Alou and second baseman Craig Biggio both represented the Astros at the MLB All-Star Game, playing for the National League. It was the third career selection for Alou, and seventh for Biggio.

Minutes before the trade deadline on July 31, the Astros acquired Randy Johnson from the Seattle Mariners, winning 10 of his 11 starts, including 4 shutouts.

On September 14, the Astros clinched the NL Central division title via defeat of the Chicago Cubs, the eventual NL Central runners-up and NL Wild Card winners. The following day, Biggio became the first Astro to collect 200 hits in a season.[1]

On the strength of a club-record 102 wins—their first-ever season with at least 100—the Astros rocketed to a second consecutive NL Central division title and trip to the playoffs. Their next 100-win season occurred in 2017, while this record for most wins remained until the following year. Their fifth division title overall and fifth playoff appearance, it was the first time since 1980–1981 when Houston occupied the NL West that they won consecutive division titles. The sixth consecutive winning season for the Astros, it signaled the fifth consecutive with a finish in either first or second place—both unprecedented streaks at the time.

In the National League Division Series (NLDS), the Astros were defeated in four games by the San Diego Padres, the NL pennant winners. Through this point, the Astros still had never won a playoff round, which remained so until 2004.

Following the season, Alou (second) and Biggio (fifth) each received Silver Slugger Awards. Larry Dierker won NL Manager of the Year, the second Astro to win this award. For The Sporting News Executive of the Year, general manager Gerry Hunsicker was named the winner, also the second Astro to receive this award. Alou finished third in the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award voting, while Biggio ranked fifth.

Offseason

[edit]
  • December 22, 1997: Rob Butler signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros.[2]

Regular season

[edit]

Summary

[edit]

An error in the ninth inning on June 14 by Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin allowed the Astros to tie the game. They scored a total of five runs in the ninth, which led to a 6–3 win in the tenth inning.

Facing a 5–3 deficit going into the ninth inning on June 17, Jeff Bagwell connected for a two-run home run to tie the score. Brad Ausmus singled in the game-winning run, and C. J. Nitkowski got the victory, his second of the year.[3]

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.[4]

Season standings

[edit]
NL Central
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Houston Astros 102 60 .630 — 55‍–‍26 47‍–‍34
Chicago Cubs 90 73 .552 12½ 51‍–‍31 39‍–‍42
St. Louis Cardinals 83 79 .512 19 48‍–‍34 35‍–‍45
Cincinnati Reds 77 85 .475 25 39‍–‍42 38‍–‍43
Milwaukee Brewers 74 88 .457 28 38‍–‍43 36‍–‍45
Pittsburgh Pirates 69 93 .426 33 40‍–‍40 29‍–‍53

Record vs. opponents

[edit]
1998 National League record
Source: MLB Standings Grid – 1998
Team AZ ATL CHC CIN COL FLA HOU LAD MIL MTL 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

[edit]

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.[5]

Roster

[edit]
1998 Houston Astros
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Game log

