2011 Houston Astros season
| 2011 Houston Astros | |
|---|---|
| League | National League |
| Division | Central |
| Ballpark | Minute Maid Park |
| City | Houston, Texas |
| Record | 56–106 (.346) |
| Divisional place | 6th |
| Owners | Drayton McLane |
| General managers | Ed Wade |
| Managers | Brad Mills |
| Television | Fox Sports Houston KTXH (Bill Brown, Jim Deshaies) |
| Radio | KTRH (Milo Hamilton, Brett Dolan, Dave Raymond) KLAT (Spanish) (Francisco Romero, Alex Treviño) |
| Stats | ESPN.com Baseball Reference |
The 2011 Houston Astros season was the 50th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 47th as the Astros, 50th in the National League (NL), 18th in the NL Central division, and 12th at Minute Maid Park. The Astros entered the season as having finished in fourth place in the NL Central with 76–86 record and 15 games behind the division-champion Cincinnati Reds.
The Astros commenced the season on April 1 at Citizens Bank Park, when pitcher Brett Myers made the Opening Day start for Houston, but were defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies, 5–4. On May 16, the Astros announced a sale of the team to group of investors led by Jim Crane. In the amateur draft, the Astros' first round selection was outfielder George Springer at 11th overall, and subsequent picks included pitcher Adrian Houser in the second round, pitcher Nick Tropeano in the fifth round, and third baseman Matt Duffy in the 20th round.
Right fielder Hunter Pence was selected to the MLB All-Star Game and played for the National League, the second selection of his career. On August 16, Brian Bogusevic hit the 26th ultimate grand slam in major league history.
Houston concluded the 2011 season with a 56–106 record and in last place, 40 games behind the division-champion Milwaukee Brewers, and worst record in the major leagues. This was the first time in the franchise's 50-year history that they had lost 100 games in a single season, surpassing the record of 97 jointly held by the 1965, 1975, and 1991 teams, and was surpassed again the following season. The 40 games behind first place at the time represented the second-most in franchise history to the 1975 club (43+1⁄2).