1997 Houston Astros season

1997 Houston Astros
1997 Houston Astros
National League Central Champions
League	National League
Division	Central
Ballpark	Astrodome
City	Houston, Texas
Record	84–78 (51.9%)
Divisional place	1st
Owners	Drayton McLane, Jr.
General managers	Gerry Hunsicker
Managers	Larry Dierker
Television	KTXH–TV 20; (Bill Brown, Milo Hamilton, Jim Deshaies); Fox Sports Southwest; (Bill Brown, Milo Hamilton, Jim Deshaies, Bill Worrell)
Radio	KILT–AM 610; (Milo Hamilton, Vince Controneo); KXYZ–AM 1320; (Francisco Ernesto Ruiz, Alex Treviño)

The 1997 Houston Astros season was the 36th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas. In their fourth season in the National League Central and first under former player/broadcaster-turned manager Larry Dierker, the Astros finished in first place, giving them their first playoff berth in eleven years. They clinched the division title on September 25, eleven years to the day that they had clinched the National League West in 1986.^[1]

Offseason

December 2, 1996: Pat Listach signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros.^[2]

Regular season

On May 20, Jeff Bagwell collected his 1,000th career hit on a home run (his first of two on the day) off Calvin Maduro in a 9–5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.^[3]

Season standings

v
t
e
NL Central
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Houston Astros	84	78	.519	—	46‍–‍35	38‍–‍43
Pittsburgh Pirates	79	83	.488	5	43‍–‍38	36‍–‍45
Cincinnati Reds	76	86	.469	8	40‍–‍41	36‍–‍45
St. Louis Cardinals	73	89	.451	11	41‍–‍40	32‍–‍49
Chicago Cubs	68	94	.420	16	42‍–‍39	26‍–‍55

Record vs. opponents

1997 National League record v t e Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
Team	ATL	CHC	CIN	COL	FLA	HOU	LA	MTL	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL	AL
Atlanta	—	9–2	9–2	5–6	4–8	7–4	6–5	10–2	5–7	10–2	5–6	8–3	7–4	8–3	8–7
Chicago	2–9	—	7–5	2–9	2–9	3–9	5–6	4–7	6–5	6–5	7–5	6–5	5–6	4–8	9–6
Cincinnati	2–9	5–7	—	5–6	5–6	5–7	6–5	6–5	2–9	8–3	8–4	5–6	4–7	6–6	9–6
Colorado	6–5	9–2	6–5	—	7–4	5–6	5–7	7–4	6–5	4–7	4–7	4–8	4–8	7–4	9–7
Florida	8–4	9–2	6–5	4–7	—	7–4	7–4	7–5	4–8	6–6	7–4	5–6	5–6	5–6	12–3
Houston	4–7	9–3	7–5	6–5	4–7	—	7–4	8–3	7–4	4–7	6–6	6–5	3–8	9–3	4–11
Los Angeles	5–6	6–5	5–6	7–5	4–7	4–7	—	7–4	6–5	10–1	9–2	5–7	6–6	5–6	9–7
Montreal	2–10	7–4	5–6	4–7	5–7	3–8	4–7	—	5–7	6–6	5–6	8–3	6–5	6–5	12–3
New York	7–5	5–6	9–2	5–6	8–4	4–7	5–6	7–5	—	7–5	7–4	5–6	3–8	9–2	7–8
Philadelphia	2–10	5–6	3–8	7–4	6–6	7–4	1–10	6–6	5–7	—	5–6	7–4	3–8	6–5	5–10
Pittsburgh	6–5	5–7	4–8	7–4	4–7	6–6	2–9	6–5	4–7	6–5	—	5–6	8–3	9–3	7–8
San Diego	3–8	5–6	6–5	8–4	6–5	5–6	7–5	3–8	6–5	4–7	6–5	—	4–8	5–6	8–8
San Francisco	4–7	6–5	7–4	8–4	6–5	8–3	6–6	5–6	8–3	8–3	3–8	8–4	—	3–8	10–6
St. Louis	3–8	8–4	6–6	4–7	6–5	3–9	6–5	5–6	2–9	5–6	3–9	6–5	8–3	—	8–7

Opening Day starters

Notable transactions

June 3, 1997: 1997 Major League Baseball draft
- Lance Berkman was drafted by the Astros in the 1st round (16th pick) . Player signed June 4, 1997.^[5]
- Eric Byrnes was drafted by the Astros in the 4th round, but did not sign.^[6]
July 1, 1997: Pat Listach was released by the Astros.^[2]
July 27, 1997: Josías Manzanillo was signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros.^[7]

Roster

1997 Houston Astros

Roster

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

49 Larry Dierker

Coaches

8 Alan Ashby (bullpen)
25 José Cruz (first base)
16 Tom McCraw (hitting)
48 Vern Ruhle (pitching)
18 Bill Virdon (bench)
24 Mike Cubbage (third base)

