2001 Houston Astros season
| 2001 Houston Astros | ||
|---|---|---|
| National League Central champions | ||
| League | National League | |
| Division | Central | |
| Ballpark | Enron Field | |
| City | Houston, Texas | |
| Record | 93–69 (.574) | |
| Divisional place | 1st | |
| Owners | Drayton McLane, Jr. | |
| General managers | Gerry Hunsicker | |
| Managers | Larry Dierker | |
| Television | KNWS-TV FSN Southwest (Bill Brown, Jim Deshaies, Bill Worrell) | |
| Radio | KTRH (Milo Hamilton, Alan Ashby) KXYZ (Francisco Ernesto Ruiz, Alex Treviño) | |
| ||
The 2001 Houston Astros season was the 40th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 37th as the Astros, 40th in the National League (NL), eighth in the NL Central division, and second at Enron Field, later christened as Minute Maid Park. The Astros entered the season with a 72–90 record and fourth-place finish after having concluded the previous three seasons (1997–99) as NL Central division champions.
On April 3, pitcher Scott Elarton made his only Opening Day start for the Astros, who hosted the Milwaukee Brewers and prevailed, 9–4. In the amateur draft, the Astros' first round selection was second baseman Chris Burke, at 10th overall. On June 8, Houston played their first interleague game against their in-state rivals, the Texas Rangers, initiating the annual competition to win the Silver Boot trophy.
Outfielders Moisés Alou (fourth selection) and Lance Berkman (first), and pitcher Billy Wagner (second) each represented the Astros and played for the National League at the MLB All-Star Game.
On July 18 versus the St. Louis Cardinals, Jeff Bagwell became the fourth player in Astros history to hit for the cycle, and fifth time overall. During the season, Bagwell became first player in major league history to produce six consecutive seasons each with 30 home runs, 100 runs batted in (RBI), 100 runs scored, and 100 bases on balls (BB).
In the regular season finale on October 7, Shane Reynolds led a 9–2 win over the Cardinals to became the seventh Astro to win 100 games and the first since Mike Scott in 1989.[1] This win tied Houston with St. Louis for best record in the National League with identical 93–69 win–loss records; however, the Astros retained the tiebreaker by virtue of defeating them in the final game to win the season series, 9–7, and situate the Cardinals as the Wild Card winners.[2]
For the fourth time in five seasons, the Astros claimed the NL Central title, their seventh division title and seventh playoff appearance in franchise history. For the third time in five seasons, the Astros faced the Atlanta Braves in a National League Division Series (NLDS). The Braves defeated them for the third time in a three-game sweep. Days later, manager Larry Dierker resigned. The Astros, forestalled in all their attempts to win a playoff series, would not do so until 2004.
Following the season, catcher Brad Ausmus won his first career Gold Glove Award. Starter Roy Oswalt was chosen as The Sporting News NL Rookie Pitcher of the Year,[a] and for the Topps All-Star Rookie Team as the right-handed pitcher. The Houston Astros also received the Baseball America Organization of the Year Award.
