There’s a new worst record to go to the postseason, but at least it isn’t a sub-.500 one.
The Houston Astros handled business today in West Sacramento against the Athletics, 9-0.
With the victory, the Astros are AL West Champions and will host the Chicago White Sox in the AL Wild Card Round beginning Tuesday September 29 at 4 PM CT.
The Astros clinched the division in style, routing the A’s.
Houston opened the scoring in the 3rd inning when they hung a four spot on Brady Basso. Jeremy Pena led off with a base hit, and Yordan Alvarez was hit by a pitch. After a groundout by Isaac Paredes that advanced the runners, Jose Altuve drove in the first run with a groundout that scored Pena. Yainer Diaz followed with an RBI double scoring Yordan. After Christian Walker was intentionally walked, rookie Lucas Spence blasted a 2-run triple to drive in Diaz and Walker. Houston took a 4-0 lead to the bottom of the third.
Houston tacked on two more in the sixth. Walker led off with a solo HR to left made the score 5-0. Cam Smith reached on a one-out single. Pena’s two-out single gave the Astros runners at 1st & 2nd with 2 out. Alvarez then laced an RBI single to right scoring Smith to make it 6-0.
In the top of the seventh, after back-to-back 1 out walks to Walker and Spence, an RBI single by Smith scored Walker to make the score 7-0. Taylor Trammell drew a walk to load the bases, and a sac fly by Pena grew the lead to 8-0.
Nick Allen scored on a Yainer Diaz GIDP in the eighth to cap the scoring at 9-0.
Meanwhile, six Houston pitchers combined to shut out the A’s on 5 hits, walking 3 and striking out 7. Peter Lambert went the first two innings on two days’ rest. Ethan Pecko (W, 2-0) went the next 3 innings for the win, allowing only 1 hit and striking out 2. Miguel Ullola (1 BB, 1 K) Bryan King (2 hits, 1 BB, 2K) Logan VanWey (1BB) and Tatsuya Imai (1K) each went 1 inning to finish the game.
The Astros finished the season 81-81. It is their worst record since 2014.
Yordan Alvarez finished the season batting .318 (1st), 42 HR (2nd) 106 RBI (2nd).
Jeremy Pena finished the season 6×11 with 2 HR, 5 runs, 5 RBI.
Christian Walker finished the season 2nd on the team in HR with 29.
The Astros finished the season with five players with at least 20 HR. Yordan (42), Walker (29), Paredes (25), Pena (22), Smith (21).
Peter Lambert led the team with 8 wins. He was the only pitcher for Houston to hurl more than 108 innings this season.