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]
Legend
  Astros win
  Astros loss
  Postponement
  Clinched division
Bold Astros team member
1998 regular season game log: 102–60 (Home: 55–26; Away: 47–34)[6]
March: 0–1 (Home: 0–1; Away: 0–0)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
1 March 31 4:06 p.m. CDT Giants L 4–9 (13) Johnstone (1–0) Nitkowski (0–1) — 4:29 43,776 0–1 L1
April: 17–9 (Home: 8–3; Away: 9–6)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
2 April 1 6:37 p.m. CDT Giants W 7–6 Miller (1–0) Tavarez (0–1) Wagner (1) 3:04 13,719 1–1 W1
3 April 2 7:05 p.m. CDT Giants L 2–9 Rueter (1–0) Halama (0–1) — 3:18 15,040 1–2 L1
4 April 3 7:05 p.m. CDT Rockies W 15–2 Lima (1–0) Wright (0–1) — 2:47 26,026 2–2 W1
5 April 4 7:06 p.m. CDT Rockies L 3–5 Thompson (1–0) Bergman (0–1) Dipoto (2) 2:54 21,325 2–3 L1
6 April 5 1:36 p.m. CDT Rockies W 6–2 Reynolds (1–0) Kile (1–1) — 2:29 21,037 3–3 W1
7 April 6 12:37 p.m. CDT Rockies W 13–4 Hampton (1–0) Thomson (1–1) — 2:51 13,553 4–3 W2
8 April 7 3:11 p.m. CDT @ Giants L 4–5 (10) Nen (1–0) Wagner (0–1) — 3:38 55,370 4–4 L1
9 April 8 9:05 p.m. CDT @ Giants W 6–3 Lima (2–0) Rueter (1–1) Wagner (2) 3:02 10,021 5–4 W1
10 April 9 9:04 p.m. CDT @ Giants W 3–1 Bergman (1–1) Gardner (1–1) Nitkowski (1) 2:54 10,153 6–4 W2
11 April 10 9:07 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers L 2–7 Martínez (2–1) Reynolds (1–1) — 2:51 34,994 6–5 L1
12 April 11 9:07 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers W 6–2 Hampton (2–0) Dreifort (0–1) Henry (1) 2:27 40,037 7–5 W1
13 April 12 7:08 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers L 6–7 (10) Osuna (1–0) Wagner (0–2) — 3:27 33,429 7–6 L1
14 April 13 7:05 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers L 1–3 Nomo (1–1) Lima (2–1) Radinsky (2) 2:14 32,289 7–7 L2
15 April 15 6:12 p.m. CDT @ Reds L 1–4 Tomko (2–1) Reynolds (1–2) Shaw (4) 2:28 15,619 7–8 L3
16 April 16 6:30 p.m. CDT @ Reds W 7–4 Hampton (3–0) Weathers (1–1) Wagner (3) 3:02 14,596 8–8 W1
17 April 17 7:06 p.m. CDT Expos W 5–3 Halama (1–1) Hermanson (1–2) Wagner (4) 2:31 26,485 9–8 W2
18 April 18 7:05 p.m. CDT Expos W 4–3 Henry (1–0) Batista (0–1) — 2:55 29,362 10–8 W3
19 April 19 1:37 p.m. CDT Expos L 4–5 Telford (2–0) Magnante (0–1) Urbina (4) 2:57 18,484 10–9 L1
20 April 21 @ Mets 6–0 Hampton (4–0) Reed (1–2) — 2:38 14,774 11–9 W1
21 April 22 @ Mets 7–10 Cook (2–0) Henry (1–1) — 3:41 12,772 11–10 L1
– April 23 @ Mets Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: April 27)
22 April 24 6:07 p.m. CDT @ Expos W 8–4 Lima (3–1) Valdes (0–3) — 2:49 8,713 12–10 W1
23 April 25 6:08 p.m. CDT @ Expos W 4–3 Magnante (1–1) Urbina (1–1) Wagner (5) 3:11 8,489 13–10 W2
24 April 26 12:38 p.m. CDT @ Expos W 15–0 Bergman (2–1) Moore (1–3) iller (1) 2:49 9,889 14–10 W3
25 April 27 @ Mets 4–3 Nitkowski (1–1) Franco (0–1) Wagner (6) 2:30 17,656 15–10 W4
26 April 28 Mets 4–3 (10) Magnante (2–1) Hudek (0–1) — 3:43 14,943 16–10 W5
27 April 29 Mets 6–1 Lima (4–1) Mlicki (0–3) — 2:26 14,448 17–10 W6
