HOUSTON – Yusei Kikuchi strolled off the mound in the sixth inning Friday night to a big ovation at Minute Maid Park, and he tipped his cap in appreciation. He struck out 11 batters in 5 2/3 innings, including a club-record-tying eight in a row, in a successful Astros debut. The Astros hope Kikuchi, who was acquired from the Blue Jays in a trade Monday, can keep it up over the next two months and perhaps into the playoffs. With that in mind, let's take a look back at some other notable starting pitchers acquired in midseason trades and how they performed with the Astros: |
Zack Greinke (2019) Acquired from the D-backs for four prospects, Greinke was 8-1 with a 3.02 ERA in 10 starts for the Astros. They put out Greinke, Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole – the 1-2 finishers in the AL Cy Young that season – and became World Series favorites. Greinke started Game 7 of the World Series against Washington, and he gave up a one-out home run to Anthony Rendon and walked Juan Soto before getting lifted with the Astros clinging to a 2-1 lead. The move backfired when reliever Will Harris gave up a homer to Howie Kendrick that clanked off the right-field foul pole, putting Washington ahead for good. Greinke played two more seasons in Houston, going 22-10 with a 3.89 ERA in 52 games (51 starts). Aaron Sanchez (2019) Sanchez had a 3-14 record, 6.07 ERA and 1.69 WHIP when he was dealt to the Astros from the Blue Jays on the same day the club acquired Greinke. In his first start with the Astros, Sanchez threw six no-hit innings against the Mariners. Harris, Joe Biagini and Chris Devenski each threw an inning to finish off the combined no-hitter. Sanchez pitched in only four games for the Astros, posting a 4.82 ERA in 18 2/3 innings before suffering an arm injury. Justin Verlander (2017) Former Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow pulled off a stunning trade in the minutes before the Aug. 31 Deadline, acquiring Verlander from the Tigers in exchange for prospects. It turned out to be one of the best deals in club history. Verlander went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five regular-season starts for the Astros, and he carried his hot hand in the postseason. Verlander made his first career relief appearance by throwing 2 2/3 innings in Game 4 of the ALDS clincher against the Red Sox, and he won both of his starts in the ALCS against the Yankees. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the ALCS. The Astros won the 2017 World Series, beating the Dodgers in seven games, with Verlander starting two of those. |
Randy Johnson (1998) With the 1998 Astros chugging towards a then club-record 102 wins, former general manager Gerry Hunsicker knew he needed to go for it. Hunsicker landed the Big Unit from the Mariners just before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. Johnson made 11 starts and went 10–1 with a 1.28 ERA in the final two months of the season, and he posted a 1.93 ERA in two playoff starts in an NLDS loss to San Diego. Danny Darwin (1986) As the Astros made a surprise push for the 1986 NL West championship, they added Texas native Darwin on Aug. 15. Darwin went 5-2 with a 2.32 ERA in 12 appearances, including eight starts, in the regular season, but didn't appear in the NL Championship Series against the Mets. The man known as "Dr. Death" spent four more seasons in an Astros uniform, and he won 47 games in 110 outings with the club, leading the NL in ERA (2.21) in 1990. He returned to the Astros in 1996, and he pitched in 15 games. |
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Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña was named by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association on Thursday as the club's winner for the 2024 Heart and Hustle Award. The honor goes to the player that demonstrates a passion for baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game. "I was never that gifted player that hit 500-foot homers or running a six-flat, 60-yard dash, so I had to do the little things right," Peña said. "I had to hustle, I had to think the game through, I had to try to get the extra base, and that's something my dad [former big leaguer Geronimo Peña) taught me from a very young age." |
GUSTO, MATTHEWS TOP MINOR LEAGUE HONORS |
The Astros' player development department named right-hander Ryan Gusto as the team's upper-level Minor League Pitcher of the Month for July and infielder Brice Matthews the upper-level Minor League Player of the Month. Right-hander Anderson Brito was named the lower-level Minor League Pitcher of the Month and infielder Chase Jaworsky was the lower-level Minor League Player of the Month. • Gusto, 25, went 3-1 with a 1.15 in five starts in July for Triple-A Sugar Land, with 29 strikeouts, a 0.80 WHIP and .168 opponents' batting average. He was taken in the 11th round in the 2019 MLB Draft from Florida Southwestern State Junior College. • Matthews, 22, hit .246 (15-for-61) with 11 runs, four doubles, four home runs, six RBIs, eight walks, five stolen bases and a .869 OPS in 16 games in July with Double-A Corpus Christi. He was selected in the first round of the 2023 Draft from the University of Nebraska. Matthews is rated as the Astros' No. 3 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline. • Brito, 20, went 2-1 with a 1.31 ERA in five appearances (20 2/3 innings) in July between the Dominican Summer League, Florida Summer League and Single-A Fayetteville. He also had 37 strikeouts and a .123 opponent batting average. Signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2023, he's the Astros' No. 9-ranked prospect. • Jaworsky, 20, hit .260 (19-for-73) with 12 runs, five doubles, one homer, 12 RBIs, six stolen bases and a .707 OPS in 21 games with Fayetteville. He was drafted in the fifth round in 2023 from Rock Canyon High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo. He is rated as Houston's No. 27 prospect. |
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