The season for the Houston Astros came to an unceremonious close at the hands of the Chicago White Sox, who beat them two games to none in the MLB Wild Card Playoff round.
Now, the White Sox move on to face the divisional rival Cleveland Guardians in the Divisional Playoff round, while the Astros are left picking up the pieces and wondering where things went wrong.
Not long afterward, starter Hunter Brown expressed his frustration with how things turned out in a completely blunt recap.
Houston Astros Pitcher Hunter Brown Admits The Tough Truth After Series Loss To White Sox
Brown’s start in Game 2 against the White Sox ended before the first inning was over, forcing the Astros to turn to their bullpen early. The Astros had already utilized eight pitchers during their Game 1 setback, and they also used six more in their regular season finale.
Brown faced nine Chicago batters, allowing five hits and four runs, three of which were earned. He also walked one batter and while also not getting much help from his teammates. The Astros committed a pair of costly errors, while Yordan Alvarez failed to catch a playable fly ball.
Ultimately, the White Sox picked up a 7-3 win, sweeping the Astros out of the playoffs and ending their dreams of another World Series run.
Afterward, Brown said that his performance wasn’t up to snuff despite his best efforts.
“I feel like everything that could have went poorly did and I didn’t overcome the whole inning, really,” Brown said, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. “I felt like, looking back, it’s hard to say I don’t take anything back, but I feel like pitches that I threw I was confident and I threw them to the best of my ability. Just didn’t come out on the right end of it. Unfortunately, that’s the way it went, and they were able to slap a crooked number up there on the board.”
A shoulder strain limited Brown’s availability during the 2026 regular season, which saw him finish with a 3.19 ERA in 20 starts.
Hunter Brown Has Played His Entire MLB Career With The Astros
Brown was taken by the Astros in the fifth round (166th overall pick) of the 2019 MLB Draft. After making his professional debut that year, he missed the entire 2020 minor league season before moving through Double-A and Triple-A in 2021.
Brown broke out in 2022 with Triple-A Sugar Land, posting a 2.55 ERA and 106 innings while earning PCL Pitcher of the Year honors. His performance also made him Houston’s top prospect and one of MLB’s most highly regarded young pitchers.
Brown helped Houston win the 2022 World Series before becoming a full-time starter in 2023. After a strong second half in 2024, he broke out in 2025 with a 2.43 ERA, 206 strikeouts and his first All-Star selection.
Astros’ Hunter Brown Admits Blunt Truth After Playoff Elimination