May: 16–12 (Home: 8–6; Away: 8–6)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
28 May 1 @ Phillies 12–5 Reynolds (2–2) Beech (0–2) — 3:17 11,410 18–10 W7
29 May 2 @ Phillies 4–1 Hampton (5–0) Schilling (3–3) Wagner (7) 2:39 18,766 19–10 W8
30 May 3 @ Phillies 3–5 Gomes (1–0) Bergman (2–2) Leiter (2) 2:52 21,288 19–11 L1
31 May 5 @ Cubs 10–5 Lima (5–1) Clark (2–4) Nitkowski (2) 2:44 21,431 20–11 W1
32 May 6 @ Cubs 0–2 Wood (3–2) Reynolds (2–3) — 2:19 15,758 20–12 L1
33 May 8 @ Brewers 1–4 Juden (4–1) Hampton (5–1) Jones (10) 2:42 14,711 20–13 L2
34 May 9 @ Brewers 11–6 Schourek (1–0) Eldred (0–2) — 3:23 20,145 21–13 W1
35 May 10 @ Brewers 7–1 Lima (6–1) Woodard (2–1) — 2:33 19,023 22–13 W2
36 May 11 Marlins 5–2 Reynolds (3–3) Hernandez (2–3) Wagner (8) 2:50 14,110 23–13 W3
37 May 12 Marlins 4–2 Bergman (3–2) Hammond (0–1) Wagner (9) 2:38 14,919 24–13 W4
38 May 13 Pirates 1–0 Hampton (6–1) Lieber (1–5) Wagner (10) 2:16 14,239 25–13 W5
39 May 14 Pirates 2–7 Silva (4–3) Schourek (1–1) — 2:36 16,123 25–14 L1
40 May 15 Braves 2–3 Neagle (5–1) Lima (6–2) Martinez (1) 2:23 38,941 25–15 L2
41 May 16 Braves 3–2 Henry (2–1) Lightenberg (3–2) — 2:34 51,526 26–15 W1
42 May 17 Braves 8–1 Bergman (4–2) Smoltz (4–1) — 2:29 35,250 27–15 W2
43 May 18 Braves 0–4 Glavine (6–2) Hampton (6–2) — 2:47 22,119 27–16 L1
44 May 19 6:06 p.m. CDT @ Expos L 2–4 Perez (3–3) Schourek (1–2) Urbina (10) 2:36 9,126 27–17 L2
45 May 20 6:06 p.m. CDT @ Expos W 4–3 Henry (3–1) Telford (2–1) Wagner (11) 2:49 8,372 28–17 W1
46 May 21 12:37 p.m. CDT @ Expos W 6–0 Reynolds (4–3) Bennett (1–2) — 2:55 7,601 29–17 W2
47 May 22 Padres 6–9 Miceli (4–1) Nitkowski (1–2) Hoffman (14) 3:12 28,550 29–18 L1
48 May 23 Padres 4–3 Miller (2–0) Miceli (4–2) Wagner (12) 2:53 36,281 30–18 W1
49 May 24 Padres 5–2 Schourek (2–2) Hamilton (3–5) Wagner (13) 3:02 25,701 31–18 W2
50 May 25 3:07 p.m. CDT Dodgers L 3–4 (10) Bruske (1–0) Scanlan (0–1) Radinsky (9) 3:35 34,079 31–19 L1
51 May 26 7:06 p.m. CDT Dodgers W 13–2 Reynolds (5–3) Valdéz (4–6) — 2:34 16,251 32–19 W1
52 May 27 6:37 p.m. CDT Dodgers L 1–3 Dreifort (3–4) Bergman (4–3) Radinsky (10) 2:50 17,190 32–20 L1
53 May 29 8:05 p.m. CDT @ Rockies W 7–6 Hampton (7–2) Astacio (4–7) Wagner (14) 2:59 48,325 33–20 W1
54 May 30 3:06 p.m. CDT @ Rockies L 3–6 Thomson (4–5) Schourek (2–3) Dipoto (12) 2:55 48,036 33–21 L1
55 May 31 2:06 p.m. CDT @ Rockies L 5–7 McElroy (1–1) Henry (3–2) — 2:40 48,097 33–22 L2
June: 17–10 (Home: 8–4; Away: 9–6)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
56 June 2 @ Padres 4–3 Reynolds (6–3) Reyes (2–2) Wagner (15) 2:43 15,735 34–22 W1
57 June 3 @ Padres 8–2 Bergman (5–3) Hamilton (3–7) — 2:43 13,229 35–22 W2
58 June 4 @ Padres 1–5 Ashby (7–4) Hampton (7–3) — 2:24 21,027 35–23 L1
59 June 5 Royals 0–3 Belcher (5–6) Schourek (2–4) Montgomery (10) 2:36 27,895 35–24 L2
60 June 6 Royals 6–0 Lima (7–2) Rosado (1–5) — 2:28 25,516 36–24 W1
61 June 7 Royals 7–1 Reynolds (7–3) Pittsley (0–1) — 2:33 23,228 37–24 W2
