Houston Astros
Encyclopedia
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 until 2002. The Coca-Cola Company
-owned, Houston-based fruit juice manufacturer Minute Maid
, after whom the Astros' stadium is named, holds a minority stake in the team.
The Astros were established as the Houston Colt .45s in . They changed to their current name three years later, when they moved into the iconic Astrodome, the world's first domed sports stadium. The name references Houston's role as the center of the U.S. astronaut program
.
The Astros are the oldest MLB franchise to have never won the World Series while remaining in the same city over their history. After heart-breaking playoff losses in 1980
, 1981
, and 1986
, and more playoff appearances in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Astros finally appeared in their first and (to date) only World Series, in 2005
against the Chicago White Sox
.
. There were four men chiefly responsible for bringing Major League Baseball to Houston: George Kirksey and Craig Cullinan, who had led a futile attempt to purchase the St. Louis Cardinals
in 1952; R.E. "Bob" Smith, a prominent oilman and real estate magnate in Houston who was brought in for his financial resources; and Judge Roy Hofheinz
, a former Mayor of Houston and Harris County Judge who was recruited for his salesmanship and political style. They formed the Houston Sports Association as their vehicle for attaining a big league franchise for the city of Houston.
Given MLB's refusal to consider expanding, Kirksey, Cullinan, Smith, and Hofheinz joined forces with would-be owners from other cities and announced the formation of a new league to compete with the established National and American Leagues. They called the new league the Continental League
. Wanting to protect potential new markets, both existing leagues chose to expand from eight teams to ten. Houston won a franchise in the National League to begin play in 1962. The Continental League folded before it ever started. But if its real object was to secure Houston a Major League franchise, it clearly succeeded.
The new Houston team was named the Colt .45s after a "Name The Team" contest was won by William Irving Neder. The name "Colt .45s" won out, as the Colt .45
was well known as "the gun that won the west."
The colors selected were navy blue and orange. The first team was a collection of cast-offs culled mostly through an expansion draft held after the 1961 season. The Colt .45s and their expansion cousins, the New York Mets
, took turns choosing players left unprotected by the other National League franchises.
The Colt .45s began their existence playing at Colt Stadium
. Colt Stadium, however, was just a temporary field until Judge Hofheinz could build an indoor stadium. Hofheinz had convinced the National League owners that the sweltering Houston summers would not be a problem as he would build an indoor baseball stadium based loosely on the Colosseum
in Rome
. Bonds were passed and construction began but, until it was ready, the team played on some reclaimed marshland south of town. Colt Stadium was built on the same land that would eventually hold its famous successor. It was built on the cheap with little to protect fans from the weather or other hazards. True baseball fans hardly cared. Houston had become a "major league" city.
The Colt .45s started their inaugural season on April 10, 1962, against the Chicago Cubs
with Harry Craft
as their manager. Bob Aspromonte
scored the first run for the Colt .45s after a triple by Al Spangler
in the first inning. They started the season with a three-game sweep of the Cubs but eventually finished eighth among the National League's ten teams. The team's best pitcher, Richard "Turk" Farrell
, had an ERA
of 3.02 but still lost 20 games. A starter for the Colt .45s, Farrell was primarily a relief pitcher prior to playing for Houston. He was selected to both All-Star Games in 1962.
Despite the poor finish, there was a bright spot in the Houston line-up in 1962. Román Mejías
, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates
in the expansion draft, was named the Colt .45s' starting right fielder. It was in Houston that Mejías would play the best season of his career. Although an injury slowed him in the second half of the season, Mejías finished with a .286 batting average, 24 home runs, and 76 RBIs. His modesty and his hard play made him a fan favorite that year. Despite his good year Mejías was traded to the Boston Red Sox
in the fall of 1962.
1963 saw more young talent mixed with seasoned veterans. Jimmy Wynn
, Rusty Staub
, and Joe Morgan
all made their major league debuts in the 1963 season
. However, Houston's position in the standings did not improve. In fact, the Colt .45s finished in ninth place with a 66–96 record. The team was still building, trying to find that perfect mix to compete. Craft had plenty of rookies to play, and on September 27 he fielded a team consisting entirely of rookies versus the New York Mets
. Houston lost 10–3 but it was a glimpse of what was to come in the next few seasons.
The 1964 campaign began on a sad note. Pitcher Jim Umbricht
died of cancer at the age of 33 just before Opening Day
. Umbricht was the only Colt .45s pitcher to post a winning record in Houston's first two seasons. He was so well liked by players and fans that the team retired his jersey number, 32, in 1965.
On the field, the 1964 Colt .45s got off to a quick start, but it would not last. Craft was fired presumably for wanting to play more experienced players, which conflicted with team management's desire to showcase the young up-and-coming talent. Craft was replaced by one of the Colt .45s coaches, Luman Harris
. One player the front office wanted to showcase was teenage pitcher Larry Dierker
. He started versus the San Francisco Giants
on his eighteenth birthday. Dierker lost the game but it was the beginning of a long relationship with the Houston organization.
Just on the horizon the structure of the new domed stadium was more prevalent and the way baseball was watched in Houston, and around the league, was about to change.
With Judge Roy Hofheinz
now the sole owner of the franchise and his vision of an indoor venue complete, the Colt .45s moved into their new domed stadium in 1965. The judge called the new domed stadium the Astrodome. The name honored Houston's position as location of the nation's space program. The Colt .45s were renamed the Astros. The new park, coined as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" did little to help the play on the field. While several "indoor" firsts were accomplished, the team still finished ninth in the standings. The attendance was high not because of the team accomplishments, but because people came from miles around to see the Astrodome.
Just as the excitement was settling down over the Astrodome, the 1966 season
found something new to put the domed stadium in the spotlight once again – the field. Grass would not grow in the new park, since the roof panels had been painted to reduce the glare that was causing players on both the Astros and the visiting team to miss routine pop flies. A new artificial turf was created called "AstroTurf
" and once again Houston would be involved in yet another change in the way the game was played.
With new manager Grady Hatton
the Astros got hot right away. By May they were in second place in the National League and looked like a team that could contend. Joe Morgan
and Sonny Jackson appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated
, an Astros first, and Morgan was named as a starter on the All-Star Team. The Astros cooled as quickly as they got hot. They lost Jimmy Wynn
for the season after he crashed into an outfield fence in Philadelphia and Morgan had broken his knee cap. There were some good notes however. Sonny Jackson set a team record with 49 steals, and led the Astros with a .292 batting average. The Astros were a young team full of talented position players (Morgan, Staub, Jackson, and Wynn) and pitchers (Dierker, Mike Cuellar
, and Don Wilson) but their play was still not consistent.
1967 saw Eddie Mathews
join the Astros, where he played first base. The slugger hit his 500th home run while in Houston. He would be traded late in the season and Doug Rader
would be promoted to the big leagues. Rookie Wilson pitched a no-hitter on June 18, Father's Day, against the Atlanta Braves
. It was the first no-hit shutout pitched both in team history and in the Astrodome. Wynn also provided some enthusiasm in 1967. The 5 ft 9 in Wynn was becoming known not only for how often he hit home runs, but also for how far he hit them. Wynn set club records with 37 home runs, and 107 RBIs. It was also in 1967 that Wynn hit his famous home run onto Interstate 75
in Cincinnati
. He also had a pinch-hit single in the All-Star Game
that year, another Astros first. As the season came to a close the Astros found themselves once again in ninth place and a winning percentage below .500. The team looked good on paper, but could not seem to make it work on the field.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's assassination delayed the start to the 1968 season
. When Robert F. Kennedy
was killed two months later, Major League Baseball let teams decide if they would postpone games or not. Astros management decided to not postpone games, and Rusty Staub
and Bob Aspromonte
sat out in protest. Both were traded at season's end.
April 15, 1968 saw a pitching duel that was one for the ages. The Astros' Don Wilson and Mets pitcher Tom Seaver
faced each other in a pitching duel that lasted six hours. Seaver went ten innings, allowing no walks and just two hits. Wilson went nine innings and allowed five hits and three walks. After the starters pitched, eleven relievers (seven for the Mets and four for the Astros) tried to end the game. The game finally ended in the 24th inning when Aspromonte hit a shot toward Mets shortstop Al Weis
. Weis had been perfect all night at short, but he was not the same player he was six hours earlier. He was not quick enough to make the play and the ball zipped into left field allowing Norm Miller
to score. Houston hosted the All-Star Game
in 1968 and, as expected in the "Year of the Pitcher", the game was a low-scoring match that saw the National League winning 1–0. Hatton was fired as manager on June 18 and Harry Walker
replaced him. Walker had been fired by Pittsburgh the year before the Astros ended the season in last place.
With baseball expansion and trades, the Astros had dramatically changed in 1969. Aspromonte was sent to the Braves and Staub joined the expansion Montreal Expos
. Cuellar was traded to the Baltimore Orioles
; he shared the 1969 American League Cy Young Award
with Denny McLain
of the Detroit Tigers
and enjoyed multiple 20-win seasons into the early 1970s. New players included catcher Johnny Edwards, outfielder Jesús Alou
, infielder Denis Menke
, and pitcher Denny Lemaster
. Wilson continued to pitch brilliantly and on May 1 threw the second no-hitter of his career. He was just 24 years of age and was second to only Sandy Koufax
for career no-hit wins. Wilson's no-hitter lit the Astros' fire and six days later the team tied a major league record by turning seven double plays in a game. By May's end the Astros had put together a ten-game winning streak. The Houston infield tandem of Menke and Joe Morgan
continued to improve, providing power at the plate and great defense. Morgan had 15 homers and stole 49 bases while Menke led the Astros with 90 RBIs. The Menke/Morgan punch was beginning to come alive, and the team was responding to Walker's management style.
On September 10, the Astros were tied for fourth but were only two games out of first when they faced the Atlanta Braves
in a critical series. On September 13, Larry Dierker
had no hit the Braves and was one out away from a win when Félix Millán
broke it up with a single. The Astros scored two runs in the thirteenth, but ex-teammates Aspromonte and Jackson led a three-run Braves comeback. It seemed to be the turning point for the Astros as they slid into fifth place and Atlanta went on to win the division. The series against the Braves gave the Astros, and the fans, a taste of a race. It was also the first time in the team's history that they finished the season above .500. 1969 saw both the 1962 expansion teams improve, but it was the Mets who climbed to the top first, winning the World Series
. The Astros, however, did win ten of the twelve games between the two clubs that year.
In 1970, the Astros were expected to be a serious threat in the National League West. The year started with a bang when Doug Rader
clobbered a shot into the upper reserve (gold) seats in left field during an exhibition game on April 3. Nine days later Jimmy Wynn
knocked one into the purple seats (just below the gold) proving that the unreachable area of the dome was reachable. The seats were repainted marking this feat. No other Astro ever hit a home run into that part of the Astrodome.
In June, 19-year-old Cesar Cedeno
was called up and immediately showed signs of being a superstar. The Dominican outfielder was often compared to Willie Mays
and Roberto Clemente
. Cedeno batted .310 after being called up from the minors. Not to be outdone, Denis Menke
batted .304 and Jesus Alou
batted .306. The Astros' batting average was up by 19 points compared to the season before. The team looked good, but the Astros' ERA was up. Larry Dierker
and Don Wilson had winning records, but the pitching staff as a whole had an off season. Houston finish in fourth place in 1970 and saw the Reds
take the division title, something that would become common in the 1970s.
The uniforms were about the only thing that did change in 1971. The acquisition of Roger Metzger
from the Chicago Cubs
in the off-season moved Menke
to first base and Bob Watson to the outfield. The Astros got off to a slow start and the pitching and hitting averages were down. Larry Dierker
was selected to the All-Star game in 1971, but due to an arm injury he could not make it. Don Wilson took his place and pitched two scoreless innings. Cesar Cedeno
led the club with 81 RBIs and the league with 40 doubles, but batted just .264 and had 102 strikeouts in his second season with the Astros. Pitcher J.R. Richard
made his debut in September of the 1971 season against the Giants
. The 6 ft 8 in Richard struck out 15 to tie the debut record of Karl Spooner
set in 1954. Richards won the game 5–3. The city of Houston saw they had the talent for a winning team and were growing tired of finishing in the middle of the pack. The Astros were about to pull off one of the most controversial trades in team history, which would change their franchise for years to come.
the Astros and Cincinnati Reds
made a blockbuster trade that was one of the most impactful in the history of the sport, and helped create The Big Red Machine
of the 1970s, with the Reds getting the better end of the deal. Houston sent second baseman Joe Morgan
, infielder Denis Menke
, pitcher Jack Billingham
, and outfielders Cesar Geronimo
and prospect Ed Armbrister
to Cincinnati for first baseman Lee May
, second baseman Tommy Helms
and infielder Jimmy Stewart
. The trade left Astros fans and the baseball world scratching their heads as to why General Manager
Spec Richardson
would give up so much for so little. May and Helms were good talents but both had obvious weaknesses. The Reds on the other hand would shore up many problems. They had an off year in 1971, but were the National League Pennant winner in 1970
. They had plenty of power at the plate in Pete Rose
, Johnny Bench
, Tony Perez
, and Lee May
. The problem was they were all right-handed batters and two of the three were first basemen. Three sluggers batting in a row in the middle of the Reds line up caused issues. The first left them vulnerable to right-handed pitching. Next, there was the problem of double play balls killing a rally. Finally, Perez, a first baseman, was placed at third base, where he was a defensive liability, in order to have both him and May in the line-up. With Menke, a proven veteran, playing third, Perez could move to first, thus strengthening the left side of the field. Cincinnati also got the 6 ft 4 in Billingham, who was just entering his prime as a pitcher and would go on to help lead the Big Red Machine to back to back World Series
in 1975
and 1976
. Billingham helped stabilize the Reds' rotation and Geronimo became one of the best defensive center fielder's in the league.
The Astros' acquisition of Lee May added more power to the lineup in 1972. May, Wynn, Rader and Cedeno all had 20 or more home runs and Watson hit 16. Cedeno also led the Astros with a .320 batting average, 55 stolen bases and made spectacular plays on the field. Cedeno made his first All-Star game in 1972 and became the first Astros' player in team history to hit for the cycle in August versus the Reds.
Houston led the league with 708 runs and were playing the first winning season in team history, but the Reds were hot and pulling away fast. Despite having a winning season, the Astros fired manager Harry Walker
and replaced him with Leo Durocher
. The skipper of the 1951 New York Giants had his best seasons behind him and the Astros finish 16–15 with Durocher as manager. Still, it was the best season the Astros had to date with a strike shortened season at 84–69. A distant second to the Cincinnati Reds. It would be as close as they would get to winning a title for several more seasons.
Astros fans had hoped for more of the same in 1973
as they had in 1972, but it was not to be. The Astros run production was down to the season before even though the same five sluggers the year before were still punching the ball out of the park. Lee May led the Astros with 28 home runs and Cesar Cedeno batted .320 with 25 home runs. Bob Watson hit the .312 mark and drove in 94 runs. Doug Rader
and Jimmy Wynn
both had 20 or more home runs. Wynn's 20 came despite a season long slump.
Where the Astros were hurting was in their pitching. Larry Dierker
and Tom Griffin
sat out for long periods of time due to injuries and Don Wilson had a bad year and spent time in the bullpen. Pitchers Dave Roberts
and Jerry Reuss
did manage to win 16 or more games each, with little help from the bullpen. The Astros bullpen was in bad shape with nobody having more than six saves. Durocher became ill during the season and retired when the season ended. The Astros were 82–80 finish and the Astros finished in fourth place.
The Astros again finished in fourth place in 1974 under new manager Preston Gomez
. The Astros were in need of rebuilding both on and off the field. Owner Roy Hofheinz
empire was beginning to fall apart and he would soon have to sell. The Astrodomain had accumulated a $38 million debt and the Judge, due to illness, was in no position to try to rebuild. 1975 would see many new changes in the Astros system.
to GE Credit and Ford Motor Credit. This included the Astros. The creditors were just interested in preserving asset value of the team so any money spent management had to find or save somewhere else. Tal Smith
returned to the Astros from the New York Yankees
to a team that needed a lot of work and did not have a lot of money. However there would be some bright spots that would prove to be good investments in the near future.
The year started on a sad note. Pitcher Don Wilson was found dead in the passenger seat of his car on January 5, 1975. Cause of death was asphyxiation by carbon monoxide. Wilson was 29 years old. Wilson's 5-year-old son Alex also died as his room was connected to the garage. Wilson's number 40 was retired on April 13, 1975.
The 1975 season was the introduction of the Astros new-look uniforms. Many teams were going away from the traditional uniform and the Astros were no exception. The uniforms had multishade stripes of orange, red and yellow in front and in back behind a large dark blue star over the midsection. The same stripes run down the paint legs. Players numbers not only appeared on the back of the jersey, but also on the pant leg. The bright stripes were meant to appear as a fiery trail like a rocket sweeping across the heavens. The uniforms were panned by the critics, but the public liked them and versions started appearing at the high school and little league level. The uniform was so different from what other teams wore that the Astros wore it both at home and on the road until 1980.
Besides the bright new uniforms there were some other changes. Lee May
was traded to Baltimore
for much talked about rookie second baseman Rob Andrews
and utility player Enos Cabell
. In Baltimore, Cabell was stuck behind third baseman Brooks Robinson
but took advantage of his opportunity and in Houston and became their everyday third baseman. Cabell would go on to become a big part of the teams success in later years. With May gone, Bob Watson was able to move to first base and was a bright spot in the line up, batting .324 with 85 RBIs.
The two biggest moves the Astros did in the off season were the acquisition of Joe Niekro
and José Cruz
. The Astros bought Niekro from the Braves for almost nothing. Niekro had bounced around the big leagues with minimal success. His older brother Phil Niekro
had started teaching Joe how to throw his knuckleball and Joe was just starting to use it when he came to the Astros. Niekro won six games and saved four and had an ERA of 3.07.
José Cruz
was also a steal, in retrospect, from the Cardinals
. The Cards were in a position where they had too many outfielders and Cruz was having a hard time breaking in. He showed promise in 1973, but only had a batting average of .227. Not wanting to give up on Cruz he was given the chance to prove himself again 1974. Cruz improved but lost his job to rookie Bake McBride
. He was sold to the Astros for $25,000. Cruz became a fixture in the Astors' outfield for several year and would eventually have his number 25 retired.
The 1975 season was the worst the team had ever seen in their history. Their record was 64–97, far worse than the expansion Colt .45's. It was the worst record in baseball and manager Preston Gomez
was fired late in the season and replaced by Bill Virdon
. Virdon had managed the Yankees
and Pirates
before joining Houston. The Astros played .500 ball under Virdon in the last 34 games of the season.
With Bill Virdon
as the manager the Astros improved greatly in 1976 finishing in third place with a 80–82 record. A healthy Cesar Cedeno
was a key reason for the Astros bouncing back in 1976. Bob Watson continued to show consistency and led the club with a .313 average and 102 RBIs. José Cruz
became Houston's everyday left fielder and hit .303 with 28 stolen bases.
1976 saw the end of Larry Dierker
's career as an Astro, but before it was all over he would throw a no-hitter and win the 1,000th game in the Astrodome. He was dealt to St. Louis
in the off-season, but would return to Houston and be a big part of the organization.
The Astros finished in third place again in 1977 with a record improved at just one more win than the season before at 81–81. The Astros were still in need of consistent players at key positions. The middle infield was a trouble spot that saw different players playing second and short on any given night. One such player was Art Howe
. Howe who almost gave up on baseball before getting a chance in Houston was willing to play anywhere just to get playing time. Howe would hit .264 with 58 RBIs while playing at second, short, and third. Howe, like Larry Dierker
would also become part of the Astros future.
While J.R. Richard
, Joe Niekro
and Joaquin Andujar
had winning seasons the pitching was still in need of help. The Astros did not have a dominant lefty in the rotation. Floyd Bannister
was thought to be that dominant lefty, but the rookie pitcher was inconsistent going 8–9 with an ERA of 4.03. It would be a long time before the Astros had a dominant left hand pitcher.
One of the big problems the Astros had was they were unable to compete in the free agent market. Ford Motor Credit Company was still in control of the team and was looking to sell the Astros, but they were not going to spend money on better players. Most of the talent the Astros had was either farm grown or bought on the cheap.
1978 saw the Astros slip to fifth place with a 74–88 record.
While money issues hurt the Astros so did injuries. Cedeno was out most of the season due to a knee injury and Howe dealt with a broken finger. José Cruz
really started to shine as an Astro and led the team with a .315 average with 83 RBIs and 37 steals. J.R. Richard
was the only Astros pitcher that had a stellar year. He won 18 games and struck out 303 batters, and in May threw back-to-back shutouts.
It may have been an off year for the Astros, but they were building for the future. Players like Denny Walling
and Rafael Landestoy
were proving to be talented reserves. The starting pitching was looking good with J.R. Richard
, Ken Forsch
and Joe Niekro
. And relief pitcher Joe Sambito
was settling in as the closer. The foundation was being laid for making a serious run at winning their first pennant.
1979 would prove to be a big turn around in Astros history and during the off season the Astros made an effort to fix some of their problem areas. They traded Floyd Bannister
to Seattle
for shortstop Craig Reynolds and acquired catcher Alan Ashby
from Toronto
for pitcher Mark Lemongello
. Reynolds and Ashby were both solid in their positions and gave Houston a much needed fix.
The 1979 season started with a huge boost from pitcher Ken Forsch
, who no-hit the Braves on the second game of the season. This would only be the beginning of the excitement that was to come in 1979.
Houston also learned in May that Dr. John McMullen
had agreed to buy the Astros. Now with an investor instead of the financier Ford Motor Credit in charge, the Astros would be able to compete in the free agent market.
In July, the Astros went to Cincinnati leading the National League West, something the Reds
were accustomed to doing. July 4 fireworks erupted when, tired of the Reds taunting pitcher Joaquin Andujar
, a fight broke out involving Cesar Cedeno
and Ray Knight
. Houston went on to win the game and had a ten-game lead in the NL west. But holding on to the lead would prove to be a challenge for the Astros who now felt the pressure of being on top of the division.
The other team that was not too happy seeing the Astros on top in the West was the Los Angeles Dodgers
. The Dodgers had challenged and won the division over the Big Red Machine and won the division in 1977 and 1978. At the end of July the Dodgers came to the Astrodome to play in a game that saw Forsch give up only three hits to the Dodgers. The game turned out to be more than an outstanding pitching performance by Forsch. The Dodgers taunted Cedeno causing the aggravated Cedeno to throw a hard fastball in the Dodgers dugout. Later that inning Enos Cabell
was hit by a pitch and this time the benches emptied. Houston's lead in the division was shrinking and the heat of the Houston summer was only matched by the Astros tempers.
The Astros were playing great ball. José Cruz
and Enos Cabell
both stole 30 bases. Joe Niekro
had a great year with 21 wins and 3.00 ERA. J.R. Richard
won 18 games and set a new personal strikeout record at 313. Joe Sambito
came into his own with 22 saves as the Astros closer. Things were going as they should for a team that could win the west.
The Astros and Reds battled the final month of the season. The Reds pulled ahead of the Astros by a game and a half. Later that month they split a pair and the Reds kept the lead. And that would be how it would end. The Astros finished with their best record to that point at 89–73 and 1½ games behind the NL winner Reds. The Astros proved they were contenders and they were ready to show Major League Baseball how serious a contender they were.
With Dr. John McMullen
as sole owner of the Astros the team would now benefit in ways a corporation could not give them. The rumors of the Astros moving out of Houston, which started when Judge Roy Hofheinz
Astrodomain started to crumble, had been stopped and the Astros were now able to compete in the free agent market. Something GE Credit and Ford Motor Credit were not able or willing to do. McMullen showed the city of Houston that he too wanted a winning team by signing nearby Alvin, Texas
native Nolan Ryan
to the first million dollar a year deal. Ryan had four no-hitters and struck out 383 in one season. Win or lose Ryan would fill the seats.
returned to the Astros in 1980. When Morgan left Houston he was a good player that became a great player with the Reds
. Morgan had always regretted leaving the Astros but his destiny was with the Reds
. Now back in Houston, his two MVP awards and two(1975 & 1976) World Series
rings with him; Morgan wanted to help make the Astros a pennant winner.
1980 saw one of the best pitching line ups the Astros ever had. Ryan with his fastball, Joe Niekro
with his knuckle ball that frustrated hitters and J.R. Richard
with his imposing 6 ft 8 in frame and terrifying pitches. Teams felt lucky to face Ken Forsch
who was a double digit game winner in the previous two seasons. Richard became the first Astros pitcher to start an All-Star game. He pitched two innings striking out three, including Reggie Jackson
. Three days later after a medical examination Richard was told to rest his arm. During a workout in the Astrodome on July 30 Richard collapsed. He had suffered a stroke and was taken to the hospital. A blood clot that had made his arm feel tired had moved to his neck and cut off blood flow to the brain. Surgery was done to save his life. The Astros had lost their ace pitcher after a 10–4 start with a stingy 1.89 ERA. Although he attempted to come back, Richard would never again pitch a big league game.
