The 2023 Houston Astros season was the 62nd season for the Houston Astros, a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 59th as the Astros, 11th in both the American League (AL) and AL West division, and 24th at Minute Maid Park. They entered the season as defending World Series champions, their second title, as well both the defending AL and AL West champions.
On April 3, 2023, Yordan Álvarez hit his 100th career home run in his 372nd game, setting the record for fewest in franchise history, and the fifth fastest in major league history. José Altuve reached a number of career milestones, including 1,000 runs scored (June 13, 2023), 35 four-hit games (June 17), 200 home runs (August 5), and 2,000 hits (August 19). Closer Ryan Pressly became the fourth pitcher to convert 100 saves as a member of the Astros on July 25. The Astros reacquired Kendall Graveman and Justin Verlander at the trade deadline, mirroring moves they have made for both players in previous postseason runs. On the day of the trade for Verlander—August 1—Framber Valdez no-hit the Cleveland Guardians to become the first left-handed pitcher in franchise history to deliver such a feat. Valdez's no-hitter was the 16th no-hitter in franchise history.
The Astros passed 3 million fans in attendance for the fifth time in franchise history; however, they were defeated in 17 of their final 23 home games to produce their first losing season at home (39–42) since 2014, when they went 70–92 overall.
Álvarez, Kyle Tucker, and Valdez were each named as reserve players for the MLB All-Star Game, while Dusty Baker was manager for the American League. In the MLB draft, Houston's initial selection was Brice Matthews, a shortstop from the University of Nebraska, at #28 overall in the first round.
On September 30, the Astros clinched a playoff berth for the seventh consecutive year and the eighth time in the last nine seasons with a 1–0 shutout win against the Arizona Diamondbacks; they are the fourth team in MLB history to reach the postseason in seven consecutive seasons, a continuation of the most successful era in franchise history.
On October 1, the Astros clinched the American League West division title for the third consecutive year and the sixth time in the last seven seasons with an 8–1 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They finished with the same record of 90–72 with the Texas Rangers but owned the head-to-head tiebreaker to claim the division, the league's second seed, and a bye from the Wild Card Series, forcing the Rangers to play in the Wild Card series as the fifth seed against the Tampa Bay Rays. They beat the Minnesota Twins in four games in the American League Division Series to reach the American League Championship Series for the seventh consecutive season, a continued American League record in LCS appearance streak. The Astros failed to defend their title as they lost to the Texas Rangers in seven games in the ALCS, in their first postseason Lone Star Series rivalry matchup.
Offseason
November–December 2022
The Houston Astros finished the 2022 season as World Series champions, their second title overall, and first since 2017. Their 106 regular-season wins represented the second-highest total in franchise history, to the 2019 club, and the fifth 100-win season in team history. They clinched their fifth AL West division title, and 13th overall, and fifth league pennant, including four AL pennants. Further, their entrance into the 2022 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was their sixth consecutive, representing the longest streak for an AL club. It trailed only the Atlanta Braves, who played eight consecutive National League Championship Series (1991–1999) for most consecutive League Championship Series (LCS) played.
On November 8, 2022, it was announced that manager Dusty Baker would be back for the 2023 season as Astros manager.
On November 11, 2022, it was announced that general manager (GM) James Click would not be returning to the Astros for the 2023 season. The following day, assistant GM Scott Powers was fired. Click had hired Powers from the Los Angeles Dodgers' front office in January 2022. Charles Cook and Bill Firkus were both promoted to assistant GM following the World Series. While the club operated without an officially-titled GM, club owner Jim Crane became active in the role, including directly negotiating with free agents. Cook, Firkus, and co-assistant GM Andrew Ball each assumed increased responsibilities.