62 June 8 @ Tigers 9–5 Henry (4–2) Jones (0–2) — 3:28 11,767 38–24 W3
63 June 9 @ Tigers 5–3 Hampton (8–3) Jones (0–3) Wagner (16) 2:43 10,871 39–24 W4
64 June 10 @ Tigers 10–3 Schourek (3–4) Castillo (2–5) — 2:35 11,471 40–24 W5
65 June 12 6:05 p.m. CDT @ Reds L 1–8 Remlinger (4–7) Lima (7–3) — 2:23 21,310 40–25 L1
66 June 13 6:05 p.m. CDT @ Reds L 4–7 Klingenbeck (1–1) Reynolds (7–4) Shaw (18) 2:50 28,055 40–26 L2
67 June 14 12:15 p.m. CDT @ Reds W 6–3 (10) Wagner (1–2) Shaw (1–4) — 3:23 22,008 41–26 W1
68 June 15 6:06 p.m. CDT @ Reds W 13–2 Magnante (3–1) Tomko (5–6) — 2:56 14,556 42–26 W2
69 June 16 Cardinals 4–9 Acevedo (2–1) Schourek (3–5) — 3:10 34,822 42–27 L1
70 June 17 Cardinals 6–5 Nitkowski (2–2) Brantley (0–4) — 3:03 37,147 43–27 W1
71 June 18 Cardinals 6–7 Bottenfield (2–3) Reynolds (7–5) Croushore (1) 3:05 43,806 43–28 L1
72 June 19 7:05 p.m. CDT Reds W 4–2 Bergman (6–3) Winchester (3–4) Wagner (17) 2:38 29,251 44–28 W1
73 June 20 12:18 p.m. CDT Reds W 9–8 Nitkowski (3–2) Krivda (2–1) Wagner (18) 3:13 24,301 45–28 W2
74 June 21 1:35 p.m. CDT Reds W 3–1 Schourek (4–5) Harnisch (6–3) Magnante (1) 2:57 42,281 46–28 W3
75 June 22 7:05 p.m. CDT Twins L 3–5 Milton (4–6) Lima (7–4) Aguilera (15) 2:42 23,168 46–29 L1
76 June 23 12:36 p.m. CDT Twins W 9–0 Reynolds (8–5) Tewksbury (4–9) — 2:49 27,157 47–29 W1
77 June 24 8:08 p.m. CDT @ Rockies L 6–8 Astacio (5–8) Bergman (6–4) Veres (2) 2:37 48,150 47–30 L1
78 June 25 2:06 p.m. CDT @ Rockies L 5–6 (12) Leskanic (4–3) Magnante (3–2) — 3:39 48,046 47–31 L2
79 June 26 @ Indians 2–4 Colon (8–4) Magnante (3–3) Jackson (17) 2:58 43,222 47–32 L3
80 June 27 @ Indians 9–5 (11) Wagner (2–2) Mesa (3–4) — 3:53 43,132 48–32 W1
81 June 28 @ Indians 12–3 Reynolds (9–5) Nagy (7–4) Nitkowski (3) 3:12 43,047 49–32 W2
82 June 30 White Sox 17–2 Bergman (7–4) Navarro (6–10) — 2:30 26,400 50–32 W3
July: 15–12 (Home: 10–4; Away: 5–8)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
83 July 1 White Sox 10–4 Schourek (5–5) Parque (2–2) — 2:54 29.050 51–32 W4
84 July 2 White Sox 3–4 Baldwin (3–3) Lima (7–5) Simas (4) 2:25 25,344 51–33 L1
85 July 3 Diamondbacks 6–5 Reynolds (10–5) Benes (6–9) Wagner (19) 2:56 34,382 52–33 W1
86 July 4 Diamondbacks 4–7 Anderson (6–7) Hampton (8–4) — 2:50 31,477 52–34 L1
87 July 5 Diamondbacks 5–2 Bergman (8–4) Blair (3–12) Wagner (20) 3:22 23,607 53–34 W1
69th All-Star Game in Denver, Colorado
88 July 9 @ Cardinals 5–4 Reynolds (11–5) Stottlemyre (9–7) Wagner (21) 2:52 34,398 54–34 W2
89 July 10 @ Cardinals 3–6 King (2–0) Nitkowski (3–3) Brantley (13) 2:31 44,655 54–35 L1
90 July 11 @ Cardinals 3–4 (11) Painter (3–0) Wagner (2–3) — 3:01 45,760 54–36 L2
91 July 12 @ Cardinals 4–6 Acevedo (4–2) Bergman (8–5) Croushore (4) 2:42 45,485 54–37 L3
92 July 13 @ Diamondbacks 3–5 Telemaco (3–3) Schourek (5–6) Olson (12) 2:53 40,007 54–38 L4
93 July 14 @ Diamondbacks 4–2 Reynolds (12–5) Daal (3–5) Wagner (22) 2:45 40,419 55–38 W1
94 July 15 @ Diamondbacks 8–9 (11) Embree (3–0) Magnante (3–4) — 4:00 42,229 55–39 L1
