The Astros are among eight of the 30 current Major League Baseball teams that have never won the "Fall Classic".
They joined the big leagues as the Colt .45s in 1962, becoming the Astros three seasons later, but have played in the World Series only once before - in 2005 when they were thumped 4-0 by the Chicago White Sox., external
In 2013, after 51 seasons in the NL, they were moved to the American League (AL), where the pitchers do not bat, and a non-fielding "designated hitter" is used.
The switch meant that each league now has 15 teams, and made inter-league play a regular feature. Before 1997, the only time National and American League sides played each other was in the World Series. Even after that, inter-league play was confined to a short period during each season.
The Astros' first season in the AL West division in 2013 was a disaster. They finished in last place, losing 111 of their 162 games. However, they reached the postseason in 2015, pipping the New York Yankees to the AL Wild Card while this season they stormed to the AL West title with a 101-61 record, 21 wins ahead of their closest rivals.
But however bad the Astros' post-season record is, it is not the worst. The Seattle Mariners have never even appeared in the World Series, nor have the Washington Nationals (or their previous incarnation as the Montreal Expos).
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