10 TO REMEMBER
Before their memorable title run, the Astros had plenty of regular-season highlights
The Astros won the American League West for the fifth time in six seasons in 2022, and they didn’t lack for highlights along the way. Here are 10 that stood out.
PEÑA’S VIRAL HOMER
When: April 8.
What happened: While his parents Geronimo and Cecilia were being interviewed during the Apple TV+ broadcast of the season’s second game against the Angels in Anaheim, Jeremy Peña had impeccable timing and hit his first career home run. It was a harbinger for a memorable rookie season that was capped by ALCS and World Series MVP honors.
JV IS BACK
When: April 16.
What happened: In his second start since coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2020, Justin Verlander threw eight shutout innings at Seattle, striking out eight and allowing just three hits. He showed he had his pre-surgery form and went on to have a stellar season, going 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA. He led the majors in ERA and the AL in wins, making him a shoo-in for his third Cy Young Award.
QUALITY CONTROL
When: April 25 to Sept. 18. What happened: Framber Valdez set a major league single-season record with 25 consecutive quality starts, defined as pitching at least six innings and allowing three earned runs or fewer. He broke the record set by the Mets’ Jacob deGrom in 2018. Valdez went 15-4 during the streak with a 2.41 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .211 average.
DUSTY 2K
When: May 3.
What happened: Dusty Baker notched the 2,000th win of his managerial career with a 4-0 victory over the Mariners at Minute Maid Park. Baker became the 12th manager in major league history to reach the milestone. Of those, 10 are in the Hall of Fame, with Baker and Bruce Bochy not yet eligible for induction. At season’s end, Baker had 2,093 wins, good for ninth all-time.
BEANTOWN BASH
When: May 17.
What happened: The Astros tied a major league record with five home runs during the second inning of a 13-4 win at Boston’s Fenway Park. Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker,
Jeremy Peña, Michael Brantley and Yuli Gurriel all went deep off Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi, an Alvin native. Houston became the eighth team to hit five homers in an inning and the first since the
2020 Yankees.
IMMACULATE TIMES TWO
When: June 15.
What happened: In a 9-2 victory at Texas, both starter Luis Garcia and reliever Phil Maton threw an immaculate inning, which is striking out the side on nine pitches. Garcia did it in the second inning, while Maton did it in the seventh. They became the eighth and ninth pitchers in franchise history to do it. The last was Will Harris on Sept. 27, 2019, against the Angels.
NEW YORK NO-NO
When: June 25.
What happened: For the second time, the Astros threw a combined no-hitter at Yankee Stadium.
Cristian Javier worked the first seven innings, with Hector Neris and Ryan Pressly working an inning apiece in the 3-0 victory.
Javier outdueled former Astro Gerrit Cole, who only allowed a seventh-inning solo homer to rookie J.J. Matijevic. The Astros, who also did it in 2003, are the only team to no-hit the Yankees since 1958.
BIG APPLE BLITZ
When: June 29.
What happened: The Astros beat the Mets 2-0 at Citi Field to complete a 5-2 run through a seven-game New York swing against the Yankees and Mets, who owned the top records in the American and National League, respectively, at the time. The only time the Astros trailed during either series was at the end of two walkoff losses against the Yankees.
21-RUN SALUTE
When: Aug. 18.
What happened: The Astros scored 21 runs for only the fourth time in franchise history and tied the team record with 25 hits in a 21-5 obliteration of the White Sox in their series finale at Chicago. Alex Bregman had a career-high six RBIs and four extra-base hits in the defining performance of his American League
Player of the Month stretch in August.
CLINCHING IN STYLE
When: Sept. 16.
What happened: Yordan Alvarez hit three home runs, capped by a 464-foot blast, as the Astros clinched a playoff spot with a 5-0 win over the A’s at Minute Maid Park. Alvarez joined Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell and Glenn Davis as the only Astros to have multiple three-homer games. He also became the first player in Astros history to hit three homers off the same pitcher (Adrian Martinez) in a game.