The loss of J.R. Richard hit the Astros hard and the team had a hard time scoring runs. The Astros slipped to third place in the division behind the Dodgers and the Reds, but bounced back with a ten game winning streak that put the team back in first place in the division. The Dodgers regained the lead by two games as they came to Houston on September 9. The Astros showed the Dodgers how serious they were by winning the first two games of the series to put both clubs tied for first in the division. By seasons end the Astros held a three game lead over the Dodgers with three games left in the season against the Dodgers. The Dodgers swept all three games thus making the two teams have to square off in a one game playoff the next day to see who would be division champ.
The Astros season had come down to a one game playoff in L.A. They had faced the Dodgers three best pitchers the three previous days and would now face Dave Goltz
who held the hopes of the Dodgers in his hand. The Astros would make the most of facing Goltz. Terry Puhl
scored on a fielders choice in the first to give the Astros a 2–0 early lead. In the third Art Howe
knocked one out to give the Astros a 4–0 lead. Howe would deliver the final blow to the Dodgers in the fourth to give the Astros 7. The frustrated Dodgers showed their discontent when Ashby, trying to score more another run for the Astros, slid into home where Joe Ferguson
gave Ashby a knee to the ribs causing a benches to clear. The Dodger faithful began tossing food at the Astros players and on the field forcing the game to be stopped until order was restored. The Astros went on to clinch the division for the first time in team history. While excited by the victory the team would have to fly cross country to face the Philadelphia Phillies
the next day for game one of the NLCS.
The Astros had a coast-to-coast flight lasting six hours the night before game one of the NLCS and had to face Steve Carlton
who had beat the Astros six straight times. With that said the experts gave the Phillies the edge in beating the Astros in game one of the NLCS. The Phillies would win game one, but the Astros did not make it easy. The Astros went up 1 – 0 in the third and Astros pitcher Ken Forsch, who gave up four hits in the first three innings, settled down retiring the side 1–2–3 in the fourth and fifth innings. Pete Rose reached on an infield-hit inn the sixth, but Forsch went right back to work retiring the next two batters. Then Greg Luzinski stepped up to the plate. Luzinski worked Forsch to a full count, fouled off the next pitch and then sent a bomb to 300 level seats of Veterans Stadium
for a two run homer. The Phillies added an insurance run in the next inning when Garry Maddox stole third and ex-Astro Greg Gross
looped a single to left allowing Muddox to score. Tug McGraw
came in for the eighth inning and the Astros went three up, three down. Luis Pujols
was able to work McGraw for a walk in the ninth, but that would be all the Astros would get from him as McGraw retired the next three batters leading the Phillies to a 3–1 and one game up in the series.
Nolan Ryan
would get the call in game two of the NLCS to go against Dick Ruthven
. The first two innings were scoreless. Craig Reynolds scored on a Terry Puhl
single in the third to give Houston the lead, but the Phillies came right back in the fourth when Mike Schmidt
and Greg Luzinski hit back-to-back doubles and then Maddox singled scoring Luzinski. The Astros tied it in the seventh when Puhl doubled and brought Ryan home following a walk to the Houston pitcher. The Phillies threatened in the bottom of the seventh when Larry Bowa
and Bob Boone
singled and then advanced on a Gross sacrifice bunt. Lefty Joe Sambito
was called in to relieve Ryan and walked Rose to load the bases. Sambito struck out Bake McBride
and was pulled in favor of the right-handed Dave Smith who promptly struck out Schmidt to end the inning with the bases full of Phillies. Each team would score in the eighth to tie the game and both teams would go scoreless in the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Puhl had his third hit in the tenth and moved to second on an Enos Cabell
sacrifice. After an intentional walk to Morgan, José Cruz
singled home Puhl to give the Astros the lead. A Bake McBride
error advanced the runners. Cedeno’s grounder scored pinch runner Rafael Landestoy
with the second run of the inning. Dave Bergman
who was a defensive replacement for Art Howe
in the eighth hit a triple off Phillies reliever Kevin Saucier
to give Houston a 7–3 lead in the middle of the tenth. The Phillies were able to score one run in the bottom of the tenth but Joaquin Andujar
was able to end the game by getting Schmidt to fly out to Puhl for the final out. The Astros were feeling good about their chances as the final three games moved to Houston.
Game three of the 1980 NLCS was a classic pitching duel and somewhat typical of the Astrodome. The Astrodome was a pitcher's park and the Astros teams of the time were built on good pitching, solid defense and geared to stealing bases and scrapping out runs. If the Astros could score just one run, their chances of beating the other team were good. Thus was the case when Joe Niekro
got the call in game three facing Larry Christenson
of the Phillies. Both teams went scoreless through nine innings. Christenson would pitch six good innings for the Phillies, but Niekro would go ten. Dave Smith came out in the eleventh to hold the Phillies back. Tug McGraw
who had entered the game in the eighth faced Morgan in the bottom of the eleventh who had a lead off triple over McBride to start the inning. Manager Bill Virdon
would replace Morgan with Landestoy to pinch run. Denny Walling
gave Houston a 2 – 1 series lead when he hit a fly ball, scoring Landestoy. The Astros won the game, but not without paying a hefty price. In the sixth inning Cesar Cedeno
was lost for the remainder of the playoffs when he dislocated his ankle trying to beat out a double-play ball. In addition Morgan was infuriated with Virdon for pulling him for pinch runner Landestoy creating a personal rift that would result in Morgan leaving the Astros at seasons end.
Game four of the series proved to be just as exhilarating as the previous three games. Again fans saw a hard fought game go into extra innings with the Phillies taking the lead and the win in the tenth inning. With the game tied in the tenth Pete Rose
started a rally with a one-out single. Schmidt flied out for the second out and Luzinski step up to the plate pinch-hitting for McBride. Luzinski doubled off the left field wall in left and Rose rounded third never intending to hold up. Cruz relayed to Landestoy who threw to catcher Bruce Bochy
. Rose then bowled over Bochy to score the winning run. The Phillies then got an insurance run to take the lead 5 – 3 and tie the series. It was then Ryan versus Rose.
Rookie Phillies pitcher Marty Bystrom
was sent out by Philadelphia manager Dallas Green
to face veteran Nolan Ryan
. The rookie gave up a run in the first inning but then held the Astros at bay until the sixth inning. The Astros lead did not last long as Bob Boone
hit a two out single giving the Phillies the lead in the second. The Astros tied the game in the sixth with an Alan Ashby
single that brought home Denny Walling
. Houston took a 5 – 2 lead in the seventh, but the Phillies came back in the eighth with a single by Larry Bowa
, a ground ball that Ryan was not able to handle thus killing a chance for a double play, then a textbook bunt by Greg Gross
to load the bases. Ryan had pitched great ball in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings striking out six and holding the Phillies to just the two runs they had scored in the second. Now it was Ryan versus Rose. With the count 3 – 2, Rose fouled one off. Ryan then threw a costly ball four that allowed Bowa to score. Rose had won the battle and Ryan was pulled for Joe Sambito
. The Phillies scored on a force at second leaving men on the corners and one out. Ken Forsch
was brought in by Astros manager Bill Virdon
to face Schmidt. Forsch struck out Schmidt for the second out of the inning. Forsch gave up a single letting another run score to tie the game 5 – 5. Manny Trillo
shocked the Astros and their fans when he tripled to left scoring two runs and giving the Phillies a 7 – 5 lead. The Astros came back in the eighth to rough up Tug McGraw
for four singles and two runs that were scored with two-outs. With the game tied 7 – 7 the two teams went to extra innings for the fourth straight game. The winner would advance to the World Series
. Gary Maddox had the hit of his career when he doubled in Del Unser
with one out to give the Phillies an 8 – 7 lead. That would be all they needed as the Astros failed to score in the bottom of the tenth. The frustration of being just 2 points away from a World Series appearance would have to stick with fans for 25 years.
Houston was on the brink of going to the World Series
and had a taste of the postseason for the first time. Astros teams were no longer looked at as mediocre. They would prove that to contenders in the coming decade.,
won more games than any other team in the National League, they did not win either “half” of the strike seasons' division play. The Astros
finished 61–49 overall. If the two halves made one complete season, the Astros would have finished third that year behind the Reds and the Dodgers
. This flaw allowed Houston its chance in the post season.
The Astros had planned to win the west that year, but that was not to happen. Injuries and age worked against the Astros. They made several trades, some good and some not so good, trying to get back to the dominant team they were in 1980. Joe Morgan
left the team for the Giants and the Astros sent Enos Cabell
to the Giants for left-handed pitcher Bob Knepper
. With plenty of pitching the Astros sent Ken Forsch
to the Angels for infielder Dickie Thon
.,
Nolan Ryan
and Bob Knepper
picked up steam in the second half of the season. Ryan threw his fifth no-hitter on September 26 and finished the season with a 1.69 ERA. Knepper would finish with an ERA of 2.18.
The division series against first-half winner Los Angeles started great as Houston won the first two games at home, but the Dodgers took the next three in LA to win the series and advance to the World Series.
Fans saw many players come and go in 1981 and would see more faces that were new in the next few years.
1982 saw a team much different from the team that was just six outs away from the World Series in 1980. Only four players and three starting pitchers remained from the 1980 squad. The Astros also had three pitchers over the age 35. Knepper was the only starter under the age of thirty. It was clear by mid August the Astros were out of the race and the Astros decided to make some moves that would help them in the near future. Bill Virdon
was fired as manager and Bob Lillis
, an original Colt .45, took over. When Don Sutton asked to be traded the Astros obliged and sent him to the Milwaukee Brewers
for cash and three young prospects that included Kevin Bass
. Minor league player Bill Doran was called up in September so the team could look at him at second base. Bass also got a look playing in the outfield. The Astros finished fourth in the west, but young talent was starting to appear.
Before the 1983 season
the Astros traded Danny Heep
to the Mets for pitcher Mike Scott
. Scott had been struggling with the Mets, but the Astros were in need of young pitching and were willing to take a chance on the 28-year-old Scott. Art Howe
sat out the 1983 season with an injury, forcing Phil Garner
to third and Ray Knight
to first. Bill Doran took over at second, becoming the everyday second baseman for the next seven seasons.
The Astros finished third in the NL west, but minor league prospects and key trades moved the Astros closer to the top of the division.
The 1984 season started off badly for the Astros. Shortstop Dickie Thon
was hit in the head by a rising fastball from Mets pitcher Mike Torrez
. Thon suffered a shattered bone above his left eye. Surgery was performed and Thon suffered from blurry vision for the next several months and was lost for the season. Craig Reynolds took over at his former position for Thon. Enos Cabell
returned to the Astros to replace the slumping Ray Knight
who was traded to the Mets in August. In September the Astros called up rookie Glenn Davis
who was putting up impressive numbers in AAA Tucson. The Astros hoped that Davis would be the slugger that they needed and the everyday first baseman. The Astros finished in second place, tied with Atlanta.
In 1985 Mike Scott
found himself coming off a 5–11 record. The Astros, unwilling to give up on him, sent him to former Houston pitching coach Roger Craig
to learn a new pitch he was calling the “split-finger” fastball. The pitch looked like a normal fastball, but moved sharply downward at the last moment. Scott, who looked like he would be nothing more than a journeyman, had found his new pitch and would become one of Houston's most celebrated pitchers.
In June of that year, Davis was called up to play first and add much needed power to the Astros line-up. In September Joe Niekro
was traded to the Yankees for two minor league pitchers and lefty Jim Deshaies
. Niekro left with the most franchise victories. The Astros finished in fourth place in 1985. The talent was there, but the leadership to punch the team to the next level was not working. Changes in the off-season would see the Astros make it big in 1986.
and manager Bob Lillis
. The former was supplanted by Dick Wagner
, the man whose Reds
defeated the Astros to win the 1979 NL West title. The latter was replaced by Hal Lanier
who, like his manager mentor in St. Louis, Whitey Herzog
, had a hard-nosed approach to managing and espoused a playing style that focused on pitching, defense, and speed rather than home runs to win games. This style of baseball, known as Whiteyball
, took advantage of stadiums with deep fences and artificial turf, both of which were characteristics of the Astrodome. Lanier's style of baseball took Houston by storm. Before Lanier took over, fans were accustomed to Houston's occasional slow starts, but with Lanier leading the way, Houston got off to a hot start, winning 13 of their first 19 contests.,,
Prior to the start of the season the Astros acquired outfielder Billy Hatcher from the Cubs for Jerry Mumphrey
. Hatcher had not played much in Chicago, but Lanier named him the club's everyday left fielder, playing alongside José Cruz
and Kevin Bass
. Lainer also made a change in the pitching staff, going with a three-man rotation to start the season because of several off- days. This allowed Lanier to keep his three starters (Nolan Ryan
, Bob Knepper
, and Mike Scott
) sharp and to slowly work in rookie hurler Jim Deshaies
. Bill Doran and Glenn Davis
held down the right side of the field but Lainer rotated the left side. Denny Walling
and Craig Reynolds faced the right-handed pitchers while Phil Garner
and Dickie Thon
batted against left-handers. Lainer knew the Astros had talent and he put it to work.,
The Astrodome was host to the 1986 All-Star Game
in which Astros Mike Scott
, Kevin Bass
, Glenn Davis
, and Dave Smith represented the host field. The Astros kept pace with the NL West after the All-Star break, posting many highlights along the way. They went on a streak of five straight come-from-behind wins (two against the Mets and three against the Montreal Expos
). On September 23 in a game against the Dodgers, Jim Deshaies
started the game with eight straight strikeouts. The next night Ryan kept the Giants hitless through seven innings, then struck out the side in the eighth for twelve strikeouts. Houston had clinched a mathematical tie for the division crown. Mike Scott
would take the mound in the final game of the two game series and pitch a no-hitter to clinch the NL West. This was the only time in MLB history that any division was clinched via a no-hitter. Scott would finish the season with an 18–10 record and a Cy Young Award to go along with it.,,
The 1986 NLCS was noted for great drama and is considered one of the best postseason series ever. In Game 3, the Astros were ahead at Shea Stadium
, 5–4, in the bottom of the 9th when closer Dave Smith gave up a two-run home run to Lenny Dykstra
, giving the Mets a dramatic 6–5 win.
However, the signature game of the series was Game 6. Needing a win to get to Mike Scott (who had been dominant in the series) in Game 7, the Astros jumped off to a 3–0 lead in the first inning but neither team would score again until the 9th inning. In the 9th, starting pitcher Bob Knepper
would give two runs, and once again the Astros would look to Dave Smith to close it out. However, Smith would walk Gary Carter
and Darryl Strawberry
, giving up a sacrifice fly to Ray Knight
, tying the game. Despite having the go-ahead runs on base, Smith was able to escape the inning without any further damage.
There was no scoring until the 14th inning when the Mets would take the lead on a Wally Backman
single and an error by left fielder Billy Hatcher. The Astros would get the run back in the bottom of the 14th when Hatcher (in a classic goat-to-hero-conversion-moment) hit one of the most dramatic home runs in NLCS
history, off the left field foul pole. In the 16th inning, Darryl Strawberry doubled to lead off the inning and Ray Knight drove him home in the next at-bat. The Mets would score a total of three runs in the inning to take what appeared an insurmountable 7–4 lead. With their season on the line, the Astros would nonetheless rally for two runs to come to within 7–6. Kevin Bass came up with the tying and winning runs on base; however Jesse Orosco
would strike him out, ending the game.
At the time the 16-inning game held the record for the longest in MLB postseason history until October 9, 2005 when the Astros defeated the Atlanta Braves
7–6 in an 18-inning Division Series game. However, the 1986 game still holds the record for longest League Championship Series game. Also, Game 3 of the 2005 World Series
would tie the record for longest World Series game at 14 innings, meaning that the Astros, despite having been to only 4 LCS and 1 World Series, have played in the longest game for each of the 3 levels in the modern MLB playoffs.
After losing the 1986 NLCS to the Mets, the Astros retooled once again, as veterans from 1986 were leaving in droves. The biggest impact was felt when Nolan Ryan went to the Texas Rangers
. Although many felt that he was nearing the end of his career, Ryan resurged in Texas as he pitched two more no-hitters and achieved the 5,000 strikeout plateau. In return, the Astros welcomed in veterans such as Buddy Bell
, Rafael Ramirez
, and Rick Rhoden
. Despite the heavy veteran presence, young players such as Craig Biggio
, Mark Portugal
, and Ken Caminiti
were earning everyday spots as well. The mix of youngsters and veterans was fruitful, especially in 1989, where the Astros won 86 victories, finishing 3rd behind the Giants and Padres.
After 1989, the retooling continued as more veterans were shown the door in favor of younger players. It was in 1990 when the Astros made their best trade. Many people consider the best trade the Astros ever made to be their deal for Jeff Bagwell
at the trading deadline in 1990. The Boston Red Sox
, in a tight race for the American League East
title, needed relief pitching help. The Astros gave the Red Sox journeyman Larry Andersen in exchange for minor-leaguer Bagwell, who would win the 1990 Eastern League
MVP award for the AA New Britain Red Sox. With Mo Vaughn
in their system, the Red Sox reasoned that Bagwell was expendable, and while Andersen did help the Red Sox to the divisional title, Bagwell went on to become the Astros' all-time home run leader and, in some people's minds, the second best overall player in Astros history, behind the great Craig Biggio (although debate continues to rage over who was better). The trade was so lopsided that it appears on virtually any list of the best/worst trades in MLB history, and "Larry Andersen" became a popular phrase in Boston to describe the futility of the Red Sox front office during the 86-year "Curse of the Bambino
". However, after the 1991 season, the Astros made one of the worst trades in franchise history, sending speedy outfielder Kenny Lofton
to the Cleveland Indians
for catcher Eddie Taubensee
. Lofton would prove to be one of the best center fielders of the 1990s, earning five AL stolen base titles, six All-Star appearances, and four Gold Gloves.
The early 1990s were marked by the Astros' growing discontent with their home, the Astrodome. After the Astrodome was renovated for the primary benefit of the Houston Oilers, the Astros began to grow increasingly disenchanted with the facility. Faced with declining attendance at the Astrodome and the inability of management to obtain a new stadium, in the off-season Astros management announced its intention to sell the team and move the franchise to the Washington, D.C.
area. However, the move was not approved by other National League owners, thus compelling the Astros to remain in Houston. Shortly thereafter, McMullen (who also owned the NHL
's New Jersey Devils
) sold the team to Texas businessman Drayton McLane
in 1993, who committed to keeping the team in Houston.
Shortly after McLane's arrival, which coincided with the maturation of Bagwell and Biggio, the Astros began to show signs of consistent success. After finishing second in their division in 1994 (in a strike year), 1995, and 1996, the Astros won consecutive division titles in 1997, 1998, and 1999. In the 1998 season, the Astros set a team record with 102 victories. However, each of these titles was followed by a first-round playoff elimination, in 1998
by the San Diego Padres
and in 1997
and 1999
against the Atlanta Braves
. The manager of these title teams was Larry Dierker
, who had previously been a broadcaster and pitcher for the Astros.
Coinciding with the change in ownership, the team switched uniforms and team colors after the season in order to go for a new, more serious image. The team's trademark rainbow uniforms were retired, and the team's colors changed to midnight blue and metallic gold. The "Astros" font on the team logo was changed to a more aggressive one, and the team's traditional star logo was changed to a stylized, "flying" star with an open left end. It marked the first time since the team's inception that orange was not part of the team's colors. Despite general agreement that the rainbow uniforms identified with the team had become tired (and looked too much like a minor league team according to the new owners), the new uniforms and caps were never especially popular with fans.
Off the field, in 1994, the Astros hired one of the first African American
general managers, former franchise player Bob Watson. Watson would leave the Astros after the 1995 season to become general manager of the New York Yankees
and helped to lead the Yankees to a World Championship
in 1996. He would be replaced by Gerry Hunsicker
, who until 2004 would continue to oversee the building of the Astros into one of the better and most consistent organizations in the Major Leagues.
However, in 1996, the Astros again nearly left Houston. By the mid-1990s, McLane (like McMullen before him) wanted his team out of the Astrodome and was asking the city to build the Astros a new stadium. When things did not progress quickly toward that end, he put the team up for sale. He had nearly finalized a deal to sell the team to businessman William Collins, who planned to move them to Northern Virginia
. However, Collins was having difficulty finding a site for a stadium himself, so Major League owners stepped in and forced McLane to give Houston another chance to grant his stadium wish. Houston voters responded positively via a stadium referendum and the Astros stayed put.
In the 14 years since Drayton McLane has taken ownership of the Houston Astros, they have had the fourth best record in all of Major League Baseball. Only the Yankees, Red Sox, and Braves have done better overall. ****edit: was this written in 2007?
's Houston Oilers
, after Houston refused to build them a new stadium, contributed to the construction of Enron Field.
The ballpark features a train theme, since the ball park was built on the grounds of the old Union Station. The locomotive also pays homage to the history of Houston, where by 1860, 11 different railroad companies had lines running through the city. This is also represented in the city of Houston's official seal. A train whistle sounds, and a locomotive transverses a wall above the outfield after Astros hit a home run. The ballpark also contains quirks such as "Tal's Hill", which is a hill in deep center field on which a flagpole stands, all in fair territory. This was modeled after a similar feature that was located in Crosley Field
, former home of the Cincinnati Reds
. The terrace at Crosley Field was sloped at 15 degrees in left field, while Tal's Hill is sloped at 30 degrees in straightaway center. Over the years, many highlight reel catches have been made by center fielders running up the hill to make catches.
Perhaps most significantly, with its short left field fence (only slightly longer to left field than Fenway Park
), overall shorter dimensions, and exposure to the elements, including the humid Texas air, Enron Field played like a hitters' park. This was a dramatic difference from the Astrodome, which was considered to be an extreme pitchers' park. In a challenge to home run hitters, owner Drayton McLane's office windows, located in the old Union Station above left field, are made of glass and marked as 422' from home plate.
With the change in location also came a change in attire. Gone were the blue and gold uniforms of the 1990s in favor a more "retro
" look with pinstripes, a traditional baseball font, and the colors of brick red, sand and black. The "shooting star" logo was modified but still retained its definitive look.
2004
After two fairly successful seasons without a playoff appearance, at midseason in 2004 the Astros were floundering. Before the season, the Astros had added star pitchers Andy Pettitte
and Roger Clemens
to a team that already included stars like Lance Berkman
and Jeff Kent
as well as the nucleus of Bagwell and Biggio. They were quickly anointed one of the favorites to win the National League. However, at the All-Star Break, they were 44–44 largely due to an inability to score runs, and a poor record in 1-run games. After being booed at the 2004 All-Star Game
held at Minute Maid Park while serving as a coach for the National League, Williams was fired and replaced by Phil Garner
, who had been a star for the Astros' second division winner in 1986. Though many people were highly skeptical of Garner, who had a mediocre track record in his prior managerial stints in Milwaukee
and Detroit
, with only one winning season at either stop (in 1992), the team responded to Garner, who led the team to a 46–26 record in the second half and the National League's Wild Card. They would go on to win their first playoff series in eight attempts, beating the Braves
in five games of the National League Division Series
to advance to the National League Championship Series
for the third time. However, they would lose to the St. Louis Cardinals
in seven games, most dramatically on a walk-off home run
by Jim Edmonds
in the twelfth inning of Game 6.
The Astros' 2004 success had much to do with the postponed retirement of star pitcher Roger Clemens
(a Houston
resident), who ended 2004 with a record seventh Cy Young Award
(his first in the NL). Clemens had previously announced that he was retiring after the season from the New York Yankees
. However, after the Astros signed his former Yankee teammate Andy Pettitte
and offered Clemens a number of perquisites (including the option to stay home with his family for certain road trips when he wasn't scheduled to pitch), Clemens reconsidered and signed a one-year deal with the Astros.
Additionally, the mid-season addition of Carlos Beltrán
in a trade with the Kansas City Royals
helped the Astros tremendously in their playoff run. Despite rumblings in July and August that the Astros might flip him to another contender, Beltrán would prove instrumental to the Astros' hopes, hitting eight home runs in the postseason. Following the season, after initially asserting a desire to remain with the Astros, Beltrán signed a long term contract with the New York Mets
on January 9, 2005.
2005
In 2005, the Astros got off to a poor start, dropping to 15 games below .500 (15–30) in late May before becoming nearly unbeatable. From that low point until the end of July, Houston went 42–17 and found themselves in the lead for the NL Wild Card. The hitting, largely absent in April and May, was suddenly there, with even the pitchers contributing.
The Astros had also developed an excellent pitching staff, anchored by Roy Oswalt
(20–12, 2.94), Andy Pettitte
(17–9, 2.39), and Roger Clemens
(13–8 with a league-low ERA of only 1.87). Brandon Backe
(10–8, 4.76) and rookie starters Ezequiel Astacio
(3–6, 5.67) and Wandy Rodríguez
(10–10, 5.53) didn't have near the success as the great 1–2–3 punch, but were enough to push them into good position to make a playoff run.