Offseason
[edit]- January 2, 2001: Charlie Hayes was signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros.[3]
- January 3, 2001: Kent Bottenfield was signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros.[4]
Regular season
[edit]With a triple on May 7 against the Chicago Cubs, first baseman Jeff Bagwell achieved the 700th extra base hit of his career.[5]
While tossing six innings with three runs surrendered on May 30, Wade Miller also helped himself at the plate with a 3-for-3 performance to earn his seventh win and lead Houston to a 7–4 win over the San Diego Padres. The win also ended an eight-game losing streak that had plunged the Astros below .500.[6]
Richard Hidalgo slugged the walk-off home run and his fourth hit of the night on June 1, in the bottom of the ninth against the Los Angeles Dodgers for Houston's 10–9 win. Hidalgo’s effort was augmented by Vinny Castilla, who collected three hits and a home run.[7]
On June 8, the first-ever interleague game between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers took place at The Ballpark at Arlington, initiating the rivalry known as the Lone Star Series. The Astros won the first game by a score of 5-4,[8] on a solo home run in the top of the 11th inning from designated hitter Moisés Alou.[9] The team that would win the most games between the two in a season would be awarded the Silver Boot. On June 10, Orlando Merced stroked a pinch-hit, two-out, three-run home run in the top of the ninth to give the Astros the lead and eventual 6–5 win, which also decided into the Astros winning their first series against the Rangers.[10]
Bagwell and Lance Berkman had 4 RBI apiece on June 18 to lead a 13–5 win over the Colorado Rockies, although the Rockies outhit the Astros, 14–12.[11]
The Astros launched five home runs on June 21 against the Cincinnati Reds, but still lost in 11 innings, 8–7. Craig Biggio, Bagwell, Hidalgo and Berkman (twice) all connected for Houston. The Reds hit four home runs.[12]
For the second time in his career, Bagwell reached seven runs batted in (RBI) in a game – the second time he tied the club record – against the Kansas City Royals on July 7.[5] Over four successive games from July 8–13, Bagwell homered and totaled five home runs in that span.[13]
While hosting the St. Louis Cardinals at Enron Field on July 18, Bagwell hit for the cycle. He went 4-for-5 with a BB and five RBI as the Astros won, 17–11.[14][15] In the second-highest scoring game in the stadium's history, he collected each of the four hits off a different pitcher, including two in the same inning: a single in the first off Mike Matthews, double in the fifth off Luther Hackman, homer in the fifth off Gene Stechschulte and a triple in the seventh off Andy Benes.[16] It was the Astros' first cycle since Andújar Cedeño at The Astrodome on August 25, 1992, and Biggio hit the next on April 8, 2002.[17]
Bagwell was named NL Player of the Month that July after batting .333 with nine HR, breaking his own club record with 36 RBI in a month, exceeding 34 RBI in August 2000.[5]
While hitting his 32nd HR on August 19, 2001, against Pittsburgh, Bagwell collected his 100th RBI. It was the sixth consecutive season he reached at least 30 HR and 100 RBI, making him the eighth player in MLB history to achieve such a streak, and the only Houston player to do so. Five days later, also against Pittsburgh, he scored his 100th run, joining Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth as the only players in MLB history with six consecutive seasons of 30 homers, 100 RBI and 100 runs scored. On September 30 at Chicago, Bagwell walked for his 100th of the season, thus making him the only player in MLB history register six consecutive seasons of at least 30 HR, 100 RBI, 100 runs scored, and 100 walks.[5]
On October 4, Barry Bonds hit his 70th home run of the season off Houston pitcher Wilfredo Rodríguez to tie Mark McGwire's single season home run record.[18]
Standings
[edit]| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 93 | 69 | .574 | — | 44–37 | 49–32 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 93 | 69 | .574 | — | 54–28 | 39–41 |
| Chicago Cubs | 88 | 74 | .543 | 5 | 48–33 | 40–41 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 68 | 94 | .420 | 25 | 36–45 | 32–49 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 66 | 96 | .407 | 27 | 27–54 | 39–42 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 62 | 100 | .383 | 31 | 38–43 | 24–57 |
Record vs. opponents
[edit]|
Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2001 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | AZ | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MIL | MTL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | AL |
