2020 Houston Astros season

The 2020 Houston Astros season was the 59th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas, their 56th as the Astros, eighth in both the American League (AL) and AL West division, and 21st at Minute Maid Park. The team entered the season having won a franchise regular season-record 107 games, as both the defending champions of the American League and of the AL West, the runners-up of the 2019 World Series, with three consecutive 100-win regular seasons, and entrants into three consecutive American League Championship Series (ALCS); both of the latter two achievements had been unprecedented in franchise history.

The 2020 season was the first for both Dusty Baker as the Astros' manager, the 24th in franchise history, and James Click as general manager. The pair replaced A. J. Hinch and Jeff Luhnow, respectively, who were terminated for their role in the team's sign-stealing scandal which had been revealed during the 2019–20 offseason. As part of the team's punishment, they forfeited both the first- and second-round picks in each of the 2020 and 2021 MLB drafts.

As a response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the MLB season was shortened from the standard 162-game schedule to 60 games, resulting in a delayed start to the season. The 2020 All-Star Game was also canceled due to the delayed start. The Astros' top overall selection in the MLB draft was Alex Santos, a compensatory pick before the third round.

By virtue of a Los Angeles Angels loss on September 25, the Astros clinched a playoff berth, reaching their fourth consecutive postseason tournament, fifth in the last six years, and 14th postseason season appearance in franchise history. It was also their fourth wild card title and second as an AL club. Baker became the first major league manager to guide five different teams to the postseason. In spite of finishing the regular season 29–31, Houston became the second AL team to reach the playoffs with a losing record following the 1981 Kansas City Royals, also during a shortened season. Hence, under the newly-expanded playoff format, Houston received the No. 6 seed in the AL.

On September 30, the Astros became the first sub-.500 team to win a playoff series, eliminating the Minnesota Twins in a two-game sweep in the AL Wild Card Series (WCS), becoming the first sub-.500 team to win a playoff game the day before (as of 2023, they remain the only sub-.500 team to ever win a playoff game or series). The Astros advanced to the American League Division Series (ALDS), where they defeated the AL West-champion Oakland Athletics three games to one. During the ALDS, the Astros batted in a historic 33 runs (and 12 home runs) across 35 innings. Next, the Astros advanced to their fourth consecutive ALCS, where they were defeated by the Tampa Bay Rays in seven games. Having trailed three-games-to-none to start the ALCS, the Astros nearly completed a dramatic comeback in forcing a Game 7.

After the season, pitcher Cristian Javier was named a finalist for the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year Award, finishing third in voting.