In July alone, the Astros went 22–7, the best single month record in the club's history. The Astros finished the 2005 regular season by winning a wild card berth on the final day of the regular season, just as they did in 2004, becoming only the second team to come from 15 games under .500 to enter the post season, the other team being the 1914 Boston Braves, now the Atlanta Braves
. (Those Braves would go on and sweep the Philadelphia Athletics
in the World Series
. Coincidentally, the Astros beat out another Philadelphia team, the Phillies, for the Wild Card, to face the Braves in the first round of the playoffs.)
The Astros won their National League Division Series
against the Atlanta Braves
in four games. The fourth game set a record for a post-season game with most innings (18), most players used by a single team (T-23), most grand slams (2), and longest game time (5 hours and 50 minutes). Chris Burke
hit a home run to win the game by a score of 7–6. Another notable performance was had by Roger Clemens
who appeared from the bullpen for only the second time in his career as a reliever with three shutout innings and the win. After winning in the first round, the Astros picked up where they left off in the previous year, facing a rematch against the St. Louis Cardinals
.
It is also notable that both the grand slam Lance Berkman
hit in the 8th inning and the solo shot hit by Chris Burke in the 18th inning to win three hours later were caught by the same fan, Shaun Dean, in the left field Crawford Boxes
. Dean, a 25-year-old comptroller for a construction company, donated the balls to the Hall of Fame and he and his son were rewarded with gifts from the Astros and the Baseball Hall of Fame as well as playoff tickets behind home plate.
The National League Championship Series (NLCS)
featured a rematch of the 2004 NLCS
. The Astros lost the first game in St. Louis
, but would win the next three games with one in St. Louis and the next two in Houston. The Astros were poised to close-out the series in Houston, but the Cardinals managed to score three runs in the top of the 9th with a monstrous 3-run home run by Albert Pujols
off Brad Lidge with two outs. The stunned crowd was silenced in disbelief. This would take the series back to St. Louis, where the Astros won the final game of the NLCS and the final game played at Busch Stadium.
Current honorary National League
President William Y. Giles presented the Astros the Warren C. Giles Trophy, which is awarded to the National League Champion. It was Warren Giles, father of William and President of the National League from to , who in October 1960 awarded the city of Houston the Major League franchise that would become the Houston Astros. Roy Oswalt
, who went 2–0 and had an ERA of 1.29, won the NLCS MVP.
The Astros' opponent in their first ever World Series
was the Chicago White Sox
. Games 1 and 2 were held at U.S. Cellular Field
in Chicago
, while Games 3 and 4 were played at Minute Maid Park
. Game 3 also marked the first Fall Classic game to be played in the state of Texas, and was the longest game by longevity in World Series history, lasting 5 hours and 41 minutes. Early conventional wisdom held that the White Sox were a slight favorite, but that Houston would be an even match. However, the Astros' situational hitting continued to plague them throughout the World Series. The White Sox swept the Astros in the best-of-seven series with a run differential of six.
2006
After losing the World Series the Astros prepared for the offseason by signing Preston Wilson and moving Lance Berkman to first base, ending the long tenure by Jeff Bagwell. The Astros resigned pitcher Roger Clemens and traded two minor league prospects to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
for left-handed hitter Aubrey Huff
and cash. In August 2006, Preston Wilson said that he wasn't getting enough playing time since Luke Scott returned from AAA ball with the Round Rock Express. In response the Astros released Wilson and the division rival Cardinals signed him for the rest of the season. After a dramatic last two weeks of the season, including a four game sweep of the Cardinals, the Astros did not get to the playoffs losing their last game to the Braves, 3–1. The Astros had managed to win 10 of their last 12 games of the season, and all but erased what had been an 8½ game lead by the front running St. Louis Cardinals. The Astros were within a half-game of the Cardinals on Thursday September 28, but that is as close as the 2005 NL Champions would get.
On October 1 Astros were the last remaining team that still had a chance to reach the 2006 postseason; consequently they were the final MLB team to be officially eliminated from playoff contention.
On October 31, the Astros declined option on Jeff Bagwell
's contract for 2007, subsequently ending his 15-year tenure as an Astro. Bagwell left his name well known in the Astros history books. On November 11, Bagwell filed for free agency. Finally to end his amazing career, Bagwell announced his retirement on December 15.
On November 6, Roger Clemens
and Andy Pettitte
filed for free agency on Monday, five days before the Nov. 11 deadline.
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, November 10, the Astros made a one-year deal with Craig Biggio
worth $5.15 million to continue his march into the history books as he eyes 70 more hits to reach 3,000. This marked Biggio's 20th season as an Astro.
On November 24, the Astros Signed outfielder Carlos Lee
to a 6-year contract for $100 million, a franchise record. They also signed pitcher Woody Williams
.
On December 8, Andy Pettitte
, who signed with the Astros in 2003, announced that he will be returning to the Yankees accepting a 1 year $16 million contract with player option year also worth $16 million if picked up. "It shocked me that [the Astros] would not continue to go up, when the Yankees continued to push and push and pursue and they [the Astros] really didn't do much," Pettitte said. "It was a full-court press by the Yankees. I've talked to the guys, and obviously they wanted me to come back up there." The Astros reportedly offered a one-year $12 million contract but would not offer a player option for another year.
On December 8, frustrated by the Pettitte negotiations, the Astros were on the verge of acquiring right-hander Jon Garland
from the Chicago White Sox
in return for Willy Taveras
, Taylor Buchholz
, and Jason Hirsh
but the deal was nixed by the White Sox because right-hander Taylor Buchholz reportedly failed a physical.
On December 12, the Astros traded 3 for 2 when they traded Willy Taveras
, Taylor Buchholz
, and Jason Hirsh
to the Colorado Rockies
for Rockies pitchers Jason Jennings
and Miguel Asencio
. This trade turned out terribly for the Astros by the end of the 2007 season, as Taveras continued to develop, Hirsh had a strong rookie campaign, and Jennings was oft-injured and generally ineffective.
2007
On April 28, the Astros purchased the contract of Hunter Pence
, the organization's top prospect from Triple-A affiliate, and made his debut that night where he got his first career hit and run scored.
By May 2007, the Astros had suffered one of their worst losing streaks since the 1995 season with 10 losses in a row, losing 4–3 to the Cincinnati Reds
on May 30. The Astros were just one loss shy of tying their worst skid in franchise history, before snapping that streak the next day, also against the Reds.
On June 12, the Astros beat the Oakland Athletics
for the first time in team history.
On June 28, second baseman Craig Biggio
became the 27th player to accrue 3000 career hits. On the same night in the bottom of the 11th inning Carlos Lee
hit a towering walk-off grand slam to win the game for the Astros.
On July 24, Craig Biggio
announced that he would be retiring at the end of the 2007 season, his 20th season with the club (and a franchise record). He hit a grand slam in that night's game which broke a 3–3 tie and led to an Astros win.
On July 28, the Astros traded RHP Dan Wheeler
to Tampa Bay for right-handed slugger 3B Ty Wigginton
and cash considerations. He is now signed through 2009. On July 29, long time and former All-Star third baseman Morgan Ensberg
was designated for assignment to make room for newly acquired Wigginton.
On August 26, former first baseman Jeff Bagwell
's number 5 was officially retired after a 15 year career with the Astros.
On August 27, manager Phil Garner
and General Manager Tim Purpura
were relieved of their duties. Cecil Cooper
and Tal Smith
were named as interim
replacements, respectively.
On September 17, in a 6–0 loss to the Brewers the Astros were officially eliminated from the 2007 playoffs.
On September 20, Ed Wade
was named as the new General Manager
of the Astros. He made his first move as GM by trading Jason Lane
to the Padres on September 24.
On September 30, Craig Biggio retired, ending a 20-year career with the Astros.
On November 7, the Astros traded RHP Brad Lidge
and SS Eric Bruntlett
to the Philadelphia Phillies for OF Michael Bourn
, RHP Geoff Geary
, and minor leaguer Mike Costanzo. As well, utility player Mark Loretta
accepted Houston's salary arbitration.
On November 30, the Astros and 2B Kazuo Matsui
finalized a $16.5 million, three-year contract.
On December 12, the Astros trade OF Luke Scott, RHP Matt Albers
, RHP Dennis Sarfate
, LHP Troy Patton
, and minor-league 3B Mike Costanzo, to the Baltimore Orioles for SS Miguel Tejada
.
On December 14, the Astros trade INF Chris Burke, RHP Juan Gutiérrez
, RHP Chad Qualls
to the Arizona Diamondbacks for RHP José Valverde
.
On December 27, the Astros came to terms on a deal with All-star, Gold Glove winner Darin Erstad
.
2008
On January 11, the Astros started off 2008 by signing Brandon Backe
to a one-year deal. During the rest of the month, they also signed Ty Wigginton
and Dave Borkowski
to one-year deals.
In February, the Astros signed Shawn Chacón
to a one-year contract.
The Astros started off their Spring Training campaign with a loss to the Cleveland Indians
on February 28. Spring Training ended with a loss to the Detroit Tigers
at Minute Maid Park
before the Astros went on to face the San Diego Padres
. Manager Cecil Cooper
and General Manager
Ed Wade
had a tough decision to make before the trip. Astros pitcher Woody Williams
had a bad spring, going 0–4 throughout the stay in Florida. They released him on March 30 with which he immediately retired.
The Astros also announced their starting pitching rotation. As usual, Roy Oswalt
was given the ball on opening day. With Jason Jennings
in Texas
and Williams retired, the Astros named Brandon Backe to the second spot. Wandy Rodríguez
would get the ball in the third spot with Shawn Chacón and Chris Sampson
following them in the #4 and 5 spots, respectively.
The Astros opened up their season in San Diego without second baseman Kazuo Matsui
. Matsui, who had been injured in Spring Training, was completing a Minor League rehab assignment. The game that day was bad for Houston with Roy Oswalt giving up four runs in six innings of work. The final was 4–0 for the Padres. As well, the Astros lost the second game of the series with Mark Loretta
and Geoff Blum
in the starting lineup.
On Wandy Rodríguez's start, the Astros won their first game with a 9–6 victory over the Padres. Lance Berkman
hit a game-winning, three-run home run in the 9th. In the final game of the series, Shawn Chacón pitched a solid game but the Astros lost after Chacón exited with the score tied 2–2.
In May, the Astros have made some roster moves by sending rookie catcher J. R. Towles
to the Triple A Round Rock Express
and calling up center fielder Reggie Abercrombie
. Dave Borkowski was sent down earlier in the month, Chris Sampson was demoted to the bullpen and Brian Moehler
was promoted into the starting rotation.
On June 25, Shawn Chacón was suspended indefinitely for insubordination. The next day the Astros placed him on waivers.
On June 28, the Astros beat the Boston Red Sox
for the first time in team history. They have played Boston previously in 2003, but they were swept when they played in Fenway Park
.
Playing in Milwaukee due to the effects of Hurricane Ike
, on September 14, the Astros lost a no hitter to the Chicago Cubs
.
2009
Manager Cecil Cooper was fired on September 21; Dave Clark
, manager of the Corpus Christi Hooks
, the Astros' AA affiliate, was brought in to manage the Astros for the remainder of the season.
The Astros finished the 2009 season with a record of 74-88, good for fifth place in the NL Central.
The 2010 season was the first season as Astros manager for Brad Mills, who was previously the bench coach of the Boston Red Sox
.
On July 29, the Astros' ace starting pitcher, Roy Oswalt
, was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies
for J. A. Happ
and two minor league players, center fielder Anthony Gose, and shortstop Jonathan Villar, playing for Class-A Advanced and Class-A respectively.
On July 31, 2010, outfielder Lance Berkman
was traded to the New York Yankees
for minor leaguers Jimmy Paredes
and Mark Melancon
.
The Astros finished with a record of 76-86.
2011: The first 100+ loss season
On July 30, the Astros traded OF Hunter Pence
, the team's 2010 leader in home runs, to the Philadelphia Phillies
.
On July 31, the Astros traded OF Michael Bourn
(who in 2010 won his second consecutive Gold Glove Award
) to the Atlanta Braves
.
On September 17, the Astros clinched their first 100-loss season in franchise history, achieving the 100th defeat of the season at Wrigley Field
in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs
, leaving the Colorado Rockies
and the Los Angeles Angels as the only MLB franchises which have never had a team lose 100 games in a season.
On September 28, the Astros ended the season with an 8-0 home loss to the St. Louis Cardinals
. Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter
pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout in the game, enabling the Cardinals to win the National League Wild Card (the Cardinals would eventually go on to win the 2011 World Series
). The Astros finished with a record of 56-106, the worst single-season record in franchise history.
Drayton McLane sells the Astros
In November 2010, Drayton McLane announced that the Astros were being put up for sale. McLane stated that because the Astros was one of the few franchises in Major League Baseball with only one family as the owners, he was trying to move forward with estate planning. McLane is 75 years of age as of November 2011.
In March 2011, local Houston businessman Jim Crane
emerged as the front-runner to purchase the franchise. In the 1980s, Crane founded an air freight business which later merged with CEVA Logistics, and later founded Crane Capital Group. McLane and Crane had a previous handshake agreement for the franchise in 2008, but Crane abruptly changed his mind and broke off discussions. Crane also attempted to buy the Chicago Cubs
in 2008 and the Texas Rangers
during their 2010 bankruptcy auction.
Crane came under scrutiny because of previous allegations of discriminatory hiring practices regarding women and minorities, among other issues. This delayed MLB's approval process. During the summer of 2011, a frustrated Crane hinted that the delays might threaten the deal. In October 2011, Crane met personally with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig
, in a meeting that was described as "constructive".
Move to the American League: the Jim Crane era begins
A June 12, 2011 report by Buster Olney
on ESPN.com
reported that Major League Baseball
was seriously considering moving an existing National League
team to the American League
and giving each league 15 teams, which would require interleague play
every day of the season and put MLB in line with the other three major professional sports leagues, which have similar interconference play throughout their regular seasons. The move is based on a movement by the players union
to bring balance to the divisions, as the National League Central
currently has six teams while the American League West
has four teams, while the remaining divisions have five teams.
The Astros were mentioned as the team most likely to make the move, as it would form a natural rivalry
with the Texas Rangers
(already a popular interleague rivalry), as well as the fact that the Astros would easily fit into the currently four-team AL West. Houston is also the only city within the NL Central that is clearly not located in the Midwestern United States
and is geographically closer to some of the National League West
teams than the NL Central teams. The Arizona Diamondbacks
and Miami Marlins were also mentioned in a potential switch, but the Astros were the clear favorites.
Rangers co-owner and Hall of Famer
Nolan Ryan
, who pitched for both the Astros and Rangers, supported the Astros switching leagues. However, prospective owner Jim Crane was initially opposed to it, having grown up a St. Louis Cardinals
fan and preferring the National League game, which has no designated hitter
and employs the double switch. Some older Astros fans also strongly opposed the switch, and expressed their displeasure at an apparent disregard of 50 years of tradition as part of the NL.
On September 7, 2011, MLB did formally ask Crane to move the team to the AL West as part of the deal to purchase the Astros; reportedly it was his desire to keep the team in the NL Central that prevented the deal from going through.
On November 15, 2011, it was announced that Crane had agreed to move the team to the AL, and the team was officially sold to Crane. Crane was given a $70 million concession by MLB for agreeing to the switch; the move was a condition for the sale to the new ownership group.
On November 17, 2011, the Astros were officially sold to Crane after the other owners unanimously voted in favor of the sale. It was also announced that 2012 will be the last season for the Astros in the NL.
, Craig Biggio
, Derek Bell
and Sean Berry
were all part of one of the most productive lineups in team history, earning them the nickname "The Killer Bs". In later seasons, the name came to refer to other Astros—especially Lance Berkman
-- but after Bagwell's retirement in 2006 and Biggio's retirement in 2007, the nickname faded.
Other "Killer Bs" over the years included Carlos Beltrán
and Chris Burke, among others.
was among the league leaders in many offensive categories, due to a hot-hitting month of May. The name of the group pays tribute to Berkman's nickname, "Big Puma", which, in a tongue-in-cheek
remark during a radio interview, he coined due to his fierce yet quick style of play. as well as his dislike towards his other nickname, "Fat Elvis". The Little Pumas have retired now that Berkman is no longer an Astro.
home game (some road games as well). Created in May 2002, the O's Bros would hang "O's" instead of the traditional "K" for every strikeout Oswalt would get, along with performing a strikeout dance. They originally had two signs they would hang, one saying "Wizard of O's" and the second saying "O's Bros". The O' Bros have disbanded with Oswalt leaving the Astros.
dressed in the home pinstripe uniform. Other characters include Junction Julie and Junction Jesse. He walks around Minute Maid Park
, greeting visitors, shaking hands, and posing for pictures.
Outside of the stadium he will generally attend Astros-related promotional events, as well as charities.
Junction Jack replaced Orbit when the team moved from the Astrodome
to Minute Maid Park. The new stadium was originally called "The Ballpark at Union Station" because it was built on the site of the historic railway station in downtown Houston. In keeping with this new theme for the Astros, Orbit was replaced by the engineer. The character was designed by Logan Goodson and named by Duone Byars, both former Astros employees.
Two awards are presented each year, one to a Houston Astro and one to a St. Louis Cardinal, each of whom exemplifies Kile's virtues of being "a good teammate, a great friend, a fine father and a humble man." The winner is selected by each local chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America
.
While not officially retired, the Astros have not reissued number 57 since 2002, when former Astros pitcher Darryl Kile
died as an active player with the St. Louis Cardinals
.
The number 42 is retired by MLB in honor of Jackie Robinson
, 740AM. Milo Hamilton
, a veteran voice who was on the call for Hank Aaron's 715th career home run in 1974, is the current play-by-play announcer for home games. Dave Raymond and Brett Dolan share play-by play duty for road games, while Raymond additionally works as Hamilton's color analyst.
Spanish language radio play-by-play is handled by Francisco Romero, and his play-by-play partner is Alex Treviño
, a former backup catcher for the club.
Television coverage is mainly on Fox Sports Houston
(formerly a subfeed of Fox Sports Southwest, now its own network; logo on top-right of the screen reads FSASTROS), although some games are on My Network TV affiliate KTXH
(My 20), with the games produced by FSN Houston. Bill Brown
and Jim Deshaies
compose the broadcast team on TV.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
team located in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. They are a member of the National League Central
National League Central
The National League Central Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the Western Division and three teams from the Eastern Division of the National League...
division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West
American League West
The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the west coast and in Texas, historically the...
division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States that opened in 2000 to house the Major League Baseball Houston Astros....
, known as Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
Field until 2002. The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
-owned, Houston-based fruit juice manufacturer Minute Maid
Minute Maid
Minute Maid is a product line of beverages, usually associated with lemonade or orange juice, but now extends to soft drinks of many kinds, including Hi-C...
, after whom the Astros' stadium is named, holds a minority stake in the team.
The Astros were established as the Houston Colt .45s in . They changed to their current name three years later, when they moved into the iconic Astrodome, the world's first domed sports stadium. The name references Houston's role as the center of the U.S. astronaut program
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
.
The Astros are the oldest MLB franchise to have never won the World Series while remaining in the same city over their history. After heart-breaking playoff losses in 1980
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...
, 1981
1981 National League Division Series
-Philadelphia Phillies vs. Montreal Expos:-Game 1, October 6:Astrodome in Houston, TexasFernando Valenzuela faced Nolan Ryan, a matchup worthy of a pitcher's duel. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the sixth. Tony Scott singled home Terry Puhl to score the game's first run, but Steve...
, and 1986
1986 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 8, 1986 at Astrodome in Houston, TexasGame 1 featured a pitching duel between eventual NLCS Most Valuable Player Mike Scott and Dwight Gooden. Scott allowed just five hits and walked one while striking out 14 in a complete-game effort as the host Astros prevailed 1–0...
, and more playoff appearances in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Astros finally appeared in their first and (to date) only World Series, in 2005
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series, the 101st Major League Baseball championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros four games to none in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and first since 1917.Home-field...
against the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
.
Major League Baseball comes to Texas
Houston officials had been making efforts to bring a Major League team to Texas before the expansion in 19621962 Major League Baseball season
This was the first 162-game schedule for the National League, as they added the Houston Colt .45s and the New York Mets to their lineup, as the NL returned to New York City, after a four-year absence...
. There were four men chiefly responsible for bringing Major League Baseball to Houston: George Kirksey and Craig Cullinan, who had led a futile attempt to purchase the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in 1952; R.E. "Bob" Smith, a prominent oilman and real estate magnate in Houston who was brought in for his financial resources; and Judge Roy Hofheinz
Roy Hofheinz
Roy Mark Hofheinz , popularly known as Judge Hofheinz or "The Judge", was State Representative from 1934 to 1936, County Judge of Harris County, Texas from 1936 to 1944, and mayor of the city of Houston, Texas from 1953 to 1955.-Biography:A flamboyant and successful orator, broadcaster, developer...
, a former Mayor of Houston and Harris County Judge who was recruited for his salesmanship and political style. They formed the Houston Sports Association as their vehicle for attaining a big league franchise for the city of Houston.
Given MLB's refusal to consider expanding, Kirksey, Cullinan, Smith, and Hofheinz joined forces with would-be owners from other cities and announced the formation of a new league to compete with the established National and American Leagues. They called the new league the Continental League
Continental League
The Continental League was a proposed third major league for baseball, announced in 1959 and scheduled to begin play in the 1961 season...
. Wanting to protect potential new markets, both existing leagues chose to expand from eight teams to ten. Houston won a franchise in the National League to begin play in 1962. The Continental League folded before it ever started. But if its real object was to secure Houston a Major League franchise, it clearly succeeded.
The new Houston team was named the Colt .45s after a "Name The Team" contest was won by William Irving Neder. The name "Colt .45s" won out, as the Colt .45
Colt Single Action Army
The Colt Single Action Army is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six metallic cartridges. It was designed for the U.S...
was well known as "the gun that won the west."
The colors selected were navy blue and orange. The first team was a collection of cast-offs culled mostly through an expansion draft held after the 1961 season. The Colt .45s and their expansion cousins, the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, took turns choosing players left unprotected by the other National League franchises.
The Colt .45s began their existence playing at Colt Stadium
Colt Stadium
Colt Stadium was a Major League baseball stadium that formerly stood in Houston, Texas. It was the home of the Houston Colt .45s. It was their temporary home from 1962-1964 while the Astrodome was being built, just to the south of it. The stadium consisted of an uncovered grandstand stretching from...
. Colt Stadium, however, was just a temporary field until Judge Hofheinz could build an indoor stadium. Hofheinz had convinced the National League owners that the sweltering Houston summers would not be a problem as he would build an indoor baseball stadium based loosely on the Colosseum
Colosseum
The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre , is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Bonds were passed and construction began but, until it was ready, the team played on some reclaimed marshland south of town. Colt Stadium was built on the same land that would eventually hold its famous successor. It was built on the cheap with little to protect fans from the weather or other hazards. True baseball fans hardly cared. Houston had become a "major league" city.
1962–64: The Colt .45s era
1962 Chicago Cubs season
- Offseason :* October 10, 1961: 1961 MLB expansion draft**Don Zimmer was drafted from the Cubs by the New York Mets.**Ed Bouchee was drafted from the Cubs by the New York Mets.* Prior to 1962 season: J. C...
with Harry Craft
Harry Craft
Harry Francis Craft was an American Major League Baseball player and manager. Born in Ellisville, Mississippi, he was an center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds from 1937–1942...
as their manager. Bob Aspromonte
Bob Aspromonte
Robert Thomas Aspromonte is a former utility player who had a 13 year career in 1956 and from 1960 to 1971. He played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Colt 45's/Astros, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets all of the National League.During his career, Aspromonte played first base, second...
scored the first run for the Colt .45s after a triple by Al Spangler
Al Spangler
Albert Donald "Spanky" Spangler is a retired American Major League Baseball outfielder.Spangler attended Duke University. He was signed as a free agent by the Milwaukee Braves on June 14, 1954...
in the first inning. They started the season with a three-game sweep of the Cubs but eventually finished eighth among the National League's ten teams. The team's best pitcher, Richard "Turk" Farrell
Turk Farrell
Richard Joseph "Turk" Farrell was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who had a 14-year career from 1956 to 1969...
, had an ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
of 3.02 but still lost 20 games. A starter for the Colt .45s, Farrell was primarily a relief pitcher prior to playing for Houston. He was selected to both All-Star Games in 1962.
Despite the poor finish, there was a bright spot in the Houston line-up in 1962. Román Mejías
Román Mejías
Román Mejías Gómez is a former professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from 1955-1964. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, and Houston Colt .45s . He also played one season in Japan, in , for the Sankei Atoms.-External links:*...
, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
in the expansion draft, was named the Colt .45s' starting right fielder. It was in Houston that Mejías would play the best season of his career. Although an injury slowed him in the second half of the season, Mejías finished with a .286 batting average, 24 home runs, and 76 RBIs. His modesty and his hard play made him a fan favorite that year. Despite his good year Mejías was traded to the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in the fall of 1962.
