History of the Houston Astros - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Major League Baseball comes to Houston

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...

expansion Houston's connection to MLB was the Houston Buffaloes

Houston Buffaloes

The Houston Buffaloes or Buffs were an American minor league baseball team that was founded in 1888, played in the Texas League in the years 1888-90, 1892, 1895-99, and 1907-1958 ; in the South Texas League in the years 1903-06; and in the American Association from 1959-61...

or Buffs. The Buffs were the minor league team for 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...

from 1921–1958.

Houston had been making efforts to bring a Major League franchise to the city before the expansion in 1962. 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

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 Major League Baseball'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 held. 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 the other expansion team 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 would play ball 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 his 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 Coliseum 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.

1962–1964: The Colt .45s era

The Colt .45s started their inaugural season on April 10, 1962 against 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...

. 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...

was named Houston's first manager. The Colt .45s finished eighth among the National League's ten teams. To get an idea of how the first season was for Houston, look at 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...

. A starter for the Colt .45s, he was primarily a relief pitcher when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

and 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...

. Turk lost 20 games in 1962, but 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. Turk was selected to both All-Star games that year.

There was a bright spot in the 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. While he played better the first half of the season, an injury slowed him the second half of the season. However he still 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...

. Still, the results in the win–lose department did not change much. 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 an all rookie team versus the New York Mets

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

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 just before opening day. Umbricht was the only Colt .45s pitcher to post winning records in the Colt .45s first two seasons. So well liked by players and fans the Colt .45 retired his Jersey number 32 in 1965. Umbricht was 33 years old.
On the field the 1964 Colt .45s got off to a quick start, but it would not last. Manager Harry Craft was fired presumably for wanting to play more experienced players, while the front office wanted 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....

. Some of that up and coming talent the front office wanted to showcase was a young pitcher by the name 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...

. 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. He 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: The Move into the Astrodome

With Judge Roy Hofheinz

Roy Hofheinz

now the sole owner of the franchise and his vision of a domed stadium to play ball indoors complete, the Colt .45 moved into their new domed stadium in 1965. The Judge called the new domed stadium the Astrodome. The name was in honor of Houston's importance to the country's space program and to match with the meaning of the name, 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

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

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

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 league record with 49 steals, and led the Astros with a .292 batting average. The Astros were a young team full of talent that was not yet refined and the inconsistencies of their youth was viewed on the field.

1967 saw third baseman 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. Mathews, however, would play 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 Don Wilson pitched a no hitter on June 18, Fathers Day, against the Braves. It was the first no hit, shut out, pitched in team history and in the Astrodome. Jimmy Wynn

Jimmy 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 for the distance of the home runs. Wynn set club records with 37 home runs, and 107 RBIs 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

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. 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 saw a pitching duel that was one for the ages. 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...

and Don Wilson faced each other in a pitching duel that lasted six hours. Seaver went ten frames 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 New York Mets

New York Mets

and four for the Astros tried to end the game. The game finally ended 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. Weis was not quick enough to make the play and the ball zipped into left field allowing Norm Miller

Norm Miller

Norm Miller is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Parry Sound—Muskoka for the Progressive Conservatives...

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. Grady Hatton

Grady Hatton

Grady Edgebert Hatton Jr. is a retired American baseball player, coach, manager and executive...

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 from Pittsburgh the year before The Astros ended the season in last place.

With baseball expansion and trades the Astros had dramatically changed in 1969. Gone were Aspromonte, Cuellar, and Staub, just to name a few. Added to the team were catcher Johnny Edwards, outfielder 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...

, 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 Dave Lemaster. Who would help the Astros finish better than they had since they started playing ball in 1962.
Wilson continued pitching great 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 Astros tied a major league record by turning seven double plays. By May's end the Astros had put together a ten game winning streak.
The Astros infield tandem of Menke and Joe Morgan

Joe Morgan

continued to improve and provided 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/Morgam punch was beginning to come alive.

On September 10, the Astros were tied for fourth and only two games out of first, but fell 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....

three days later. Larry Dierker

Larry Dierker

had no hit the Braves and was one out away from ending it when Felix Millan

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 did not finish the season below .500. 1969 saw both the 1962 expansion teams improve, but it was the New York Mets

New York Mets

that climbed to the top winning the World Series.

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

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

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

batted .304 and Jesus Alou

Jesús 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

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 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....

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. 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 only last for four seasons. The Astros would shock baseball and the fashion world four years later.

