Houston Astros

Houston Astros
2024 Houston Astros season
File:Houston Astros logo.png Logo
Established in 1962
Major league affiliations
National League (1962–present) Central Division (1994–present)
Retired numbers	24,25,32,33,34,40,49
Name
Houston Astros (1965–present) Houston Colt .45s (1962-1964)
Ballpark
Minute Maid Park (2002–present) also known as Astros Field (2002) also known as Enron Field (2000-2001) Astrodome (1965-1999) also known as Harris County Domed Stadium (1965) Colt Stadium (1962-1964)
Major league titles
World Series titles (0)	None
NL Pennants (1)	2005
Central Division titles (4)	2001 • 1999 • 1998 • 1997
West Division titles (2) [1][2]	1986 • 1980
Wild card berths (2)	2005 • 2004
[1] - In 1981, a players' strike in the middle of the season forced the season to be split into two halves. The Astros won the divsion in the second half, but lost the division playoff to the Dodgers. [2] - In 1994, a players' strike wiped out the last eight weeks of the season and all post-season. Houston was a half game out of first place in the Central Division behind Cincinnati when play was stopped. No official titles were awarded in 1994.

The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The team is in the Central Division of the National League. The Astros are the current defending National League champions, having played in the World Series for the first time in franchise history in October 2005, marking the first time a team from Texas has participated in the series.

Franchise history

Beginnings: The 1960s

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Houston Colt .45s Logo, circa 1962-1964

Subsequent to the Giants and Dodgers leaving for California, an abortive attempt was made to start a third major league. It was to be called the Continental League. Though the league never got off the ground, it nonetheless established the demand for major league baseball in other markets.

On October 17, 1960, Judge Roy Hofheinz and the existing Continental League ownership group from Houston was awarded a franchise in the ten-team National League The team was to be named the Houston Colt .45s. In addition to the Houston Colt .45s, the New York Mets would also join the NL in 1962, a year after the 1961 expansion of the American League, which resulted in new AL teams in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Angels) and Washington, D.C. (a new Washington Senators franchise to replace the team that had left D.C. to become the Minnesota Twins the same year).

The "Colts" began play on April 10, 1962, and for the next three years, the team would play in Colt Stadium.

On Sunday, September 29, 1963, the final day of the regular season, Colt 45's outfielder John Paciorek would have a career day, going 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs, 2 walks and 4 runs scored as the team beat the Mets 13-4. Because of chronic injuries, the game would mark Paciorek's only major league appearance. Through 2005, Paciorek still holds the record of having a perfect 1.000 average with the most at-bats. Sadly, September 29, 1963 would also mark the last major league game for the winning pitcher of that game, Astros pitcher Jim Umbricht. Stricken with cancer, Umbricht would pass away on April 8, 1964. His number 32 was the first jersey number retired by the Astros.

The franchise's first decade displayed some great hitters (for example, Joe Morgan, Jimmy Wynn) and many great pitchers (for example, Bob Bruce, Ken Johnson, Mike Cuellar, Don Wilson, Larry Dierker, Dave Giusti, and Denny LeMaster.)

New venue, new name

On April 9, 1965, the Houston Colt .45s became the Houston Astros and inaugurated indoor baseball in the Astrodome.

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Houston Astros Logo, circa 1965-1974

The Sporting News Official Baseball Guide for 1965 had this to say about why the team was renamed: "Late in the year [1964] the [Harris County Domed Stadium] was officially named the Astrodome after the Houston club changed its nickname, December 1, from Colt .45s to Astros. The move resulted from objections by the Colt Firearms Company to the club's sales of novelties bearing the old nickname."

Regardless of trade mark issues, "Astros" was a good fit for the futuristic ambiance of the revolutionary domed stadium and also since Houston was by then the home of NASA's astronaut program. The scoreboard retained subliminal references to the old nickname, as it featured electronically animated cowboys firing pistols, with the "bullets" ricocheting around the scoreboard, when an Astros player would hit a home run. Early on, the groundskeepers also wore astronaut spacesuits to promote that futuristic image.