1963 saw more young talent mixed with seasoned veterans. Jimmy Wynn
Jimmy Wynn
James Sherman Wynn , nicknamed the "Toy Cannon," is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. During a 15-year baseball career, he played from 1963-1977 for five different teams: the Houston Colt .45s/Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Milwaukee Brewers...
, Rusty Staub
Rusty Staub
Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub is an American former Major League Baseball right fielder, designated hitter, and first baseman. He enjoyed a 23-year baseball career with 5 different teams...
, and 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...
all made their major league debuts in the 1963 season
1963 Major League Baseball season
The World Series winners were the Los Angeles Dodgers, who swept the New York Yankees in four straight games. The Dodgers' stellar pitching staff, anchored by left-hander Sandy Koufax and right-hander Don Drysdale, was so dominant that the vaunted Yankees, despite the presence of sluggers such as...
. However, Houston's position in the standings did not improve. In fact, the Colt .45s finished in ninth place with a 66–96 record. The team was still building, trying to find that perfect mix to compete. Craft had plenty of rookies to play, and on September 27 he fielded a team consisting entirely of rookies versus the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. Houston lost 10–3 but it was a glimpse of what was to come in the next few seasons.
The 1964 campaign began on a sad note. Pitcher Jim Umbricht
Jim Umbricht
James Umbricht was an American Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended the University of Georgia. He pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Colt .45s . During his 5-year baseball career, Umbricht compiled 9 wins, 133 strikeouts,...
died of cancer at the age of 33 just before Opening Day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...
. Umbricht was the only Colt .45s pitcher to post a winning record in Houston's first two seasons. He was so well liked by players and fans that the team retired his jersey number, 32, in 1965.
On the field, the 1964 Colt .45s got off to a quick start, but it would not last. Craft was fired presumably for wanting to play more experienced players, which conflicted with team management's desire to showcase the young up-and-coming talent. Craft was replaced by one of the Colt .45s coaches, Luman Harris
Lum Harris
Chalmer Luman Harris was an American right-handed pitcher, coach, manager, and scout in Major League Baseball....
. One player the front office wanted to showcase was teenage pitcher Larry Dierker
Larry Dierker
Lawrence Edward Dierker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and manager. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964–1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals...
. He started versus the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
on his eighteenth birthday. Dierker lost the game but it was the beginning of a long relationship with the Houston organization.
Just on the horizon the structure of the new domed stadium was more prevalent and the way baseball was watched in Houston, and around the league, was about to change.
1965–1970: The Great Indoors
With Judge Roy Hofheinz
Roy Hofheinz
Roy Mark Hofheinz , popularly known as Judge Hofheinz or "The Judge", was State Representative from 1934 to 1936, County Judge of Harris County, Texas from 1936 to 1944, and mayor of the city of Houston, Texas from 1953 to 1955.-Biography:A flamboyant and successful orator, broadcaster, developer...
now the sole owner of the franchise and his vision of an indoor venue complete, the Colt .45s moved into their new domed stadium in 1965. The judge called the new domed stadium the Astrodome. The name honored Houston's position as location of the nation's space program. The Colt .45s were renamed the Astros. The new park, coined as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" did little to help the play on the field. While several "indoor" firsts were accomplished, the team still finished ninth in the standings. The attendance was high not because of the team accomplishments, but because people came from miles around to see the Astrodome.
Just as the excitement was settling down over the Astrodome, the 1966 season
1966 Major League Baseball season
The 1966 Major League Baseball season was held between the American and National Leagues. The Braves play their first season in Atlanta, following their relocation from Milwaukee. Three new stadiums opened that season. On April 12, the Braves ushered in Atlanta Stadium with the Pittsburgh...
found something new to put the domed stadium in the spotlight once again – the field. Grass would not grow in the new park, since the roof panels had been painted to reduce the glare that was causing players on both the Astros and the visiting team to miss routine pop flies. A new artificial turf was created called "AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
" and once again Houston would be involved in yet another change in the way the game was played.
With new manager Grady Hatton
Grady Hatton
Grady Edgebert Hatton Jr. is a retired American baseball player, coach, manager and executive...
the Astros got hot right away. By May they were in second place in the National League and looked like a team that could contend. 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...
and Sonny Jackson appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, an Astros first, and Morgan was named as a starter on the All-Star Team. The Astros cooled as quickly as they got hot. They lost Jimmy Wynn
Jimmy Wynn
James Sherman Wynn , nicknamed the "Toy Cannon," is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. During a 15-year baseball career, he played from 1963-1977 for five different teams: the Houston Colt .45s/Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Milwaukee Brewers...
for the season after he crashed into an outfield fence in Philadelphia and Morgan had broken his knee cap. There were some good notes however. Sonny Jackson set a team record with 49 steals, and led the Astros with a .292 batting average. The Astros were a young team full of talented position players (Morgan, Staub, Jackson, and Wynn) and pitchers (Dierker, Mike Cuellar
Mike Cuellar
Miguel Ángel Cuellar Santana [KWAY-ar] was a Cuban left-handed starting pitcher who spent fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles and California Angels...
, and Don Wilson) but their play was still not consistent.
1967 saw Eddie Mathews
Eddie Mathews
Edwin Lee "Eddie" Mathews was an American Major League Baseball third baseman. He is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen ever to play the game.-Early life:...
join the Astros, where he played first base. The slugger hit his 500th home run while in Houston. He would be traded late in the season and Doug Rader
Doug Rader
Douglas Lee Rader , nicknamed "The Red Rooster", is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who was known primarily for his defensive ability, winning five straight Gold Glove Awards from 1970 to 1974....
would be promoted to the big leagues. Rookie Wilson pitched a no-hitter on June 18, Father's Day, against the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. It was the first no-hit shutout pitched both in team history and in the Astrodome. Wynn also provided some enthusiasm in 1967. The 5 ft 9 in Wynn was becoming known not only for how often he hit home runs, but also for how far he hit them. Wynn set club records with 37 home runs, and 107 RBIs. It was also in 1967 that Wynn hit his famous home run onto Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
in Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. He also had a pinch-hit single in the All-Star Game
1967 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1967 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 38th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 11, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California. The game resulted...
that year, another Astros first. As the season came to a close the Astros found themselves once again in ninth place and a winning percentage below .500. The team looked good on paper, but could not seem to make it work on the field.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's assassination delayed the start to the 1968 season
1968 Houston Astros season
The Houston Astros season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Astros finishing in tenth place in the National League, with a record of 72-90, 25 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals...
. When Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
was killed two months later, Major League Baseball let teams decide if they would postpone games or not. Astros management decided to not postpone games, and Rusty Staub
Rusty Staub
Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub is an American former Major League Baseball right fielder, designated hitter, and first baseman. He enjoyed a 23-year baseball career with 5 different teams...
and Bob Aspromonte
Bob Aspromonte
Robert Thomas Aspromonte is a former utility player who had a 13 year career in 1956 and from 1960 to 1971. He played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Colt 45's/Astros, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets all of the National League.During his career, Aspromonte played first base, second...
sat out in protest. Both were traded at season's end.
April 15, 1968 saw a pitching duel that was one for the ages. The Astros' Don Wilson and Mets pitcher Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver
George Thomas "Tom" Seaver , nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched from 1967-1986 for four different teams in his career, but is noted primarily for his time with the New York Mets...
faced each other in a pitching duel that lasted six hours. Seaver went ten innings, allowing no walks and just two hits. Wilson went nine innings and allowed five hits and three walks. After the starters pitched, eleven relievers (seven for the Mets and four for the Astros) tried to end the game. The game finally ended in the 24th inning when Aspromonte hit a shot toward Mets shortstop Al Weis
Al Weis
Albert John Weis is a former Major League Baseball infielder.Weis grew up in Bethpage, New York, and graduated from Farmingdale, New York, High School in 1955...
. Weis had been perfect all night at short, but he was not the same player he was six hours earlier. He was not quick enough to make the play and the ball zipped into left field allowing Norm Miller
Norm Miller (baseball)
Norman Calvin Miller , is a retired American professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from to for the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves. Later in his career he served in the Astros' front office.Miller was Jewish. He batted left-handed, threw right-handed, stood ...
to score. Houston hosted the All-Star Game
1968 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1968 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 39th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball...
in 1968 and, as expected in the "Year of the Pitcher", the game was a low-scoring match that saw the National League winning 1–0. Hatton was fired as manager on June 18 and Harry Walker
Harry Walker
Harry William Walker, known to baseball fans of the middle 20th century as "Harry the Hat" , was an American baseball player, manager and coach.-Early life and family:...
replaced him. Walker had been fired by Pittsburgh the year before the Astros ended the season in last place.
With baseball expansion and trades, the Astros had dramatically changed in 1969. Aspromonte was sent to the Braves and Staub joined the expansion Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
. Cuellar was traded to the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
; he shared the 1969 American League Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
with Denny McLain
Denny McLain
Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain is a former American professional baseball player, and the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games during a season —a feat accomplished by only thirteen players in the 20th century....
of the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
and enjoyed multiple 20-win seasons into the early 1970s. New players included catcher Johnny Edwards, outfielder Jesús Alou
Jesús Alou
Jesús María Rojas Alou is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. During a 17-year baseball career, he played for the San Francisco Giants , Houston Astros , Oakland Athletics , and New York Mets...
, infielder Denis Menke
Denis Menke
Denis John Menke is a former professional baseball infielder. He played all or part of thirteen seasons in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1974. He played for the Milwaukee Braves , Atlanta Braves , Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds , all of the National League...
, and pitcher Denny Lemaster
Denny Lemaster
Denver Clayton Lemaster Denver Clayton Lemaster Denver Clayton Lemaster (born (February 25, 1939 in Corona, California) was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 to 1972 for the Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, and Montreal Expos. During his decade-long career, LeMaster won 90...
. Wilson continued to pitch brilliantly and on May 1 threw the second no-hitter of his career. He was just 24 years of age and was second to only Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
for career no-hit wins. Wilson's no-hitter lit the Astros' fire and six days later the team tied a major league record by turning seven double plays in a game. By May's end the Astros had put together a ten-game winning streak. The Houston infield tandem of Menke and 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...
continued to improve, providing power at the plate and great defense. Morgan had 15 homers and stole 49 bases while Menke led the Astros with 90 RBIs. The Menke/Morgan punch was beginning to come alive, and the team was responding to Walker's management style.
On September 10, the Astros were tied for fourth but were only two games out of first when they faced the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in a critical series. On September 13, Larry Dierker
Larry Dierker
Lawrence Edward Dierker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and manager. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964–1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals...
had no hit the Braves and was one out away from a win when Félix Millán
Félix Millán
Félix Bernardo Millán Martínez is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball.-Baseball career:Millán, nicknamed "The Kitten" , born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, made his major league debut on June 2, 1966 with the Atlanta Braves, and played for Atlanta until 1973. Millan was primarily a second...
broke it up with a single. The Astros scored two runs in the thirteenth, but ex-teammates Aspromonte and Jackson led a three-run Braves comeback. It seemed to be the turning point for the Astros as they slid into fifth place and Atlanta went on to win the division. The series against the Braves gave the Astros, and the fans, a taste of a race. It was also the first time in the team's history that they finished the season above .500. 1969 saw both the 1962 expansion teams improve, but it was the Mets who climbed to the top first, winning the World Series
1969 World Series
The 1969 World Series was played between the New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles, with the Mets prevailing in five games to accomplish one of the greatest upsets in Series history, as that particular Orioles squad was considered to be one of the finest ever...
. The Astros, however, did win ten of the twelve games between the two clubs that year.
In 1970, the Astros were expected to be a serious threat in the National League West. The year started with a bang when Doug Rader
Doug Rader
Douglas Lee Rader , nicknamed "The Red Rooster", is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who was known primarily for his defensive ability, winning five straight Gold Glove Awards from 1970 to 1974....
clobbered a shot into the upper reserve (gold) seats in left field during an exhibition game on April 3. Nine days later Jimmy Wynn
Jimmy Wynn
James Sherman Wynn , nicknamed the "Toy Cannon," is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. During a 15-year baseball career, he played from 1963-1977 for five different teams: the Houston Colt .45s/Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Milwaukee Brewers...
knocked one into the purple seats (just below the gold) proving that the unreachable area of the dome was reachable. The seats were repainted marking this feat. No other Astro ever hit a home run into that part of the Astrodome.
In June, 19-year-old Cesar Cedeno
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....
was called up and immediately showed signs of being a superstar. The Dominican outfielder was often compared to Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
and Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
. Cedeno batted .310 after being called up from the minors. Not to be outdone, Denis Menke
Denis Menke
Denis John Menke is a former professional baseball infielder. He played all or part of thirteen seasons in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1974. He played for the Milwaukee Braves , Atlanta Braves , Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds , all of the National League...
batted .304 and Jesus Alou
Jesús Alou
Jesús María Rojas Alou is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. During a 17-year baseball career, he played for the San Francisco Giants , Houston Astros , Oakland Athletics , and New York Mets...
batted .306. The Astros' batting average was up by 19 points compared to the season before. The team looked good, but the Astros' ERA was up. Larry Dierker
Larry Dierker
Lawrence Edward Dierker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and manager. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964–1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals...
and Don Wilson had winning records, but the pitching staff as a whole had an off season. Houston finish in fourth place in 1970 and saw the Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
take the division title, something that would become common in the 1970s.
1971–1974: The Boys in Orange
The fashion trends of the 1960s had started taking root in baseball. Long hair and loud colors were starting to appear on teams uniforms, including the Astros. In 1971 the Astros made some changes to their uniform: they kept the same style they had in previous seasons, but inverted the colors. What was navy blue was now orange and what was orange was now a lighter shade of blue. The players' last names were added to the back of the jerseys. In 1972, the uniform fabric was also changed to what was at the time revolutionizing the industry – polyester. Belts were replaced by elastic waistbands, and jerseys zipped up instead of buttons. The uniforms became popular with fans, but would last only until 1975, when the Astros would shock baseball and the fashion world.The uniforms were about the only thing that did change in 1971. The acquisition of Roger Metzger
Roger Metzger
Roger Henry Metzger was a Shortstop for the Chicago Cubs , Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants . A light-hitting shortstop, he was known for his strong defense and good running speed.- Career :Metzger won the 1973 Gold Glove Award at Shortstop...
from the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
in the off-season moved Menke
Denis Menke
Denis John Menke is a former professional baseball infielder. He played all or part of thirteen seasons in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1974. He played for the Milwaukee Braves , Atlanta Braves , Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds , all of the National League...
to first base and Bob Watson to the outfield. The Astros got off to a slow start and the pitching and hitting averages were down. Larry Dierker
Larry Dierker
Lawrence Edward Dierker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and manager. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964–1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals...
was selected to the All-Star game in 1971, but due to an arm injury he could not make it. Don Wilson took his place and pitched two scoreless innings. Cesar Cedeno
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....
led the club with 81 RBIs and the league with 40 doubles, but batted just .264 and had 102 strikeouts in his second season with the Astros. Pitcher J.R. Richard
J.R. Richard
James Rodney Richard is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career, from 1971 to 1980, with the Houston Astros....
made his debut in September of the 1971 season against the Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
. The 6 ft 8 in Richard struck out 15 to tie the debut record of Karl Spooner
Karl Spooner
Karl Benjamin Spooner was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher....
set in 1954. Richards won the game 5–3. The city of Houston saw they had the talent for a winning team and were growing tired of finishing in the middle of the pack. The Astros were about to pull off one of the most controversial trades in team history, which would change their franchise for years to come.
The Big Trade
In November 19711971 Major League Baseball season
The 1971 Major League Baseball season was also the final season for the Senators in Washington, D.C., before the team's relocation to the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb Arlington for the following season, as the Texas Rangers, leaving the Nation's capital without a baseball team of their own until...
the Astros and Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
made a blockbuster trade that was one of the most impactful in the history of the sport, and helped create The Big Red Machine
The Big Red Machine
The Big Red Machine is the nickname given to the Cincinnati Reds baseball team which dominated the National League from 1970 to 1976, recognized as among the best in baseball. Over that span, the team won five National League Western Division titles, four National League pennants, and two World...
of the 1970s, with the Reds getting the better end of the deal. Houston sent second baseman 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...
, infielder Denis Menke
Denis Menke
Denis John Menke is a former professional baseball infielder. He played all or part of thirteen seasons in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1974. He played for the Milwaukee Braves , Atlanta Braves , Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds , all of the National League...
, pitcher Jack Billingham
Jack Billingham
John Eugene Billingham is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Houston Astros , Cincinnati Reds , Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox...
, and outfielders Cesar Geronimo
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....
and prospect Ed Armbrister
Ed Armbrister
Edison Rosanda "Ed" Armbrister is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who had a five-year career from 1973 through 1977 with the Cincinnati Reds...
to Cincinnati for first baseman Lee May
Lee May
Lee Andrew May is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. From through , May played for the Cincinnati Reds , Houston Astros , Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals . He batted and threw right-handed. He is the brother of former Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees outfielder...
, second baseman Tommy Helms
Tommy Helms
Tommy Vann Helms is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Over a fourteen year career , Helms played for four different teams, including eight seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, four with the Houston Astros, and one apiece with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox...
and infielder Jimmy Stewart
Jimmy Stewart (baseball)
James Franklin Stewart is a former Major League Baseball player for the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Houston Astros from –....
. The trade left Astros fans and the baseball world scratching their heads as to why General Manager
General manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
Spec Richardson
Spec Richardson
H.B. "Spec" Richardson served as the General Manager for the Houston Astros from 1967 until 1975. He took over for Tal Smith and Paul Richards, each of whom built one of the most talented farm systems in baseball....
would give up so much for so little. May and Helms were good talents but both had obvious weaknesses. The Reds on the other hand would shore up many problems. They had an off year in 1971, but were the National League Pennant winner in 1970
1971 Major League Baseball season
The 1971 Major League Baseball season was also the final season for the Senators in Washington, D.C., before the team's relocation to the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb Arlington for the following season, as the Texas Rangers, leaving the Nation's capital without a baseball team of their own until...
. They had plenty of power at the plate in 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....
, Johnny Bench
Johnny Bench
Johnny Lee Bench is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...
, Tony Perez
Tony Pérez
Atanasio Pérez Rigal , more commonly known as Tony Pérez, is a former Major League Baseball player. He was also known by the nickname "Big Dog," "Big Doggie," and "Doggie."...
, and Lee May
Lee May
Lee Andrew May is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. From through , May played for the Cincinnati Reds , Houston Astros , Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals . He batted and threw right-handed. He is the brother of former Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees outfielder...
. The problem was they were all right-handed batters and two of the three were first basemen. Three sluggers batting in a row in the middle of the Reds line up caused issues. The first left them vulnerable to right-handed pitching. Next, there was the problem of double play balls killing a rally. Finally, Perez, a first baseman, was placed at third base, where he was a defensive liability, in order to have both him and May in the line-up. With Menke, a proven veteran, playing third, Perez could move to first, thus strengthening the left side of the field. Cincinnati also got the 6 ft 4 in Billingham, who was just entering his prime as a pitcher and would go on to help lead the Big Red Machine to back to back World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
in 1975
1975 World Series
The 1975 World Series was played between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds . It has been ranked by ESPN as the second-greatest World Series ever played...
and 1976
1976 World Series
The 1976 World Series matched the defending champion Cincinnati Reds of the National League against the New York Yankees of the American League, with the Reds sweeping the Series to repeat. The Reds became the only team to sweep an entire multi-tier postseason. The Reds are also the last National...
. Billingham helped stabilize the Reds' rotation and Geronimo became one of the best defensive center fielder's in the league.
The Astros' acquisition of Lee May added more power to the lineup in 1972. May, Wynn, Rader and Cedeno all had 20 or more home runs and Watson hit 16. Cedeno also led the Astros with a .320 batting average, 55 stolen bases and made spectacular plays on the field. Cedeno made his first All-Star game in 1972 and became the first Astros' player in team history to hit for the cycle in August versus the Reds.
Houston led the league with 708 runs and were playing the first winning season in team history, but the Reds were hot and pulling away fast. Despite having a winning season, the Astros fired manager Harry Walker
Harry Walker
Harry William Walker, known to baseball fans of the middle 20th century as "Harry the Hat" , was an American baseball player, manager and coach.-Early life and family:...
and replaced him with Leo Durocher
Leo Durocher
Leo Ernest Durocher , nicknamed Leo the Lip, was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,009 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history. Durocher still ranks tenth in career wins by...
. The skipper of the 1951 New York Giants had his best seasons behind him and the Astros finish 16–15 with Durocher as manager. Still, it was the best season the Astros had to date with a strike shortened season at 84–69. A distant second to the Cincinnati Reds. It would be as close as they would get to winning a title for several more seasons.
Astros fans had hoped for more of the same in 1973
1973 Major League Baseball season
The 1973 Major League Baseball season was the first season of play for the designated hitter in the American League. The Kansas City Royals moved their home games from Municipal Stadium to the new Royals Stadium, adjacent to the Chiefs' football facility, Arrowhead Stadium...
as they had in 1972, but it was not to be. The Astros run production was down to the season before even though the same five sluggers the year before were still punching the ball out of the park. Lee May led the Astros with 28 home runs and Cesar Cedeno batted .320 with 25 home runs. Bob Watson hit the .312 mark and drove in 94 runs. Doug Rader
Doug Rader
Douglas Lee Rader , nicknamed "The Red Rooster", is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who was known primarily for his defensive ability, winning five straight Gold Glove Awards from 1970 to 1974....
and Jimmy Wynn
Jimmy Wynn
James Sherman Wynn , nicknamed the "Toy Cannon," is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. During a 15-year baseball career, he played from 1963-1977 for five different teams: the Houston Colt .45s/Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Milwaukee Brewers...
both had 20 or more home runs. Wynn's 20 came despite a season long slump.
Where the Astros were hurting was in their pitching. Larry Dierker
Larry Dierker
Lawrence Edward Dierker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and manager. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964–1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals...
and Tom Griffin
Tom Griffin (baseball)
Thomas James Griffin is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of fourteen seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1969–82, for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, California Angels, San Francisco Giants, and Pittsburgh Pirates.-External links:...
sat out for long periods of time due to injuries and Don Wilson had a bad year and spent time in the bullpen. Pitchers Dave Roberts
Dave Roberts (pitcher)
David Arthur Roberts was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for eight teams from 1969 to 1981. He was second in the National League with a 2.10 earned run average in for the San Diego Padres, after which he was traded to the Houston Astros, where he spent the...
and Jerry Reuss
Jerry Reuss
Jerry Reuss -- pronounced "royce" -- is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the United States, who had a 22-year career from to ....
did manage to win 16 or more games each, with little help from the bullpen. The Astros bullpen was in bad shape with nobody having more than six saves. Durocher became ill during the season and retired when the season ended. The Astros were 82–80 finish and the Astros finished in fourth place.
The Astros again finished in fourth place in 1974 under new manager Preston Gomez
Preston Gómez
Preston Gómez was a Cuban-born infielder, manager, coach and front-office official in Major League Baseball best known for managing three major league clubs: the San Diego Padres , Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs . He was born Pedro Gómez Martinez in Preston, Cuba, and was given his nickname in U.S...
. The Astros were in need of rebuilding both on and off the field. Owner Roy Hofheinz
Roy Hofheinz
Roy Mark Hofheinz , popularly known as Judge Hofheinz or "The Judge", was State Representative from 1934 to 1936, County Judge of Harris County, Texas from 1936 to 1944, and mayor of the city of Houston, Texas from 1953 to 1955.-Biography:A flamboyant and successful orator, broadcaster, developer...
empire was beginning to fall apart and he would soon have to sell. The Astrodomain had accumulated a $38 million debt and the Judge, due to illness, was in no position to try to rebuild. 1975 would see many new changes in the Astros system.
1975–1979: The Rainbow era
With the $38 million deficit of the Astrodome, control was passed from Judge Roy HofheinzRoy Hofheinz
Roy Mark Hofheinz , popularly known as Judge Hofheinz or "The Judge", was State Representative from 1934 to 1936, County Judge of Harris County, Texas from 1936 to 1944, and mayor of the city of Houston, Texas from 1953 to 1955.-Biography:A flamboyant and successful orator, broadcaster, developer...
to GE Credit and Ford Motor Credit. This included the Astros. The creditors were just interested in preserving asset value of the team so any money spent management had to find or save somewhere else. Tal Smith
Tal Smith
Talbot Merton Smith is an American former professional baseball executive who has served in high baseball operations positions — including general manager and club president — as well as the founder of a firm that advises Major League Baseball teams on salary arbitration cases.A veteran of 54...
returned to the Astros from the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
to a team that needed a lot of work and did not have a lot of money. However there would be some bright spots that would prove to be good investments in the near future.
The year started on a sad note. Pitcher Don Wilson was found dead in the passenger seat of his car on January 5, 1975. Cause of death was asphyxiation by carbon monoxide. Wilson was 29 years old. Wilson's 5-year-old son Alex also died as his room was connected to the garage. Wilson's number 40 was retired on April 13, 1975.
