Astros vs. Yankees

Lore & Background

The Astros clinched the AL West on September 17 with a 7–1 victory over Seattle, for their first AL West division title, eighth division title overall, and 11th postseason qualification. Following the regular season, the Astros met the Red Sox at home in the American League Division Series (ALDS) and defeated them in four games. Houston then advanced to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and defeated the New York Yankees in seven games for their first AL pennant. After going 2–0 with a 0.56 earned run average (ERA) and 21 strikeouts, Verlander was named ALCS Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Reader's Guide

The 2017 Astros featured the highest-scoring offense in the major leagues (896 runs), the highest batting average (.282), on-base percentage (.346), and slugging percentage (.478). AL batting champion Jose Altuve (.346) won a number of distinctions, including Most Valuable Player (AL MVP), Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year, and Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.

Did You Know?

• The Astros sent six players to the 88th All-Star Game, including second baseman Jose Altuve, center fielder George Springer, shortstop Carlos Correa, and pitchers Keuchel, Lance McCullers Jr., and Chris Devenski.
• First baseman Jeff Bagwell, who had spent his entire 15-year major league career with Houston, became the second inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame as an Astro.
• Near the end of August, the Astros acquired pitcher Justin Verlander at the trade deadline, who won his first five starts.
• As Hurricane Harvey impacted Greater Houston, the Astros relocated their August 29–31 series with the Rangers from Minute Maid Park to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
• The Astros' season culminated with the first World Series championship in franchise history, winning in seven games over the Los Angeles Dodgers.