As a condition of their entry in the National League, the Astros committed to building a new domed stadium, designed as a defense against the oppressive heat and humidity of the Houston summer. The result was the Astrodome.

Loosely based on the old Roman Colosseum, the Astrodome was like no venue that had come before it, and it was dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World. As with many stadiums of that era, such as RFK Stadium and Shea Stadium, the Astrodome was a multi-purpose stadium, designed for both football and baseball. However, because it was enclosed, it could also be used for events traditionally held in indoor arenas, such as basketball, concerts and political conventions, allowing outdoor-sized crowds in an indoor venue.

Besides its roof, the Astrodome was revolutionary for a number of other reasons. It was one of the first stadiums to have individual, theatre-type seats for every seat in the venue. Additionally, it was one of the first stadiums to have luxury seats and club seating, at the time a relatively new concept in sports venues. It also had an "exploding scoreboard", which would show various animations after a home run or a win, as well as messages and advertising.

The Astrodome was also one of the first stadiums in the country to use an artificial playing surface. The creation of an artificial surface came across based on necessity. Originally the Astrodome had a grass field and a transparent roof. However, during the 1965 season, players and fans complained about the glare on the field which detracted from the game. As a result, the roof was painted black. This solved the glare problem but killed off the grass. As a solution the Astros deployed a product from Monsanto Corporation called AstroTurf, a surface that could be used in any condition, and a surface that was, compared to grass, low maintenance.

The surface did prove resilient to routine game play and was relatively safe, resulting in a number of colleges and pro teams switching to artificial surface fields. Additionally, AstroTurf made possible a number of other domed stadiums, such as the Superdome, the Carrier Dome, and the Pontiac Silverdome.

1970s

The year 1975 would be marked by tragedy with the death of former Astros pitcher Don Wilson, who had pitched two no-hitters for the club. Wilson's jersey, number 40, was also retired by the Astros.

The Astros in 1975 would also adopt the orange, yellow and navy "Rainbow Guts" uniforms that became a team trademark and would stay with them in some form through 1993. These uniforms (nicknamed "the popsicles") originally made by Sand-Knit, were highly popular with fans, increased awareness of the Astros considerably, and kicked off a fashion trend which would spread to Astros' farm teams from the Dubuque Packers to the Charleston Charlies. Eventually, the Rainbow Guts would be worn by many a recreational softball team, as well as high schools and colleges (notably Seton Hall, Tulane, and Louisiana Tech). At the same time, the Astros also switched from blue caps to orange (although later they would revert to blue caps for road games and, eventually, all games). The Astros would sport a toned-down version from 1987 to 1993.

In 1972, the Astros would have their best showing to date. Under three different managers - including legendary manager Leo Durocher, (whose last managerial job would be with these Astros), the Astros finished the 1972 season 84-69, and in second place in the NL West.

It was with the Astros that Bob Watson scored the 1,000,000th run in baseball history on May 4, 1975. Because there were other players in other venues competing simultaneously for the right to be designated with the milestone, Watson had to run around the bases after a home run at full speed so as to ensure that he would be the one credited with scoring the historic run.

Former Pittsburgh Pirates player and manager Bill Virdon arrived in May, 1975 as the team's new manager.

1979-85: The Start of Something Big; Taste of October

Nolan Ryan pitching

After three seasons hovering around .500, the Astros would be involved in their first real pennant race in 1979. Though the team was dead last in power - they only hit 49 home runs as a team and nobody hit more than 10 home runs - the 1979 Astros were a team built around pitching and speed. In fact, the Astros led the National League with 190 steals; four of the Astros' regular players had over 30 steals. The team's stars included outfielder José Cruz, Sr., third baseman Enos Cabell and pitcher J.R. Richard. This formula enabled the Astros to lead the National League West for much of the season, leading the division by 10 games at the All-star break. Yet they were unable to hold off the Cincinnati Reds, who edged the Astros on the last weekend for the National League West title, ultimately winning the division by 1.5 games.