The uniforms were about the only thing that did change in 1971. That and 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

in the off-season. This moved Menke

Menke

Menke is a surname. People with this surname include:* Bill Menke, an American basketball player.* Denis Menke , an American baseball player.* Frank G. Menke , American newspaper reporter* Frl...

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

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

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.
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 in the off season.

The big trade

In November 1971

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...

The Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds

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

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. The Astros sent second baseman Joe Morgan

Joe Morgan

, infielder Denis Menke

Denis Menke

, 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 Jim 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 Astros 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

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 sure up many problems. They had an off year in 1971, but were the National League Pennant winner in 1970

1971 Major League Baseball season

. They had plenty of power at the plate in 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

. 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 lineup 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 basemen, was placed at third in order to have both May and Perez in the line-up. Perez at third base caused a fielding weakness. Now with Denis Menke

Denis Menke

, a proven veteran that could play third, Perez could move to first, thus strengthening the left side of the field. They Also got the 6 ft 4 in Billigham, 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...

. The deal turned out to be more than just Morgan for May, but Morgan turning out to be a great second baseman for the Astros, to a second baseman that would turn out to be an all-time great just made the deal that much better for the Reds.

Lee May added more power to the lineup in 1972. An All-Star in 1970 and 1971, May returned to the All-Star game in 1972, this time as an Astro. 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 and 55 stolen bases and made spectacular plays on the field. Cedeno made his first All-Star game in 1972 and became the first Astro in team history to hit for the cycle

Hitting for the cycle

In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...

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 finished 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

and Jimmy Wynn

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

Larry Dierker

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 Russ 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.

Leo Durocher

Leo Durocher

decided to retire at season's end after taking ill in mid season. Durocher took the Astros to an 82–80 finish and the Astros finished in fourth place.

The Astros didn't fare much better in 1974, but did finish with a .500 record 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 again finished in fourth place in the National League West. The Astros were in need of rebuilding both on and off the field. Owner Roy Hofheinz

Roy Hofheinz

's 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 debit of the Astrodomain, control was passed from Judge Roy Hofheinz

Roy Hofheinz

to GE Credit and Ford Motor Credit. This included the Astros. 1975 proved to be a bad year for 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 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 pant 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

was traded to Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

for much talked about rookie second baseman Rob Andrews

Rob Andrews

Robert Ernest "Rob" Andrews is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County....

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...

. Cabell, played primarily behind Baltimore

Baltimore

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...

when he arrived in Houston he took advantage of his opportunity and became the everyday third baseman for Houston. Cabell would go on to become a big part of the teams success in later years. Bob Watson moved to first base with May gone and was a bright spot in the line up batting .324 and 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

was also a steal, in retrospect, from the Cardinals

St. Louis 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

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's role in Astros history would go on to see his number retired as an Astro.

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

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 and Pirates 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

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

became Houston's everyday left fielder and hit .303 with 28 stolen bases.

1976 saw the end of Larry Dierker

Larry Dierker

's career as an Astro, but before it was all over he would throw a no-hitter and win the 1,000 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 player 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

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

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 inconsistent and was 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

really started to shine as an Astros 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 pitch that had a stellar year. He threw two shut games, back to back, in May, had 303 strike out for the season and won 18.

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, 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

. 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 ran 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

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

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

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

, 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 owner and not Ford Motor Credit in charge the Astros

Astros

Astros in sports may refer to:*The Houston Astros, a Major League Baseball team*Astros , an American football team in Australia*Astros Field, now renamed Minute Maid ParkAstros may also refer to:...

would be able to compete in the free agent market.

In July, the Astros went to Cincinnati leading the National League West, something the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

were accustomed to doing. July 4 fireworks erupted when, tired of the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

taunting pitcher Joaquin Andujar

Joaquín Andújar

, a fight broke out involving Cesar Cedeno

César Cedeño

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

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 turn out to be more than an outstanding pitching performance by Forsch. The Dodgers taunted Cedeno causing the aggregated Cedeno to throw a hard fastball in the Dodgers dugout. Later that inning Enos Cabell

Enos Cabell

was hit by a pitch and this time the benches did empty. 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

and Enos Cabell

Enos Cabell

both stole 30 bases. Joe Niekro

Joe Niekro

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.

1980: Here Come The Astros

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

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 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.

Joe Morgan

Joe Morgan

returned to the Astros in 1980. When Morgan left Houston he was a good player that became a great player with the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

. Morgan had always regretted leaving the Astros but his destiny was with the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

. Now back in Houston, his two MVP awards and three World Series

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

Joe Niekro

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

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 inning 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

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....

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 Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

, the Astros 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.

