HOUSTON — A couple of Astros pitchers are being recognized by Major League Baseball after stellar outings in August.
RHP Spencer Arrighetti, who played his high school ball at Cinco Ranch, was named the American League’s August Rookie of the Month and LHP Josh Hader was named Reliever of the Month.
The 24-year-old Arrighetti went 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA (7ER/32.1IP) and a .168 opponent batting average. Arrighetti became only the second rookie since 1901 to strike out 47 batters while allowing 19 or fewer hits.
Here are a few of his August highlights.
- Aug. 4: 12 strikeouts vs. Tampa Bay
- Aug. 10: His career-high 13 strikeouts at Boston was the second highest in a single game by an Astros rookie, behind only J.R. Richard's historic 15-strike outing in his MLB deputy on Sept. 5, 1971. He also became the first rookie in AL history to record 12-plus strikeouts in back-to-back outings.
- Aug. 18: Arrighetti didn't give up a hit until the eighth inning with 10 strikeouts.
This was Hader's sixth career Reliever of the Month honor. In 13 appearances in August, he went 3-1 with eight saves, while recording a 0.68 ERA, a .071 opponent batting average and a 0.60 WHIP. Hader also struck out 17 batters.
Among AL relievers this season, Hader ranks second in strikeouts with 90 and is tied for second in saves with 29.
This is the first time two Astros players received a monthly award in the same month since 3B Alex Bregman won Player of the Month and OF Yordan Alvarez won Rookie of the Month in August 2019. Bregman and Alvarez more recently were named AL co-Players of the Week.