| Arizona | — | 5–2 | 6–3 | 5–1 | 13–6 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 10–9 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 12–7 | 10–9 | 2–4 | 7–8 |
| Atlanta | 2–5 | — | 4–2 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 9–10 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 3–3 | 13–6 | 10–9 | 10–9 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 9–9 |
| Chicago | 3–6 | 2–4 | — | 13–4 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 8–9 | 4–2 | 8–9 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 10–6 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 9–8 | 9–6 |
| Cincinnati | 1–5 | 2–4 | 4–13 | — | 3–6 | 4–2 | 6–11 | 4–2 | 6–10 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 9–8 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 7–10 | 4–11 |
| Colorado | 6–13 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 6–3 | — | 4–2 | 2–4 | 8–11 | 5–1 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 9–10 | 9–10 | 6–3 | 2–10 |
| Florida | 2–4 | 10–9 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | — | 3–3 | 2–5 | 4–2 | 12–7 | 7–12 | 5–14 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 12–6 |
| Houston | 4–2 | 3–3 | 9–8 | 11–6 | 4–2 | 3–3 | — | 2–4 | 12–5 | 6–0 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 9–8 | 3–6 | 3–3 | 9–7 | 9–6 |
| Los Angeles | 9–10 | 5–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 11–8 | 5–2 | 4–2 | — | 5–1 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 7–2 | 9–10 | 11–8 | 3–3 | 6–9 |
| Milwaukee | 3–3 | 3–3 | 9–8 | 10–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 5–12 | 1–5 | — | 4–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 6–11 | 1–5 | 5–4 | 7–10 | 5–10 |
| Montreal | 3–3 | 6–13 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 7–12 | 0–6 | 4–2 | 2–4 | — | 8–11 | 9–10 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 2–4 | 8–10 |
| New York | 3–3 | 9–10 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 12–7 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 11–8 | — | 11–8 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 10–8 |
| Philadelphia | 4–3 | 9–10 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 14–5 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 10–9 | 8–11 | — | 5–1 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 7–11 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–4 | 1–5 | 6–10 | 8–9 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 8–9 | 2–7 | 11–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 1–5 | — | 2–4 | 1–5 | 3–14 | 8–7 |
| San Diego | 7–12 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 10–9 | 4–3 | 6–3 | 10–9 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 2–5 | 4–2 | — | 5–14 | 1–5 | 6–9 |
| San Francisco | 9–10 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 10–9 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 8–11 | 4–5 | 5–2 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 14–5 | — | 4–2 | 10–5 |
| St. Louis | 4–2 | 3–3 | 8–9 | 10–7 | 3–6 | 3–3 | 7–9 | 3–3 | 10–7 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 14–3 | 5–1 | 2–4 | — | 8–7 |
Transactions
[edit]- June 5, 2001: Kirk Saarloos was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 3rd round of the 2001 amateur draft. Player signed June 24, 2001.[19]
- July 9, 2001: Charlie Hayes was released by the Houston Astros.[3]
Roster
[edit]| 2001 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
[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 | 422 | 98 | .232 | 5 | 34 |
| 1B | Jeff Bagwell | 161 | 600 | 173 | .288 | 39 | 130 |
| 2B | Craig Biggio | 155 | 617 | 180 | .292 | 20 | 70 |
| SS | Julio Lugo | 140 | 513 | 135 | .263 | 10 | 37 |
| 3B | Vinny Castilla | 122 | 445 | 120 | .270 | 23 | 82 |
| LF | Lance Berkman | 156 | 577 | 191 | .331 | 34 | 126 |
| CF | Richard Hidalgo | 146 | 512 | 141 | .275 | 19 | 80 |
| RF | Moisés Alou | 136 | 513 | 170 | .331 | 27 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Vizcaíno | 107 | 256 | 71 | .277 | 1 | 14 |
| Daryle Ward | 95 | 213 | 56 | .263 | 9 | 39 |
| Tony Eusebio | 59 | 154 | 39 | .253 | 5 | 14 |
| Orlando Merced | 94 | 137 | 36 | .263 | 6 | 29 |
| Chris Truby | 48 | 136 | 28 | .206 | 8 | 23 |
| Charlie Hayes | 31 | 50 | 10 | .200 | 0 | 4 |
| Glen Barker | 70 | 24 | 2 | .083 | 0 | 1 |
| Scott Servais | 11 | 16 | 6 | .375 | 0 | 0 |
| Mendy López | 10 | 15 | 4 | .267 | 1 | 3 |
| Bill Spiers | 4 | 3 | 1 | .333 | 0 | 0 |
