Part 12 of the Astros 2022 review

August 9-18
Record: 7-3
Overall Record: 77-43
AL West Position: 1st place by 11.5 games
AL Overall Position: Best record by 3.5 games



Game 111: August 9, 2022, Astros 7, Rangers 5
@ Minute Maid Park
Attendance: 30,629
Record: 71-40


After losing 3 of 4 to the Indians on the road, the Astros rally from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Rangers 7-5 at Minute Maid Park. With the Yankees idle, the Astros' win forges a tie atop the AL standings. The Astros' big bat is Aledmys Diaz, who belts a fourth inning grand slam to tie the game at 4-4. Down 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth, the Astros take the lead on a double by Jose Altuve and a sacrifice fly by Yuli Gurriel. Watching from home, Joey Gallo remarks to no one "What is this new devilry?" as he watched Gurriel record the sac fly. Atuve raises his average to .289 with his 2 for 4 day and his OPS to .886. Jose Urquidy isn't sharp but still gets the win to improve to 11-4.


Game 112: August 10, 2022, Rangers 8, Astros 4 (10 innings)
@ Minute Maid Park
Attendance: 26,670
Record: 71-41


Sigh. Dusty Baker replaces a red-hot Ryan Pressly with Phil Maton to start the top of the 10th inning with the score tied 3-3, and Maton dumps gasoline all over himself and says "what the hell." My least favorite pitcher surrenders 5 runs as the Rangers blow the lid off the Juice Box to go up 8-3. The Astros scratch out one run in the bottom of the inning before falling to Arlington. Kyle Tucker (20th) and Yordan Alvarez (31st) both homer in defeat. Tucker closes the gap on Yordan to four in the RBI chase.


Game 113: August 11, 2022, Astros 7, Rangers 3
@ Minute Maid Park
Attendance: 30,872
Record: 72-41


Framber Valdez gets his 11th win of the year and the Astros take sole possession of first place in the AL standings, one-half game of the Yankees. Martin Maldonado and Alex Bregman are the big sticks. Maldonado hits a three-run homer in the second inning and Bregman adds a two-run shot in the fifth. Bregman adds a third RBI later to reach 59 for the season. Valdez pitches seven shutout innings with 8 strikeouts to lower his ERA to 2.73.


Game 114: August 12, 2022, Astros 7, A's 5
@ Minute Maid Park
Attendance: 31,230
Record: 73-41


The Astros erupt for six runs in the fifth inning to make a winner out of Luis Garcia and move 1- games ahead of the Yankees. Things don't look promising for the Astros down 2-0 in the fifth inning; even more so when Christian Vazquez and Muaricio Dubon make two quick outs. But the next seven Astros reach base. Jose Altuve doubles and scores on Yuli Gurriel's single to chase A's starter Adam Oller. Yordan Alvare follows with a single and Alex Bregman walks to load the bases for Kyle Tucker, who unloads them with a grand slam. ALedmys Diaz singles and scores on Jeremy Pena's double. It's Tucker's 21st home run of the year and ties him with Alvarez for the club RBI lead at 74.


Game 115: August 13, 2022, Astros 8, A's 0
@ Minute Maid Park
Attendance: 34,078
Record: 74-41


Bury me in the H, baby! Lance McCullers Jr. pitches for the first time since Game 4 of the 2021 ALDS and is bloody brilliant. He tossed six innings of two-hit shutout baseball, walking four and striking out five for the win. The Astros get a two-run bomb from Alex Bregman and a two-run single by Kyle Tucker as he takes over the team RBi lead with 76. Tucker also steals his 17th base.


Game 116: August 14, 2022, Astros 6, A's 3
@ Minute Maid Park
Attendance: 38,906
Record: 75-51


The Astros make it three straight against the A's, scoring four runs in the first two innings to get Cristian Javier to 7-8 on the year. A red-hot Alex Bregman is 2 for 4 with 3 RBi and his 16th home run on the day. Catcher Christian Vasquez goes 3 for 4 with an RBI.


Game 117: August 15, 2022, White Sox 4, Astros 2
@ Guaranteed Rate Field
Attendance: 18,205
Record: 75-62


While their fans don't seem to notice, the White Sox are in a division title race and play like it. They score four runs in the bottom of the eighth to move past the Astros as Rafael Montero blows the save in ugly fashion, getting no outs while giving up three hits, two walks, and three unearned runs.in the eighth inning.The meltdown blows a 7- innings, 1 run performance by Jose Urquidy. Worse, it all comes after Urquidy has recorded two outs to start the last of the eighth before getting replaced after giving up a single to AJ Pollock. The Astros score two runs i the top of the first, then are shut out the rest of the game.


