Triple A-Stros (Houston Astros nickname)
The Houston Astros baseball team went 76 wins-86 losses in 2010, 56 wins-106 losses in 2011, 55 wins-107 losses in 2012 and 51 wins-111 losses in 2013. They were so bad that New York (NY) Daily News sportswriter Bill Madden questioned if the Astros fielded a major league team. “Madden: Triple A-stros no match for Yanks” was a Daily News story published on June 13, 2010. The Houston Astros were dubbed the “Triple A-Stros” (Triple A + Astros) by many fans over these years, indicating that the team performed at the Triple A minor league level.
Wikipedia: Triple-A (baseball)
Triple-A (or Class AAA) is the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Mexico.
Wikipedia: Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team located in Houston, Texas. The Astros are members of the American League (AL) West division in Major League Baseball (MLB), having moved to the division in 2013 after spending their first 51 seasons in the National League (NL). The Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park since 2000.
Houston Astros Year-by-Year Results
2014 Houston Astros American League 70 92 .432
2013 Houston Astros American League 51 111 .315
2012 Houston Astros National League 55 107 .340
2011 Houston Astros National League 56 106 .346
2010 Houston Astros National League 76 86 .469
Daily News (New York, NY)
Against New York Yankees, Houston Astros reveal themselves as major-league embarrassments
By Bill Madden
Sunday, June 13, 2010, 10:39 PM
After needing a total of just four hours and 52 minutes to dispatch the Houston Astros Friday night and Saturday, it seemed as if it took the Yankees - through no fault of their own - almost that long Sunday to complete the sweep of one of the most dreadful teams in baseball.
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New York Press
@NewYorkCP
New York: Madden: Triple A-stros no match for Yanks http://newyork.cityandpress.com/node/1494360
3:52 AM - 14 Jun 2010
CBS Sports
Do Astros deserve league of their own?
David Andriesen
Posted on: June 14, 2010 4:18 pm
Edited on: June 14, 2010 4:29 pm
It doesn’t seem that the Astros left a positive impression on New York Daily News columnist Bill Madden during a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium last weekend.
In fact, watching the hapless Triple-A-stros set him to wondering about whether baseball should institute some version of the process used by English soccer in which the worst teams are demoted from the top-tier division and the best second-tier teams can move up.
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Matt Anderson
@mra291
Great win Reds, another sweep ! Now lets sweep the Triple A-stros
5:36 PM - 22 Jul 2012
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Sportspun T’come
@SportspunTCome
The Houston Triple-A-stros. Got some horrible D to go with the horrible pitching and offense!
6:53 PM - 20 Apr 2013
Daily News (New York, NY)
Unprecedented rise in strikeouts is sapping power and fun out of game
By Bill Madden
Updated: Sunday, April 6, 2014, 12:04 AM
(...)
To put 1,384 strikeouts (which tied for second behind the Houston Triple A-stros’ all-time record of 1,535 last year) in better perspective, no team in baseball history had struck out as many as 1,200 times until, coincidentally, the Mets’ 1,203 in 1968 — which broke, again coincidentally, the Mets’ record of 1,129 in 1965.
The Sports Quotient
How The Houston Astros Can Take Another Leap Forward In 2016
by Michael Marcantonini
22 October 2015, 10:00 AM
For the first time in a while, it is now not totally embarrassing to call yourself a Houston Astros fan. The ‘Stros exceeded expectations across the board this year, going 86-76 and reaching the postseason for the first time since 2005.
Yes, we’re talking about the same Astros franchise that endured three straight seasons of at least 106 losses from 2011-2013, and earned the nickname “The Triple A-Stros.” Just two years removed from their most recent 100-loss season, and in their third season as an American League club, they were six outs away from reaching the ALCS before falling apart.