The 1975 season was the introduction of the Astros new-look uniforms. Many teams were going away from the traditional uniform and the Astros were no exception. The uniforms had multishade stripes of orange, red and yellow in front and in back behind a large dark blue star over the midsection. The same stripes run down the paint legs. Players numbers not only appeared on the back of the jersey, but also on the pant leg. The bright stripes were meant to appear as a fiery trail like a rocket sweeping across the heavens. The uniforms were panned by the critics, but the public liked them and versions started appearing at the high school and little league level. The uniform was so different from what other teams wore that the Astros wore it both at home and on the road until 1980.
Besides the bright new uniforms there were some other changes. Lee May
Lee May
Lee Andrew May is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. From through , May played for the Cincinnati Reds , Houston Astros , Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals . He batted and threw right-handed. He is the brother of former Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees outfielder...
was traded to Baltimore
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
for much talked about rookie second baseman Rob Andrews
Rob Andrews (baseball)
Robert Patrick Andrews is a former professional baseball player. He played five seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1975 until 1979, for the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants, primarily as a second baseman.-Sources:...
and utility player 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...
. In Baltimore, Cabell was stuck behind third baseman Brooks Robinson
Brooks Robinson
Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. is a former American professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles . Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history...
but took advantage of his opportunity and in Houston and became their everyday third baseman. Cabell would go on to become a big part of the teams success in later years. With May gone, Bob Watson was able to move to first base and was a bright spot in the line up, batting .324 with 85 RBIs.
The two biggest moves the Astros did in the off season were the acquisition of Joe Niekro
Joe Niekro
Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Minor League Baseball pitcher Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and attended West...
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...
. The Astros bought Niekro from the Braves for almost nothing. Niekro had bounced around the big leagues with minimal success. His older brother Phil Niekro
Phil Niekro
Philip Henry Niekro , nicknamed "Knucksie" because of his usage and skill level with the knuckleball, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997....
had started teaching Joe how to throw his knuckleball and Joe was just starting to use it when he came to the Astros. Niekro won six games and saved four and had an ERA of 3.07.
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...
was also a steal, in retrospect, from the Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. The Cards were in a position where they had too many outfielders and Cruz was having a hard time breaking in. He showed promise in 1973, but only had a batting average of .227. Not wanting to give up on Cruz he was given the chance to prove himself again 1974. Cruz improved but lost his job to rookie Bake McBride
Bake McBride
Arnold Ray "Bake" McBride , also nicknamed "Shake n' Bake" and "The Callaway Kid", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, known primarily as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies' teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s. He made his major league debut for the St...
. He was sold to the Astros for $25,000. Cruz became a fixture in the Astors' outfield for several year and would eventually have his number 25 retired.
The 1975 season was the worst the team had ever seen in their history. Their record was 64–97, far worse than the expansion Colt .45's. It was the worst record in baseball and manager Preston Gomez
Preston Gómez
Preston Gómez was a Cuban-born infielder, manager, coach and front-office official in Major League Baseball best known for managing three major league clubs: the San Diego Padres , Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs . He was born Pedro Gómez Martinez in Preston, Cuba, and was given his nickname in U.S...
was fired late in the season and replaced by Bill Virdon
Bill Virdon
William Charles Virdon is a former outfielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days as a center fielder for the St...
. Virdon had managed the Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
before joining Houston. The Astros played .500 ball under Virdon in the last 34 games of the season.
With Bill Virdon
Bill Virdon
William Charles Virdon is a former outfielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days as a center fielder for the St...
as the manager the Astros improved greatly in 1976 finishing in third place with a 80–82 record. A healthy Cesar Cedeno
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....
was a key reason for the Astros bouncing back in 1976. Bob Watson continued to show consistency and led the club with a .313 average and 102 RBIs. 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...
became Houston's everyday left fielder and hit .303 with 28 stolen bases.
1976 saw the end of Larry Dierker
Larry Dierker
Lawrence Edward Dierker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and manager. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964–1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals...
's career as an Astro, but before it was all over he would throw a no-hitter and win the 1,000th game in the Astrodome. He was dealt to St. Louis
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in the off-season, but would return to Houston and be a big part of the organization.
The Astros finished in third place again in 1977 with a record improved at just one more win than the season before at 81–81. The Astros were still in need of consistent players at key positions. The middle infield was a trouble spot that saw different players playing second and short on any given night. One such player was 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...
. Howe who almost gave up on baseball before getting a chance in Houston was willing to play anywhere just to get playing time. Howe would hit .264 with 58 RBIs while playing at second, short, and third. Howe, like Larry Dierker
Larry Dierker
Lawrence Edward Dierker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and manager. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964–1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals...
would also become part of the Astros future.
While J.R. Richard
J.R. Richard
James Rodney Richard is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career, from 1971 to 1980, with the Houston Astros....
, Joe Niekro
Joe Niekro
Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Minor League Baseball pitcher Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and attended West...
and Joaquin Andujar
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:...
had winning seasons the pitching was still in need of help. The Astros did not have a dominant lefty in the rotation. Floyd Bannister
Floyd Bannister
Floyd Franklin Bannister is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched for the Houston Astros , Seattle Mariners , Chicago White Sox , Kansas City Royals , California Angels , and the Texas Rangers .-History:In 1973, as a high school...
was thought to be that dominant lefty, but the rookie pitcher was inconsistent going 8–9 with an ERA of 4.03. It would be a long time before the Astros had a dominant left hand pitcher.
One of the big problems the Astros had was they were unable to compete in the free agent market. Ford Motor Credit Company was still in control of the team and was looking to sell the Astros, but they were not going to spend money on better players. Most of the talent the Astros had was either farm grown or bought on the cheap.
1978 saw the Astros slip to fifth place with a 74–88 record.
While money issues hurt the Astros so did injuries. Cedeno was out most of the season due to a knee injury and Howe dealt with a broken finger. 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...
really started to shine as an Astro and led the team with a .315 average with 83 RBIs and 37 steals. J.R. Richard
J.R. Richard
James Rodney Richard is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career, from 1971 to 1980, with the Houston Astros....
was the only Astros pitcher that had a stellar year. He won 18 games and struck out 303 batters, and in May threw back-to-back shutouts.
It may have been an off year for the Astros, but they were building for the future. Players like 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...
and 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...
were proving to be talented reserves. The starting pitching was looking good with J.R. Richard
J.R. Richard
James Rodney Richard is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career, from 1971 to 1980, with the Houston Astros....
, 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...
and Joe Niekro
Joe Niekro
Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Minor League Baseball pitcher Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and attended West...
. And relief pitcher 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...
was settling in as the closer. The foundation was being laid for making a serious run at winning their first pennant.
1979 would prove to be a big turn around in Astros history and during the off season the Astros made an effort to fix some of their problem areas. They traded Floyd Bannister
Floyd Bannister
Floyd Franklin Bannister is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched for the Houston Astros , Seattle Mariners , Chicago White Sox , Kansas City Royals , California Angels , and the Texas Rangers .-History:In 1973, as a high school...
to Seattle
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
for shortstop Craig Reynolds and acquired catcher 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...
from Toronto
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
for pitcher Mark Lemongello
Mark Lemongello
Mark Lemongello is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1976-1979. He played for the Houston Astros and the Toronto Blue Jays...
. Reynolds and Ashby were both solid in their positions and gave Houston a much needed fix.
The 1979 season started with a huge boost from pitcher 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...
, who no-hit the Braves on the second game of the season. This would only be the beginning of the excitement that was to come in 1979.
Houston also learned in May that Dr. John McMullen
John McMullen (engineer)
John J. McMullen, Ph.D was a naval architect and marine engineer, and former owner of the New Jersey Devils and Houston Astros. He founded the engineering firm John J...
had agreed to buy the Astros. Now with an investor instead of the financier Ford Motor Credit in charge, the Astros would be able to compete in the free agent market.
In July, the Astros went to Cincinnati leading the National League West, something the Reds
1979 Cincinnati Reds season
The 1979 Cincinnati Reds season consisted of the Reds winning the National League West under their first-year manager John McNamara, with a record of 90-71, 1½ games better than the Houston Astros. However, the Reds lost the National League Championship Series to the eventual World Series champion...
were accustomed to doing. July 4 fireworks erupted when, tired of the Reds taunting pitcher Joaquin Andujar
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:...
, a fight broke out involving Cesar Cedeno
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....
and Ray Knight
Ray Knight
Charles Ray Knight is a former right-handed Major League Baseball third baseman best remembered for his time with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets...
. Houston went on to win the game and had a ten-game lead in the NL west. But holding on to the lead would prove to be a challenge for the Astros who now felt the pressure of being on top of the division.
The other team that was not too happy seeing the Astros on top in the West was the Los Angeles Dodgers
1979 Los Angeles Dodgers season
The 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers finished the season in third place in the Western Division of the National League. Near the end of the season, owner Walter O'Malley died and the ownership of the team went to his son Peter.- Offseason :...
. The Dodgers had challenged and won the division over the Big Red Machine and won the division in 1977 and 1978. At the end of July the Dodgers came to the Astrodome to play in a game that saw Forsch give up only three hits to the Dodgers. The game turned out to be more than an outstanding pitching performance by Forsch. The Dodgers taunted Cedeno causing the aggravated Cedeno to throw a hard fastball in the Dodgers dugout. Later that inning 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...
was hit by a pitch and this time the benches emptied. Houston's lead in the division was shrinking and the heat of the Houston summer was only matched by the Astros tempers.
The Astros were playing great ball. 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...
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...
both stole 30 bases. Joe Niekro
Joe Niekro
Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Minor League Baseball pitcher Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and attended West...
had a great year with 21 wins and 3.00 ERA. J.R. Richard
J.R. Richard
James Rodney Richard is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career, from 1971 to 1980, with the Houston Astros....
won 18 games and set a new personal strikeout record at 313. 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...
came into his own with 22 saves as the Astros closer. Things were going as they should for a team that could win the west.
The Astros and Reds battled the final month of the season. The Reds pulled ahead of the Astros by a game and a half. Later that month they split a pair and the Reds kept the lead. And that would be how it would end. The Astros finished with their best record to that point at 89–73 and 1½ games behind the NL winner Reds. The Astros proved they were contenders and they were ready to show Major League Baseball how serious a contender they were.
With Dr. John McMullen
John McMullen (engineer)
John J. McMullen, Ph.D was a naval architect and marine engineer, and former owner of the New Jersey Devils and Houston Astros. He founded the engineering firm John J...
as sole owner of the Astros the team would now benefit in ways a corporation could not give them. The rumors of the Astros moving out of Houston, which started when Judge Roy Hofheinz
Roy Hofheinz
Roy Mark Hofheinz , popularly known as Judge Hofheinz or "The Judge", was State Representative from 1934 to 1936, County Judge of Harris County, Texas from 1936 to 1944, and mayor of the city of Houston, Texas from 1953 to 1955.-Biography:A flamboyant and successful orator, broadcaster, developer...
Astrodomain started to crumble, had been stopped and the Astros were now able to compete in the free agent market. Something GE Credit and Ford Motor Credit were not able or willing to do. McMullen showed the city of Houston that he too wanted a winning team by signing nearby Alvin, Texas
Alvin, Texas
Alvin is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area and Brazoria County. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 21,413. Alvin's claim to fame is Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, who moved with his family to the city in 1947 as...
native 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....
to the first million dollar a year deal. Ryan had four no-hitters and struck out 383 in one season. Win or lose Ryan would fill the seats.
1980
Joe MorganJoe 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...
returned to the Astros in 1980. When Morgan left Houston he was a good player that became a great player with the Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. Morgan had always regretted leaving the Astros but his destiny was with the Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. Now back in Houston, his two MVP awards and two(1975 & 1976) World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
rings with him; Morgan wanted to help make the Astros a pennant winner.
1980 saw one of the best pitching line ups the Astros ever had. Ryan with his fastball, Joe Niekro
Joe Niekro
Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Minor League Baseball pitcher Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and attended West...
with his knuckle ball that frustrated hitters and J.R. Richard
J.R. Richard
James Rodney Richard is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career, from 1971 to 1980, with the Houston Astros....
with his imposing 6 ft 8 in frame and terrifying pitches. Teams felt lucky to face 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...
who was a double digit game winner in the previous two seasons. Richard became the first Astros pitcher to start an All-Star game. He pitched two innings striking out three, including Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
. Three days later after a medical examination Richard was told to rest his arm. During a workout in the Astrodome on July 30 Richard collapsed. He had suffered a stroke and was taken to the hospital. A blood clot that had made his arm feel tired had moved to his neck and cut off blood flow to the brain. Surgery was done to save his life. The Astros had lost their ace pitcher after a 10–4 start with a stingy 1.89 ERA. Although he attempted to come back, Richard would never again pitch a big league game.
The loss of J.R. Richard hit the Astros hard and the team had a hard time scoring runs. The Astros slipped to third place in the division behind the Dodgers and the Reds, but bounced back with a ten game winning streak that put the team back in first place in the division. The Dodgers regained the lead by two games as they came to Houston on September 9. The Astros showed the Dodgers how serious they were by winning the first two games of the series to put both clubs tied for first in the division. By seasons end the Astros held a three game lead over the Dodgers with three games left in the season against the Dodgers. The Dodgers swept all three games thus making the two teams have to square off in a one game playoff the next day to see who would be division champ.
The Astros season had come down to a one game playoff in L.A. They had faced the Dodgers three best pitchers the three previous days and would now face Dave Goltz
Dave Goltz
David Allan "Dave" Goltz , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1972-1983....
who held the hopes of the Dodgers in his hand. The Astros would make the most of facing Goltz. 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:...
scored on a fielders choice in the first to give the Astros a 2–0 early lead. In the third 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...
knocked one out to give the Astros a 4–0 lead. Howe would deliver the final blow to the Dodgers in the fourth to give the Astros 7. The frustrated Dodgers showed their discontent when Ashby, trying to score more another run for the Astros, slid into home where Joe Ferguson
Joe Ferguson
Joseph Carlton Ferguson, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the NFL. Ferguson played college football at the University of Arkansas, where he still holds the school's single game record for most completions and in that same season was named the Southwest Conference's Offensive...
gave Ashby a knee to the ribs causing a benches to clear. The Dodger faithful began tossing food at the Astros players and on the field forcing the game to be stopped until order was restored. The Astros went on to clinch the division for the first time in team history. While excited by the victory the team would have to fly cross country to face the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
the next day for game one of the NLCS.
The Astros had a coast-to-coast flight lasting six hours the night before game one of the NLCS and had to face 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...
who had beat the Astros six straight times. With that said the experts gave the Phillies the edge in beating the Astros in game one of the NLCS. The Phillies would win game one, but the Astros did not make it easy. The Astros went up 1 – 0 in the third and Astros pitcher Ken Forsch, who gave up four hits in the first three innings, settled down retiring the side 1–2–3 in the fourth and fifth innings. Pete Rose reached on an infield-hit inn the sixth, but Forsch went right back to work retiring the next two batters. Then Greg Luzinski stepped up to the plate. Luzinski worked Forsch to a full count, fouled off the next pitch and then sent a bomb to 300 level seats of 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...
for a two run homer. The Phillies added an insurance run in the next inning when Garry Maddox stole third and ex-Astro Greg Gross
Greg Gross
Gregory Eugene Gross , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues from 1973-1989, playing for the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and Philadelphia Phillies...
looped a single to left allowing Muddox to score. 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...
came in for the eighth inning and the Astros went three up, three down. 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...
was able to work McGraw for a walk in the ninth, but that would be all the Astros would get from him as McGraw retired the next three batters leading the Phillies to a 3–1 and one game up in the series.
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....
would get the call in game two of the NLCS to go against 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...
. The first two innings were scoreless. Craig Reynolds scored on a 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:...
single in the third to give Houston the lead, but the Phillies came right back in the fourth when Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
and Greg Luzinski hit back-to-back doubles and then Maddox singled scoring Luzinski. The Astros tied it in the seventh when Puhl doubled and brought Ryan home following a walk to the Houston pitcher. The Phillies threatened in the bottom of the seventh when Larry Bowa
Larry Bowa
Lawrence Robert Bowa is a former middle infielder, playing mainly as a shortstop, and manager in Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
and 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...
singled and then advanced on a Gross sacrifice bunt. Lefty 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...
was called in to relieve Ryan and walked Rose to load the bases. Sambito struck out Bake McBride
Bake McBride
Arnold Ray "Bake" McBride , also nicknamed "Shake n' Bake" and "The Callaway Kid", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, known primarily as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies' teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s. He made his major league debut for the St...
and was pulled in favor of the right-handed Dave Smith who promptly struck out Schmidt to end the inning with the bases full of Phillies. Each team would score in the eighth to tie the game and both teams would go scoreless in the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Puhl had his third hit in the tenth and moved to second on an 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...
sacrifice. After an intentional walk to Morgan, 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...
singled home Puhl to give the Astros the lead. A Bake McBride
Bake McBride
Arnold Ray "Bake" McBride , also nicknamed "Shake n' Bake" and "The Callaway Kid", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, known primarily as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies' teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s. He made his major league debut for the St...
error advanced the runners. Cedeno’s grounder scored pinch runner 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...
with the second run of the inning. Dave Bergman
Dave Bergman
David Bruce Bergman was a Major League Baseball first baseman, designated hitter, and outfielder.Born in Evanston, Illinois, Bergman is an alumnus of Maine South High School and Illinois State University...
who was a defensive replacement for 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...
in the eighth hit a triple off Phillies reliever Kevin Saucier
Kevin Saucier
Kevin Andrew Saucier was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1978 to 1982 for the Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers. Nicknamed "Hot Sauce", Saucier , was an energetic pitcher who would often display his emotions while on the mound...
to give Houston a 7–3 lead in the middle of the tenth. The Phillies were able to score one run in the bottom of the tenth but Joaquin Andujar
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:...
was able to end the game by getting Schmidt to fly out to Puhl for the final out. The Astros were feeling good about their chances as the final three games moved to Houston.
Game three of the 1980 NLCS was a classic pitching duel and somewhat typical of the Astrodome. The Astrodome was a pitcher's park and the Astros teams of the time were built on good pitching, solid defense and geared to stealing bases and scrapping out runs. If the Astros could score just one run, their chances of beating the other team were good. Thus was the case when Joe Niekro
Joe Niekro
Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Minor League Baseball pitcher Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and attended West...
got the call in game three facing 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....
of the Phillies. Both teams went scoreless through nine innings. Christenson would pitch six good innings for the Phillies, but Niekro would go ten. Dave Smith came out in the eleventh to hold the Phillies back. 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...
who had entered the game in the eighth faced Morgan in the bottom of the eleventh who had a lead off triple over McBride to start the inning. Manager Bill Virdon
Bill Virdon
William Charles Virdon is a former outfielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days as a center fielder for the St...
would replace Morgan with Landestoy to pinch run. 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...
gave Houston a 2 – 1 series lead when he hit a fly ball, scoring Landestoy. The Astros won the game, but not without paying a hefty price. In the sixth inning Cesar Cedeno
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....
was lost for the remainder of the playoffs when he dislocated his ankle trying to beat out a double-play ball. In addition Morgan was infuriated with Virdon for pulling him for pinch runner Landestoy creating a personal rift that would result in Morgan leaving the Astros at seasons end.
Game four of the series proved to be just as exhilarating as the previous three games. Again fans saw a hard fought game go into extra innings with the Phillies taking the lead and the win in the tenth inning. With the game tied in the tenth 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....
started a rally with a one-out single. Schmidt flied out for the second out and Luzinski step up to the plate pinch-hitting for McBride. Luzinski doubled off the left field wall in left and Rose rounded third never intending to hold up. Cruz relayed to Landestoy who threw to catcher Bruce Bochy
Bruce Bochy
Bruce Douglas Bochy is the manager of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to joining the Giants, Bochy had been the manager of the San Diego Padres for twelve seasons. Bochy is the only former Padres player to serve as the team's manager. He has participated in all five postseason appearances in...
. Rose then bowled over Bochy to score the winning run. The Phillies then got an insurance run to take the lead 5 – 3 and tie the series. It was then Ryan versus Rose.
Rookie Phillies pitcher Marty Bystrom
Marty Bystrom
Martin Eugene Bystrom , is a former professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1980-1985. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees.-External links:...
was sent out by Philadelphia manager Dallas Green
Dallas Green
George Dallas Green is a former pitcher, manager, and executive in Major League Baseball. After playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and two other teams, he went on to manage the Phillies, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets, and managed the Phillies when they won their first World Series...
to face veteran 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....
. The rookie gave up a run in the first inning but then held the Astros at bay until the sixth inning. The Astros lead did not last long as 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...
hit a two out single giving the Phillies the lead in the second. The Astros tied the game in the sixth with an 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...
single that brought home 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...
. Houston took a 5 – 2 lead in the seventh, but the Phillies came back in the eighth with a single by Larry Bowa
Larry Bowa
Lawrence Robert Bowa is a former middle infielder, playing mainly as a shortstop, and manager in Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
, a ground ball that Ryan was not able to handle thus killing a chance for a double play, then a textbook bunt by Greg Gross
Greg Gross
Gregory Eugene Gross , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues from 1973-1989, playing for the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and Philadelphia Phillies...
to load the bases. Ryan had pitched great ball in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings striking out six and holding the Phillies to just the two runs they had scored in the second. Now it was Ryan versus Rose. With the count 3 – 2, Rose fouled one off. Ryan then threw a costly ball four that allowed Bowa to score. Rose had won the battle and Ryan was pulled for 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...
. The Phillies scored on a force at second leaving men on the corners and one out. 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...
was brought in by Astros manager Bill Virdon
Bill Virdon
William Charles Virdon is a former outfielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days as a center fielder for the St...
to face Schmidt. Forsch struck out Schmidt for the second out of the inning. Forsch gave up a single letting another run score to tie the game 5 – 5. 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...
shocked the Astros and their fans when he tripled to left scoring two runs and giving the Phillies a 7 – 5 lead. The Astros came back in the eighth to rough up 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...
for four singles and two runs that were scored with two-outs. With the game tied 7 – 7 the two teams went to extra innings for the fourth straight game. The winner would advance to the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
. Gary Maddox had the hit of his career when he doubled in 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...
with one out to give the Phillies an 8 – 7 lead. That would be all they needed as the Astros failed to score in the bottom of the tenth. The frustration of being just 2 points away from a World Series appearance would have to stick with fans for 25 years.
Houston was on the brink of going to the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
and had a taste of the postseason for the first time. Astros teams were no longer looked at as mediocre. They would prove that to contenders in the coming decade.,
1981–1985: Out with the old and rebuild
1981 was the year of the player strike that started on June 12 and ended on August 10. The strike may have helped the Astros get into the playoffs as Major league baseball decided to take the winners of each “half” seasons and set up a best-of-five divisional playoff. While the Reds1981 Cincinnati Reds season
The Cincinnati Reds' 1981 season consisted of the Reds finishing with an overall record of 66-42 the National League West, putting them in first place. However, due to a split-season format, caused by a mid-season players' strike, they failed to make the MLB Playoffs that year...
won more games than any other team in the National League, they did not win either “half” of the strike seasons' division play. The Astros
1981 Houston Astros season
The Houston Astros' 1981 season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Houston Astros attempting to win the National League West.- Offseason :* December 4, 1980: Don Sutton was signed as a free agent by the Astros....
finished 61–49 overall. If the two halves made one complete season, the Astros would have finished third that year behind the Reds and the Dodgers
1981 Los Angeles Dodgers season
The Los Angeles Dodgers season got off to a strong start when rookie pitcher Fernando Valenzuela pitched a shutout on opening day, starting the craze that came to be known as "Fernandomania." Fernando went on to win both the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards.The season was divided into two...
. This flaw allowed Houston its chance in the post season.
The Astros had planned to win the west that year, but that was not to happen. Injuries and age worked against the Astros. They made several trades, some good and some not so good, trying to get back to the dominant team they were in 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...
left the team for the Giants and the Astros sent 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...
to the Giants for left-handed pitcher Bob Knepper
Bob Knepper
Robert Wesley Knepper is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball with a 15-year career from 1976 to 1990. He played for the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros, both of the National League....
. With plenty of pitching the Astros sent 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...
to the Angels for infielder Dickie Thon
Dickie Thon
Richard William "Dickie" Thon is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball.- Early life :Thon was raised in Puerto Rico after spending only the first two weeks of his life in Indiana where his father had just completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Notre Dame.- Professional career :He...
.,
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....
and Bob Knepper
Bob Knepper
Robert Wesley Knepper is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball with a 15-year career from 1976 to 1990. He played for the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros, both of the National League....
picked up steam in the second half of the season. Ryan threw his fifth no-hitter on September 26 and finished the season with a 1.69 ERA. Knepper would finish with an ERA of 2.18.
The division series against first-half winner Los Angeles started great as Houston won the first two games at home, but the Dodgers took the next three in LA to win the series and advance to the World Series.
Fans saw many players come and go in 1981 and would see more faces that were new in the next few years.
1982 saw a team much different from the team that was just six outs away from the World Series in 1980. Only four players and three starting pitchers remained from the 1980 squad. The Astros also had three pitchers over the age 35. Knepper was the only starter under the age of thirty. It was clear by mid August the Astros were out of the race and the Astros decided to make some moves that would help them in the near future. Bill Virdon
Bill Virdon
William Charles Virdon is a former outfielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days as a center fielder for the St...
was fired as manager and Bob Lillis
Bob Lillis
Robert Perry Lillis is a retired American infielder, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball...