Game log

Regular season

1997 regular season game log: 84–78 (Home: 46–35; Away: 38–43)

April: 15–11 (Home: 8–5; Away: 7–6)

#	Date	Time (CT)	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Time of Game	Attendance	Record	Box/ Streak
1	April 1	7:06 p.m. CDT	Braves	W 2–1	Reynolds (1–0)	Smoltz (0–1)	Wagner (1)	2:29	44,618	1–0	W1
2	April 2	7:06 p.m. CDT	Braves	W 4–3	Hampton (1–0)	Maddux (0–1)	Wagner (2)	2:34	16,308	2–0	W2
3	April 3	7:06 p.m. CDT	Braves	L 2–3	Glavine (1–0)	Kile (0–1)	Wohlers (1)	2:38	17,693	2–1	L1
4	April 4	7:06 p.m. CDT	Cardinals	W 3–2 (11)	Springer (1–0)	Ludwick (0–1)	–	3:56	25,985	3–1	W1
5	April 5	7:07 p.m. CDT	Cardinals	W 6–2	Fernandez (1–0)	Osborne (0–1)	García (1)	2:54	25,957	4–1	W2
6	April 6	1:35 p.m. CDT	Cardinals	W 3–2	Martin (1–0)	Frascatore (0–1)	Wagner (3)	2:44	18,752	5–1	W3
7	April 8	6:40 p.m. CDT	@ Braves	L 2–4	Glavine (2–0)	Hampton (1–1)	Wohlers (3)	2:48	31,064	5–2	L1
8	April 9	6:40 p.m. CDT	@ Braves	L 3–4 (12)	Embree (1–0)	Lima (0–1)	–	3:48	33,986	5–3	L2
9	April 10	6:35 p.m. CDT	@ Braves	W 5–3	Holt (1–0)	Smoltz (1–2)	Hudek (1)	2:58	33,637	6–3	W1
10	April 11	7:06 p.m. CDT	@ Cardinals	L 2–4	Batchelor (1–1)	Reynolds (1–1)	Eckersley (1)	2:41	23,744	6–4	L1
11	April 12	1:17 p.m. CDT	@ Cardinals	W 7–5	García (1–0)	Stottlemyre (0–1)	Wagner (4)	3:15	28,235	7–4	W1
12	April 13	7:07 p.m. CDT	@ Cardinals	L 2–6	Benes (1–1)	Hampton (1–2)	Eckersley (2)	2:38	22,705	7–5	L1
13	April 14	1:35 p.m. CDT	@ Cardinals	W 4–2 (10)	Wagner (1–0)	Eckersley (0–1)	Hudek (2)	3:11	22,623	8–5	W1
14	April 15	7:08 p.m. CDT	Expos	L 5–7	Martínez (1–0)	Holt (1–1)	–	2:30	18,602	8–6	L1
15	April 16	7:05 p.m. CDT	Expos	W 10–2	Reynolds (2–1)	Valdes (0–2)	–	3:01	14,046	9–6	W1
16	April 18	9:05 p.m. CDT	@ Dodgers	L 3–5	Martínez (2–1)	Hampton (1–3)	Worrell (5)	3:25	38,937	9–7	L1
17	April 19	9:05 p.m. CDT	@ Dodgers	W 2–1	Kile (1–1)	Nomo (2–1)	Wagner (5)	3:07	46,244	10–7	W1
18	April 20	3:07 p.m. CDT	@ Dodgers	W 3–1	Holt (2–1)	Candiotti (2–1)	Hudek (3)	2:21	33,250	11–7	W2
19	April 22	9:06 p.m. CDT	@ Padres	W 12–3	Reynolds (3–1)	Valenzuela (1–2)	–	3:15	16,748	12–7	W3
20	April 23	9:36 p.m. CDT	@ Padres	W 11–7	García (2–0)	Worrell (1–3)	–	3:09	15,534	13–7	W34
21	April 25	7:05 p.m. CDT	Giants	W 5–4	Wagner (2–0)	Roa (1–1)	–	2:37	26,705	14–7	W5
22	April 26	7:05 p.m. CDT	Giants	L 0–2	Estes (4–0)	Holt (2–2)	–	2:17	36,837	14–8	L1
23	April 27	1:35 p.m. CDT	Giants	L 2–3	Fernández (3–1)	Reynolds (3–2)	Beck (11)	2:33	22,316	14–9	L2
24	April 28	7:05 p.m. CDT	Rockies	L 6–7 (10)	McCurry (1–0)	Wagner (2–1)	Ruffin (6)	3:35	13,510	14–10	L3
25	April 29	12:35 p.m. CDT	Rockies	W 3–1	Wall (1–0)	Bailey (3–1)	Hudek (4)	2:16	13,567	15–10	W1
26	April 30	6:39 p.m. CDT	@ Expos	L 6–8	Pérez (4–1)	Kile (1–2)	Urbina (2)	3:01	12,346	15–11	L1