95 July 17 7:06 p.m. CDT Giants W 10–7 Lima (8–5) Rueter (10–5) — 2:44 40,709 56–39 W1
96 July 18 3:07 p.m. CDT Giants W 7–2 Bergman (9–5) Darwin (6–7) — 2:43 35,257 57–39 W2
97 July 19 1:35 p.m. CDT Giants W 4–3 (12) Henry (5–2) Nen (6–2) — 3:47 32,900 58–39 W3
98 July 20 7:05 p.m. CDT Rockies W 10–9 Henry (6–2) Veres (0–1) — 3:17 25,491 59–39 W4
99 July 21 7:05 p.m. CDT Rockies L 0–5 Brownson (1–0) Hampton (8–5) — 2:10 28,718 59–40 L1
100 July 22 9:37 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers L 4–6 Bohanon (3–6) Lima (8–6) Shaw (28) 2:30 31,365 59–41 L2
101 July 23 9:07 p.m. CDT @ Dodgers W 8–6 (10) Henry (7–2) Hall (0–2) Powell (4) 3:38 40,205 60–41 W1
102 July 24 @ Padres 2–1 Schourek (6–6) Hitchcock (4–4) Magnante (2) 2:34 31,047 61–41 W2
103 July 25 @ Padres 5–6 Langston (4–3) Reynolds (12–6) Hoffman (33) 3:04 54,176 61–42 L1
104 July 26 @ Padres 4–5 (10) Wall (4–2) Magnante (3–5) — 3:06 41,034 61–43 L2
105 July 27 Marlins 9–1 Lima (9–6) Meadows (9–8) — 2:15 20,888 62–43 W1
106 July 28 Marlins 7–3 Bergman (10–5) Ojala (1–1) — 2:47 26,220 63–43 W2
107 July 29 Marlins 10–6 Schourek (7–6) Larkin (2–6) Elarton (1) 2:45 21,870 64–43 W3
108 July 30 Marlins 3–4 Hernandez (9–7) Reynolds (12–7) — 2:35 33,303 64–44 L1
109 July 31 @ Pirates 7–4 Hampton (9–5) Cordova (9–9) Henry (2) 3:00 32,476 65–44 W1
August: 22–7 (Home: 14–3; Away: 8–4)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
110 August 1 @ Pirates 2–1 Lima (10–6) Williams (2–1) — 2:49 19,783 66–44 W2
111 August 2 @ Pirates 6–2 Johnson (10–10) Christiansen (1–2) Elarton (2) 2:35 21,201 67–44 W3
112 August 3 @ Marlins 3–11 Larkin (3–6) Bergman (10–6) Mantei (5) 3:25 14,484 67–45 L1
113 August 4 @ Marlins 9–5 Reynolds (13–7) Hernandez (9–8) — 3:19 14,586 68–45 W1
114 August 5 @ Marlins 3–5 Sanchez (5–6) Hampton (9–6) Mantei (6) 2:46 19,038 68–46 L1
115 August 7 Phillies 9–0 Johnson (11–10) Welch (0–2) — 2:21 52,071 69–46 W1
116 August 8 Phillies 7–6 Henry (8–2) Leiter (6–3) — 2:52 42,523 70–46 W2
117 August 9 Phillies 11–2 Reynolds (14–7) Beech (3–9) — 2:54 28,651 71–46 W3
118 August 10 Brewers 5–2 Elarton (1–0) Fox (0–3) Wagner (23) 2:32 18,995 72–46 W4
119 August 11 Brewers 6–5 (10) Magnante (4–5) Plunk (3–2) — 3:30 20,553 73–46 W5
120 August 12 Brewers 3–0 Johnson (12–10) Woodall (5–7) — 2:39 40,217 74–46 W6
121 August 13 Brewers 6–2 Lima (11–6) Woodard (9–7) — 2:20 21,218 75–46 W7
122 August 14 Cubs 4–6 Clark (7–11) Reynolds (14–8) Beck (35) 2:53 45,040 75–47 L1
123 August 15 Cubs 5–4 (11) Wagner (3–3) Mulholland (3–3) — 3:32 52,003 76–47 W1
124 August 16 Cubs 1–2 (11) Karchner (3–4) Powell (4–5) Beck (36) 3:15 52,199 76–48 L1
125 August 17 @ Phillies 0–4 Byrd (1–0) Johnson (12–11) — 2:27 18,975 76–49 L2
126 August 18 @ Phillies 8–2 Lima (12–6) Grace (4–6) — 2:58 17,541 77–49 W1
127 August 19 @ Phillies 4–3 Reynolds (15–8) Leiter (6–4) Wagner (24) 2:44 21,341 78–49 W2
128 August 20 @ Brewers 5–6 (10) Wickman (6–6) Magnante (4–6) — 3:46 17,589 78–50 L1