| Adam Everett | 9 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Keith Ginter | 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wade Miller | 32 | 212.0 | 16 | 8 | 3.40 | 183 |
| Shane Reynolds | 28 | 182.2 | 14 | 11 | 4.34 | 102 |
| Roy Oswalt | 28 | 141.2 | 14 | 3 | 2.73 | 144 |
| Scott Elarton | 20 | 109.2 | 4 | 8 | 7.14 | 76 |
| Pedro Astacio | 4 | 28.2 | 2 | 1 | 3.14 | 19 |
| Tony McKnight | 3 | 18.0 | 1 | 0 | 4.00 | 10 |
| Carlos Hernández | 3 | 17.2 | 1 | 0 | 1.02 | 17 |
| Brian Powell | 1 | 3.0 | 0 | 1 | 18.00 | 3 |
Other 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Mlicki | 19 | 86.2 | 7 | 3 | 5.09 | 49 |
| Ron Villone | 31 | 68.0 | 5 | 7 | 5.56 | 65 |
| Tim Redding | 13 | 55.2 | 3 | 1 | 5.50 | 55 |
| José Lima | 14 | 53.0 | 1 | 2 | 7.30 | 41 |
| Kent Bottenfield | 13 | 52.0 | 2 | 5 | 6.40 | 39 |
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 | 64 | 2 | 5 | 39 | 2.73 | 79 |
| Mike Jackson | 67 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4.70 | 46 |
| Nelson Cruz | 66 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4.15 | 75 |
| Octavio Dotel | 61 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2.66 | 145 |
| Jay Powell | 35 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3.72 | 28 |
| Mike Williams | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4.03 | 16 |
| Wayne Franklin | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.75 | 9 |
| Scott Linebrink | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.61 | 9 |
| Joe Slusarski | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9.00 | 6 |
| Ricky Stone | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.35 | 4 |
| Jim Mann | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.38 | 5 |
| Wilfredo Rodríguez | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15.00 | 3 |
National League Divisional Playoffs
[edit]Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves
[edit]Atlanta wins the series, 3-0
| Game | Home | Score | Visitor | Score | Date | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | 4 | Atlanta | 7 | October 9 | 1-0 (ATL) |
| 2 | Houston | 0 | Atlanta | 1 | October 10 | 2-0 (ATL) |
| 3 | Atlanta | 6 | Houston | 2 | October 12 | 3-0 (ATL) |
Farm system
[edit]LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Lexington; LEAGUE CO-CHAMPIONS: New Orleans
References
[edit]- Footnotes
- ^ From 1961–2003, The Sporting News declared one rookie pitcher and position player from each league, the NL and the American League (AL), for this award.
- Sources
- ^ "Big Days in Astros History - October 7, 2001 - Astros clinch NL Central".
- ^ "Who won the NL Central in 2001?". August 17, 2016.
- ^ a b Charlie Hayes Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ "Kent Bottenfield Stats".
- ^ a b c d "Jeff Bagwell player page bio". MLB.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (May 30, 2025). "Today in Astros history - May 30". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (June 1, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 1". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ^ "Box Score of game played on Friday, June 8, 2001 at the Ballpark in Arlington".
- ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (June 8, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 8". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (June 10, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 10". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (June 18, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 18". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (June 21, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 21". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ^ "Homers power Astro victory". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. July 14, 2001. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ^ Duarte, Joseph (July 18, 2001). "Astros outslug Cards: Bagwell hits for cycle". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ^ "Houston Astros 17, St. Louis Cardinals 11: Game played on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 (N) at Enron Field". Retrosheet (retrosheet.org). Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ^ Rajan, Greg (July 22, 2019). "Minute Maid Park's most memorable: Jeff Bagwell's cycle". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
- ^ Young, Matt (July 22, 2024). "Details behind each player who has hit for the cycle in Astros franchise history". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
- ^ Baseball's Top 100: The Game's Greatest Records, p.10, Kerry Banks, 2010, Greystone Books, Vancouver, BC, ISBN 978-1-55365-507-7
- ^ "Kirk Saarloos Stats".