May: 11–17 (Home: 6–6; Away: 5–11)

#	Date	Time (CT)	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Time of Game	Attendance	Record	Box/ Streak
27	May 1	12:39 p.m. CDT	@ Expos	L 0–4	Martínez (4–0)	Holt (2–3)	–	2:11	12,328	15–12	L2
28	May 2	7:05 p.m. CDT	Marlins	W 2–1	Reynolds (4–2)	Rapp (2–2)	Wagner (6)	2:32	25,421	16–12	W1
29	May 3	7:05 p.m. CDT	Marlins	L 8–9 (13)	Heredia (2–0)	García (2–1)	Powell (1)	4:54	24,539	16–13	L1
30	May 4	7:06 p.m. CDT	Marlins	W 1–0	Kile (2–2)	Brown (3–2)	–	2:25	16,469	17–13	W1
31	May 5	7:05 p.m. CDT	Phillies	W 9–2	Holt (3–3)	Leiter (3–3)	–	2:33	11,268	18–13	W2
32	May 6	7:07 p.m. CDT	Phillies	L 1–5	Schilling (4–3)	García (2–2)	–	3:05	12,179	18–14	L1
33	May 7	7:05 p.m. CDT	Mets	L 1–4	Reynoso (2–0)	Martin (1–1)	Franco (8)	2:55	12,574	18–15	L2
34	May 8	12:35 p.m. CDT	Mets	W 4–2	Hampton (2–3)	Reed (3–2)	Wagner (7)	2:28	12,842	19–15	W1
35	May 9	6:05 p.m. CDT	@ Marlins	L 2–3	Nen (2–1)	Lima (0–2)	–	3:04	30,525	19–16	L1
36	May 10	6:06 p.m. CDT	@ Marlins	W 4–2	Holt (4–3)	Helling (1–2)	Wagner (8)	3:04	42,132	20–16	W1
37	May 11	12:38 p.m. CDT	@ Marlins	L 3–6	Fernandez (4–4)	Wall (1–1)	Nen (9)	3:06	30,030	20–17	L1
38	May 12	6:06 p.m. CDT	@ Marlins	L 4–11	Stanifer (1–0)	Reynolds (4–3)	–	2:51	15,342	20–18	L2
39	May 13	5:40 p.m. CDT	@ Mets	L 3–4	McMichael (3–2)	Springer (1–1)	Franco (11)	2:28	13,997	20–19	L3
40	May 14	6:42 p.m. CDT	@ Mets	W 1–0	Kile (3–2)	McMichael (3–3)	Wagner (9)	2:28	13,051	21–19	W1
41	May 16	6:05 p.m. CDT	@ Phillies	W 12–7	Holt (5–3)	Leiter (3–4)	–	3:09	13,456	22–19	W2
42	May 17	6:05 p.m. CDT	@ Phillies	L 2–4	Schilling (6–3)	Reynolds (4–4)	Bottalico (9)	2:27	17,138	22–20	L1
43	May 18	12:35 p.m. CDT	@ Phillies	L 3–5	Stephenson (1–0)	Hampton (2–4)	Bottalico (10)	2:29	17,367	22–21	L2
44	May 19	6:07 p.m. CDT	@ Phillies	W 9–5	Kile (4–2)	Maduro (3–5)	–	3:01	15,122	23–21	W1
45	May 20	7:06 p.m. CDT	Reds	L 4–7	Smiley (4–6)	Springer (1–2)	Shaw (5)	2:51	14,954	23–22	L1
46	May 21	7:05 p.m. CDT	Reds	W 4–3 (14)	Martin (2–1)	Sullivan (0–1)	–	4:22	15,088	24–22	W1
47	May 23	8:05 p.m. CDT	@ Rockies	L 7–8	Jones (1–0)	Wall (1–2)	Reed (4)	2:42	48,127	24–23	L1
48	May 24	2:35 p.m. CDT	@ Rockies	W 7–0	Kile (5–2)	Burke (0–1)	–	2:48	48,129	25–23	W1
49	May 25	2:05 p.m. CDT	@ Rockies	L 5–8	Bailey (5–4)	García (2–3)	Munoz (1)	2:55	48,222	25–24	L1
50	May 26	3:06 p.m. CDT	@ Giants	L 3–4	Tavárez (1–2)	Lima (0–3)	–	3:09	16,059	25–25	L2
51	May 27	2:36 p.m. CDT	@ Giants	L 4–5 (10)	Beck (3–2)	Wagner (2–2)	–	3:18	8,437	25–26	L3
52	May 29	7:05 p.m. CDT	Padres	W 10–6	Kile (6–2)	Valenzuela (2–7)	–	3:23	13,793	26–26	W1
53	May 30	7:06 p.m. CDT	Padres	L 2–9	Cunnane (3–1)	Holt (5–4)	Worrell (1)	2:43	31,339	26–27	L1
54	May 31	7:05 p.m. CDT	Padres	L 5–12	Hitchcock (5–5)	Reynolds (4–5)	Smith (1)	2:58	39,286	26–28	L2

