2001 Houston Astros season

The Astros received recognition as Organization of the Year by each of SportsTicker, [[Topps]], ''[[Baseball America]]'', and ''[[USA Today Sports|Baseball Weekly]]''.

The Astros received recognition as Organization of the Year by each of SportsTicker, [[Topps]], ''[[Baseball America]]'', and ''[[USA Today Sports|Baseball Weekly]]''.

With a 21-game improvement from the year prior, this Astros team set the franchise record for largest year-to-year margin, surpassing the [[1997 Houston Astros season|1997]]–[[1998 Houston Astros season|1998]] clubs, at 18 games.

With a 21-game improvement from the year prior, this Astros team set the franchise record for largest year-to-year margin, surpassing the [[1997 Houston Astros season|1997]] to [[1998 Houston Astros season|1998]] clubs, at 18 games.> Having concluded the 2001 season with a 93–69 record, the Astros clinched the best record in the National League,{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2001.shtml |title=2001 National League team statistics |work=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=April 20, 2026}} for the second time in club history,{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/ |title=Houston Astros team history & encyclopedia |work=Baaseball-Reference.com |access-date=October 13, 2025}} and first time since [[1980 Major League Baseball season|1980]], also with 93 wins.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1980.shtml |title=1980 National League team statistics |work=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=April 20, 2026}}>

Houston claimed their fourth NL Central division title, of a possible seven since the inception of the division in [[1994 Major League Baseball season|1994]].{{refn|No division titles were awarded in 1994 due to the cancellation of that year's [[1994 World Series|playoffs]] as a response to the [[1994–95 Major League Baseball strike|players' strike]].|group=lower-alpha|name="1994 season"}}>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/ |title=Houston Astros team history & encyclopedia |work=Baaseball-Reference.com |access-date=October 13, 2025}}</ref> This remained the most division titles won by any team in the NL Central until [[2005 Major League Baseball season|2005]], when [[2005 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis]] claimed their fifth.{{refn|The 2001 NL Central title remained the final that the Astros won. In [[2013 Major League Baseball season|2013]], the club moved to the [[American League]].|group=lower-alpha|name="Division championships"}}

Houston claimed their fourth NL Central division title, of a possible seven since the inception of the division in [[1994 Major League Baseball season|1994]].{{refn|No division titles were awarded in 1994 due to the cancellation of that year's [[1994 World Series|playoffs]] as a response to the [[1994–95 Major League Baseball strike|players' strike]].|group=lower-alpha|name="1994 season"}} This remained the most division titles won by any team in the NL Central until [[2005 Major League Baseball season|2005]], when [[2005 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis]] claimed their fifth.{{refn|The 2001 NL Central title remained the division final that the Astros won while still in the National League. In [[2013 Major League Baseball season|2013]], the club moved to the [[American League]].|group=lower-alpha|name="Division championships"}}

Likewise, with manager [[Larry Dierker]] at the helm for each NL Central division title, he extended his club record. Later, [[A. J. Hinch]] matched Dierker for most [[Major League Baseball postseason|playoff]] appearances as manager for the Astros, consisting of one [[American League]] (AL) [[Major League Baseball Wild Card#Two wild cards per league (2012–2019, 2021)|Wild Card]] title ([[2015 American League Wild Card Game|2015]]) and three [[American League West|AL West]] division titles ([[2017 American League Division Series#Houston vs. Boston|2017]], [[2018 American League Division Series#Houston vs. Cleveland|2018]], and [[2019 American League Division Series#Houston vs. Tampa Bay|2019]]).

Likewise, with manager [[Larry Dierker]] at the helm for each NL Central division title, he extended his club record. Later, [[A. J. Hinch]] matched Dierker for most [[Major League Baseball postseason|playoff]] appearances as manager for the Astros, consisting of one [[American League]] (AL) [[Major League Baseball Wild Card#Two wild cards per league (2012–2019, 2021)|Wild Card]] title ([[2015 American League Wild Card Game|2015]]) and three [[American League West|AL West]] division titles ([[2017 American League Division Series#Houston vs. Boston|2017]], [[2018 American League Division Series#Houston vs. Cleveland|2018]], and [[2019 American League Division Series#Houston vs. Tampa Bay|2019]]).