Summary March—April The Astros hosted the
San Francisco Giants for
Opening Day, March 31, only to be bested in a wild,
extra innings affair, 9–4, Led by future
Astro Jeff Kent, he exploded for five-
hits and four
runs batted in (RBI), starting with a three-run
home run off Astros' starting pitcher
Shane Reynolds to cap the top of the third inning. In the top of the 13th,
Rey Sánchez singled with
Charlie Hayes aboard, and
Alex Diaz delivered the go-ahead single to score Sánchez as five Giants crossed the dish.
Derek Bell swatted four hits, three
doubles, and two RBI for Houston.
C. J. Nitkowski aborted the loss. The three two-baggers represented a career high for Bell, while forging his 13th career four-hit game. Second baseman
Craig Biggio became the third player to make 10
Opening Day starts for the Astros, joining
César Cedeño (
1981) and
José Cruz (
1986—11 total). Reynolds made this third Opening Day start. Starting April 17 until June 3,
Craig Biggio reached base in each of 41 consecutive games spanning the second-longest in franchise history, trailing
Jimmy Wynn (
1969) and
Greg Gross (
1975), tied at 52. During the streak, Biggio hit for a .331
batting average, .425
on-base percentage (OBP) and .548
slugging percentage (SLG), garnering 52
hits and 19
bases on balls (BB). Wynn first set the record from June 4–August 3, 1969, while Gross reached from June 25–August 18, 1975. The NL record spanned 58 games, achieved by
Duke Snider, who reached base each game from May 13–July 11, 1954, for the
Brooklyn Dodgers.
May Rookie right-hander
Kerry Wood, making just his fifth major league start for the
Chicago Cubs on May 6, made history at the Astros' expense, striking out 20 in a one-hit, 2–0
complete game shutout victory at
Wrigley Field. Wood's performance tied
Roger Clemens for the major league
strikeout record in a 9-inning game, while setting the National League record.
Craig Biggio's spot as the
leadoff hitter was the only place in the
batting order which fell victim to fewer than two strikeouts, with one, and he also reached base on a
hit by pitch. Only
Jeff Bagwell and
Jack Howell struck out as many as three times. The only hit that Wood yielded was a single to
Ricky Gutiérrez to lead off the third inning.
Shane Reynolds (2–3) fired an eight-inning complete game in the losing effort, scattered eight hits with just one of two runs
earned and struck out 10. The left-hander
Randy Johnson from the
Seattle Mariners had become the biggest trade target of the 1998 mid-season
playoff race, as the Mariners were apparently out of contention by
Memorial Day, and he was destined to become a
free agent following the season. However, the Astros were not estimated to be major candidates to acquire the extraordinary southpaw. Meanwhile, general manager
Gerry Hunsicker envisioned Johnson as a weapon against the left-handed heavy
New York Yankees lineup in a hypothetical
World Series matchup, who were on their way to one of the
all-time greatest regular seasons in major league history, and second-most wins in the modern era, accumulating a record of . Johnson completely dominated lefties, holding them to a .156
batting average against over four subsequent
Cy Young Award-winning seasons from 1999 to 2002. Further, acquiring Johnson meant keeping him away from the Yankees, as well the
Los Angeles Dodgers, both heavily rumored as favorites. A trade agreement with Hunsicker's counterpart in Seattle,
Woody Woodward, required a high prospect package, starting with right-hander
Freddy García, shortstop
Carlos Guillén and another who would be a
player to be named later. For weeks initially, Hunsicker balked on making the deal. Hunsicker noted apprehension that he would be "paying too much" for Johnson. Both García and Guillén later became multiple-time All-Stars with lengthy major league careers. García took on a large role in Seattle's
starting rotation the following year, including placing second in the
American League (AL)
Rookie of the Year balloting. Guillen was solid for the Mariners, but took longer to blossom, peaking after he was traded by
Seattle prior to the 2004 season to the
Detroit Tigers. Further, the Astros would be unable to extend Johnson or resign him in free agency during the off-season. Alou earned NL
Player of the Week honors for May 31, following
Derek Bell on August 24, 1997, as the most recent Astros. Alou last won the award for June 12,
1994, as a member of the
Montreal Expos.
