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games above .500 · final standings
1997 MLB NL Central standings
The Houston Astros won the 1997 MLB NL Central division race at 84-78, 5 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
🏆How the 1997 playoffs went
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NL Central standings, 1997
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | L10 | Streak |
|---|
| Houston Astros (HOU) | 84 | 78 | .519 | - | 7-3 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (PIT) | 79 | 83 | .488 | 5 | 6-4 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Reds (CIN) | 76 | 86 | .469 | 8 | 6-4 | W1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals (STL) | 73 | 89 | .451 | 11 | 3-7 | W2 |
| Chicago Cubs (CHC) | 68 | 94 | .420 | 16 | 4-6 | L2 |
Final standings.
Turning points
- The lead changed hands 17 times.
- The Houston Astros trailed by as many as 1.5 games on June 1, 1997.
- The Houston Astros took first place for good on July 18, 1997.
- The Houston Astros won 9 games in a row from July 18, 1997 to July 27, 1997, the longest run of the race.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates led by 1.5 games as late as June 7, 1997.
- The Houston Astros went 12-2 from July 15, 1997 to July 30, 1997, turning a deficit of 1 game into a lead of 6.5 games.
- The top two ended the day within one game of each other on 66 of the 176 days played.
- Four teams held first place.
- The Houston Astros spent 151 of the season's 181 charted days in first place.