1980 Houston Astros season
Encyclopedia
The 1980 Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

 season
was a season in American baseball. The team finished in a tie for first place in the National League West
National League West
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...

 with a record of 92-70 with the Los Angeles Dodgers
1980 Los Angeles Dodgers season
The 1980 Los Angeles Dodgers finished the season in second place in the Western Division of the National League, one game behind the Houston Astros...

. The teams played a one-game playoff
1980 National League West tie-breaker game
The 1980 National League West tie-breaker game was a one-game playoff to decide the winner of Major League Baseball's National League West division. The game took place on October 6, 1980 between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium...

 to determine the division champion, which the Astros won, marking the first time in franchise history that the team qualified for the postseason. They went on to face the Philadelphia Phillies
1980 Philadelphia Phillies season
The 1980 Philadelphia Phillies season was a season in American baseball. The team finished with a regular-season record of 91 wins and 71 losses, which was good enough to regain the National League East title by just one game over the Montreal Expos...

 in the NLCS
1980 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 7, 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaGame 1 was the most ordinary contest of the series. Starters Ken Forsch and Steve Carlton dueled for the first five innings, with only one run scored by Houston in the third on an RBI single by Gary Woods...

, losing three games to two.

Offseason

  • October 26, 1979: Keith Drumright was sent by the Astros to the Kansas City Royals
    Kansas City Royals
    The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

     to complete an earlier deal (the Astros sent a player to be named later to the Royals for George Throop
    George Throop (baseball)
    George Lynford Throop is a former professional baseball pitcher. Throop pitched in parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball between and ....

    ) made on April 27, 1979.
  • November 19, 1979: Nolan Ryan
    Nolan Ryan
    Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....

     was signed as a free agent by the Astros.
  • January 31, 1980: Joe Morgan
    Joe Morgan
    Joe Leonard Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the...

     was signed as a free agent by the Astros.
  • February 21, 1980: Frank Riccelli
    Frank Riccelli
    Frank Joseph Riccelli is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched parts of three seasons in the majors, for the San Francisco Giants, and and for the Houston Astros. He later pitched in the Senior Professional Baseball Association.-Sources:...

     was released by the Astros.

Regular season

On July 4, pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....

 recorded the 3,000th strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....

 of his career by striking out César Gerónimo
César Gerónimo
César Francisco Gerónimo Zorrilla , known as César Gerónimo, is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball, who was a member of the famed Big Red Machine of the Cincinnati Reds during the 1970s. He batted and threw left-handed....

 of the Cincinnati Reds
1980 Cincinnati Reds season
The 1980 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The Reds finished in third place in the National League West with a record of 89-73, 3½ games behind the Houston Astros, marking the first time since 1971 that the Reds did not finish in either first or second place...

.

Opening Day starters

  • Alan Ashby
    Alan Ashby
    Alan Dean Ashby is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros...

  • Enos Cabell
    Enos Cabell
    Enos Milton Cabell, Jr. is a former third baseman and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played 15 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, the Houston Astros, the San Francisco Giants, the Detroit Tigers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cabell is a cousin of center fielder Ken Landreaux.Cabell was...

  • César Cedeño
    César Cedeño
    César Cedeño Encarnación is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the Houston Astros , Cincinnati Reds , St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers . He batted and threw right-handed....

  • José Cruz
    José Cruz
    José Cruz Dilan is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is also the former first base coach for the Houston Astros. During his 19-year baseball career, he played from 1970-1988 for three different teams, playing primarily for the Astros...

  • Art Howe
    Art Howe
    Arthur Henry Howe Jr. is a former Major League Baseball infielder, coach, scout and manager. He is an alumnus of the University of Wyoming...

  • Joe Morgan
    Joe Morgan
    Joe Leonard Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the...

  • Terry Puhl
    Terry Puhl
    -See also:*List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases*List of Major League Baseball players from Canada*UHV Jaguars-External links:...

