The Houston Astros’ season ended Wednesday night with a 7-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series, completing a sweep and sending the club home after the shortest possible postseason stay.
Houston finished the regular season 81-81 and still won the AL West by one game over Texas. The Astros became the first team in major league history to reach the playoffs with a .500 record.
The White Sox, who finished 84-78 as the third AL wild card, took Game 1 on Tuesday, 6-3, then jumped on Houston early again in the elimination game at Daikin Park.
Manager Joe Espada’s three-year contract expires at the end of this season. Speculation about his future intensified immediately after the sweep.
The Astros dismissed general manager Dana Brown in late August. Owner Jim Crane said at the time that Espada would finish the year and that any decision on a new deal would wait until after the season.
Crane later said a playoff appearance would be “something to consider” when evaluating Espada.
That appearance lasted two games.
FanSided writer Jake Elman predicted the club would move on from its manager.
“Espada entered these playoffs knowing that he needed a deep run to have any chance to make himself indispensable moving forward, and safe to say that didn’t happen,” Elman wrote.
“Is that entirely his fault? Of course not; this is an aging, misshapen roster with holes all over the place, ones that no manager could have overcome. But Espada has hardly covered himself in glory during his time with the Astros, either, and ultimately it’s hard not to feel like a house-clearing is needed. (Whether Crane is the right guy to lead it is another question entirely.)”
Espada, 51, took over after Dusty Baker retired following the 2023 season. He posted regular-season records of 88-73, 87-75 and 81-81. Houston won the division in 2024 and 2026 and missed the playoffs by one game in 2025.
The Astros have not won a postseason game under Espada. They were swept by Detroit in the 2024 Wild Card Series and now by Chicago.
Houston has made the playoffs in nine of the last 10 seasons and won the AL West eight times in that span. The franchise’s standard remains high after two World Series titles in the last decade.
A new general manager will be hired this offseason. Incoming executives typically prefer to choose their own manager.
Veteran reporter Ken Rosenthal noted before the series that Crane has shown a willingness to make changes even after successful seasons and that a new GM would likely want a different voice in the dugout.
Espada spent six seasons as Houston’s bench coach before his promotion. Players have generally spoken well of him, but results in October have been lacking.
The Astros led the majors with 226 home runs this season yet ranked 13th in runs scored. Their pitching staff finished 24th in ERA at 4.45.
Attendance for Game 1 was 34,011. Fans booed at points during both home playoff games.
Crane has not publicly commented since the elimination. A formal decision on Espada is expected once the new baseball operations leader is in place.
The White Sox advanced to face the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Division Series. Houston’s offseason overhaul is just beginning.