Following the 1979 season, Nolan Ryan signed with the Astros as a free agent, agreeing to MLB's first million-dollar per year salary. They also brought back popular Texas native Joe Morgan (who began his Hall of Fame career with the Astros) to bring leadership to this young team.

Using much the same pitching and speed strategy in 1980 as they had in 1979, the Astros won their first NL West championship. They entered the final weekend series against the Dodgers with a three-game lead only needing to win one of the final three games to clinch the NL West. However, the Astros were swept, forcing a one game postseason playoff game - the first such playoff since the National League switched to two-division format in 1969. In the game in Los Angeles, Joe Niekro won his 20th game as the Astros cruised to an easy 7-1 victory over the Dodgers, clinching the team's first divisional title with a 93-70 record.

In the National League Championship Series, the Astros would push the Phillies to five games in what remains regarded as the greatest League Championship Series ever played. In the decisive fifth game the Astros would take a 5-2 lead into the top of the 8th against the Phillies. However, Nolan Ryan would be unable to hold the lead. The Astros would go on to lose to the Phillies in 10 innings, 6-5.

Tragedy would rear its head again for the Astros in 1980. J.R. Richard, considered to be a front-runner for the National League's Cy Young Award and one of the most dominating pitchers in baseball, had a 10-4 record and an ERA of 1.73 on July 30, 1980 when he suffered a stroke before a game. In the days and weeks previous, Richard had complained of a "dead arm" and shoulder and neck pains. Additionally, in his last start on July 14, he said he was unable to read the catcher's signs. The stroke nearly killed him and although Richard survived, he never would pitch in the major leagues again.

In the strike-shortened 1981 season, the Astros made the playoffs once again as the second half Western Division champions. This ballclub succeeded thanks to free agent acquisition Don Sutton. Even if their pitching was excellent, the Astros' "Chinese Water Torture" offense was so slow that it went "drip, drip, drip." The Astros got to face the Dodgers in the special pre-LCS playoffs. After winning the first two games, the Dodgers went on to win the final three games, thus making the Astros the first team in baseball history to lose a five game series, after winning the first two games.

After that loss to Los Angeles, the Astros' fortunes began to change for the worse. However, there were some shining moments that stood out - like in 1983 when Nolan Ryan became all-time strikeout leader in a game against the Montreal Expos at Stade Olympique. Ryan and Steve Carlton would battle for the lead until Ryan earned it for good. The next season, shortstop Dickie Thon was beaned in the head by Mets pitcher Mike Torrez, derailing what many thought would be an extremely promising career.

1986

After a mediocre 1985 season, the Astros fired general manager Al Rosen and manager Bob Lillis. The former was supplanted by Dick Wagner, the man whose Reds defeated the Astros to win the 1979 NL West. The latter was replaced by Hal Lanier 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, 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 (who came from the Yankees in exchange for Joe Niekro) started the game with 8 straight strikeouts. On September 25, Mike Scott helped his team clinch the NL West by no-hitting the surprising San Francisco Giants. Scott would finish the season with an 18-10 record and a Cy Young Award with it.

Their opponents in the NLCS were the 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 National League Championship Series was noted for great drama and is considered one of the best postseason series ever. In Game 3, the Astros were ahead at Shea Stadium, 5-4, in the bottom of the 9th when closer Dave Smith gave up a two-run home run to Lenny Dykstra, giving the Mets a dramatic 6-5 win.

However, the signature game of the series was Game 6. Needing a win to get to Mike Scott (who had been dominant in the series) in Game 7, the Astros jumped off to a 3-0 lead in the first inning but neither team would score again until the 9th inning. In the 9th, starting pitcher Bob Knepper would give two runs, and once again the Astros would look to Dave Smith to close it out. However, Smith would walk Gary Carter and Darryl Strawberry, giving up a sacrifice fly to Ray Knight, tying the game. Despite having the go-ahead runs on base, Smith was able to escape the inning without any further damage.