June—July Just one week after Biggio's historic on-base streak ended, on June 10,
Jeff Bagwell commenced his own long streak of reaching base, lasting until July 29. A grand total of 44 consecutive games, this displaced Biggio's 41-game streak for second place in team history. Bagwell proceeded to hit .282, .411 OBP and .595 SLG, including collecting 46 hits and drawing 33 walks. An
error in the ninth inning on June 14 by
Cincinnati Reds shortstop
Barry Larkin allowed the Astros to tie the game. Houston proceeded to score five more runs, resulting in a 6–3 win in the tenth inning. Facing a 5–3 deficit going into the ninth inning on June 17, Bagwell connected for a two-run home run to tie the score.
Brad Ausmus singled in the game-winning run, and
C. J. Nitkowski got the victory, his second of the year.
MLB All-Star Game Biggio and Alou were selected to play for the National League at the
All-Star Game, hosted at
Coors Field in
Denver. It was Alou's first selection as an Astro and the third overall in his career.
July, post All-Star break On July 14, closer
Billy Wagner recorded his first Major League hit. During the bottom of the eighth frame, Wagner singled to right field off
Aaron Small of the
Arizona Diamondbacks at
Bank One Ballpark. Wagner worked scoreless innings, and struck out three of four
batters faced to polish off a 4–2 Astros win and collect the
save (22). Starter
Shane Reynolds (12–5) earned the victory, whiffed seven, while scattering five hits and two runs over innings. Derek Bell and Moisés Alou both went deep off Diamondbacks starter
Omar Daal. Wagner was struck on the head by a batted ball on July 15, felling the
southpaw. While attempting to protect an 8–7 margin over Arizona,
Kelly Stinnett's line drive struck Wagner on the left temple, rendering him motionless for several moments. Wagner remained alert and conscious, was taken to a neurological center, and later cleared of any remaining symptoms. The Diamondbacks later rallied for a 9–8 victory in 11 innings. The team withheld Wagner from game play until August 9 while he recovered.
Don Sutton's Hall of Fame induction On July 28, right-hander
Don Sutton, who pitched for the Astros during the
1981 and
1982 seasons, was
inducted into the
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on July 28. During the 1981 season, his performance was instrumental in the Astros securing a
playoff berth against his former team, the
Los Angeles Dodgers. On July 7, 1982, Sutton earned his 250th career victory, a 5–1 triumph over the
Chicago Cubs. Sutton became the second former Astro to be inducted into the Hall of Fame over consecutive seasons, succeeding
Nellie Fox in
1997, and sixth overall. Despite not pitching in the
American League (AL) after the month of July, Johnson ranked third in the league in strikeouts (213) and fifth in complete games (6) at season's end, and ended up just two innings short of qualifying for rate statistics (160 IP).
August on the mound (pictured during tenure with the
San Francisco Giants). At the time of their trade for Johnson, the Astros occupied first place in the NL Central and led the second-place the Cubs by games. Johnson made his Astros debut on August 2 at
Three Rivers Stadium to face the
Pittsburgh Pirates, who countered with
Todd Van Poppel. The two pitchers kept it close, as Johnson lived up to his billing with 12 strikeouts, but Pittsburgh held the advantage through 7 innings, at 2–1. In the top of the eighth, the Astros scored twice before
Tony Eusebio pinch hit for Johnson and doubled in
Ricky Gutiérrez for the third run of the inning. Rookie
Scott Elarton finished off the afternoon with two perfect innings and strikeouts number 13 and 14 for Houston pitching. Hence, Johnson won his debut with seven strong innings to lead a 6–2 Astros win. Johnson made his debut at the Astrodome as a member of the home team on August 7 and led a 9–0
shutout of the
Philadelphia Phillies before a record attendance. This was first of 3 consecutive home shutouts for Johnson. The-fifth-largest crowd to attend a regular-season contest in the Astrodome (52,071) witnessed Johnson's mastery over Philadelphia. when he was struck on the head by a line drive. Randy Johnson hammered a five-hit, 13-strikeout shutout of the
Milwaukee Brewers on August 12, his first 13-strikeout performance as an Astro. In all, Johnson surrendered five hits and two bases on balls for a game score of 88 to lead a 3–0 triumph. Craig Biggio homered (13) and had three hits. Johnson secured a safety and his first RBI as an Astro. Two unlikely bases bandits—