Game 118: August 16, 2022, White Sox 4, Astros 3
@ Guaranteed Rate Field
Attendance: 23,476
Record: 75-43


The Astros' bullpen falters again as Hector Neris gives up a run in the eighth inning in relief of Justin Verlander to take the loss.The Astros lead 3-1 through five as Alex Bregman says hot, going 2 for 4 with an RBI, his 66th. Jose Altuve hits his 20th home run of the year in defeat.


Game 119: August 17, 2022, Astros 3, White Sox 2
@ Guaranteed Rate Field
Attendance: 24,671
Record: 76-43


The Asros finally turn it around in Chicago, as Framber Valdez improves to 12-4 with a brilliant combined effort with Ryne Stanek and Ryan Pressly, who picks up his 24th save. The Astros win despite recording just five hits and three walks on the game.Yordan Alvarez and Trey Mancini both record sacrifice flies, and Chas McCormcik's double in the fourth inning proves to bet he difference.


Game 120: August 18, 2022, Astros 21, White Sox 5
@ Guaranteed Rate Field
Attendance: 24,407
Record: 77-43



It's a total blowout on a get-away Thursday as the Astros score in every inning but the first and fifth, rapping out 25 hits to slaughter the White Sox. It's the second-highest run total in club history behind the 23 scored against Baltimore in 2019. After getting called out on strikes in a decision that got Astros' hitting coach Alex Cintron ejected, Alex Bregman erupted for 4 hits, 4 runs scored and 6 RBi, socking a pair of homers to get him to 18 dongs and 72 RBI on the year. Chas McCormick was 3 for 6 with 5 RBI, and Christian Vazquez and Kyle Tucker also had 4 hits apiece.It was 10-0 Astros after 3- innings, and they piled on 8 runs in the last two innings, including fourth in the ninth off White Sox second baseman Josh Harrison. Luis Garcia improved to 10-8 with the win.

Strange how MLB made these wholesale fundamental changes while at the same time owners were handing out $300 million, decade long contracts like candy to free agents (sorry, Carlos) this off-season.

Other than ending the stupid regional tv blackouts the game was just fine.

34 days until Opening Day and you know what that means. The Ryan Express



He once struck out 21 batters in a 7 inning game in high school and was noticed by a NY Mets scout as a sophomore. The scout, Red Murff, had been in the industry for 34 years. That night, he sent a one-line telegram back to the bosses in the Big Apple about what he had seen down in Texas.

"The best arm I've seen in my life."

The Mets waited until the 12th round of the '65 draft to select Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. He massacred the minor leagues with 307 strikeouts in 202 innings (13.7 K/9 innings). He came up to the Mets for a cup of coffee in 166 at 1ge 19, but couldn't ever find his control. He did start and win an NLCS game in 1969 vs. the Braves and pick up a save in the World Series the same year, a champion at 22. But the Mets didn't see a future so they traded him to the California Angels with 3 other guys for Jim Fregosi.

The next season, 1972, he figure it all out, going 19-16 with a 2.28 ERA, 9 shutouts, and 329 strikeouts. He would only get better over the next few years, leading the AL in K's six more years, pitching 4 no-hitters, including two in the same season, and routinely locking in for 20+ complete games and 5+ shutouts a year.

But the Angels didn't win anything with Nolan. Their only playoff appearance came in 1979 when they lost the ALCS to Baltimore in 4 games. His contract was up at the end of the year, he was 32 years old, and his strikeout numbers had come down while his ERA went up. When the season and Ryan's contract ended, the Angels made plans to move on without him.

His hometown Astros, who didn't even exist when he was born, were happy to move in. On November 19, 1979, he became the sport's first million-dollar player, signing a 4-year, $4.5 million contract.

Nolan's first year with the Astros was a little "meh" on the individual side, he went 11-10 with 200 strikeouts and a 3.35 ERA. But the Astros won their division and went to the playoffs, where he pitched well enough to win twice, but wound up with two no-decisions. In Game 2 he allowed 2 earned runs in 6-1/3 innings and the Astros won 7-4 in 10 innings. In Game 5, he took a 5-2 lead to the top of the 8th and fell apart, giving up three singles and a walk to force in a run and get replaced by Joe Sambito. The Astros melted down, allowed five runs, rallied to tied the game in the 8th, then lost it in the 10th.

The next year, Nolan was electrifying, going 11-5 with a 1.69 ERA and pitching his record-setting 5th no hitter vs. the Dodgers on September 26. The Astros made the playoffs again and Nolan won Game 1, but lost Game 5, a 4-0 shutout vs. Jerry Reuss. Over the next few years, the team struggled but Nolan was largely worth the price of admission every time out.

In 1983, he broke Walter Johson's career record for strikeouts with #3,509, and in 1985 he struck out Danny Heep for #4,000 (Heep famously yelled "You're not getting me!" at Nolan in pregame warmups). All told, he went 106-94 with the team, with a 3.13 ERA, 13 shutouts, and 1,866 strikeouts in 1,854 innings pitched.