June: 14–14 (Home: 7–6; Away: 7–8)

#	Date	Time (CT)	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Time of Game	Attendance	Record	Box/ Streak
55	June 1	1:36 p.m. CDT	Padres	L 3–6	Hamilton (4–2)	Wagner (2–3)	Hoffman (8)	2:57	19,899	26–29	L3
56	June 2	7:05 p.m. CDT	Dodgers	W 2–0	Wall (2–2)	Nomo (5–5)	Lima (1)	2:28	16,227	27–29	W1
57	June 3	12:35 p.m. CDT	Dodgers	W 4–3	Magnante (1–0)	Radinsky (2–1)	–	3:16	17,268	28–29	W2
58	June 4	6:35 p.m. CDT	@ Reds	W 5–2	Holt (6–4)	Burba (4–5)	Wagner (10)	2:29	18,849	29–29	W3
59	June 5	11:35 a.m. CDT	@ Reds	L 5–6	Schourek (5–4)	Reynolds (4–6)	Shaw (9)	2:53	22,437	29–30	L1
60	June 6	9:05 p.m. CDT	@ Padres	W 8–7	Lima (1–3)	Hamilton (4–3)	Wagner (11)	3:27	21,700	30–30	W1
61	June 7	9:06 p.m. CDT	@ Padres	L 4–5 (10)	Hoffman (3–3)	García (2–4)	–	3:24	34,763	30–31	L1
62	June 8	3:06 p.m. CDT	@ Padres	W 9–0	Kile (7–2)	Valenzuela (2–8)	–	2:40	28,939	30–32	L2
63	June 9	9:05 p.m. CDT	@ Dodgers	L 3–8	Martínez (6–3)	Holt (6–5)	–	2:54	25,585	31–32	L1
64	June 10	9:05 p.m. CDT	@ Dodgers	W 6–3	Magnante (2–0)	Osuna )1–2)	Wagner (12)	3:16	26,491	32–32	W1
65	June 11	9:35 p.m. CDT	@ Dodgers	L 5–10	Park (5–3)	Hampton (2–5)	–	3:09	52,873	32–33	L1
66	June 13	7:05 p.m. CDT	Twins	L 1–8	Radke (6–5)	Wall (2–3)	–	2:40	30,956	32–34	L2
67	June 14	7:05 p.m. CDT	Twins	L 1–6	Robertson (7–3)	Kile (7–3)	–	2:44	27,172	32–35	L3
68	June 15	1:35 p.m. CDT	Twins	W 3–2	Wagner (3–3)	Guardado (0–2)	–	2:35	28,218	33–35	W1
69	June 16	7:06 p.m. CDT	@ Royals	L 2–5	Rosado (7–3)	Hampton (2–6)	–	2:47	22,528	33–36	L1
70	June 17	7:05 p.m. CDT	@ Royals	W 10–2	García (3–4)	Haney (0–2)	–	2:46	20,588	34–36	W1
71	June 18	7:05 p.m. CDT	@ Royals	L 2–6	Pittsley (2–4)	Wall (2–4)	–	2:30	20,085	34–37	L1
72	June 20	7:05 p.m. CDT	Cubs	W 7–3	Kile (8–3)	Trachsel (4–6)	–	2:49	30,085	35–37	W1
73	June 21	12:15 p.m. CDT	Cubs	W 7–3	Holt (7–5)	Castillo (4–9)	–	2:52	25,227	36–37	W2
74	June 22	1:36 p.m. CDT	Cubs	W 3–1	Hampton (3–6)	Foster (8–5)	Wagner (13)	2:15	23,407	37–37	W3
75	June 23	7:05 p.m. CDT	Pirates	L 0–6	Córdova (6–5)	García (3–5)	–	2:24	16,738	37–38	L1
76	June 24	7:05 p.m. CDT	Pirates	L 3–8	Lieber (4–8)	Wall (2–5)	–	2:44	17,972	37–39	L2
77	June 25	12:36 p.m. CDT	Pirates	W 5–1	Kile (9–3)	Sodowsky (0–1)	–	2:30	26,954	38–39	W1
78	June 26	7:06 p.m. CDT	@ Cubs	W 7–6 (10)	Wagner (4–3)	Adams (1–4)	Minor (1)	3:52	30,473	39–39	W2
79	June 27	2:23 p.m. CDT	@ Cubs	L 1–2	Foster (9–5)	Hampton (3–7)	Wendell (4)	2:54	28,265	39–40	L1
80	June 28	12:09 p.m. CDT	@ Cubs	L 2–5	González (4–2)	García (3–6)	Bottenfield (1)	2:58	38,244	39–41	L2
81	June 29	1:22 p.m. CDT	@ Cubs	W 10–8	Minor (1–0)	Mulholland (5–9)	Wagner (14)	3:34	30,542	40–41	W1
82	June 30	7:05 p.m. CDT	Indians	L 4–6	Mesa (1–4)	Martin (2–2)	Jackson (9)	3:07	29,051	40–42	L1

