2019 - Timeline
from This Date in Astros History

Jan 14 - Mel Stottlemyre Sr., the Astros' pitching coach from 1994-95, passes away from cancer at age 77. In an 11-year career with the Yankees, the righthander won 164 games and was a five-time All-Star. He owned another footnote in Houston history as the opposing starting pitcher for the first game in the Astrodome.

Mar 19 - After he complained about having his pre-arbitration contract renewed, the Astros work out a 5-year, $100 million extension for third baseman Alex Bregman. The Astros also extended set-up reliever Ryan Pressly for two years at a total of $17.5 million.

Mar 24 - Ace righthander Justin Verlander signs a two-year extension for $66 million. The 36-year-old's contract at $28 million per year is set to end this season. The $33 million per year extension is the richest contract handed out by the franchise in terms of annual salary.

Apr 12 - Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel blast grand slams in the same game as part of a 10-6 comeback victory in Seattle. Altuve's shot was his fifth homer in four games. He would add another in a 3-1 triumph the next day to make five games in a row.

May 09 - Heavy thunderstorms rock Minute Maid Park inside and out. Water gushes from the seams of the retractable roof onto the stands but the largest thunder is when Josh Reddick robs Hunter Pence of a potential three-run homer to seal a 4-2 win over the Rangers. Reddick also delivered the tie-breaking single earlier. George Springer swats his team-leading 13th homer. Houston opens a four-game lead in the AL West.

May 12 - George Springer spanks five hits, including two homers, during a 15-5 trouncing of the Rangers that completes a four-game series sweep. Alex Bregman also belts a pair of homers and drives in five. Houston native Corbin Martin wins in his major league debut.

May 21 - Justin Verlander tosses 6-1/3rd innings of no-hit ball before a home run by Jose Abreu ruins the bid and the shutout. It was the only blemish in a 5-1 victory in which Verlander fanned 12 over eight innings. Michael Brantley punches a bases-loaded double off Aaron Bummer into the left field corner to key a four-run fifth. Yuli Gurriel also homers. Verlander is now 8-1 with a 2.24 ERA in 11 starts to begin the year.

Jun 29 - For the second straight night, Yuli Gurriel supplies the walk-off winner in a 6-5 triumph over the Mariners. A solo homer in the tenth gave Houston a 2-1 victory on Friday then Gurriel smashed a double in the tenth on Saturday that plated Michael Brantley for the win. The Astros had lost 9-of-11 before the series and saw their double-digit division lead shrink to 4-1/2 games.

Jul 22 - While honoring the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the Astros tally 11 runs to bomb Oakland, 11-1. Gerrit Cole wins his 11th while striking out 11. Rookie Yordan Alvarez homers and doubles in the rout, knocking in two to break the big league record held by Albert Pujols. The Cuban import has driven in 35 runs in his first 30 games. Fellow Cubans Yuli Gurriel and Aledmys Diaz also go deep. Gurriel has blasted 14 homers in his past 23 games as Houston expands their AL West lead to 7-1/2 games.

Jul 31 - Much like the deadline deal that brought Justin Verlander to Houston two years earlier, the Astros wait until the last minute to swing a trade with Arizona that nets former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke and cash for four prospects. It caps a busy day for Jeff Luhnow who also dealt waived utilityman Tony Kemp to the Cubs to reacquire catcher Martin Maldonado. Outfielder Derek Fisher was sent to Toronto for pitchers Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini. Catcher Max Stassi was traded to the Angels for prospects. In the flurry, the Astros managed to hang on to top prospects Kyle Tucker and Forrest Whitley. On the field, Houston loses to Cleveland, 10-4, but remain eight games in front of Oakland in the AL West.

Aug 03 - Newly-acquired Aaron Sanchez spins six innings of no-hit ball against Seattle. Relievers Will Harris, Joe Biagini and Chris Devenski each toss a hitless inning to finish a 9-0 no-hitter, the 12th in franchise history. Michael Brantley drives in four to pace the offense.

Aug 07 - Yuli Gurriel ties the club record with eight RBIs as Houston clobbers the Colorado Rockies, 14-3, at Minute Maid Park. A three-run homer and a three-run double highlight Gurriel's afternoon. Gerrit Cole breezes to his 14th win.

Aug 10 - Rookie Yordan Alvarez smashes three home runs and drives in seven during a 23-2 massacre of the Orioles in Baltimore. The slaughter sets franchise records for runs scored and margin of victory while tying the team mark for most hits in a game (25). Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve also go deep while Carlos Correa crushes a 474-foot homer beyond the Camden Yards bullpens.

Sep 01 - Justin Verlander tosses the third no-hitter of his career and first as an Astro with a 2-0 masterpiece over the Blue Jays. He needs 120 pitches for the complete-game gem and strikes out 14 while walking one. The game is a scoreless tie until the top of the ninth when rookie Abraham Toro, who was raised in Canada, smacks a two-out, two-run homer for the game-winner.