He led the league in strikeouts and ERA in 1987 despite an 8-16 record at age 40, and led the league in strikeouts again in 1988 at age 41. Then, he retired, never pitching for any other teams


In all seriousness, he left the team for the Rangers, pitched 2 more no-hitters, got to 5,000 strikeouts, struck out 301 batters age 42, and is simply the greatest power pitcher of all time. He was elected to the Hall of Fame with 491 out of 497 possible votes.

Here's a brief list of records he holds, according to Wikipedia.

• 5,714 career strikeouts (next-most is Randy Johnson with 4,875)
• 7 career no-hitters (next-most is Sandy Koufax with 4)
• Lowest career batting average allowed (minimum 1,500 innings pitched): .204
• 12 career 1-hitters, tied with Bob Feller
• 18 career 2-hitters
• 31 career 3-hitters
• 15 200-strikeout seasons
• 6 300-strikeout seasons
• 4 career 19+ strikeout games
• 5 career 18+ strikeout games
• 8 career 17+ strikeout games
• 16 career 16+ strikeout games
• 26 career 15+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher
• 36 career 14+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher
• 56 career 13+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher
• 95 career 12+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher
• 151 career 11+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher
• 215 career 10+ strikeout games
• 282 career 9+ strikeout games
• 358 career 8+ strikeout games
• 447 career 7+ strikeout games
• 517 career 6+ strikeout games
• 596 career 5+ strikeout games
• 654 career 4+ strikeout games
• 710 career 3+ strikeout games
• 752 career 2+ strikeouts games
• 3 19+ strikeout games, single season (1974)
• 3 18+ strikeout games, single season (1974)
• 3 17+ strikeout games, single season (1974)
• 3 16+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, single season (1972, 1974)
• 6 15+ strikeout games, single season (1974 - tied with Pedro Martinez)
• 15 12+ strikeout games, single season (1973)
• 18 11+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, single season (1973)
• 23 10+ strikeout games, single season (1973 - tied with Randy Johnson)
• 26 9+ strikeout games, single season (1973)
• 29 8+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, single season (1973)
• 32 7+ strikeout games by a right-handed pitcher, single season (1973)
• 36 6+ strikeout games, single season (1974 - tied with Sandy Koufax)
• 6.55 hits per nine innings pitched, career, minimum 1,000 innings (next-fewest is Sandy Koufax at 6.79)
• 5.26 single-season hits per nine innings (1972)
• 26 seasons with at least one win

Bregxit said:

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Did no one else practice their "I'm famous biotch" signatures in high school? I have a "get this over with signature" (my I'm famous biotch sig, now used for CC transactions because I am definitely not famous) and a signing legal docs signature in regular cursive.

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My signature is just my initials in cursive. I am consistent using it on all occasions. Not because I ever thought I'd be famous, but to save time because I sign a lot of documents and before e-sig it saved me a lot of time.

I have had so many people, many with legal backgrounds that should know better, try to (mostly forcefully and incorrectly) tell me that I had to write out my name on my signature.

That rainbow guts Nolan is my favorite all-time jersey.

In a few years they're going to be the Abuelos

I have a feeling we are going to:

- Have everyone around the country rejoicing the dynasty is over after another slow start

- Typical Texags Meltdown to follow. I predict a disproportionate amount of hate towards Peña when he doesn't follow up with peak A-Rod type numbers.

- Sneak into the playoffs because of injuries with some key contributions from some unexpected guys.

- Arrive to the postseason at full strength and win another title & everyone hates us even more now.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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In a few years they're going to be the Abuelos

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Bucknor is on the lineup sheet to work today's Astros-Nationals game in West Palm Beach https://t.co/FETz0MImBW

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) February 26, 2023

Before the Cardinals' first Spring Training game today, Oli Marmol reportedly approached CB Bucknor to clear the air after this confrontation last season. Bucknor refused and the other umpires apologized for his behavior, per @jmjones pic.twitter.com/8fKcDZuj7d

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) February 26, 2023

Ump show making a trip through town

Absolute moron. If you don't already want robot umps just watch this a few times and you will by the end.

First he trolls Marmol about his playing career. Marmol was a stud D1 SS that played 4 seasons of minor league baseball. Bucknor was a run of the mill D3 player. Any one of us could have played D3 baseball. The annual corps-frat game is probably a higher level than what Bucknor played. It means literally nothing.

Then he keeps telling him "you just got here", as if being voted the worst umpire in baseball 20 years running gives a guy some sort of street cred. "Hey buddy you just got here, I've been absolute trash at this job since you were in diapers so why don't you show me some respect?!?!".

It's an embarrassment to keep this guy out there.

I love that Major League Baseball asked people that don’t watch baseball what it would take for them to watch, they said the addition of a game clock, then those same people will watch Netflix all year.

New leadership, please

— Gary Sheffield Jr. (@GarysheffieldJr) February 25, 2023