129 August 21 @ Brewers 5–2 Bergman (11–6) Pulsipher (1–1) Powell (5) 3:00 26,820 79–50 W1
130 August 22 @ Cubs 8–3 Johnson (13–11) Wengert (1–3) — 3:00 39,886 80–50 W2
131 August 23 @ Cubs 13–3 Lima (13–6) Trachsel (13–7) — 3:08 38,714 81–50 W3
132 August 24 @ Cubs 12–3 Reynolds (16–8) Clark (7–12) — 2:58 34,711 82–50 W4
133 August 25 Braves 3–2 Hampton (10–6) Millwood (14–8) Wagner (25) 2:24 32,157 83–50 W5
134 August 26 Braves 2–6 Smoltz (13–2) Bergman (11–7) — 2:48 32,651 83–51 L1
135 August 28 Pirates 2–0 Johnson (14–11) Cordova (12–11) — 2:23 40,709 84–51 W1
136 August 29 Pirates 6–3 Lima (14–6) Schmidt (11–10) Powell (6) 2:39 41,762 85–51 W2
137 August 30 Pirates 11–4 Reynolds (17–8) McCurry (1–3) — 3:12 25,342 86–51 W3
138 August 31 @ Braves 4–3 Powell (5–5) Smoltz (13–3) Wagner (26) 2:43 33,883 87–51 W4
September: 15–9 (Home: 9–5; Away: 6–4)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
139 September 1 @ Braves 4–6 Neagle (14–11) Elarton (1–1) Lightenberg (25) 3:06 31,168 87–52 L1
140 September 2 @ Braves 4–2 Johnson (15–11) Maddux (17–7) Wagner (27) 2:22 46,238 88–52 W1
141 September 4 @ Diamondbacks 1–3 Telemaco (6–8) Lima (14–7) Olson (26) 2:27 41,396 88–53 L1
142 September 5 @ Diamondbacks 6–5 (12) Wagner (4–3) Embree (4–1) — 4:05 43,638 89–53 W1
143 September 6 @ Diamondbacks 10–1 Hampton (11–6) Daal (7–10) — 3:02 44,076 90–53 W2
144 September 7 4:06 p.m. CDT Reds W 1–0 Johnson (16–11) Parris (4–4) — 2:07 42,787 91–53 W3
145 September 8 7:06 p.m. CDT Reds W 13–7 Bergman (12–7) Bere (4–8) — 3:13 16,574 92–53 W4
146 September 9 Brewers 6–2 Lima (15–7) Woodard (9–11) Wagner (28) 2:29 24,462 93–53 W5
147 September 10 Brewers 7–1 Reynolds (18–8) Karl (9–9) — 2:54 20,813 94–53 W6
148 September 11 Cardinals 8–2 Powell (6–5) Morris (5–5) — 2:34 52,186 95–53 W7
149 September 12 Cardinals 3–2 Johnson (17–11) Oliver (9–10) Wagner (29) 2:36 52,493 96–53 W8
150 September 13 Cardinals 2–3 Mercker (11–11) Bergman (12–8) Acevedo (9) 2:40 52,338 96–54 L1
151 September 14 Mets 4–7 (13) McMichael (4–4) Magnante (4–7) Franco (37) 4:08 24,241 96–55 L2
152 September 15 (1) Mets 6–5 (12) Powell (7–5) Tam (1–1) — 3:53 — 97–55 W1
153 September 15 (2) Mets 4–8 Leiter (16–5) Powell (7–6) Wendell (3) 3:19 40,835 97–56 L1
154 September 16 Mets 3–4 (11) McMichael (5–4) Bergman (12–9) Wendell (4) 4:05 24,269 97–57 L2
155 September 18 @ Pirates 5–2 Johnson (18–11) Dessens (2–5) Powell (7) 2:47 16,937 98–57 W1
156 September 19 @ Pirates 1–7 Cordova (13–13) Lima (15–8) — 2:21 20,670 98–58 L1
157 September 20 @ Pirates 2–0 Reynolds (19–8) Schmidt (11–13) Wagner (30) 2:32 23,657 99–58 W1
158 September 22 @ Cardinals 0–4 Morris (7–5) Hampton (11–7) — 2:15 40,739 99–59 L1
159 September 23 @ Cardinals 7–1 Johnson (19–11) Oliver (10–11) — 3:05 38,997 100–59 W1
160 September 25 Cubs 6–2 Lima (16–8) Tapani (19–9) — 2:38 51,831 101–59 W2
161 September 26 Cubs 2–3 Clark (9–14) Powell (7–7) Beck (50) 2:50 51,950 101–60 L1
162 September 27 Cubs 4–3 (11) Elarton (2–1) Beck (3–4) — 3:30 51,916 102–60 W1