, an original Colt .45, took over. When Don Sutton asked to be traded the Astros obliged and sent him to the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
for cash and three young prospects that included Kevin Bass
Kevin Bass
Kevin Charles Bass is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and Baltimore Orioles....
. Minor league player Bill Doran was called up in September so the team could look at him at second base. Bass also got a look playing in the outfield. The Astros finished fourth in the west, but young talent was starting to appear.
Before the 1983 season
1983 Major League Baseball season
The 1983 Major League Baseball season ended with the Baltimore Orioles defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth game of the World Series. Rick Dempsey was named MVP of the Series...
the Astros traded Danny Heep
Danny Heep
Daniel William Heep , is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder.Heep played for five different ballclubs during his 13 year career: the Houston Astros , New York Mets , Los Angeles Dodgers , Boston Red Sox , and Atlanta Braves .Heep played for two different World Series champions: the New...
to the Mets for pitcher Mike Scott
Mike Scott (baseball)
Michael Warren "Mike" Scott is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros. He won the National League Cy Young Award in...
. Scott had been struggling with the Mets, but the Astros were in need of young pitching and were willing to take a chance on the 28-year-old Scott. 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...
sat out the 1983 season with an injury, forcing Phil Garner
Phil Garner
Philip Mason Garner is a former infielder in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988...
to third and Ray Knight
Ray Knight
Charles Ray Knight is a former right-handed Major League Baseball third baseman best remembered for his time with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets...
to first. Bill Doran took over at second, becoming the everyday second baseman for the next seven seasons.
The Astros finished third in the NL west, but minor league prospects and key trades moved the Astros closer to the top of the division.
The 1984 season started off badly for the Astros. Shortstop Dickie Thon
Dickie Thon
Richard William "Dickie" Thon is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball.- Early life :Thon was raised in Puerto Rico after spending only the first two weeks of his life in Indiana where his father had just completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Notre Dame.- Professional career :He...
was hit in the head by a rising fastball from Mets pitcher Mike Torrez
Mike Torrez
Michael Augustine Torrez is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Career:Torrez had an 18-year career from 1967 to 1984. He played for the St...
. Thon suffered a shattered bone above his left eye. Surgery was performed and Thon suffered from blurry vision for the next several months and was lost for the season. Craig Reynolds took over at his former position for Thon. 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...
returned to the Astros to replace the slumping Ray Knight
Ray Knight
Charles Ray Knight is a former right-handed Major League Baseball third baseman best remembered for his time with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets...
who was traded to the Mets in August. In September the Astros called up rookie Glenn Davis
Glenn Davis (baseball)
Glenn Earl Davis is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. While a member of the Houston Astros in the late 1980s, he finished three times in the top ten in National League MVP balloting . He batted and threw right-handed....
who was putting up impressive numbers in AAA Tucson. The Astros hoped that Davis would be the slugger that they needed and the everyday first baseman. The Astros finished in second place, tied with Atlanta.
In 1985 Mike Scott
Mike Scott (baseball)
Michael Warren "Mike" Scott is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros. He won the National League Cy Young Award in...
found himself coming off a 5–11 record. The Astros, unwilling to give up on him, sent him to former Houston pitching coach Roger Craig
Roger Craig (baseball)
Roger Craig may refer to:*Roger Craig , former NFL running back*Roger Craig , former pitcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball...
to learn a new pitch he was calling the “split-finger” fastball. The pitch looked like a normal fastball, but moved sharply downward at the last moment. Scott, who looked like he would be nothing more than a journeyman, had found his new pitch and would become one of Houston's most celebrated pitchers.
In June of that year, Davis was called up to play first and add much needed power to the Astros line-up. In September Joe Niekro
Joe Niekro
Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Minor League Baseball pitcher Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and attended West...
was traded to the Yankees for two minor league pitchers and lefty Jim Deshaies
Jim Deshaies
James Joseph "Jim" Deshaies , also known as "JD", is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball and currently a TV commentator with the Houston Astros.- Major-league career :...
. Niekro left with the most franchise victories. The Astros finished in fourth place in 1985. The talent was there, but the leadership to punch the team to the next level was not working. Changes in the off-season would see the Astros make it big in 1986.
1986: Lighting a Fire
After finishing fourth in 1985 the Astros fired general manager Al RosenAl Rosen
Albert Leonard Rosen , nicknamed "Al", "Flip", and the "Hebrew Hammer", is a former American professional baseball player who was a third baseman and right-handed slugger in the Major Leagues for ten seasons in tthe 1940s and 1950s.He played his entire 10-year career with the Cleveland Indians in...
and manager Bob Lillis
Bob Lillis
Robert Perry Lillis is a retired American infielder, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball...
. The former was supplanted by Dick Wagner
Dick Wagner
Dick Wagner Dick Wagner Dick Wagner (born December 14, 1943, in Oelwein, Iowa is an American rock music guitarist and songwriter best known for his work with Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and KISS.-Performing career:...
, the man whose Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
defeated the Astros to win the 1979 NL West title. The latter was replaced by Hal Lanier
Hal Lanier
Harold Clifton Lanier is a former infielder, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. From through , Lanier played for the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees...
who, like his manager mentor in St. Louis, Whitey Herzog
Whitey Herzog
Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog is a former Major League Baseball manager. Born in New Athens, Illinois, he made his debut as a player in 1956 with the Washington Senators. After his playing career ended in 1963, Herzog went on to perform a variety of roles in Major League Baseball, including...
, had a hard-nosed approach to managing and espoused a playing style that focused on pitching, defense, and speed rather than home runs to win games. This style of baseball, known as Whiteyball
Whiteyball
Whiteyball is a style of playing baseball that was developed by former Major League Baseball manager Whitey Herzog. The term was invented by the press during the 1982 World Series to describe the style of Herzog's St. Louis Cardinals. The team won the Series without a typical power hitter, instead...
, took advantage of stadiums with deep fences and artificial turf, both of which were characteristics of the Astrodome. Lanier's style of baseball took Houston by storm. Before Lanier took over, fans were accustomed to Houston's occasional slow starts, but with Lanier leading the way, Houston got off to a hot start, winning 13 of their first 19 contests.,,
Prior to the start of the season the Astros acquired outfielder Billy Hatcher from the Cubs for Jerry Mumphrey
Jerry Mumphrey
Jerry Wayne Mumphrey is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , San Diego Padres , New York Yankees , Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs ....
. Hatcher had not played much in Chicago, but Lanier named him the club's everyday left fielder, playing alongside 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...
and Kevin Bass
Kevin Bass
Kevin Charles Bass is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and Baltimore Orioles....
. Lainer also made a change in the pitching staff, going with a three-man rotation to start the season because of several off- days. This allowed Lanier to keep his three starters (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....
, Bob Knepper
Bob Knepper
Robert Wesley Knepper is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball with a 15-year career from 1976 to 1990. He played for the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros, both of the National League....
, and Mike Scott
Mike Scott (baseball)
Michael Warren "Mike" Scott is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros. He won the National League Cy Young Award in...
) sharp and to slowly work in rookie hurler Jim Deshaies
Jim Deshaies
James Joseph "Jim" Deshaies , also known as "JD", is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball and currently a TV commentator with the Houston Astros.- Major-league career :...
. Bill Doran and Glenn Davis
Glenn Davis (baseball)
Glenn Earl Davis is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. While a member of the Houston Astros in the late 1980s, he finished three times in the top ten in National League MVP balloting . He batted and threw right-handed....
held down the right side of the field but Lainer rotated the left side. 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...
and Craig Reynolds faced the right-handed pitchers while Phil Garner
Phil Garner
Philip Mason Garner is a former infielder in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988...
and Dickie Thon
Dickie Thon
Richard William "Dickie" Thon is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball.- Early life :Thon was raised in Puerto Rico after spending only the first two weeks of his life in Indiana where his father had just completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Notre Dame.- Professional career :He...
batted against left-handers. Lainer knew the Astros had talent and he put it to work.,
The Astrodome was host to the 1986 All-Star Game
1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 57th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 15, 1986 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, the home of the...
in which Astros Mike Scott
Mike Scott (baseball)
Michael Warren "Mike" Scott is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros. He won the National League Cy Young Award in...
, Kevin Bass
Kevin Bass
Kevin Charles Bass is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and Baltimore Orioles....
, Glenn Davis
Glenn Davis (baseball)
Glenn Earl Davis is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. While a member of the Houston Astros in the late 1980s, he finished three times in the top ten in National League MVP balloting . He batted and threw right-handed....
, and Dave Smith represented the host field. The Astros kept pace with the NL West after the All-Star break, posting many highlights along the way. They went on a streak of five straight come-from-behind wins (two against the Mets and three against the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
). On September 23 in a game against the Dodgers, Jim Deshaies
Jim Deshaies
James Joseph "Jim" Deshaies , also known as "JD", is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball and currently a TV commentator with the Houston Astros.- Major-league career :...
started the game with eight straight strikeouts. The next night Ryan kept the Giants hitless through seven innings, then struck out the side in the eighth for twelve strikeouts. Houston had clinched a mathematical tie for the division crown. Mike Scott
Mike Scott (baseball)
Michael Warren "Mike" Scott is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros. He won the National League Cy Young Award in...
would take the mound in the final game of the two game series and pitch a no-hitter to clinch the NL West. This was the only time in MLB history that any division was clinched via a no-hitter. Scott would finish the season with an 18–10 record and a Cy Young Award to go along with it.,,
The 1986 NLCS was noted for great drama and is considered one of the best postseason series ever. In Game 3, the Astros were ahead at Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
, 5–4, in the bottom of the 9th when closer Dave Smith gave up a two-run home run to Lenny Dykstra
Lenny Dykstra
Leonard Kyle "Lenny" Dykstra , nicknamed "Nails" and "Dude", is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. Dykstra played for the New York Mets during the late 1980s before playing for the Philadelphia Phillies during the early 1990s....
, giving the Mets a dramatic 6–5 win.
However, the signature game of the series was Game 6. Needing a win to get to Mike Scott (who had been dominant in the series) in Game 7, the Astros jumped off to a 3–0 lead in the first inning but neither team would score again until the 9th inning. In the 9th, starting pitcher Bob Knepper
Bob Knepper
Robert Wesley Knepper is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball with a 15-year career from 1976 to 1990. He played for the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros, both of the National League....
would give two runs, and once again the Astros would look to Dave Smith to close it out. However, Smith would walk Gary Carter
Gary Carter
Gary Edmund Carter , nicknamed "Kid" and "Kid Carter", is an American former Major League Baseball catcher. During a 19-year baseball career, mostly with the Montreal Expos and the New York Mets, Carter established himself as one of the premier catchers in the National League, winning three Gold...
and Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Eugene Strawberry is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder who is well-known both for his play on the field and for his controversial behavior off it...
, giving up a sacrifice fly to Ray Knight
Ray Knight
Charles Ray Knight is a former right-handed Major League Baseball third baseman best remembered for his time with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets...
, tying the game. Despite having the go-ahead runs on base, Smith was able to escape the inning without any further damage.
There was no scoring until the 14th inning when the Mets would take the lead on a Wally Backman
Wally Backman
Walter Wayne Backman is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. He is best known for his time with the New York Mets from - and was a member of their 1986 World Series-winning team...
single and an error by left fielder Billy Hatcher. The Astros would get the run back in the bottom of the 14th when Hatcher (in a classic goat-to-hero-conversion-moment) hit one of the most dramatic home runs in NLCS
National League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Championship Series is a round in the postseason that determines who wins the National League pennant and advances to Major League Baseball's championship, the World Series, facing the winner of the American League Championship Series. The reigning...
history, off the left field foul pole. In the 16th inning, Darryl Strawberry doubled to lead off the inning and Ray Knight drove him home in the next at-bat. The Mets would score a total of three runs in the inning to take what appeared an insurmountable 7–4 lead. With their season on the line, the Astros would nonetheless rally for two runs to come to within 7–6. Kevin Bass came up with the tying and winning runs on base; however Jesse Orosco
Jesse Orosco
Jesse Russell Orosco is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who holds the major league record for career pitching appearances. He pitched most notably for the New York Mets in the 1980s. He won a World Series in 1986 with the Mets and in 1988 with the Dodgers. He threw left-handed,...
would strike him out, ending the game.
At the time the 16-inning game held the record for the longest in MLB postseason history until October 9, 2005 when the Astros defeated the Atlanta Braves
2005 Atlanta Braves season
-Offseason:*October 15, 2004: DeWayne Wise was selected off waivers by the Detroit Tigers from the Atlanta Braves.*December 3, 2004: Julio Franco was signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves....
7–6 in an 18-inning Division Series game. However, the 1986 game still holds the record for longest League Championship Series game. Also, Game 3 of the 2005 World Series
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series, the 101st Major League Baseball championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros four games to none in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and first since 1917.Home-field...
would tie the record for longest World Series game at 14 innings, meaning that the Astros, despite having been to only 4 LCS and 1 World Series, have played in the longest game for each of the 3 levels in the modern MLB playoffs.
1987–99: Rebuild, new owner, a new look, and a new success
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. Although many felt that he was nearing the end of his career, Ryan resurged in Texas as he pitched two more no-hitters and achieved the 5,000 strikeout plateau. In return, the Astros welcomed in veterans such as Buddy Bell
Buddy Bell
David Gus "Buddy" Bell is a former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. After an 18-year career with four teams, most notably the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, he managed the Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals for three seasons each...
, Rafael Ramirez
Rafael Ramírez (baseball)
Rafael Emilio Ramírez Peguero , is a former professional baseball player who played in the major leagues primarily as a shortstop from 1980-1992...
, and Rick Rhoden
Rick Rhoden
Richard Alan Rhoden is a professional golfer and was a Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 16 year baseball career, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros of the National League; and the New York Yankees of the American League.-Early years:Rhoden was...
. Despite the heavy veteran presence, young players such as Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio
Craig Alan Biggio is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, catcher, and outfielder. He played his entire 20-year baseball career with the Houston Astros . He ranks 21st all-time with 3,060 career hits, and is the ninth player in the 3000 hit club to get all his hits with the same team. He...
, Mark Portugal
Mark Portugal
Mark Steven Portugal is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played in the major leagues from 1985 to 1999.-Career:Portugal attended Norwalk High School in Norwalk, California. He was signed by the Minnesota Twins in 1980...
, and Ken Caminiti
Ken Caminiti
Kenneth Gene Caminiti was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball and the 1996 National League Most Valuable Player. He was born in Hanford, California, and attended San Jose State University...
were earning everyday spots as well. The mix of youngsters and veterans was fruitful, especially in 1989, where the Astros won 86 victories, finishing 3rd behind the Giants and Padres.
After 1989, the retooling continued as more veterans were shown the door in favor of younger players. It was in 1990 when the Astros made their best trade. Many people consider the best trade the Astros ever made to be their deal for Jeff Bagwell
Jeff Bagwell
Jeffrey Robert Bagwell , is a former American professional baseball player and coach. He played his entire fifteen-year Major League Baseball career as a first baseman for the Houston Astros and was a four-time All-Star...
at the trading deadline in 1990. The Boston Red Sox
1990 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Red Sox finishing first in the American League East with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses. It was the second AL East division championship in three years for the Red Sox...
, in a tight race for the American League East
American League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
title, needed relief pitching help. The Astros gave the Red Sox journeyman Larry Andersen in exchange for minor-leaguer Bagwell, who would win the 1990 Eastern League
Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...
MVP award for the AA New Britain Red Sox. With Mo Vaughn
Mo Vaughn
Maurice Samuel 'Mo' Vaughn , nicknamed "The Hit Dog", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played from 1991 to 2003...
in their system, the Red Sox reasoned that Bagwell was expendable, and while Andersen did help the Red Sox to the divisional title, Bagwell went on to become the Astros' all-time home run leader and, in some people's minds, the second best overall player in Astros history, behind the great Craig Biggio (although debate continues to rage over who was better). The trade was so lopsided that it appears on virtually any list of the best/worst trades in MLB history, and "Larry Andersen" became a popular phrase in Boston to describe the futility of the Red Sox front office during the 86-year "Curse of the Bambino
Curse of the Bambino
The Curse of the Bambino was a superstition cited as a reason for the failure of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the World Series in the 86-year period from 1918 to 2004...
". However, after the 1991 season, the Astros made one of the worst trades in franchise history, sending speedy outfielder Kenny Lofton
Kenny Lofton
Kenneth Lofton is a former Major League Baseball outfielder known for his great speed on the base paths as well as in the field, award-winning defensive play , timely hitting, and playful spirit. He batted and threw left-handed...
to the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
for catcher Eddie Taubensee
Eddie Taubensee
Edward Kenneth Taubensee is a former catcher in Major League Baseball.Taubensee played for three different ballclubs during his career: the Cleveland Indians , Houston Astros , and Cincinnati Reds . He made his major league debut on May 18, 1991, and played his final game on October 7, 2001...
. Lofton would prove to be one of the best center fielders of the 1990s, earning five AL stolen base titles, six All-Star appearances, and four Gold Gloves.
The early 1990s were marked by the Astros' growing discontent with their home, the Astrodome. After the Astrodome was renovated for the primary benefit of the Houston Oilers, the Astros began to grow increasingly disenchanted with the facility. Faced with declining attendance at the Astrodome and the inability of management to obtain a new stadium, in the off-season Astros management announced its intention to sell the team and move the franchise to the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area. However, the move was not approved by other National League owners, thus compelling the Astros to remain in Houston. Shortly thereafter, McMullen (who also owned the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
's New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
) sold the team to Texas businessman Drayton McLane
Drayton McLane, Jr.
Drayton McLane, Jr. is an American entrepreneur. He is chairman of the McLane Group, a high technology firm. He was, until 1990, the CEO of the McLane Company, a grocery and food service warehouse, supply, and logistics firm, and was, from 1993 until 2011, the chairman and CEO of the Major League...
in 1993, who committed to keeping the team in Houston.
Shortly after McLane's arrival, which coincided with the maturation of Bagwell and Biggio, the Astros began to show signs of consistent success. After finishing second in their division in 1994 (in a strike year), 1995, and 1996, the Astros won consecutive division titles in 1997, 1998, and 1999. In the 1998 season, the Astros set a team record with 102 victories. However, each of these titles was followed by a first-round playoff elimination, in 1998
1998 National League Division Series
-Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres:-Game 1, September 30:Turner Field in Atlanta, GeorgiaThe Braves faced the Chicago Cubs, who made it into the playoffs by beating the San Francisco Giants in a tiebreaker for the Wild Card spot. The Braves had sixteen more regular season wins and it showed in...
by the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
and in 1997
1997 National League Division Series
-Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves:-San Francisco vs. Florida:The San Francisco Giants made it back to the postseason for the first time since the 1989 World Series. The Florida Marlins were in the postseason for the first time ever.-Game 1, September 30:...
and 1999
1999 National League Division Series
-Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Mets:-Game 1, October 5:Turner Field in Atlanta, GeorgiaA pitcher's duel between Shane Reynolds and Greg Maddux highlighted Game 1. The Astros struck first in the top of the second when Tony Eusebio singled in Carl Everett. Gerald Williams would tie the game in...
against the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. The manager of these title teams was Larry Dierker
Larry Dierker
Lawrence Edward Dierker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and manager. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964–1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals...
, who had previously been a broadcaster and pitcher for the Astros.
Coinciding with the change in ownership, the team switched uniforms and team colors after the season in order to go for a new, more serious image. The team's trademark rainbow uniforms were retired, and the team's colors changed to midnight blue and metallic gold. The "Astros" font on the team logo was changed to a more aggressive one, and the team's traditional star logo was changed to a stylized, "flying" star with an open left end. It marked the first time since the team's inception that orange was not part of the team's colors. Despite general agreement that the rainbow uniforms identified with the team had become tired (and looked too much like a minor league team according to the new owners), the new uniforms and caps were never especially popular with fans.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
general managers, former franchise player Bob Watson. Watson would leave the Astros after the 1995 season to become general manager of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and helped to lead the Yankees to a World Championship
1996 World Series
-Game 1:Sunday, October 20, 1996 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkGame 1 and Game 2 were originally scheduled for Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20, respectively. Rain on October 19, however, washed out Game 1. The schedule was moved up one day, with Game 1 and Game 2 rescheduled for...
in 1996. He would be replaced by Gerry Hunsicker
Gerald Hunsicker
Gerald Hunsicker is the senior vice president, baseball operations for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League baseball...
, who until 2004 would continue to oversee the building of the Astros into one of the better and most consistent organizations in the Major Leagues.
However, in 1996, the Astros again nearly left Houston. By the mid-1990s, McLane (like McMullen before him) wanted his team out of the Astrodome and was asking the city to build the Astros a new stadium. When things did not progress quickly toward that end, he put the team up for sale. He had nearly finalized a deal to sell the team to businessman William Collins, who planned to move them to Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
. However, Collins was having difficulty finding a site for a stadium himself, so Major League owners stepped in and forced McLane to give Houston another chance to grant his stadium wish. Houston voters responded positively via a stadium referendum and the Astros stayed put.
In the 14 years since Drayton McLane has taken ownership of the Houston Astros, they have had the fourth best record in all of Major League Baseball. Only the Yankees, Red Sox, and Braves have done better overall. ****edit: was this written in 2007?
2000s: New stadium
After years at the outdated Astrodome, the Astros moved into their new stadium in 2000. Originally called Enron Field, the stadium was one of the first to feature a functional retractable roof, considered a necessity in Houston. The Astros bought the naming rights to the new field from Enron in 2001. In 2002, the rights were purchased by Houston based Minute Maid. Additionally the ballpark featured more intimate surroundings than the cavernous Astrodome. It is believed by some that the departure of the NFLNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
, after Houston refused to build them a new stadium, contributed to the construction of Enron Field.
The ballpark features a train theme, since the ball park was built on the grounds of the old Union Station. The locomotive also pays homage to the history of Houston, where by 1860, 11 different railroad companies had lines running through the city. This is also represented in the city of Houston's official seal. A train whistle sounds, and a locomotive transverses a wall above the outfield after Astros hit a home run. The ballpark also contains quirks such as "Tal's Hill", which is a hill in deep center field on which a flagpole stands, all in fair territory. This was modeled after a similar feature that was located in Crosley Field
Crosley Field
Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second and third American Football League...
, former home of the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. The terrace at Crosley Field was sloped at 15 degrees in left field, while Tal's Hill is sloped at 30 degrees in straightaway center. Over the years, many highlight reel catches have been made by center fielders running up the hill to make catches.
Perhaps most significantly, with its short left field fence (only slightly longer to left field than Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
), overall shorter dimensions, and exposure to the elements, including the humid Texas air, Enron Field played like a hitters' park. This was a dramatic difference from the Astrodome, which was considered to be an extreme pitchers' park. In a challenge to home run hitters, owner Drayton McLane's office windows, located in the old Union Station above left field, are made of glass and marked as 422' from home plate.
With the change in location also came a change in attire. Gone were the blue and gold uniforms of the 1990s in favor a more "retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
" look with pinstripes, a traditional baseball font, and the colors of brick red, sand and black. The "shooting star" logo was modified but still retained its definitive look.
2004
After two fairly successful seasons without a playoff appearance, at midseason in 2004 the Astros were floundering. Before the season, the Astros had added star pitchers Andy Pettitte
Andy Pettitte
Andrew Eugene Pettitte is a retired American left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher.In his major league career, he played for the New York Yankees from 1995–2003. He then signed with the Houston Astros, and played for them from 2004 through 2006. In 2007, Pettitte rejoined the Yankees...
and Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
to a team that already included stars like Lance Berkman
Lance Berkman
William Lance Berkman is an American professional baseball outfielder and right fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball....
and Jeff Kent
Jeff Kent
Jeffrey Franklin Kent is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman. Kent won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, and is the all-time leader in home runs among second basemen...
as well as the nucleus of Bagwell and Biggio. They were quickly anointed one of the favorites to win the National League. However, at the All-Star Break, they were 44–44 largely due to an inability to score runs, and a poor record in 1-run games. After being booed at the 2004 All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
held at Minute Maid Park while serving as a coach for the National League, Williams was fired and replaced by Phil Garner
Phil Garner
Philip Mason Garner is a former infielder in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988...
