2026 Houston Astros

2026 Houston Astros / Franchise: Houston Astros / BR Team Page

Record: , Finished in AL Western Division (2024 AL)

Managed by Joe Espada

Coaches: Jason Bell, Dave Clark, Anthony Iapoce, Ethan Katz, Tommy Kawamura, Omar López, Joshua Miller, Tony Perezchica and Vic Rodriguez

Ballpark: Daikin Park

History, Comments, Contributions

In a very bizarre twist, after 17 games through April 13th, the 2026 Houston Astros had scored the most runs in the major leagues - but still had the worst record in the majors at 6-11. Something had to give, and indeed while there 95 runs were the most of any team, they had also allowed 105 runs, also more than anyone; they were first in total bases with 258, but had also allowed 256, more than anyone else and their pitchers had also issued an MLB-leading 97 walks. No team had ever managed to pull off this dubious feat that late into a season, the closest being the 1953 Detroit Tigers who had done so for nine games. The Astros had an eight-game losing streak from April 5-13. In that streak, and in the 7-6 win over the Colorado Rockies that ended it on April 14th, they gave up at least six runs in every game - save for one, which they lost by a 5-1 score.

On May 25th - Memorial Day - the Astros recorded the 18th no-hitter in franchise history and the first in the majors since September of 2024. It was a combined effort by three pitchers: Tatsuya Imai, who had been signed from Japan during the off-season, pitched the first six innings but walked four batters and needed 97 pitched to do so. He was replaced by Steven Okert who handled the 7th inning, and then by Alimber Santa, a top prospect who was making his major league debut that day. Santa rose to the occasion, retiring the final six batters in order as Houston cruised to a 9-0 win. One player who was getting a lot of coverage around that time was Yordan Álvarez, who homered in the combined no-hitter, then homered twice in each of Houston's next two games. On June 12th, he became the third player in franchise history to hit two home runs in one inning, connecting for a two-run shot and a grand slam in a nine-run 1st inning against the Kansas City Royals. Only Lee May (in 1974) and Jeff Bagwell (in 1994) had pulled off the rare feat before him. Yet, the Astros barely managed to hang on for a win that day, as Kansas City roared back with five runs in the bottom of the 1st, chasing Imai after he had recorded just two outs, then added three more runs in the 8th to pull within one before Houston finally scored an insurance run in the 10th to end up 10-8 winners. Alvarez was leading the AL in both homers (24) and RBIs (54) at that point, but Houston's record was a mediocre 32-29, placing them fourth in the division.

Further Reading

• Brian McTaggart: "Imai teams up with Okert, Santa on Astros' 18th no-hitter in franchise history: Houston combines to toss 1st no-no in MLB since 2024", mlb.com, May 26, 2026. [1]

2026 MLB season by team