Detailed records

[edit]

Postseason Game log

[edit]
Legend
  Astros win
  Astros loss
  Postponement
Bold Astros team member
1998 Postseason game log: 1–3 (Home: 1–1; Away: 0–2)
NL Division Series: vs. San Diego Padres 1–3 (Home: 1–1; Away: 0–2)[7]
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Series Box/
Streak
1 September 29 3:07 p.m. CDT Padres L 1–2 Brown (1–0) Johnson (0–1) Hoffman (1) 2:38 50,080 SD 1–0 L1
2 October 1 3:07 p.m. CDT Padres W 5–4 Wagner (1–0) Miceli (0–1) – 2:53 45,550 Tied 1–1 W1
3 October 3 10:07 p.m. CDT @ Padres L 1–2 Miceli (1–1) Elarton (0–1) Hoffman (2) 2:32 65,235 SD 2–1 L1
4 October 4 6:37 p.m. CDT @ Padres L 1–6 Hitchcock (1–0) Johnson (0–2) – 2:39 64,898 SD 3–1 L2

Player stats

[edit]

Batting

[edit]

Starters by position

[edit]

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 Gutiérrez 141 491 128 .261 2 46
3B Bill Spiers 123 384 105 .273 4 43
LF Moisés Alou 159 584 182 .312 38 124
CF Carl Everett 133 467 138 .296 15 76
RF Derek Bell 156 630 198 .314 22 108

Other batters

[edit]