Sep 05 - Down 7-0 to Seattle, the Astros fight back to tie it, 8-8, after nine innings. The Mariners score a run in the 12th but Houston ties it on an RBI single by Kyle Tucker. Then, in the 13th, Michael Brantley slams a two-run walk-off homer to end the 11-9 thriller. The Astros remain nine games ahead of Oakland in the division race.

Sep 09 - Houston sets a major league record with 36 runs scored in two consecutive games with a 15-0 slaughter of Oakland. This came after a 21-1 massacre of Seattle the day before in which Gerrit Cole celebrated his 29th birthday with eight innings of 1-hit ball and the Astros set a franchise mark with 11 doubles. Yordan Alvarez drove in six. Alvarez stayed hot against the A's with two home runs, including one that landed in a section of stands down the right field line that had never been reached before. Robinson Chirinos also went deep twice and drove in six.

Sep 18 - Gerrit Cole fans ten Rangers to pass 300 strikeouts on the season, the third pitcher in Astros history and the 18th major leaguer since 1900 to accomplish this feat. Cole completes eight innings while notching his 18th win in the 3-2 victory which also makes Houston the sixth franchise in history with three consecutive years of 100 or more wins. Yuli Gurriel and Jose Altuve homer to clinch a playoff berth for the fourth time in five seasons.

Sep 22 - Justin Verlander wins his 20th game as the Astros celebrate their third consecutive AL West title in a 13-5 trouncing of Anaheim. George Springer smashes three homers to lead the offense. Alex Bregman and Aledmys Diaz also go deep.

Sep 24 - Gerrit Cole tosses seven innings of two-hit shutout ball while fanning 14 Mariners to set a new franchise record with 314 strikeouts during a 3-0 whitewash in Seattle. Cole posts his 19th win and has been 15-0 since May. Alex Bregman smacks his 40th homer, becoming the first Houston batter to reach that milestone since 2006 when Lance Berkman hit 45 homers.

Sep 28 - Justin Verlander fans 12 in a 6-3 victory over the Angels to reach 300 strikeouts for the season and become the 18th major leaguer to strike out 3000 hitters in his career. The win is his 21st of the season. The next day, Gerrit Cole finishes the regular season with his 20th victory in an 8-5 triumph to post a team-record 107 wins. Cole wins the ERA title (2.50) and wins the strikeout title with 326.

Oct 04 - Justin Verlander tosses seven shutout innings to lead the Astros to a 6-2 victory over Tampa Bay in the A.L.D.S. opener in Houston. Jose Altuve's two-run blast in the sixth opens the scoring. Michael Brantley and Yuli Gurriel add two hits each.

Oct 05 - Gerrit Cole fans 15 while pitching 7-2/3rd innings of shutout ball as Houston downs Tampa Bay, 3-1, to take a 2-0 lead in the A.L.D.S. Alex Bregman takes Blake Snell deep while four Astros enjoy multi-hit games.

Oct 10 - After two losses in St. Petersburg, Houston pulls out Game 5 of the A.L.D.S. with a 6-1 triumph over Tampa Bay to advance to the next round. Gerrit Cole strikes out ten while spinning eight innings of two-hit ball. Houston breaks out with four runs in the first off Tyler Glasnow then added the finishing touches in the eighth with home runs by Michael Brantley and Jose Altuve.

Oct 13 - Carlos Correa's 11th-inning walk-off homer against former Astro J.A. Happ evens the A.L.C.S at one game apiece in a 3-2 victory over the Yankees. Correa earlier plated a run with a double and George Springer launched a solo homer. Justin Verlander was followed by five relievers with Josh James getting the win.

Oct 17 - Three-run homers by George Springer and Carlos Correa pace an 8-3 victory over the Yankees at New York to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the A.L.C.S. The Yanks commit four errors in a late breakdown. Alex Bregman scores twice.

Oct 19 - CELEBRATE AGAIN! After a two-run homer ties A.L.C.S. Game 6 in the top of the ninth, Jose Altuve wins the series in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run walk-off homer for a 6-4 triumph over the Yankees, giving the Astros their second American League pennant in three years. Altuve is named the Series MVP. Yuli Gurriel adds a three-run homer.

Nov 11 - Yordan Alvarez wins the AL Rookie of the Year Award despite a June start to his big league career. The 22-year-old Cuban bashed 27 homers and drove in 78 runs to become a unanimous winner. He is the third Astro to become Rookie of the Year, following Jeff Bagwell (1991) and Carlos Correa (2015).

Nov 13 - Justin Verlander claims his second American League Cy Young Award and first as an Astro. The righthander edged teammate Gerrit Cole, who finished second, 17-13 in first-place votes. Verlander led the league with a 21-6 record and threw a no-hitter while leading the circuit in innings pitched for the fourth time.

Nov 14 - Infielder Alex Bregman finishes second in the American League MVP balloting behind Mike Trout of the Angels. Bregman lost out in first-place votes, 17-13. Bregman smashed 41 homers while batting .296, personal bests up to that time.