This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart¡¯s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

From a 7-19 record in late April to winning their seventh AL West title in eight seasons, what a wild ride it¡¯s been for the Astros. Let¡¯s reflect on some of the most memorable moments from the 2024 season:

Game of the season

In a 10-0 win at Philadelphia on Aug. 28, the Astros got three home runs from Yordan Alvarez, watched rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti carry a no-hit bid into the eighth inning and Jose Altuve had a straight steal of home in the first inning to spark a team that had lost six of its previous eight games.

Not to be forgotten: Mauricio Dub¨®n, starting in left field, saved the no-hit bid with a great catch at the wall to rob Brandon Marsh of a hit for the final out of the seventh. This game had a little bit of everything.

Best moment I

The Astros clinched the AL West title by beating the second-place Mariners, 4-3, on Sept. 24. They have qualified for the playoffs in each of the past eight seasons -- only the Dodgers can claim the same.

¡°All of them are special, but this one is more special for me, obviously, personally as a first-year manager,¡± Joe Espada said. ¡°This team, what we¡¯ve been through, that we are popping champagne, that¡¯s incredible. I never lost hope. I knew we were going to find ourselves in a position to come and compete and win the West.¡±

Best moment II

Ronel Blanco -- a former infielder who switched to pitching at 18 years old and visited several academies in the Dominican Republic before the Astros eventually signed him for $5,000 -- threw the 17th no-hitter in franchise history in a 10-0 win over the Blue Jays on April 1.

Best moment III

The day after the Astros clinched the AL West title, Bregman was given a standing ovation by the Minute Maid Park crowd on Sept. 25 in what could have been his final regular-season home game. The longtime third baseman, who¡¯s a free agent after the postseason, was removed from the game after the third inning by Espada so the fans could recognize him.

Worst moment

All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker fouled a ball off his shin on June 3 and wound up missing three months with what later was revealed to be a shin fracture. The Astros were 27-34 and seven games out of first place at the time of Tucker's injury, but remarkably they were 4 1/2 games up when he returned on Sept. 6.

¡®Are you kidding me?¡¯ moment

Needing one out to become the second player in franchise history to throw multiple no-hitters, Framber Valdez gave up a towering two-run homer to Corey Seager of the Rangers on his 107th and final pitch to end the no-hit bid after 8 2/3 innings on Aug. 6 in Arlington.

Funniest moment I

What else but shoeless Jose? In a moment that stood alone in a wild Sept. 17 win in San Diego, Altuve was ejected after he ripped off a cleat and sock to plead his case to plate umpire Brennan Miller. Altuve argued that he had fouled a ball off his left foot in the ninth inning, but it was ruled a ground-ball out instead.

Funniest moment II

Astros prospect Zach Dezenzo clubbed his first MLB home run -- a 437-foot shot over the Green Monster in Boston on Aug. 10 -- punctuated by an impressive bat flip. Teammates gave him the silent treatment in the dugout, with Dezenzo left giving high-fives to nobody.

Catch of the year

That¡¯s a tough one. We can¡¯t go with just one, so let¡¯s narrow it down to three.

First, there was Joey Loperfido¡¯s juggling, barehanded catch at the wall in Minnesota on July 5 to rob Willi Castro of a hit.

Then there¡¯s Dub¨®n, who ran 130 feet into the left-field corner in Baltimore to catch a Ram¨®n Ur¨ªas fly ball on Aug. 25, reeling it in just before he crashed into the wall at full speed. Dub¨®n had the wind knocked out of him and ended up exiting the game, but he was otherwise fine.

Finally, there¡¯s Jake Meyers¡¯ catch against the Tigers on June 14 to rob Riley Greene of a home run.

Home run of the year

The Astros stormed from five runs down to beat the Dodgers on July 27 in Houston, winning the game on a walk-off homer by Bregman. He crushed the second pitch from reliever Blake Treinen in the ninth and launched it high over the left-field wall for a dramatic 7-6 win.

"You always kind of go back in the season and think about big moments, big wins, big games, and this is one of those that you will reflect on,¡± Espada said.