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
Sean Berry 102 299 94 .314 13 52
Richard Hidalgo 74 211 64 .303 7 35
Tony Eusebio 66 182 46 .253 1 36
Tim Bogar 79 156 24 .154 1 8
Dave Clark 93 131 27 .206 0 4
J.R. Phillips 36 58 11 .190 2 9
Jack Powell 24 38 11 .289 1 7
Pete Incaviglia 13 16 2 .125 0 2
Russ Johnson 8 13 3 .231 0 0
Mitch Meluskey 8 8 2 .250 0 0
Ray Montgomery 6 5 2 .400 0 0
Daryle Ward 4 3 1 .333 0 0

Pitching

[edit]

Starting pitchers

[edit]

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 35 233.1 19 8 3.51 209
José Lima 33 233.1 16 8 3.70 169
Mike Hampton 32 211.2 11 7 3.36 137
Sean Bergman 31 172.0 12 9 3.72 100
Randy Johnson 11 84.1 10 1 1.28 116
Pete Schourek 15 80.0 7 6 4.50 59
John Halama 6 32.1 1 1 5.85 21

Relief pitchers

[edit]

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Billy Wagner 58 4 3 30 2.70 97
Doug Henry 59 8 2 2 3.04 59
Mike Magnante 48 4 7 2 4.88 39
C.J. Nitkowski 43 3 3 3 3.77 44
Trever Miller 37 2 0 1 3.04 30
Jay Powell 29 3 3 4 2.38 38
Scott Elarton 28 2 1 2 3.32 56
Bob Scanlan 27 0 1 0 3.08 9
Reggie Harris 6 0 0 0 6.00 2
José Cabrera 3 0 0 0 8.31 1
Mike Grzanich 1 0 0 0 18.00 1

National League Divisional Playoffs

[edit]
Main article: 1998 National League Division Series

Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres

[edit]

The Astros season ended by defeat in four games to the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series,[8] including losing two starts against Kevin Brown – one of the league's highest-accomplished pitchers that year[9] – 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. [10] Bagwell, Derek Bell, and Craig Biggio combined for six hits in 51 at bats in this series.[11]

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 achievements

[edit]
Awards
Offensive achievements
Individual batting leaders[15]
Individual pitching leaders[17]

Minor league system

[edit]
See also: Minor League Baseball
Level Team League Manager
AAA New Orleans Zephyrs Pacific Coast League John Tamargo
AA Jackson Generals Texas League Jim Pankovits
A Kissimmee Cobras Florida State League Manny Acta
A Quad Cities River Bandits Midwest League Mike Rojas
A-Short Season Auburn Doubledays New York–Penn League Lyle Yates
Rookie GCL Astros Gulf Coast League Julio Linares

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: New Orleans; LEAGUE CO-CHAMPIONS: Auburn

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
Footnotes
  1. ^ a b Did not accumulate enough to lead either the NL or the American League (AL) separately as result of mid-season trade.
Sources
  1. ^ "Mets, Astros split doubleheader". CBS News.
  2. ^ Rob Butler Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
  3. ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (June 17, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 17". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  4. ^ "Bagwell has a career day in 13–7 victory". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. September 9, 1998. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  5. ^ Randy Johnson Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
  6. ^ "1998 Houston Astros Schedule & Results". Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  7. ^ "1998 National League Division Series". Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  8. ^ Swydan, Paul (May 17, 2013). "The 1998 Astros were pretty good at hitting". Fangraphs. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  9. ^ Newhan, Ross (October 5, 1998). "Once again, Biggio Bagwell and Bell are wannabes in playoffs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  10. ^ Newhan, Ross (September 30, 1998). "Powerful Astros are shut down by a Brown out". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  11. ^ Diamos, Jason (October 5, 1998). "Padres defeat Johnson; next up are the Braves". The New York Times. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  12. ^ "Associated Press All-Star Awards & Teams". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Moisés Alou height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  14. ^ "MLB Players of the Week Awards". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  15. ^ "1998 National League batting leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  16. ^ "1998 Major League batting leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  17. ^ "1998 National League pitching leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  18. ^ a b "1998 Major League pitching leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
[edit]
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