There was no scoring until the 14th inning when the Mets would take the lead on a Wally Backman single and Kevin Bass error. The Astros would get the run back in the bottom of the 14th on a solo home run by Billy Hatcher with one out. In the 16th inning, Darryl Strawberry doubled to lead off the inning and Ray Knight drove him home in the next at-bat. The Mets would score a total of three runs in the inning to take what appeared an insurmountable 7-4 lead. With their season on the line, the Astros would nonetheless rally for two runs to come to within 7-6. Kevin Bass came up with the tying and winning runs on base; however Jesse Orosco would strike him out, ending the game.

This 16-inning game set a record for the longest in MLB postseason history until the Astros were involved in the game that broke the record on October 9, 2005 against the Atlanta Braves which went 18 innings.

The alleged "Texas Agreement" of 1986

In a 1990 book titled The Impossible Takes A Little Longer sportswriter Phil Rogers alleged that on May 19, 1986, with little fanfare, Rangers general manager Tom Grieve and Houston Astros general manager Dick Wagner reached an agreement to always deal with each other first for experienced players. Rogers stated that the agreement was carried out in secret due to the fact it would likely have violated anti-collusion regulations and brought down the wrath of the commissioner's office. According to the allegations, the players involved sometimes did not come directly from one team to another. An alleged example was the case of Denny Walling, the Astros third baseman from the 1980s along with Phil Garner, who was given a spot on the 1991 Ranger's roster and allowed to have 44 at-bats. A story by Ivy McLemore in the Houston Post on June 17 1990 maintained that many of the allegations in Rogers' book were true.

Another alleged example was the Astros allowing former Rangers rookie sensation Pete Incaviglia to make their team in 1992. He struggled in only 113 games with the Astros and was released. In 1994 Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams supposedly brought about the end of the secret deal when he exploded in the Astros bullpen (having previously started his career with the Rangers) by blowing so many saves that he was quickly discarded.

The Astros general manager during the Wild Thing saga, Bob Watson, publicly stated he would not be bound by any such arrangement. The Rangers are alleged to have responded by refusing to trade first baseman Jack Daugherty to the Astros. In 1998 Pete Incaviglia supposedly invoked an obscure clause in the agreement and was able to garner 16 at-bats in the later part of the 1998 Houston Astros season. At this point Major League Baseball is alleged to have stepped in and banned the "Texas Agreement." To this day both Tom Grieve and Dick Wagner deny that any such agreement took place.

Other notable players alleged to have been part of the "Texas Agreement" over the years and who have played for Texas and Houston include Buddy Bell, Dickie Thon, Nolan Ryan, Calvin Schiraldi, Mike Lamb, Floyd Bannister, Alan Bannister, Luis Pujols, Ken Caminiti, John Cangelosi, Mike Henneman, Dwayne Henry, Art Howe (first base coach in Texas), Chris James, Cliff Johnson, Darren Oliver, Jay Powell, Doug Rader (as Texas manager), Mike Simms and Danny Darwin.The allegations about many of these players strain credulity, because their stints with the Astros and Rangers were interspersed with years of play for other organizations. Darren Oliver, for instance, last played for the Rangers in 2001. He then played for three other teams—the Boston Red Sox, the Colorado Rockies, and the Florida Marlins—before his very brief stint with the Astros in 2004. Oliver has since returned to the majors as a reliever for the New York Mets. It is difficult to understand how all these organizations could have been part of any supposed "Texas Agreement," particularly when the alleged agreement is said to have ended years earlier.

On March 25 1988 Mike Loynd, the Rangers first round pick in 1986, was traded by the Texas Rangers to the Houston Astros in exchange for one of their prior first round picks, catcher Robbie Wine. It was the only trade of first rounders under the alleged agreement though neither player made it back to the major leagues.

1987–93: Destroy, Fire Sale, and Rebuild

Following the 1988 season the Astros experienced significant change. Manager Hal Lanier, unable to build on the Astros' success in 1986, was dismissed following the season, and the team went on a fire sale. Additionally, franchise icon Nolan Ryan left the Astros to join the Texas Rangers in 1989, after being considered "too old" by then-owner John McMullen (engineer). Ryan would go on to pitch two more no-hitters for the Rangers in the early 1990s to achieve a grand total of seven - more than anyone else in major league history. Ryan would also record his 5,000th strikeout and 300th win with the Rangers, and entered the Hall of Fame as a Ranger.