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

. The Astros 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 third 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...

, who did not hold the ball when Puhl scored, was waiting with ball in hand to tag Ashby out. He then gave Ashby a knee to the ribs causing a benches to clear. The Dodger

Dodger

Dodger is a term used in sailing and sailboats. It is a frame-supported canvas structure providing a helmsman and other occupants of a sailboat partial protection from harsh weather and seas. It covers part of the cockpit and the entrance into the interior of the sailboat...

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 Phillies the next day for game one of the NLCS.

The 1980 NLCS - A Hard Fought Battle

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 Borsch, 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 counted, fouled of 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 Greg 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 Gross 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 Phul 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

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. Phul had his third hit in the tenth and moved to second on a Enos Cabell

Enos Cabell

sacrifice. After an intentional walk to Morgan, José Cruz

José Cruz

singled home Phul to give the Astros the lead. A Bake McBride

Bake McBride

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

was able to end the game by getting Schmidt to fly out to Phul 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 pitchers 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

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 tripled 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

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

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

hit a two out single giving the Phillies the lead in the second. The Astros tied the game in the sixth with a 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

. 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 but 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 pitch great ball in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings striking out six and holding the Phillies

Philadelphia 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 on 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

was brought in my 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...

the 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 single 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

. 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.

Houston was on the brink of going to the World Series

World Series

and had a taste of the post season for the first time. Astros teams were no longer looked at as mediocre. They would prove to contenders in the coming decade.,

1981-85: The Chinese Water Torture Offense and Tough Times

After the heartbreaking loss to the Phillies in the 1980 NLCS, the Astros were back for revenge in the free agent market. They signed longtime Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton and traded Jeffrey Leonard

Jeffrey Leonard

Jeffrey N. Leonard is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball with a 14-year career from to...

to 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....

for 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....

. The Astros had a rough start before the strike halted play for two months. Just days before the strike, the Astros traded pitcher Joaquin Andujar

Joaquín Andújar

to St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals

, where he would help the Cardinals

1982 St. Louis Cardinals season

The St. Louis Cardinals' 1982 season was the team's 101st season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 91st season in the National League. Making up for the previous year's near-miss, the Cardinals went 92-70 during the season and won their first-ever National League East Division title by three games...

to the World Series Championship

1982 World Series

-Game 1:Tuesday, October 12, 1982 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriThe Brewers' left-hander Mike Caldwell pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only three hits. The Brewers' offense was led by Paul Molitor, who had a World Series-record five hits and two RBIs...

the following season, for outfielder Tony Scott

Tony Scott (baseball)

Anthony Scott is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.-Montreal Expos:Scott was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 71st round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft. After five seasons in their farm system, he received a September call-up to the Expos in...

. Once the strike ended, baseball decided to add an extra layer to the playoffs by having the first-half division winner face the second-half winner. While the Dodgers won the first half, it would be Houston winning the second half. However, it wouldn't be easy since the Astros did not score too many runs. This was known as the "Chinese Water Torture" offense. They would have frequent 1-0 or 2-0 victories. The Astros would have a milestone on September 26 when 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....

pitched his fifth no-hitter against the Dodgers. A few weeks later, they were in the playoffs against the Dodgers in the 1981 National League Division Series

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...

. After the Astros won the first two games in dramatic fashion, the Dodgers won the next three in Dodger Stadium

Dodger Stadium

Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...

to earn the full NL West Title.

Afterward, the Astros would have three tough seasons. They would trade Cesar Cedeno

César Cedeño

to Cincinnati for 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...

and 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 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...

. In the process, Bill Virdon was fired in favor of Bob Lillis

Bob Lillis

Robert Perry Lillis is a retired American infielder, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball...

. During this time, 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 emerging as a premier shortstop, hitting 20 homers in 1983. But in April 1984, he was beaned by 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...

. That would remove any chances for Thon of becoming a big-time shortstop.

1986 season

After a mediocre 1985 season

1985 Major League Baseball season

In 1985, the Major League Baseball season ended with the Kansas City Royals defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh game of the I-70 World Series. Bret Saberhagen, the regular season Cy Young Award winner, was named MVP of the Series...

, the Astros fired general manager Al Rosen

Al 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

defeated the Astros to win the 1979 NL West. 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...

whose "box-office 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.

The Astros had many highlights. After the Astrodome hosted the Major League Baseball 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 July, the Astros went on a streak with five straight come-from-behind wins (two against the Mets and three against the Montreal Expos). In a game against the Dodgers, pitcher 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 :...

(who came from the Yankees in exchange for Joe Niekro

Joe Niekro

) started the game with eight straight strikeouts. On September 25, 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...

helped his team clinch the NL West by no-hitting 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....

. 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.

Houston's opponents in the NLCS

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...

were their expansion cousins the New York Mets

New York Mets

, a team that with 108 wins was considered a team for the ages, destined to win a World Championship. To add a hint of flavor to the matchup, both teams were celebrating their 25th season as MLB franchises that season.

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.

A historic bet on the series was made on live television between talk show host David Letterman

David Letterman

David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...

, whose show was based in New York; and former Houston mayor Kathryn J. Whitmire

Kathryn J. Whitmire

Kathryn Jean "Kathy" Whitmire was Mayor of the city of Houston, Texas, from 1982 to 1991.Whitmire was a professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she taught political science classes in the Burns Leadership Academy. Whitmire was the daughter of Ida Reeves and Karl Niederhofer, a...

. Letterman agreed to pay $2000 if the Astros won, and Whitmire agreed to hang a picture of Mookie Wilson

Mookie Wilson

William Hayward "Mookie" Wilson is an American former Major League Baseball center fielder and current coach for the New York Mets. He played 12 years in baseball for the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays . He was a switch hitter primarily known for his impressive speed and positive attitude...

in her office if the Mets won. When the Mets won, Whitemire displayed a 10' × 10' photo of Wilson in her office.

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

1986 National League Championship Series

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.

This 16-inning game held the record for the longest in MLB postseason history until October 9, 2005 when the Astros defeated the Atlanta Braves

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 2 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

While the Astros were dealing away their 1986 championship parts, they were grooming young players in the process, such as 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...

and 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...

. 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

Boston 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 most people's minds, the second best overall player in Astros history, behind the great Craig Biggio. 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 manager of these title teams was Larry Dierker

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 Guts

Rainbow Guts

The Rainbow Guts uniform is a nickname for a series of uniform styles worn by the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club from 1975 to 1993...

" 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

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.

2000s: New stadium; First pennant

After years at the outdated Astrodome, the Astros moved into their new stadium in 2000. Originally called 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, the stadium was one of the first to feature a functional retractable roof, considered a necessity in Houston. Additionally the ballpark featured more intimate surroundings than the cavernous Astrodome. It is believed by some that the departure of the NFL

National 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 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 442' 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 season

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

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

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

(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

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

on January 9, 2005.

2005: Houston, we have a pennant

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...

, Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte

, Roger Clemens

Roger Clemens

(who had a league-low ERA of only 1.87), and 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....

. 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....

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:...

were also successful.

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

. (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.)

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

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

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

.

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

. 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

, who went 2–0 and had an ERA of 1.29, won the NLCS MVP.

World Series

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 in World Series history, lasting 14 innings. 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 only six.

2006 season

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 1/2 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

'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 files for free agency. Finally to end his amazing career, Bagwell announced his retirement on December 15.

On November 6, Roger Clemens

Roger Clemens

and Andy Pettitte

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

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 will mark 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

, 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

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

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 season

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

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

for the first time in team history.

On June 28, second baseman Craig Biggio

Craig Biggio

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 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

'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

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. Also 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...

accepts 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

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 Gutierrez

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 Jose 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 season

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

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 Chacon

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 Cleveland

Cleveland Indians

on the 28th. Spring Training ended with a loss to the Detroit Tigers at Minute Maid before the Stros went on to face the 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 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 Woody retired, the Astros named Brandon Backe to the second spot. Wandy Rodriguez would get the ball in the third spot with Shawn Chacon and Chris Sampson following them in the #4 and 5 spots.

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 because Roy Oswalt gave up four runs in six innings of work. The final was 4–0, Padres. Also the Astros lost the second game of the series with Mark Loretta and Geoff Blum also starting.

On Rodríguez's start, the Astros won their first game with a 9–6 victory over the Padres. Berkman hit a game-winning three-run home run in the 9th. In the final game of the series of the series Shawn Chacon pitched a good game but the Astros lost after Chacon 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 and Chris Sampson was moved to the bullpen and Brian Moheler moving into the starting rotation.

On June 25, Shawn Chacon

Shawn Chacón

Shawn Anthony Chacón is a Major League pitcher, currently a free agent. He last played in the Majors for the Houston Astros...

was suspended indefinitely for insubordination. The next day the Astros placed him on waivers.

On June 28, the Astros beat the Boston Red Sox

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

Fenway Park

.

On September 14, the Astros lost a no hitter to the Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

while playing in Milwaukee due to 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...

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