July: 19–7 (Home: 10–5; Away: 9–2)

#	Date	Time (CT)	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Time of Game	Attendance	Record	Box/ Streak
83	July 1	7:04 p.m. CDT	Indians	L 6–8	Plunk (3–2)	Lima (1–4)	Jackson (10)	3:05	23,998	40–43	L2
84	July 2	7:05 p.m. CDT	Indians	W 6–2	Hampton (4–7)	Hershiser (7–5)	–	2:33	25,661	41–43	W1
85	July 3	7:06 p.m. CDT	Reds	L 3–4	Smiley (6–10)	García (3–7)	Shaw (17)	2:33	14,708	41–44	L1
86	July 4	6:05 p.m. CDT	Reds	L 2–4	Morgan (3–5)	Greene (0–1)	Shaw (18)	2:43	34,808	41–45	L2
87	July 5	7:05 p.m. CDT	Reds	W 2–1	Kile (10–3)	Mercker (6–6)	Wagner (15)	2:26	24,022	42–45	W1
88	July 6	1:37 p.m. CDT	Reds	W 6–5	Wagner (5–3)	Remlinger (3–4)	–	2:43	25,564	43–45	W2
68th All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio
89	July 10	6:35 p.m. CDT	@ Pirates	W 7–0	Kile (11–3)	Schmidt (4–5)	–	2:39	17,335	44–45	W3
90	July 11	6:35 p.m. CDT	@ Pirates	W 10–0	Hampton (5–7)	Loaiza (6–6)	–	2:37	21,913	45–45	W4
91	July 12	6:40 p.m. CDT	@ Pirates	L 0–3 (10)	Rincón (3–4)	Hudek (0–1)	–	2:39	44,119	45–46	L1
92	July 13	12:35 p.m. CDT	@ Pirates	L 3–5	Sodowsky (1–1)	Springer (1–3)	Loiselle (11)	3:03	25,675	45–47	L2
93	July 14	7:05 p.m. CDT	@ Cubs	W 9–7 (15)	Wagner (6–3)	Tatís (0–1)	Springer (1)	5:19	27,803	46–47	W1
94	July 15	1:23 p.m. CDT	@ Cubs	W 5–3	Kile (12–3)	Rojas (0–3)	Magnante (1)	2:42	19,323	47–47	W2
95	July 16	7:07 p.m. CDT	Giants	W 8–1	Hampton (6–7)	Foulke (1–4)	–	2:45	24,522	48–47	W3
96	July 17	12:35 p.m. CDT	Giants	L 1–3	Gardner (10–4)	Holt (7–6)	Beck (30)	2:33	29,955	48–48	L1
97	July 18	6:40 p.m. CDT	@ Expos	W 2–0	García (4–7)	Martínez (11–5)	Wagner (16)	2:52	19,379	49–48	W1
98	July 19	6:37 p.m. CDT	@ Expos	W 8–6	Reynolds (5–6)	Juden (11–3)	Wagner (17)	3:13	34,518	50–48	W2
99	July 20	1:10 p.m. CDT	@ Expos	W 9–0	Kile (13–3)	Hermanson (4–5)	–	2:14	26,873	51–48	W3
100	July 22	7:08 p.m. CDT	@ Cardinals	W 4–2	Hampton (7–7)	Benes (6–5)	Wagner (18)	2:26	33,964	52–48	W4
101	July 23	7:06 p.m. CDT	@ Cardinals	W 7–2	Magnante (3–0)	Stottlemyre (9–7)	–	2:52	33,376	53–48	W5
102	July 24	7:06 p.m. CDT	Expos	W 10–5	Martin (3–2)	Telford (2–3)	–	2:55	23,889	54–48	W6
103	July 25	7:05 p.m. CDT	Expos	W 5–2	Kile (14–3)	Juden (11–4)	–	2:18	35,102	55–48	W7
104	July 26	7:06 p.m. CDT	Expos	W 9–8 (10)	Wagner (7–3)	Urbina (3–7)	–	3:21	33,868	56–48	W8
105	July 27	1:39 p.m. CDT	Expos	W 7–2	Hampton (8–7)	Bullinger (6–10)	–	2:12	26,713	57–48	W9
106	July 28	7:05 p.m. CDT	Cardinals	L 1–2	Stottlemyre (10–7)	Holt (7–7)	Eckersley (26)	2:20	25,995	57–49	L1
107	July 29	7:05 p.m. CDT	Cardinals	W 5–4	Reynolds (6–6)	Osborne (1–3)	Wagner (19)	3:06	25,399	58–49	W1
108	July 30	7:06 p.m. CDT	Cardinals	W 7–4	Kile (15–3)	Fossas (1–2)	Martin (1)	3:04	28,204	59–49	W2