, who had been a star for the Astros' second division winner in 1986. Though many people were highly skeptical of Garner, who had a mediocre track record in his prior managerial stints in Milwaukee
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and Detroit
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, with only one winning season at either stop (in 1992), the team responded to Garner, who led the team to a 46–26 record in the second half and the National League's Wild Card. They would go on to win their first playoff series in eight attempts, beating the Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in five games of the National League Division Series
2004 National League Division Series
-Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros:-Game 1, October 5:Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriOdalis Perez faced Woody Williams in Game 1. Albert Pujols got the Cardinals started with a solo homer to make it 1–0 in the first. Then in the third, Perez reached his limit after surrendering five two-out...
to advance to the National League Championship Series
2004 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 13, 2004 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriThe series opener at St. Louis' Busch Stadium was a slugfest involving four homers, 17 runs, and 22 hits, eventually won by St. Louis, 10–7. Houston struck the first blow of the series when Carlos Beltrán hit a two-run home...
for the third time. However, they would lose to the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in seven games, most dramatically on a walk-off home run
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
by Jim Edmonds
Jim Edmonds
James Patrick "Jim" Edmonds is a former American Major League Baseball center fielder. He played for the California/Anaheim Angels, the St. Louis Cardinals, the San Diego Padres, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds...
in the twelfth inning of Game 6.
The Astros' 2004 success had much to do with the postponed retirement of star pitcher Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
(a Houston
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 ...
resident), who ended 2004 with a record seventh Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
(his first in the NL). Clemens had previously announced that he was retiring after the season from the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. However, after the Astros signed his former Yankee teammate Andy Pettitte
Andy Pettitte
Andrew Eugene Pettitte is a retired American left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher.In his major league career, he played for the New York Yankees from 1995–2003. He then signed with the Houston Astros, and played for them from 2004 through 2006. In 2007, Pettitte rejoined the Yankees...
and offered Clemens a number of perquisites (including the option to stay home with his family for certain road trips when he wasn't scheduled to pitch), Clemens reconsidered and signed a one-year deal with the Astros.
Additionally, the mid-season addition of Carlos Beltrán
Carlos Beltrán
Carlos Iván Beltrán is a Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:In his youth, Beltrán excelled in many sports, with volleyball and baseball being his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen...
in a trade with 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...
helped the Astros tremendously in their playoff run. Despite rumblings in July and August that the Astros might flip him to another contender, Beltrán would prove instrumental to the Astros' hopes, hitting eight home runs in the postseason. Following the season, after initially asserting a desire to remain with the Astros, Beltrán signed a long term contract with the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
on January 9, 2005.
2005
In 2005, the Astros got off to a poor start, dropping to 15 games below .500 (15–30) in late May before becoming nearly unbeatable. From that low point until the end of July, Houston went 42–17 and found themselves in the lead for the NL Wild Card. The hitting, largely absent in April and May, was suddenly there, with even the pitchers contributing.
The Astros had also developed an excellent pitching staff, anchored by Roy Oswalt
Roy Oswalt
Roy Edward Oswalt is an American Major League Baseball pitcher and Olympic gold medalist who is currently a free agent. Oswalt, a slender six-foot right-handed starting pitcher, is currently in his eleventh major league season...
(20–12, 2.94), Andy Pettitte
Andy Pettitte
Andrew Eugene Pettitte is a retired American left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher.In his major league career, he played for the New York Yankees from 1995–2003. He then signed with the Houston Astros, and played for them from 2004 through 2006. In 2007, Pettitte rejoined the Yankees...
(17–9, 2.39), and Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
(13–8 with a league-low ERA of only 1.87). Brandon Backe
Brandon Backe
Brandon Allen Backe is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. He joined the Houston Astros in , after two seasons with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays....
(10–8, 4.76) and rookie starters Ezequiel Astacio
Ezequiel Astacio
Ezequiel Franklin Astacio is a Major League Baseball pitcher, who currently plays for the San Angelo Colts in the United Baseball League....
(3–6, 5.67) and Wandy Rodríguez
Wandy Rodríguez
Wandy Fulton Rodríguez is a Dominican pitcher for the Houston Astros. He is a native of Santiago Rodriguez, located in the North Region of the Dominican Republic.-Playing career:...
(10–10, 5.53) didn't have near the success as the great 1–2–3 punch, but were enough to push them into good position to make a playoff run.
In July alone, the Astros went 22–7, the best single month record in the club's history. The Astros finished the 2005 regular season by winning a wild card berth on the final day of the regular season, just as they did in 2004, becoming only the second team to come from 15 games under .500 to enter the post season, the other team being the 1914 Boston Braves, now the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. (Those Braves would go on and sweep the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
in the World Series
1914 World Series
In the 1914 World Series, the Boston Braves beat the Philadelphia Athletics in a four-game sweep.A contender for greatest upset of all time, the "Miracle Braves" were in last place on July 4, then roared on to win the National League pennant by games and sweep the stunned Athletics...
. Coincidentally, the Astros beat out another Philadelphia team, the Phillies, for the Wild Card, to face the Braves in the first round of the playoffs.)
The Astros won their National League Division Series
2005 National League Division Series
-Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros:-Game 1, October 4:Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriIt was a matchup between Jake Peavy and eventual 2005 Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter. In the bottom of the first, Jim Edmonds's one-out solo homer put the Cardinals up 1–0...
against the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in four games. The fourth game set a record for a post-season game with most innings (18), most players used by a single team (T-23), most grand slams (2), and longest game time (5 hours and 50 minutes). Chris Burke
Chris Burke (baseball player)
Christopher Alan Burke is a Major League Baseball player who is currently a free agent. Burke is known for his versatility; he has played every position except pitcher and catcher.-College:...
hit a home run to win the game by a score of 7–6. Another notable performance was had by Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
who appeared from the bullpen for only the second time in his career as a reliever with three shutout innings and the win. After winning in the first round, the Astros picked up where they left off in the previous year, facing a rematch against the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
.
It is also notable that both the grand slam Lance Berkman
Lance Berkman
William Lance Berkman is an American professional baseball outfielder and right fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball....
hit in the 8th inning and the solo shot hit by Chris Burke in the 18th inning to win three hours later were caught by the same fan, Shaun Dean, in the left field Crawford Boxes
Crawford Boxes
The Crawford Boxes are a special section of seating in Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros. The boxes are named for their being parallel to Crawford Street in Downtown Houston...
. Dean, a 25-year-old comptroller for a construction company, donated the balls to the Hall of Fame and he and his son were rewarded with gifts from the Astros and the Baseball Hall of Fame as well as playoff tickets behind home plate.
The National League Championship Series (NLCS)
2005 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriIn the series opener, the Cardinals won 5–3 behind a strong pitching performance by Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter and a two-run home run by Reggie Sanders in the first inning...
featured a rematch of the 2004 NLCS
2004 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 13, 2004 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriThe series opener at St. Louis' Busch Stadium was a slugfest involving four homers, 17 runs, and 22 hits, eventually won by St. Louis, 10–7. Houston struck the first blow of the series when Carlos Beltrán hit a two-run home...
. The Astros lost the first game in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, but would win the next three games with one in St. Louis and the next two in Houston. The Astros were poised to close-out the series in Houston, but the Cardinals managed to score three runs in the top of the 9th with a monstrous 3-run home run by Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...
off Brad Lidge with two outs. The stunned crowd was silenced in disbelief. This would take the series back to St. Louis, where the Astros won the final game of the NLCS and the final game played at Busch Stadium.
Current honorary National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
President William Y. Giles presented the Astros the Warren C. Giles Trophy, which is awarded to the National League Champion. It was Warren Giles, father of William and President of the National League from to , who in October 1960 awarded the city of Houston the Major League franchise that would become the Houston Astros. Roy Oswalt
Roy Oswalt
Roy Edward Oswalt is an American Major League Baseball pitcher and Olympic gold medalist who is currently a free agent. Oswalt, a slender six-foot right-handed starting pitcher, is currently in his eleventh major league season...
, who went 2–0 and had an ERA of 1.29, won the NLCS MVP.
The Astros' opponent in their first ever World Series
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series, the 101st Major League Baseball championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros four games to none in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and first since 1917.Home-field...
was the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. Games 1 and 2 were held at U.S. Cellular Field
U.S. Cellular Field
U.S. Cellular Field is a baseball ballpark in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, it is the home of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball's American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at old Comiskey Park...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, while Games 3 and 4 were played at Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States that opened in 2000 to house the Major League Baseball Houston Astros....
. Game 3 also marked the first Fall Classic game to be played in the state of Texas, and was the longest game by longevity in World Series history, lasting 5 hours and 41 minutes. Early conventional wisdom held that the White Sox were a slight favorite, but that Houston would be an even match. However, the Astros' situational hitting continued to plague them throughout the World Series. The White Sox swept the Astros in the best-of-seven series with a run differential of six.
2006
After losing the World Series the Astros prepared for the offseason by signing Preston Wilson and moving Lance Berkman to first base, ending the long tenure by Jeff Bagwell. The Astros resigned pitcher Roger Clemens and traded two minor league prospects to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
for left-handed hitter Aubrey Huff
Aubrey Huff
Aubrey Lewis Huff III is a Major League Baseball first baseman with the San Francisco Giants. He debuted in 2000 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and later played for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, and Detroit Tigers. He is the starting first baseman for the San Francisco Giants who won the...
and cash. In August 2006, Preston Wilson said that he wasn't getting enough playing time since Luke Scott returned from AAA ball with the Round Rock Express. In response the Astros released Wilson and the division rival Cardinals signed him for the rest of the season. After a dramatic last two weeks of the season, including a four game sweep of the Cardinals, the Astros did not get to the playoffs losing their last game to the Braves, 3–1. The Astros had managed to win 10 of their last 12 games of the season, and all but erased what had been an 8½ game lead by the front running St. Louis Cardinals. The Astros were within a half-game of the Cardinals on Thursday September 28, but that is as close as the 2005 NL Champions would get.
On October 1 Astros were the last remaining team that still had a chance to reach the 2006 postseason; consequently they were the final MLB team to be officially eliminated from playoff contention.
On October 31, the Astros declined option on Jeff Bagwell
Jeff Bagwell
Jeffrey Robert Bagwell , is a former American professional baseball player and coach. He played his entire fifteen-year Major League Baseball career as a first baseman for the Houston Astros and was a four-time All-Star...
's contract for 2007, subsequently ending his 15-year tenure as an Astro. Bagwell left his name well known in the Astros history books. On November 11, Bagwell filed for free agency. Finally to end his amazing career, Bagwell announced his retirement on December 15.
On November 6, Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
and Andy Pettitte
Andy Pettitte
Andrew Eugene Pettitte is a retired American left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher.In his major league career, he played for the New York Yankees from 1995–2003. He then signed with the Houston Astros, and played for them from 2004 through 2006. In 2007, Pettitte rejoined the Yankees...
filed for free agency on Monday, five days before the Nov. 11 deadline.
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, November 10, the Astros made a one-year deal with Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio
Craig Alan Biggio is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, catcher, and outfielder. He played his entire 20-year baseball career with the Houston Astros . He ranks 21st all-time with 3,060 career hits, and is the ninth player in the 3000 hit club to get all his hits with the same team. He...
worth $5.15 million to continue his march into the history books as he eyes 70 more hits to reach 3,000. This marked Biggio's 20th season as an Astro.
On November 24, the Astros Signed outfielder Carlos Lee
Carlos Lee
Carlos Noriel Lee is a first basemen in Major League Baseball who plays for the Houston Astros. He bats and throws right-handed....
to a 6-year contract for $100 million, a franchise record. They also signed pitcher Woody Williams
Woody Williams
Gregory Scott "Woody" Williams is a former right-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He made his major league debut for the Toronto Blue Jays on May 14, 1993.-Baseball career:...
.
On December 8, Andy Pettitte
Andy Pettitte
Andrew Eugene Pettitte is a retired American left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher.In his major league career, he played for the New York Yankees from 1995–2003. He then signed with the Houston Astros, and played for them from 2004 through 2006. In 2007, Pettitte rejoined the Yankees...
, who signed with the Astros in 2003, announced that he will be returning to the Yankees accepting a 1 year $16 million contract with player option year also worth $16 million if picked up. "It shocked me that [the Astros] would not continue to go up, when the Yankees continued to push and push and pursue and they [the Astros] really didn't do much," Pettitte said. "It was a full-court press by the Yankees. I've talked to the guys, and obviously they wanted me to come back up there." The Astros reportedly offered a one-year $12 million contract but would not offer a player option for another year.
On December 8, frustrated by the Pettitte negotiations, the Astros were on the verge of acquiring right-hander Jon Garland
Jon Garland
Jon Steven Garland is a right-handed starting pitcher, who is currently a free agent.-High school career:At John F...
from the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
in return for Willy Taveras
Willy Taveras
Willy Taveras is a Major League Baseball center fielder.-Houston Astros:Taveras played in 10 games at the end of the Astros season, mostly as a pinch runner....
, Taylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Biography:...
, and Jason Hirsh
Jason Hirsh
Jason Michael Hirsh is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who is a free agent.Hirsh was a dominant minor league pitcher in 2005–06, winning the Double-A Texas League Pitcher of the Year Award and the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award in successive seasons, as he went...
but the deal was nixed by the White Sox because right-hander Taylor Buchholz reportedly failed a physical.
On December 12, the Astros traded 3 for 2 when they traded Willy Taveras
Willy Taveras
Willy Taveras is a Major League Baseball center fielder.-Houston Astros:Taveras played in 10 games at the end of the Astros season, mostly as a pinch runner....
, Taylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Biography:...
, and Jason Hirsh
Jason Hirsh
Jason Michael Hirsh is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who is a free agent.Hirsh was a dominant minor league pitcher in 2005–06, winning the Double-A Texas League Pitcher of the Year Award and the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award in successive seasons, as he went...
to the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
for Rockies pitchers Jason Jennings
Jason Jennings
Jason Ryan Jennings is an American Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-High school/college years:...
and Miguel Asencio
Miguel Asencio
Miguel DePaula Asencio is a Major League Baseball pitcher. He began his pro-career in in the Dominican Republic. In eleven games, he went 0-2 with a 6.55 ERA....
. This trade turned out terribly for the Astros by the end of the 2007 season, as Taveras continued to develop, Hirsh had a strong rookie campaign, and Jennings was oft-injured and generally ineffective.
2007
On April 28, the Astros purchased the contract of Hunter Pence
Hunter Pence
Hunter Andrew Pence is a Major League Baseball outfielder with the Philadelphia Phillies. Pence stands tall and weighs . He bats and throws right-handed.-Early life:...
, the organization's top prospect from Triple-A affiliate, and made his debut that night where he got his first career hit and run scored.
By May 2007, the Astros had suffered one of their worst losing streaks since the 1995 season with 10 losses in a row, losing 4–3 to the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
on May 30. The Astros were just one loss shy of tying their worst skid in franchise history, before snapping that streak the next day, also against the Reds.
On June 12, the Astros beat the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
for the first time in team history.
On June 28, second baseman Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio
Craig Alan Biggio is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, catcher, and outfielder. He played his entire 20-year baseball career with the Houston Astros . He ranks 21st all-time with 3,060 career hits, and is the ninth player in the 3000 hit club to get all his hits with the same team. He...
became the 27th player to accrue 3000 career hits. On the same night in the bottom of the 11th inning Carlos Lee
Carlos Lee
Carlos Noriel Lee is a first basemen in Major League Baseball who plays for the Houston Astros. He bats and throws right-handed....
hit a towering walk-off grand slam to win the game for the Astros.
On July 24, Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio
Craig Alan Biggio is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, catcher, and outfielder. He played his entire 20-year baseball career with the Houston Astros . He ranks 21st all-time with 3,060 career hits, and is the ninth player in the 3000 hit club to get all his hits with the same team. He...
announced that he would be retiring at the end of the 2007 season, his 20th season with the club (and a franchise record). He hit a grand slam in that night's game which broke a 3–3 tie and led to an Astros win.
On July 28, the Astros traded RHP Dan Wheeler
Dan Wheeler
Daniel Michael Wheeler is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.-Baseball career:...
to Tampa Bay for right-handed slugger 3B Ty Wigginton
Ty Wigginton
Ty Allen Wigginton is an American professional baseball infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. He is known as a utility player, having platooned as an infielder and an outfielder during his career. He bats and throws right-handed...
and cash considerations. He is now signed through 2009. On July 29, long time and former All-Star third baseman Morgan Ensberg
Morgan Ensberg
Morgan Paul Ensberg is a former infielder in Major League Baseball. Ensberg bats and throws right-handed...
was designated for assignment to make room for newly acquired Wigginton.
On August 26, former first baseman Jeff Bagwell
Jeff Bagwell
Jeffrey Robert Bagwell , is a former American professional baseball player and coach. He played his entire fifteen-year Major League Baseball career as a first baseman for the Houston Astros and was a four-time All-Star...
's number 5 was officially retired after a 15 year career with the Astros.
On August 27, manager Phil Garner
Phil Garner
Philip Mason Garner is a former infielder in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988...
and General Manager Tim Purpura
Tim Purpura
Tim Purpura is a former General Manager of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball team. He was with the club from 2005 to 2007.-Biography:...
were relieved of their duties. Cecil Cooper
Cecil Cooper
Cecil Celester Cooper , nicknamed "Coop," is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball and the former manager of the Houston Astros. From through , Cooper played for the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers...
and Tal Smith
Tal Smith
Talbot Merton Smith is an American former professional baseball executive who has served in high baseball operations positions — including general manager and club president — as well as the founder of a firm that advises Major League Baseball teams on salary arbitration cases.A veteran of 54...
were named as interim
Interim
Interim is an album by British rock band The Fall, compiled from live and studio material and released in 2004. It features the first officially released versions of "Clasp Hands", "Blindness" and "What About Us?" — all of which were later included on the band's next studio album Fall Heads Roll —...
replacements, respectively.
On September 17, in a 6–0 loss to the Brewers the Astros were officially eliminated from the 2007 playoffs.
On September 20, Ed Wade
Ed Wade
Ed Wade is the former General Manager of the Houston Astros.-Early career in baseball:Wade started his baseball career in 1977 as an intern in the Phillies public relations department. In 1977, he was named public relations assistant for the Astros and was promoted to public relations director in...
was named as the new General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of the Astros. He made his first move as GM by trading Jason Lane
Jason Lane
Jason Dean Lane is a Major League Baseball outfielder in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He was drafted out of the sixth round in . Lane graduated from El Molino High School in Forestville, California in 1995...
to the Padres on September 24.
On September 30, Craig Biggio retired, ending a 20-year career with the Astros.
On November 7, the Astros traded RHP Brad Lidge
Brad Lidge
Bradley Thomas "Brad" Lidge is a reliever who is currently a free agent. Nicknamed "Lights Out", he is the all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings among pitchers with at least 200 appearances in their career...
and SS Eric Bruntlett
Eric Bruntlett
Eric Kevin Bruntlett is a retired Major League Baseball utility player who last played in the New York Yankees organization. He was known for his defensive versatility; he usually played second base or shortstop, but has also played left field. Bruntlett played every position except for catcher...
to the Philadelphia Phillies for OF Michael Bourn
Michael Bourn
Michael Ray Bourn is a professional baseball outfielder with the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. He serves as the Atlanta Braves leadoff hitter. He has also been a member of the United States national baseball team....
, RHP Geoff Geary
Geoff Geary
Geoffrey Michael Geary is a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently a reliever for the York Revolution of the Atlantic League.-Biography:...
, and minor leaguer Mike Costanzo. As well, utility player Mark Loretta
Mark Loretta
Mark David Loretta is a retired Major League Baseball infielder. Loretta played for the Milwaukee Brewers , Houston Astros , San Diego Padres , Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers...
accepted Houston's salary arbitration.
On November 30, the Astros and 2B Kazuo Matsui
Kazuo Matsui
is a Japanese second baseman for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball. Matsui is a switch-hitter...
finalized a $16.5 million, three-year contract.
On December 12, the Astros trade OF Luke Scott, RHP Matt Albers
Matt Albers
Matthew James Albers is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.-High school:In 2001, Albers graduated William P. Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas...
, RHP Dennis Sarfate
Dennis Sarfate
Dennis Scott Sarfate is a Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles organization.-High school career:...
, LHP Troy Patton
Troy Patton
Troy Jamieson Patton is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles. Patton attended Tomball High School in Tomball, Texas.-Baseball career:...
, and minor-league 3B Mike Costanzo, to the Baltimore Orioles for SS Miguel Tejada
Miguel Tejada
Miguel Odalis Tejada was a Major League Baseball infielder who has played for the San Francisco Giants, the San Diego Padres, the Houston Astros, the Baltimore Orioles and the Oakland Athletics...
.
On December 14, the Astros trade INF Chris Burke, RHP Juan Gutiérrez
Juan Gutiérrez (baseball)
Juan Carlos Gutiérrez nicknamed the goot is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.-Baseball career:...
, RHP Chad Qualls
Chad Qualls
Chadford Michael Qualls is a relief pitcher.-Astros:Qualls was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft by the Houston Astros. He began his career as a starting pitcher with the Michigan Battle Cats in...
to the Arizona Diamondbacks for RHP José Valverde
José Valverde
José Rafael Valverde is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. His nickname is Papa Grande...
.
On December 27, the Astros came to terms on a deal with All-star, Gold Glove winner Darin Erstad
Darin Erstad
Darin Charles Erstad is the Head Coach of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team and a former Major League Baseball outfielder/first baseman. Prior to , he had played with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise before signing with the Chicago White Sox in 2007...
.
2008
On January 11, the Astros started off 2008 by signing Brandon Backe
Brandon Backe
Brandon Allen Backe is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. He joined the Houston Astros in , after two seasons with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays....
to a one-year deal. During the rest of the month, they also signed Ty Wigginton
Ty Wigginton
Ty Allen Wigginton is an American professional baseball infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. He is known as a utility player, having platooned as an infielder and an outfielder during his career. He bats and throws right-handed...
and Dave Borkowski
Dave Borkowski
David Richard Borkowski is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher He began his major league career in with the Detroit Tigers, and briefly appeared with the Baltimore Orioles in . From -, he played for the Houston Astros...
to one-year deals.
In February, the Astros signed Shawn Chacón
Shawn Chacón
Shawn Anthony Chacón is a Major League pitcher, currently a free agent. He last played in the Majors for the Houston Astros...
to a one-year contract.
The Astros started off their Spring Training campaign with a loss to the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
on February 28. Spring Training ended with a loss to the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
at Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States that opened in 2000 to house the Major League Baseball Houston Astros....
before the Astros went on to face the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. Manager Cecil Cooper
Cecil Cooper
Cecil Celester Cooper , nicknamed "Coop," is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball and the former manager of the Houston Astros. From through , Cooper played for the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers...
and General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
Ed Wade
Ed Wade
Ed Wade is the former General Manager of the Houston Astros.-Early career in baseball:Wade started his baseball career in 1977 as an intern in the Phillies public relations department. In 1977, he was named public relations assistant for the Astros and was promoted to public relations director in...
had a tough decision to make before the trip. Astros pitcher Woody Williams
Woody Williams
Gregory Scott "Woody" Williams is a former right-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He made his major league debut for the Toronto Blue Jays on May 14, 1993.-Baseball career:...
had a bad spring, going 0–4 throughout the stay in Florida. They released him on March 30 with which he immediately retired.
The Astros also announced their starting pitching rotation. As usual, Roy Oswalt
Roy Oswalt
Roy Edward Oswalt is an American Major League Baseball pitcher and Olympic gold medalist who is currently a free agent. Oswalt, a slender six-foot right-handed starting pitcher, is currently in his eleventh major league season...
was given the ball on opening day. With Jason Jennings
Jason Jennings
Jason Ryan Jennings is an American Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-High school/college years:...
in Texas
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
and Williams retired, the Astros named Brandon Backe to the second spot. Wandy Rodríguez
Wandy Rodríguez
Wandy Fulton Rodríguez is a Dominican pitcher for the Houston Astros. He is a native of Santiago Rodriguez, located in the North Region of the Dominican Republic.-Playing career:...
would get the ball in the third spot with Shawn Chacón and Chris Sampson
Chris Sampson
Christopher Keith Sampson is an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Sampson is 6'0". Sampson attended Texas Tech University, where he played for the Red Raiders....
following them in the #4 and 5 spots, respectively.
The Astros opened up their season in San Diego without second baseman Kazuo Matsui
Kazuo Matsui
is a Japanese second baseman for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball. Matsui is a switch-hitter...
. Matsui, who had been injured in Spring Training, was completing a Minor League rehab assignment. The game that day was bad for Houston with Roy Oswalt giving up four runs in six innings of work. The final was 4–0 for the Padres. As well, the Astros lost the second game of the series with Mark Loretta
Mark Loretta
Mark David Loretta is a retired Major League Baseball infielder. Loretta played for the Milwaukee Brewers , Houston Astros , San Diego Padres , Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers...
and Geoff Blum
Geoff Blum
Geoffrey Edward Blum is a Major League Baseball infielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks. During his major-league career, he has also played for the Montreal Expos, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox...
in the starting lineup.
On Wandy Rodríguez's start, the Astros won their first game with a 9–6 victory over the Padres. Lance Berkman
Lance Berkman
William Lance Berkman is an American professional baseball outfielder and right fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball....
hit a game-winning, three-run home run in the 9th. In the final game of the series, Shawn Chacón pitched a solid game but the Astros lost after Chacón exited with the score tied 2–2.
In May, the Astros have made some roster moves by sending rookie catcher J. R. Towles
J. R. Towles
Justin Roberts Towles is a Major League Baseball catcher.The Oakland Athletics originally drafted him in the 32nd round and in the 23rd round in the and Major League Baseball drafts, respectively. He did not sign with them either times...
to the Triple A Round Rock Express
Round Rock Express
The Round Rock Express is a class Triple-A Pacific Coast League minor league baseball team in Round Rock, Texas, owned by RSR Sports and founded by Reid Ryan, son of Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. The team is affiliated with the Texas Rangers, for whom Nolan Ryan serves as the president and...
and calling up center fielder Reggie Abercrombie
Reggie Abercrombie
Reginald Damascus Abercrombie is a former Major League Baseball outfielder now playing for the Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.-Professional career:...
. Dave Borkowski was sent down earlier in the month, Chris Sampson was demoted to the bullpen and Brian Moehler
Brian Moehler
Brian Merritt Moehler is a starting pitcher, who is currently a free agent.Moehler pitched for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the sixth round of the draft, who assigned him to the Niagara Falls Rapids...
was promoted into the starting rotation.
On June 25, Shawn Chacón was suspended indefinitely for insubordination. The next day the Astros placed him on waivers.
On June 28, the Astros beat the Boston Red Sox
2008 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox' 2008 season began on March 25, in Tokyo, Japan for the MLB Japan Opening Day 2008. The Red Sox were attempting to become the first repeat World Series Champions since the 1999–2000 New York Yankees and also be the first repeat Champions of the 21st century. They also tried to...
for the first time in team history. They have played Boston previously in 2003, but they were swept when they played in Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
.
Playing in Milwaukee due to the effects of Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
, on September 14, the Astros lost a no hitter to the Chicago Cubs
2008 Chicago Cubs season
The Chicago Cubs' 2008 season was the 136th season for the Chicago Cubs. It is considered one of their most impressive regular seasons in the entire history of the franchise. Despite 97 regular season wins—the most since 1945—they failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs, losing 3-0...
.
2009
Manager Cecil Cooper was fired on September 21; Dave Clark
Dave Clark (baseball)
David Earl Clark is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1986 to 1998. He served as manager of the Houston Astros Double-A affiliate, the Corpus Christi Hooks, from 2005 to 2007, and led them to the Texas League Championship in 2006...
, manager of the Corpus Christi Hooks
Corpus Christi Hooks
The Corpus Christi Hooks are a minor league baseball team of the Texas League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team's ownership group is headed by Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan...
, the Astros' AA affiliate, was brought in to manage the Astros for the remainder of the season.
The Astros finished the 2009 season with a record of 74-88, good for fifth place in the NL Central.
2010s: the Jim Crane era and the switch to the AL
2010The 2010 season was the first season as Astros manager for Brad Mills, who was previously the bench coach of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
.
On July 29, the Astros' ace starting pitcher, Roy Oswalt
Roy Oswalt
Roy Edward Oswalt is an American Major League Baseball pitcher and Olympic gold medalist who is currently a free agent. Oswalt, a slender six-foot right-handed starting pitcher, is currently in his eleventh major league season...
, was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
for J. A. Happ
J. A. Happ
James Anthony "J. A." Happ is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Houston Astros. He is a six-foot-six left-hander. Though his name is James Anthony and his initials are "J...
and two minor league players, center fielder Anthony Gose, and shortstop Jonathan Villar, playing for Class-A Advanced and Class-A respectively.
On July 31, 2010, outfielder Lance Berkman
Lance Berkman
William Lance Berkman is an American professional baseball outfielder and right fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball....
was traded to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
for minor leaguers Jimmy Paredes
Jimmy Paredes
Jimmy Santiago Paredes Terrero is an infielder with the Houston Astros.-Minor league career:...
and Mark Melancon
Mark Melancon
Mark David Melancon is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Houston Astros.-Early years:...
.
The Astros finished with a record of 76-86.
2011: The first 100+ loss season
On July 30, the Astros traded OF Hunter Pence
Hunter Pence
Hunter Andrew Pence is a Major League Baseball outfielder with the Philadelphia Phillies. Pence stands tall and weighs . He bats and throws right-handed.-Early life:...
, the team's 2010 leader in home runs, to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
On July 31, the Astros traded OF Michael Bourn
Michael Bourn
Michael Ray Bourn is a professional baseball outfielder with the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. He serves as the Atlanta Braves leadoff hitter. He has also been a member of the United States national baseball team....
(who in 2010 won his second consecutive Gold Glove Award
Rawlings Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
) to the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
.
On September 17, the Astros clinched their first 100-loss season in franchise history, achieving the 100th defeat of the season at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, leaving the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
and the Los Angeles Angels as the only MLB franchises which have never had a team lose 100 games in a season.
On September 28, the Astros ended the season with an 8-0 home loss to the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter
Chris Carpenter
Christopher John Carpenter is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the St. Louis Cardinals since 2003, and is currently signed with the team until the 2011 season, with a club option for 2012.Carpenter was 22 years old and a highly-regarded prospect when he broke into the...
pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout in the game, enabling the Cardinals to win the National League Wild Card (the Cardinals would eventually go on to win the 2011 World Series
2011 World Series
The 2011 World Series was the 107th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion St...
). The Astros finished with a record of 56-106, the worst single-season record in franchise history.
Drayton McLane sells the Astros
In November 2010, Drayton McLane announced that the Astros were being put up for sale. McLane stated that because the Astros was one of the few franchises in Major League Baseball with only one family as the owners, he was trying to move forward with estate planning. McLane is 75 years of age as of November 2011.
In March 2011, local Houston businessman Jim Crane
Jim Crane
James Robert "Jim" Crane is a businessman from Houston, Texas. Crane is chairman and chief executive of Crane Capital Group and he is also the owner and chairman of the MLB team Houston Astros -Early life and education:...
emerged as the front-runner to purchase the franchise. In the 1980s, Crane founded an air freight business which later merged with CEVA Logistics, and later founded Crane Capital Group. McLane and Crane had a previous handshake agreement for the franchise in 2008, but Crane abruptly changed his mind and broke off discussions. Crane also attempted to buy the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
in 2008 and the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
during their 2010 bankruptcy auction.
Crane came under scrutiny because of previous allegations of discriminatory hiring practices regarding women and minorities, among other issues. This delayed MLB's approval process. During the summer of 2011, a frustrated Crane hinted that the delays might threaten the deal. In October 2011, Crane met personally with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig
Bud Selig
Allan Huber "Bud" Selig is the ninth and current Commissioner of Major League Baseball, having served in that capacity since 1992 as the acting commissioner, and as the official commissioner since 1998...
, in a meeting that was described as "constructive".
Move to the American League: the Jim Crane era begins
A June 12, 2011 report by Buster Olney
Buster Olney
Robert Stanbury "Buster" Olney III is a columnist for ESPN: The Magazine, ESPN.com, and covered the New York Giants and New York Yankees for The New York Times. He is also a regular analyst for the ESPN's Baseball Tonight...
on ESPN.com
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
reported that Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
was seriously considering moving an existing National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
team to the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
and giving each league 15 teams, which would require interleague play
Interleague play
Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in . Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season...
every day of the season and put MLB in line with the other three major professional sports leagues, which have similar interconference play throughout their regular seasons. The move is based on a movement by the players union
Major League Baseball Players Association
The Major League Baseball Players Association is the union of professional major-league baseball players.-History of MLBPA:The MLBPA was not the first attempt to unionize baseball players...
to bring balance to the divisions, as the National League Central
National League Central
The National League Central Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the Western Division and three teams from the Eastern Division of the National League...
currently has six teams while the American League West
American League West
The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the west coast and in Texas, historically the...
has four teams, while the remaining divisions have five teams.
The Astros were mentioned as the team most likely to make the move, as it would form a natural rivalry
Lone Star Series
The Lone Star Series is an annual Major League Baseball contest featuring Texas' two major league franchises, the Houston Astros of the National League and the Texas Rangers of the American League. It is an outgrowth of the "natural rivalry" established by MLB as part of interleague play.The...
with the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
(already a popular interleague rivalry), as well as the fact that the Astros would easily fit into the currently four-team AL West. Houston is also the only city within the NL Central that is clearly not located in the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
and is geographically closer to some of 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...
teams than the NL Central teams. The Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
and Miami Marlins were also mentioned in a potential switch, but the Astros were the clear favorites.
Rangers co-owner and Hall of Famer
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
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....
, who pitched for both the Astros and Rangers, supported the Astros switching leagues. However, prospective owner Jim Crane was initially opposed to it, having grown up a St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
fan and preferring the National League game, which has no designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
and employs the double switch. Some older Astros fans also strongly opposed the switch, and expressed their displeasure at an apparent disregard of 50 years of tradition as part of the NL.
On September 7, 2011, MLB did formally ask Crane to move the team to the AL West as part of the deal to purchase the Astros; reportedly it was his desire to keep the team in the NL Central that prevented the deal from going through.
On November 15, 2011, it was announced that Crane had agreed to move the team to the AL, and the team was officially sold to Crane. Crane was given a $70 million concession by MLB for agreeing to the switch; the move was a condition for the sale to the new ownership group.
On November 17, 2011, the Astros were officially sold to Crane after the other owners unanimously voted in favor of the sale. It was also announced that 2012 will be the last season for the Astros in the NL.
Quick facts
- Founded: (National LeagueNational LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
expansion) - Uniform colors: Black, brick red, sand
- Logo design: Red five-pointed star with the word "Astros" below it in script
- Owner: Jim CraneJim CraneJames Robert "Jim" Crane is a businessman from Houston, Texas. Crane is chairman and chief executive of Crane Capital Group and he is also the owner and chairman of the MLB team Houston Astros -Early life and education:...
- General Manager: David Gottfried Interim
- Manager: Brad Mills
- Playoff appearances (9): , , , , , , , ,
- World Series appearances (1):
- Television Stations: FS-HoustonFox Sports HoustonFox Sports Houston is a regional sports network that covers sports in Houston, Texas. The network operates out of Downtown Houston....
, KTXH(My 20)KTXHKTXH, digital channel 19 , is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by the Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is one-half of a duopoly with Fox network station KRIV .Along with programming from MyNetworkTV, the station also airs... - Radio Stations: KTRHKTRH (AM)KTRH 740 AM is a news-talk radio station in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications. With longtime news anchors Lana Hughes and J.P. Pritchard, KTRH primarily focuses on news during the morning and syndicated talk shows during the rest of the day...
-AM 740 (flagshipFlagshipA flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
); KLATKLATKLAT , branded as "La Tremenda 1010", is a Spanish language news-talk radio station in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area. It is currently owned by Univision. The station's name, La Tremenda 1010 was a slogan invented by the station's founder Marcos Rodriguez, Sr...
-AM 1010 (Spanish); KBMEKBME (AM)KBME AM is a sports-talk radio station in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. It is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications. The station airs local sports-talk every weekday from 6am until 9pm and carries nationally syndicated Fox Sports Radio programming.-History:The station first went...
-AM 790 (used to broadcast games in emergencies, power knockouts, weekday spring trainingSpring trainingIn Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
games, or when KTRH can not broadcastBroadcastingBroadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
said game). - Announcers (Radio): Milo HamiltonMilo HamiltonLeland Milo Hamilton is an American sportscaster, best known for calling play-by-play for seven different Major League Baseball teams since 1953...
(Home games only), Dave Raymond, Brett DolanBrett DolanBrett Dolan is an American radio sportscaster and currently serves as the play-by-play announcer for the Houston Astros, which is a position he has held since 2006 along with fellow broadcasters Milo Hamilton and Dave Raymond...
and Franciso Romero and Alex TreviñoAlex TreviñoAlejandro Treviño Castro is a Mexican retired professional baseball catcher. Trevino played 13 seasons in the Major Leagues beginning with the New York Mets for four seasons , followed by the Cincinnati Reds for two full seasons before splitting the 1984 season between the Reds and the Atlanta...
on the Spanish side - Announcers (TV): Bill Brown, Jim DeshaiesJim DeshaiesJames Joseph "Jim" Deshaies , also known as "JD", is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball and currently a TV commentator with the Houston Astros.- Major-league career :...
- Spring Training Facility: Osceola County StadiumOsceola County StadiumOsceola County Stadium is a baseball park located in Kissimmee, Florida. It is the home stadium of the Gulf Coast League Astros rookie league minor league baseball team of the Gulf Coast League. It is also the spring training home of the Houston Astros and their minor league affiliates. The stadium...
, Kissimmee, FL - Rivals: St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
(Lone Star SeriesLone Star SeriesThe Lone Star Series is an annual Major League Baseball contest featuring Texas' two major league franchises, the Houston Astros of the National League and the Texas Rangers of the American League. It is an outgrowth of the "natural rivalry" established by MLB as part of interleague play.The...
) - Famous Fans: George H. W. BushGeorge H. W. BushGeorge Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
, Barbara BushBarbara BushBarbara Pierce Bush is the wife of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of the 43rd President George W. Bush and of the 43rd Governor of Florida Jeb Bush...
, ChamillionaireChamillionaireHakeem Seriki , better known by his stage name Chamillionaire, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Chamillitary Entertainment. Chamillionaire is also the founder and an original member of The Color Changin' Click...
, Paul WallPaul WallPaul Michael Slayton , better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper. He is currently affiliated with Swishahouse Records, having released several albums under the label as well as...
, Hilary DuffHilary DuffHilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
, Matthew McConaugheyMatthew McConaugheyMatthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
, Tracy McGradyTracy McGradyTracy Lamar McGrady, Jr., is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Detroit Pistons.Entering the league after graduating from high school, McGrady eventually became a seven-time All-Star. He led the league in scoring in 2003 and 2004. He has also played for the Toronto...
, Joel OsteenJoel OsteenJoel Scott Osteen is an American author, televangelist, and the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. His ministry reaches over seven million broadcast media viewers weekly in over 100 nations around the world.-Biography:...
, Michelle BeadleMichelle BeadleMichelle Denise Beadle is a sports reporter and host for ESPN. She is the co-host of SportsNation on ESPN2 with Colin Cowherd, and Winners Bracket on ABC with Marcellus Wiley....
The Killer Bs
In the mid-to-late 90's, Jeff BagwellJeff Bagwell
Jeffrey Robert Bagwell , is a former American professional baseball player and coach. He played his entire fifteen-year Major League Baseball career as a first baseman for the Houston Astros and was a four-time All-Star...
, Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio
Craig Alan Biggio is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, catcher, and outfielder. He played his entire 20-year baseball career with the Houston Astros . He ranks 21st all-time with 3,060 career hits, and is the ninth player in the 3000 hit club to get all his hits with the same team. He...
, Derek Bell
Derek Bell (baseball player)
Derek Nathaniel Bell is a former Major League Baseball player. Primarily a right fielder and center fielder, Bell batted from the right side and threw with his right hand. He is 6'2" tall, and during his playing career, he weighed 215 pounds.-Amateur and minor league career:Bell played amateur...
and Sean Berry
Sean Berry
Sean Berry , is a former Major League Baseball player who served primarily as a third baseman from -...
were all part of one of the most productive lineups in team history, earning them the nickname "The Killer Bs". In later seasons, the name came to refer to other Astros—especially Lance Berkman
Lance Berkman
William Lance Berkman is an American professional baseball outfielder and right fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball....
-- but after Bagwell's retirement in 2006 and Biggio's retirement in 2007, the nickname faded.
Other "Killer Bs" over the years included Carlos Beltrán
Carlos Beltrán
Carlos Iván Beltrán is a Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:In his youth, Beltrán excelled in many sports, with volleyball and baseball being his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen...
and Chris Burke, among others.
The Little Pumas
The Little Pumas were formed during the 2008 season when Lance BerkmanLance Berkman
William Lance Berkman is an American professional baseball outfielder and right fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball....
was among the league leaders in many offensive categories, due to a hot-hitting month of May. The name of the group pays tribute to Berkman's nickname, "Big Puma", which, in a tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
remark during a radio interview, he coined due to his fierce yet quick style of play. as well as his dislike towards his other nickname, "Fat Elvis". The Little Pumas have retired now that Berkman is no longer an Astro.
The O's Bros
The O's Bros were a group of fans who attend every Roy OswaltRoy Oswalt
Roy Edward Oswalt is an American Major League Baseball pitcher and Olympic gold medalist who is currently a free agent. Oswalt, a slender six-foot right-handed starting pitcher, is currently in his eleventh major league season...
home game (some road games as well). Created in May 2002, the O's Bros would hang "O's" instead of the traditional "K" for every strikeout Oswalt would get, along with performing a strikeout dance. They originally had two signs they would hang, one saying "Wizard of O's" and the second saying "O's Bros". The O' Bros have disbanded with Oswalt leaving the Astros.
Junction Jack
Junction Jack has been the mascot character for the Houston Astros since March 2000. He is a 7-foot (2.13 meter) tall rabbitRabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
dressed in the home pinstripe uniform. Other characters include Junction Julie and Junction Jesse. He walks around Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States that opened in 2000 to house the Major League Baseball Houston Astros....
, greeting visitors, shaking hands, and posing for pictures.
Outside of the stadium he will generally attend Astros-related promotional events, as well as charities.
Junction Jack replaced Orbit when the team moved from the Astrodome
Reliant Astrodome
Reliant Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, USA. The stadium is part of the Reliant Park complex...
to Minute Maid Park. The new stadium was originally called "The Ballpark at Union Station" because it was built on the site of the historic railway station in downtown Houston. In keeping with this new theme for the Astros, Orbit was replaced by the engineer. The character was designed by Logan Goodson and named by Duone Byars, both former Astros employees.
Orbit
A lime-green outer-space creature wearing an Astros jersey with antennae extending into baseballs. Orbit was the team's official mascot from the 1990 through the 1999 seasons. Orbit paid homage to Houston's association with NASA and nickname Space City.Chester Charge
In April 1977 the Houston Astros introduced their very first mascot, Chester Charge. At that time there was only one other mascot in major league baseball, which was the San Diego Chicken. Chester Charge was a 45 pounds (20.4 kg) costume of a cartoon Texas cavalry soldier on a horse. Chester appeared on the field at the beginning of each home game, during the seventh inning stretch and then ran around the bases at the conclusion of each win. At the blast of a bugle, the scoreboard would light up and the audience would yell, “Charge!” The first Chester Charge was played by Steve Ross who was then an 18-year-old Senior High School student. The creation of Chester Charge and the scoreboard graphics were created by Ed Henderson.Awards
Darryl Kile Award- See: Houston Astros award winners and league leaders#Darryl Kile Award
Two awards are presented each year, one to a Houston Astro and one to a St. Louis Cardinal, each of whom exemplifies Kile's virtues of being "a good teammate, a great friend, a fine father and a humble man." The winner is selected by each local chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America
Baseball Writers Association of America
The Baseball Writers' Association of America is a professional association for baseball journalists writing for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying Web sites. The BBWAA was founded on October 14, 1908, to improve working conditions for sportswriters in the early part of the 20th century...
.
Retired numbers
 Jeff Bagwell Jeff Bagwell Jeffrey Robert Bagwell , is a former American professional baseball player and coach. He played his entire fifteen-year Major League Baseball career as a first baseman for the Houston Astros and was a four-time All-Star... 1B |
 Craig Biggio Craig Biggio Craig Alan Biggio is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, catcher, and outfielder. He played his entire 20-year baseball career with the Houston Astros . He ranks 21st all-time with 3,060 career hits, and is the ninth player in the 3000 hit club to get all his hits with the same team. He... C,2B,OF |
 Jimmy Wynn Jimmy Wynn James Sherman Wynn , nicknamed the "Toy Cannon," is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. During a 15-year baseball career, he played from 1963-1977 for five different teams: the Houston Colt .45s/Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Milwaukee Brewers... OF |
 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... OF |
 Jim Umbricht Jim Umbricht James Umbricht was an American Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended the University of Georgia. He pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Colt .45s . During his 5-year baseball career, Umbricht compiled 9 wins, 133 strikeouts,... P |
 Mike Scott Mike Scott (baseball) Michael Warren "Mike" Scott is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros. He won the National League Cy Young Award in... P |
 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.... P |
 Don Wilson P |
 Larry Dierker Larry Dierker Lawrence Edward Dierker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and manager. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964–1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals... P,M |
 Jackie Robinson Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947... 2B |
While not officially retired, the Astros have not reissued number 57 since 2002, when former Astros pitcher Darryl Kile
Darryl Kile
Darryl Andrew Kile was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1991-2002 for three different teams in his career. In his first season for the Cardinals, he won 20 games in 2000 as the team reached the postseason for the first time in four years. They advanced to the...
died as an active player with the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
.
The number 42 is retired by MLB in honor of Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
Baseball Hall of Fame Awardees
Ford C. Frick Award recipients
Minor league affiliations
| Level | Team | League | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Oklahoma City RedHawks | Pacific Coast League Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The... |
Oklahoma City, OK Oklahoma city Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial... |
| AA | Corpus Christi Hooks Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a minor league baseball team of the Texas League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team's ownership group is headed by Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan... |
Texas League Texas League The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892... |
Corpus Christi, TX Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the... |
| Advanced A | Lancaster JetHawks Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks are a minor league baseball team of the California League located in Lancaster, California. The team is named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and plays its home games at Clear Channel Stadium... |
California League California League The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth... |
Lancaster, CA Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley... |
| A | Lexington Legends Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are a minor league baseball team of the South Atlantic League , and the Class A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Lexington, Kentucky, and play their home games at Whitaker Bank Ballpark, located in an industrial area on the northeast side of the city just... |
South Atlantic League South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States... |
Lexington, KY Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region... |
| Short Season A | Tri-City ValleyCats | New York-Penn League | Troy, NY Troy, New York Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital... |
| Rookie | Greeneville Astros Greeneville Astros The Greeneville Astros are a minor league baseball team of the Appalachian League, and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Greeneville, Tennessee, and play their home games at Pioneer Park on the campus of Tusculum College.... |
Appalachian League Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was a Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee... |
Greeneville, TN Greeneville, Tennessee Greeneville is a town in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 15,198 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greene County. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. It is the only town with this spelling in the United States, although there... |
| GCL Astros Gulf Coast League Astros The Gulf Coast League Astros are a minor league baseball team of the Gulf Coast League , and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Kissimmee, Florida, and play their home games at Osceola County Stadium. The GCL Astros began play in 1977. The team suspended operations... |
Gulf Coast League Gulf Coast League The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South... |
Kissimmee, FL Kissimmee, Florida Kissimmee is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,682. It is the county seat of Osceola County... |
|
| DSL Astros Dominican Summer Astros The Dominican Summer Astros are a minor league baseball team of the Dominican Summer League, and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Boca Chica, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.-References:... |
Dominican Summer League Dominican Summer League The Dominican Summer League is a branch of affiliated minor league baseball which is played in the Dominican Republic. The league was founded in 1985. The 2011 72-game season begins May 28 and ends August 20... |
Boca Chica Boca Chica Boca Chica is a municipality of the Santo Domingo province in the Dominican Republic. Within the municipality there is one municipal district : La Caleta.... , Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries... |
Radio and television
, the Astros' flagship radio station is KTRHKTRH (AM)
KTRH 740 AM is a news-talk radio station in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications. With longtime news anchors Lana Hughes and J.P. Pritchard, KTRH primarily focuses on news during the morning and syndicated talk shows during the rest of the day...
, 740AM. Milo Hamilton
Milo Hamilton
Leland Milo Hamilton is an American sportscaster, best known for calling play-by-play for seven different Major League Baseball teams since 1953...
, a veteran voice who was on the call for Hank Aaron's 715th career home run in 1974, is the current play-by-play announcer for home games. Dave Raymond and Brett Dolan share play-by play duty for road games, while Raymond additionally works as Hamilton's color analyst.
Spanish language radio play-by-play is handled by Francisco Romero, and his play-by-play partner is Alex Treviño
Alex Treviño
Alejandro Treviño Castro is a Mexican retired professional baseball catcher. Trevino played 13 seasons in the Major Leagues beginning with the New York Mets for four seasons , followed by the Cincinnati Reds for two full seasons before splitting the 1984 season between the Reds and the Atlanta...
, a former backup catcher for the club.
Television coverage is mainly on Fox Sports Houston
Fox Sports Houston
Fox Sports Houston is a regional sports network that covers sports in Houston, Texas. The network operates out of Downtown Houston....
(formerly a subfeed of Fox Sports Southwest, now its own network; logo on top-right of the screen reads FSASTROS), although some games are on My Network TV affiliate KTXH
KTXH
KTXH, digital channel 19 , is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by the Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is one-half of a duopoly with Fox network station KRIV .Along with programming from MyNetworkTV, the station also airs...
(My 20), with the games produced by FSN Houston. Bill Brown
Bill Brown (broadcaster)
Bill Brown is an American baseball announcer who has been with the Houston Astros since 1987. He is often called "Brownie" by his play by play partner Jim Deshaies. He has developed a reputation for being a solid broadcaster that often plays the part of the straight man to Deshaies' humorous asides...
and Jim Deshaies
Jim Deshaies
James Joseph "Jim" Deshaies , also known as "JD", is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball and currently a TV commentator with the Houston Astros.- Major-league career :...
compose the broadcast team on TV.