  • Craig Reynolds
  • J. R. Richard

Roster

1980 Houston Astros
Roster
Pitchers

Catchers
Infielders

Outfielders
Other batters
Manager

Coaches

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
C 116 352 90 .256 3 48
1B 110 321 91 .283 10 46
2B 141 461 112 .243 11 49
3B 152 604 167 .276 2 55
SS 137 381 86 .226 3 28
LF 160 612 185 .302 11 91
CF 137 499 154 .309 10 73
RF 141 535 151 .282 13 55

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
149 393 97 .247 1 27
100 284 85 .299 3 29
78 221 44 .199 0 20
88 216 46 .213 3 20
90 78 20 .256 0 3
33 87 24 .276 0 6
19 53 20 .377 2 15
40 52 6 .115 0 1
22 22 4 .182 0 0
8 3 1 .333 0 0
1 1 0 .000 0 0
1 1 0 .000 0 0

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player G IP W L ERA SO
37 256 20 12 3.55 127
35 233.2 11 10 3.35 200
32 222.1 12 13 3.20 84
28 159.1 12 4 2.37 55
17 113.2 10 4 1.90 119

Other pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA SO
35 122 3 8 3.91 75
12 41.1 0 4 4.35 13

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player G IP W L SV ERA SO
64 90.1 8 4 17 2.19 75
57 102.2 7 5 10 1.93 85
55 83 8 5 11 2.82 66
22 33 0 1 1 5.45 18
14 24.1 2 0 0 5.92 9
1 1 0 0 0 0.00 3

Game 1

October 7: Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Houston 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 0
Philadelphia 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 X 3 8 1
W: Steve Carlton
Steve Carlton
Steven Norman Carlton , nicknamed "Lefty", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965-1988 for six different teams in his career, but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards...

 (1-0)   L: Ken Forsch
Ken Forsch
Kenneth Roth Forsch is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Forsch graduated from Hiram Johnson High School and played in college ball at Oregon State University through the 1967-1968 seasons. While at Oregon State University, he was an active member in Beta Theta Pi fraternity...

 (0-1)   S: Tug McGraw
Tug McGraw
Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher and the father of Country music singer Tim McGraw and actor/TV personality Mark McGraw and Cari McGraw...

 (1)
HR: HOU – None  PHIGreg Luzinski (1)
Pitchers: HOU – Forsch  PHI – Carlton, McGraw (8)
Attendance: 65,277

Game 2

October 8: Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Houston 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 7 8 1
Philadelphia 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 14 2
W: Frank LaCorte
Frank LaCorte
Frank Joseph LaCorte , is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1975-1984. He would play for the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, and California Angels. On May 25, 1979, Frank was traded from Atlanta to Houston for P Bo McLaughlin...

 (1-0)   L: Ron Reed
Ron Reed
Ronald Lee Reed is a retired American starting/relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves , St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox...

 (0-1)   S: Joaquín Andújar
Joaquín Andújar
Joaquín Andújar is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who became one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball while playing with the St. Louis Cardinals in the mid-80s.-Early years:...

 (1)
HR: HOU – None  PHI – None
Pitchers: HOU – Ryan, Sambito (7), Smith (7), LaCorte (9), Andujar (10)  PHI – Ruthven, McGraw (8), Reed (9), Saucier (10)
Attendance: 65,476

Game 3

October 10: Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
Philadelphia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1
Houston 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 1
W: Dave Smith (1-0)   L: Tug McGraw
Tug McGraw
Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher and the father of Country music singer Tim McGraw and actor/TV personality Mark McGraw and Cari McGraw...

 (0-1)   S: None
HR: PHI – None  HOU – None
Pitchers: PHI – Christenson, Noles (7), McGraw (8)  HOU – Niekro, Smith (11)
Attendance: 44,443

Game 4

October 11: Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Philadelphia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 5 13 0
Houston 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 5 2
W: Warren Brusstar
Warren Brusstar
Warren Scott Brusstar is a former baseball player who played 9 years from 1977-1985. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, and the Chicago Cubs....

 (1-0)   L: Joe Sambito
Joe Sambito
Joseph Charles Sambito is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros , New York Mets and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw left-handed...

 (0-1)   S: Tug McGraw
Tug McGraw
Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher and the father of Country music singer Tim McGraw and actor/TV personality Mark McGraw and Cari McGraw...

 (2)
HR: PHI – None  HOU – None
Pitchers: PHI – Carlton, Noles (6), Saucier (7), Reed (7), Brusstar (8), McGraw (10)  HOU – Ruhle, Smith (8), Sambito (8)
Attendance: 44,952

Game 5

October 12: Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...



Game 5 capped the series in fitting fashion, with seemingly endless surprises and excitement. The Astros jumped to an early lead in the first on a run-scoring double by José Cruz
José Cruz
José Cruz Dilan is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is also the former first base coach for the Houston Astros. During his 19-year baseball career, he played from 1970-1988 for three different teams, playing primarily for the Astros...