Richard Hidalgo and
Moisés Alou—and
Derek Bell each picked Milwaukee's pocket. On August 17, Johnson lost his start to the Phillies, snapping a
scoreless innings streak at 19, the longest for the year on Houston's pitching staff. The Pirates countered with Astros killer
Francisco Córdova, who was up to the challenge with another gem, remained unscathed save for a
balk and two
errors to push
Brad Ausmus along to score the only tallies of the contest. in a rare three-home run game off the Atlanta ace. Johnson authored a 14-strikeout gem on September 7, a six-hitter of Cincinnati in a 1–0 final. Derek Bell's deep blast in the bottom of the sixth augmented the all run support required to cure the finishing touches of a masterpiece. In spite of making just his eighth appearances for Houston, Johnson became the first left-hander in club history to propagate three 13-strikeout performances, surpassing Cuellar. Bagwell hit his first career
grand slam on September 8 while tying a career-high six
runs batted in (RBI) against Cincinnati in a 13–7 Astros' victory. His 218th career home run, this broke the then-longest streak among active players without having hit a grand slam. On September 12, the Astros won their 96th game of the season, hosting the Cardinals for a 3–2 final score. Johnson was the starter and won this game as well, going seven innings with two runs allowed and 11 strikeouts, This win tied the
1986 team for most in franchise history. Meanwhile, another race transpiring in the NL Central, and the most-watched race of the summer—
the home run record chase—remained deadlocked at 62 as of September 14. The Cubs'
Sammy Sosa whiffed four times against the Padres, while
Mark McGwire of the
St. Louis Cardinals singled twice in a 7–3 victory over the Pirates. Biggio had passed
Enos Cabell's club single-season record for hits (195), established in
1978. Biggio pilfered his 50th base of the season, by which along with 50 doubles, joined Hall of Famer
Tris Speaker as the major league only players since the 20th century to have reached both milestones in the same season. Biggio became the ninth player in major league history to join the 20 home runs—50 stolen bases club, and the second Astro since
César Cedeño compiled three consecutive from
1972 to
1974. Biggio ultimately reached 210 hits for the season, which remained as the Astros' single-season record until
Jose Altuve surpassed it on September 16,
2014. Biggio also surpassed Cedeño's club record for runs scored (891).
Performance overview The Astros won a club-record 102 games en route to a second successive NL Central division title. Five
starting pitchers earned double-figures in
wins for Houston, including Randy Johnson's effort with the Astros after his acquisition at the July 31 trade deadline. The team drew a franchise-record 2.45 million
fans in their penultimate season as tenants at the Astrodome, including 10 contests with 50,000 or more. Fans would exceed the stadium's attendance record again the following year by over 250,000. In addition to joining
Tris Speaker as the only player to register 50 doubles and 50 stolen bases, and the ninth to join the 20–50 club,
Craig Biggio became the first, and so far only, Major Leaguer to accumulate each of 200 hits, 50 doubles, 20 home runs, and 50 stolen bases all within the same season.
Jeff Bagwell recorded the third of six successive campaigns of each of 100
runs scored, 30
doubles, 30
home runs, 100
runs batted in (RBI) and 100
base on balls (BB), which eventually became a Major League record, through
2001. As of 1998, this streak was one season behind the all-time Major League record, accomplished by
Lou Gehrig.
Randy Johnson became the seventh pitcher since 1900 to amass multiple 300-strikeout seasons. Johnson won each of his final 7 regular season starts, surrendering 7
earned runs in innings for a 1.28 ERA. Following the season, Biggio was recognized with the
Silver Slugger Award for the fifth time in his career, extending his club record. It was fourth at second base and he had won his first as catcher. Left fielder
Moisés Alou also won the Silver Slugger during his first season in Houston and the second of his career overall.
Season standings Record vs. opponents Notable transactions • July 31, 1998:
Randy Johnson was traded by the
Seattle Mariners to the Houston Astros for a player to be named later,
Freddy Garcia, and
Carlos Guillén. The Houston Astros sent
John Halama (October 1, 1998) to the Seattle Mariners to complete the trade. ==Roster==