As the Houston Astros aim to reclaim their dominance in the American League in 2025, they encountered what the Houston Chronicle described as “a major blow” to that pursuit on Wednesday. Their top free-agent signing of the offseason suffered an injury—one he had dealt with before.
For the first 54 years of their existence, the Astros—who entered the National League as the Houston Colt .45s in 1962—struggled to find success. They failed to win a World Series and didn’t even reach one until 2005, making just 10 total postseason appearances during that span.
One of those postseason appearances came during the strike-shortened 1981 season. With a midseason players’ work stoppage, MLB divided the season into two uneven “halves.” Although Houston finished third overall in the NL West, they secured a playoff spot by winning the division’s “second half” with a 33-20 record.
When MLB made a slight divisional realignment in 2013, the Astros voluntarily switched to the AL West. Their transition was rough, as they endured the worst season in franchise history, losing 111 games and finishing a staggering 45 games behind the division-winning Oakland Athletics.