. Philadelphia bounced back to take the lead on a two-run single by Bob Boone
Bob Boone
Robert Raymond Boone is a former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who was a four-time All-Star. Born in San Diego, California, Bob Boone is the son of a major league player, the late third baseman Ray Boone, and the father of two major leaguers: former second baseman Bret Boone and...

 in the second. The Astros saw Luis Pujols
Luis Pujols
Luis Bienvenido Pujols Toribio was a catcher and manager in Major League Baseball. He played nine seasons with the Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers. Luis Pujols and St...

 and Enos Cabell
Enos Cabell
Enos Milton Cabell, Jr. is a former third baseman and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played 15 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, the Houston Astros, the San Francisco Giants, the Detroit Tigers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cabell is a cousin of center fielder Ken Landreaux.Cabell was...

 thrown out at the plate in the second and fifth, but finally broke through to tie the game 2-2 on an unearned run in the sixth, thanks to an error by Philadelphia's less than surehanded left fielder Greg Luzinski.

Houston took what seemed like a solid 5-2 lead in the seventh on an RBI single by Denny Walling
Denny Walling
Dennis Martin Walling is a former Major League Baseball player. Walling played all or part of eighteen seasons in the majors, from 1975 to 1992. He played his most games as a third baseman, but also saw significant time as an outfielder and first baseman.Walling may be best known as a...

, a wild pitch from Phillies reliever Larry Christenson
Larry Christenson
Larry Richard 'L.C.' Christenson , is a former professional baseball pitcher who played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1973-1983....

, and a run-scoring triple by Art Howe
Art Howe
Arthur Henry Howe Jr. is a former Major League Baseball infielder, coach, scout and manager. He is an alumnus of the University of Wyoming...

. A three run deficit in the eighth inning against Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....

 seemed insurmountable. But the Phillies would not die. They loaded the bases with nobody out on three straight singles, including two infield hits, and then got two runs on a walk to Pete Rose
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....

 and a groundout by Keith Moreland
Keith Moreland
Bobby Keith "Zonk" Moreland is a former outfielder, catcher and infield in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and San Diego Padres. In , the final year of his career, he played for the Detroit Tigers, then the Baltimore Orioles...

. An RBI single by Del Unser
Del Unser
Delbert Bernard Unser is a retired Major League Baseball center fielder and utility player who had a 15-year career from 1968 to 1982. Unser played for the Washington Senators from 1968 to 1971 and the Cleveland Indians in 1972...

 tied the game 5-5, and then Manny Trillo
Manny Trillo
Jesús Manuel Marcano Trillo , also nicknamed "Indio", is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues from to...

 put the Phillies ahead with a two-run triple.

The Astros promptly came back to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth, with Rafael Landestoy
Rafael Landestoy
Rafael Silvaido Landestoy Santana in Baní, Dominican Republic) was an eight year major league baseball veteran who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, and Los Angeles Dodgers...

 and José Cruz
José Cruz
José Cruz Dilan is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is also the former first base coach for the Houston Astros. During his 19-year baseball career, he played from 1970-1988 for three different teams, playing primarily for the Astros...

 each singling in a run. Neither team scored in the ninth, but the Phillies got doubles from Unser and Garry Maddox in the tenth to take an 8-7 lead. Philadelphia's Dick Ruthven
Dick Ruthven
Richard David Ruthven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher with a 14-year career from 1973 to 1986. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs all of the National League. During his career, Ruthven had a record of 123-127, an ERA of 4.14, and 1145 career strikeouts...

 retired the Astros in order in the bottom of the tenth, and the Phillies had won their first pennant since 1950. They went on to defeat the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

 four games to two in the World Series.
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Philadelphia 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 8 13 2
Houston 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 0 0 7 14 0
W: Dick Ruthven
Dick Ruthven
Richard David Ruthven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher with a 14-year career from 1973 to 1986. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs all of the National League. During his career, Ruthven had a record of 123-127, an ERA of 4.14, and 1145 career strikeouts...

 (1-0)   L: Frank LaCorte
Frank LaCorte
Frank Joseph LaCorte , is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1975-1984. He would play for the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, and California Angels. On May 25, 1979, Frank was traded from Atlanta to Houston for P Bo McLaughlin...

 (1-1)   S: None
HR: PHI – None  HOU – None
Pitchers: PHI – Bystrom, Brusstar (6), Christenson (7), Reed (7), McGraw (8), Ruthven (9)  HOU – Ryan, Sambito (8), Forsch (8), LaCorte (9)
Attendance: 44,802

Farm system

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