August: 11–17 (Home: 7–7; Away: 4–10)

#	Date	Time (CT)	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Time of Game	Attendance	Record	Box/ Streak
109	August 1	7:06 p.m. CDT	Mets	L 5–8 (10)	Franco (3–1)	Lima (1–5)	–	3:28	33,589	59–50	L1
110	August 2	12:15 p.m. CDT	Mets	W 6–0	Hampton (9–7)	Jones (12–7)	–	2:33	31,929	60–50	W1
111	August 3	1:35 p.m. CDT	Mets	W 3–2	Martin (4–2)	McMichael (7–9)	–	3:06	35,788	61–50	W2
112	August 4	6:05 p.m. CDT	@ Marlins	L 1–4	Hernández (6–0)	Holt (7–8)	Powell (2)	2:17	18,323	61–51	L1
113	August 5	6:06 p.m. CDT	@ Marlins	L 5–6	Nen (8–2)	Wagner (7–4)	–	3:13	25,483	61–52	L2
114	August 6	6:37 p.m. CDT	@ Phillies	L 4–6	Stephenson (6–5)	García (4–8)	Bottalico (21)	2:40	15,557	61–53	L3
115	August 7	12:06 p.m. CDT	@ Phillies	L 5–6 (11)	Brewer (1–2)	Martin (4–3)	–	3:17	18,046	62–53	L4
116	August 8	6:40 p.m. CDT	@ Mets	L 1–6	Bohanon (3–1)	Reynolds (6–7)	–	2:40	23,818	61–55	L5
117	August 9	6:11 p.m. CDT	@ Mets	W 8–3	Springer (2–3)	Rojas (0–5)	–	2:40	34,352	62–55	W1
118	August 10	12:41 p.m. CDT	@ Mets	W 11–8	Kile (16–3)	Reed (10–5)	Martin (2)	3:02	32,914	63–55	W2
119	August 11	6:41 p.m. CDT	@ Mets	W 8–3	García (5–8)	Harnisch (0–1)	–	2:49	20,452	64–55	W3
120	August 12	7:06 p.m. CDT	Marlins	W 13–2	Hampton (10–7)	Leiter (8–9)	–	2:50	19,296	65–55	W4
121	August 13	6:36 p.m. CDT	Marlins	L 6–8	Fernandez (15–8)	Lima (1–6)	Nen (30)	3:24	22,543	65–56	L1
122	August 15	7:05 p.m. CDT	Phillies	L 1–5	Schilling (13–10)	Holt (7–9)	–	2:17	31,837	65–57	L2
123	August 16	12:16 p.m. CDT	Phillies	L 3–5	Spradlin (2–6)	Wagner (7–5)	Bottalico (23)	2:47	28,260	65–58	L3
124	August 17	1:36 p.m. CDT	Phillies	W 11–6	Martin (5–3)	Gomes (2–1)	Springer (2)	3:36	23,161	66–58	W1
125	August 19	7:06 p.m. CDT	Braves	L 3–4	Smoltz (12–10)	Hampton (10–8)	Wohlers (30)	2:46	32,145	66–59	L1
126	August 20	7:06 p.m. CDT	Braves	L 1–3	Glavine (11–6)	Reynolds (6–8)	Wohlers (31)	2:46	25,593	66–60	L2
127	August 21	7:05 p.m. CDT	Rockies	W 10–4	Holt (8–9)	Bailey (9–9)	–	3:00	22,962	67–60	W1
128	August 22	7:05 p.m. CDT	Rockies	W 9–1	Kile (17–3)	Thomson (5–8)	–	2:49	33,061	68–60	W2
129	August 23	12:17 p.m. CDT	Rockies	L 3–6	Reed (4–5)	Hudek (0–2)	Dipoto (10)	3:17	32,374	68–61	L1
130	August 24	1:38 p.m. CDT	Rockies	W 3–1	Hampton (11–8)	Wright (6–10)	–	2:09	28,918	68–62	W1
131	August 26	6:40 p.m. CDT	@ Braves	L 6–7 (11)	Clontz (5–1)	Wagner (7–6)	–	3:47	37,313	69–62	L1
132	August 27	6:40 p.m. CDT	@ Braves	W 6–4 (13)	Hudek (1–2)	Byrd (3–3)	Lima (2)	4:28	33,019	70–62	W1
133	August 28	6:40 p.m. CDT	@ Braves	L 2–4	Neagle (18–3)	Kile (17–4)	Wohlers (32)	2:32	37,849	70–63	L1
134	August 29	7:06 p.m. CDT	@ White Sox	L 4–5	Foulke (2–5)	Hudek (1–3)	Karchner (11)	3:08	21,312	70–64	L2
135	August 30	6:05 p.m. CDT	@ White Sox	L 2–9	Bere (3–0)	Hampton (11–9)	–	2:31	28,051	70–65	L3
136	August 31	1:07 p.m. CDT	@ White Sox	L 1–3	Baldwin (11–13)	Reynolds (6–9)	Karchner (12)	3:18	22,916	70–66	L4