1989 would mark the rookie season of Craig Biggio, who would set team records in many offensive categories. Biggio started his career as a catcher, but was moved to second base so as to take full advantage of his speed and other offensive talents.

Many people consider the best move the Astros ever made their trade for Jeff Bagwell at the trading deadline in 1990. The Boston Red Sox, in a tight race for the American League East title, needed relief pitching help. The Astros gave the Red Sox journeyman Larry Andersen in exchange for minor-leaguer Jeff Bagwell, who would win the [|1990 Eastern League MVP award for the AA New Britain Red Sox. With Mo Vaughn in their system, the Red Sox figured that Bagwell was expendable, and while Andersen did help the Red Sox to the divisional title, Bagwell would go on to become the Astros all time home run leader and, in most people's minds, the best overall player in Astros history. (In addition, Bagwell and Biggio would begin a quirky trend – an unusual number of Astro players having names beginning with B, thus earning the team the nickname "Killer B's".) Later, the Astros made one of the worst trades in franchise history by sending young speedy outfielder Kenny Lofton to the Cleveland Indians.

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 1991 off-season Astros management announced its intention to sell the team and move the franchise to the Washington, D.C. area. However, the move was not approved by other National League owners, thus compelling the Astros to remain in Houston. Shortly thereafter, McMullen (who also owned the NHL's New Jersey Devils), sold the team to Texas businessman Drayton McLane in 1993, who committed to keeping the team in Houston.

1994-99: A New Owner and A New Look

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Houston Astros Logo, circa 1994

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Houston Astros Logo, circa 1995-1999

Shortly after McLane's arrival, which coincided with the maturation of Bagwell and Biggio, the Astros began to show signs of consistent success. After finishing second in their division in 1994 (in a strike year), 1995, and 1996, the Astros won consecutive division titles in 1997, 1998, and 1999. In the 1998 season, the Astros set a team record with 102 victories. However, each of these titles was followed by a first-round playoff elimination, in 1998 by the San Diego Padres and in 1997 and 1999 against the Atlanta Braves. The manager of these title teams was Larry Dierker, who had previously been a broadcaster and pitcher for the Astros.

Coinciding with the change in ownership, the team switched uniforms and team colors after the 1993 season. The team's trademark "rainbow stripes" were retired, and the team's colors changed to midnight blue and metallic gold. The "Astros" font was changed to a more aggressive font, 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, the new uniforms and caps were never especially popular with fans.

Off the field, in 1994, the Astros hired one of the first African American general managers, former franchise superstar Bob Watson. Watson would leave the Astros after the 1995 season to become general manager of the New York Yankees and helped to lead the Yankees to a World Championship in 1996. He would be replaced by Gerry Hunsicker, who until 2004 would continue to oversee the building of the Astros into one of the better and most consistent organizations in the major leagues.

However, in 1996, the Astros again nearly left Houston. By the mid-1990s, like the team's previous owner, McLane wanted his team out of the Astrodome and was asking Houston to build them a new stadium. When things didn't progress quickly toward that end, he put the team up for sale. He had nearly finalized a deal to sell the team to businessman William Collins, who planned to move them to Northern Virginia. However, Collins was having difficulty finding a site for a stadium himself, so Major League owners stepped in and forced McLane to give Houston another chance to grant his stadium wish. Houston voters responded positively via a stadium referendum and the Astros stayed put.

The Killer B's

The Killer B's are members of the Houston Astros. They all have a last name starting with the letter "B." All have performed commendably. The original Killer B's were Craig Biggio, Derek Bell, Jeff Bagwell, and Sean Berry hitting in the Astros lineup in the late 90's. Newer members have included Lance Berkman, Carlos Beltran, and Chris Burke. