The Houston Astros are the professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB). They began to play in 1962. They were originally called the "Houston Colt .45s" or the "Houston Colts". They changed their name to "Astros" in 1965. The Astros left the National League and joined the American League in 2013. They are the first team in a long time to do this. The Astros play their home games at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
With the move to the American League in 2013, the Astros are the first team in Major League Baseball to win the pennant for both leagues. The Astros are generally considered one of the most dominant teams in baseball over the recent years.
In 2005, the Astros played in the World Series for the first time, where they were swept by the Chicago White Sox. They returned to the World Series in 2017. This time, they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games to capture their first World Series title in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. They returned to the World Series in 2019 and 2021, but lost to Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves, respectively. In 2022, the Astros returned to the World Series again and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games to capture their second championship title in franchise history.