September: 15–12 (Home: 8–6; Away: 7–6)

#	Date	Time (CT)	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Time of Game	Attendance	Record	Box/ Streak
137	September 1	1:36 p.m. CDT	Brewers	L 2–3	Adamson (5–2)	Holt (8–10)	Jones (30)	2:58	35,685	70–67	L5
138	September 2	7:05 p.m. CDT	Brewers	L 2–4	Villone (1–0)	Kile (17–5)	Jones (31)	2:42	18,258	70–68	L6
139	September 3	7:05 p.m. CDT	Brewers	W 4–0	García (6–8)	Karl (10–11)	–	2:26	13,580	71–68	W1
140	September 4	9:07 p.m. CDT	@ Giants	W 14–2	Hampton (12–9)	Gardner (12–8)	–	3:02	8,565	72–68	W2
141	September 5	9:07 p.m. CDT	@ Giants	L 1–4	Hernández (7–2)	Reynolds (6–10)	Beck (35)	3:19	11,934	72–69	L1
142	September 6	3:08 p.m. CDT	@ Giants	L 3–5	Tavárez (6–4)	Wagner (7–7)	Hernández (2)	3:21	17,636	72–70	L2
143	September 7	3:08 p.m. CDT	@ Giants	L 1–5	Rueter (11–6)	Kile (17–6)	–	3:17	19,861	72–71	L3
144	September 9	8:05 p.m. CDT	@ Rockies	W 7–4	Hampton (13–9)	Wright (6–11)	Springer (3)	2:46	48,039	73–71	W1
145	September 10	2:05 p.m. CDT	@ Rockies	L 7–9	Leskanic (4–0)	Magnante (3–1)	Dipoto (13)	3:08	42,321	73–72	L1
146	September 12	7:06 p.m. CDT	Dodgers	W 10–3	Reynolds (7–10)	Park (13–7)	–	3:02	36,817	74–72	W1
147	September 13	7:05 p.m. CDT	Dodgers	W 5–1	Kile (18–6)	Candiotti (10–6)	–	2:43	33,130	75–72	W2
148	September 14	1:36 p.m. CDT	Dodgers	L 3–4 (10)	Radinsky (5–1)	Wagner (7–8)	Worrell (35)	3:32	32,666	75–73	L1
149	September 15	7:06 p.m. CDT	Padres	L 3–4	Smith (6–5)	Hampton (13–10)	Hoffman (34)	3:27	22,566	75–74	L3
150	September 16	12:35 p.m. CDT	Padres	W 15–3	García (7–8)	Hitchcock (10–10)	–	3:11	15,156	76–74	W1
151	September 17	7:16 p.m. CDT	@ Pirates	W 8–4	Reynolds (8–10)	Schmidt (9–8)	–	2:52	27,422	77–74	W2
152	September 18	6:04 p.m. CDT	@ Pirates	L 3–12	Córdova (11–8)	Kile (18–7)	–	2:57	14,852	77–75	L1
153	September 19	6:35 p.m. CDT	@ Reds	L 4–5	Burba (10–10)	Holt (8–11)	Shaw (40)	2:44	21,791	77–76	L2
154	September 20	12:05 p.m. CDT	@ Reds	W 4–1	Hampton (14–10)	Tomko (11–7)	Wagner (20)	2:39	20,197	78–76	W1
155	September 21	1:15 p.m. CDT	@ Reds	W 8–3	García (8–8)	Morgan (8–12)	–	3:16	22,652	79–76	W2
156	September 22	11:35 a.m. CDT	@ Reds	W 6–3	Springer (3–3)	Belinda (1–5)	Wagner (21)	3:13	17,411	80–76	W3
157	September 23	7:06 p.m. CDT	Cubs	W 5–3	Kile (19–7)	Trachsel (8–12)	Wagner (22)	2:44	19,380	81–76	W4
158	September 24	7:05 p.m. CDT	Cubs	L 1–3	Clark (14–8)	Holt (8–12)	Adams (18)	3:00	41,560	81–77	L1
159	September 25	7:07 p.m. CDT	Cubs	W 9–1	Hampton (15–10)	González (11–9)	–	2:42	35,623	82–77	W1
160	September 26	7:06 p.m. CDT	Pirates	W 2–0	García (9–8)	Loaiza (11–11)	Wagner (23)	2:18	37,850	83–77	W2
161	September 27	7:05 p.m. CDT	Pirates	W 8–1	Reynolds (9–10)	Schmidt (10–9)	–	2:45	36,170	84–77	W3
162	September 28	1:35 p.m. CDT	Pirates	L 4–5 (11)	Christiansen (3–0)	Henríquez (0–1)	Loiselle (29)	2:58	30,606	84–78	L1

Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement
Bold = Astros team member

Postseason Game log

1997 Postseason game log: 0–3 (Home: 0–1; Away: 0–2)

NL Division Series: vs. Atlanta Braves 0–3 (Home: 0–1; Away: 0–2)

#	Date	Time (CT)	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Time of Game	Attendance	Series	Box/ Streak
1	September 30	12:07 p.m. CDT	@ Braves	L 1–2	Maddux (1–0)	Kile (0–1)	–	2:15	46,467	ATL 1–0	L1
2	October 1	12:07 p.m. CDT	@ Braves	L 3–13	Glavine (1–0)	Hampton (0–1)	–	3:06	49,200	ATL 2–0	L2
3	October 3	3:07 p.m. CDT	Braves	L 1–4	Smoltz (1–0)	Reynolds (0–1)	–	2:35	53,688	ATL 3–0	L3

Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement
Bold = Astros team member

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Brad Ausmus	130	425	113	.266	4	44
1B	Jeff Bagwell	162	566	162	.286	43	135
2B	Craig Biggio	162	619	191	.309	22	81
SS	Tim Bogar	97	241	60	.249	4	30
3B	Sean Berry	96	301	77	.256	8	43
LF	Luis Gonzalez	152	550	142	.258	10	68
CF	Chuck Carr	63	192	53	.276	4	17
RF	Derek Bell	129	493	136	.276	15	71

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Ricky Gutiérrez	102	303	79	.261	3	34
Bill Spiers	132	291	93	.320	4	48
Thomas Howard	107	255	63	.247	3	22
Bobby Abreu	59	188	47	.250	3	26
James Mouton	86	180	38	.211	3	23
Tony Eusebio	60	164	45	.274	1	18
Pat Listach	52	132	24	.182	0	6
Ray Montgomery	29	68	16	.235	0	4
Richard Hidalgo	19	62	19	.306	2	6
Russ Johnson	21	60	18	.300	2	9
Tony Peña	9	19	4	.211	0	2
J.R. Phillips	13	15	2	.133	1	4
Luis Rivera	7	13	3	.231	0	3
Ken Ramos	14	12	0	.000	0	1
Randy Knorr	4	8	3	.375	1	1

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Darryl Kile	34	255.2	19	7	2.57	205
Mike Hampton	34	223.0	15	10	3.83	139
Chris Holt	33	209.2	8	12	3.52	95
Shane Reynolds	30	181.0	9	10	4.23	152
Donne Wall	8	41.2	2	5	6.26	25
Tommy Greene	2	9.0	0	1	7.00	11
Sid Fernandez	1	5.0	1	0	3.60	3

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Ramón García	42	158.2	9	8	3.69	120

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Billy Wagner	62	7	8	23	2.85	106
Tom Martin	55	5	3	2	2.09	36
Russ Springer	54	3	3	3	4.23	74
José Lima	52	1	6	2	5.28	63
Mike Magnante	40	3	1	1	2.27	43
John Hudek	40	1	3	4	5.98	36
José Cabrera	12	0	0	0	1.19	18
Blas Minor	11	1	0	1	4.50	6
Óscar Henríquez	4	0	1	0	4.50	3
Manuel Barrios	2	0	0	0	12.00	3

National League Divisional Playoffs

The Atlanta Braves defeated the Houston Astros, three games to none.

Game	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Date	Series
1	Atlanta	2	Houston	1	September 30	1-0 (ATL)
2	Atlanta	13	Houston	3	October 1	2-0 (ATL)
3	Houston	1	Atlanta	4	October 3	3-0 (ATL)

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	New Orleans Zephyrs	American Association	Steve Swisher and Matt Galante
AA	Jackson Generals	Texas League	Dave Engle
A	Kissimmee Cobras	Florida State League	John Tamargo
A	Quad Cities River Bandits	Midwest League	Manny Acta
A-Short Season	Auburn Doubledays	New York–Penn League	Mike Rojas
Rookie	GCL Astros	Gulf Coast League	Bobby Ramos

References

^ "September 25, 1997: Astros clinch first National League Central Division title – Society for American Baseball Research".
^ ^a ^b Pat Listach at Baseball-Reference
^ "Bagwell's 1,000th hit leads Astros, 9–5". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 20, 1997. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
^ "1997 Houston Astros Roster by Baseball Almanac".
^ Lance Berkman at Baseball-Reference
^ Eric Byrnes at Baseball-Reference
^ "Josias Manzanillo Stats".

External links

1997 Houston Astros season at Baseball Reference

[1] "September 25, 1997: Astros clinch first National League Central Division title – Society for American Baseball Research".

[listach-2] Pat Listach at Baseball-Reference

[3] "Bagwell's 1,000th hit leads Astros, 9–5". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 20, 1997. Retrieved February 17, 2016.

[baseball-almanac.com-4] "1997 Houston Astros Roster by Baseball Almanac".

[5] Lance Berkman at Baseball-Reference

[6] Eric Byrnes at Baseball-Reference

[7] "Josias Manzanillo Stats".

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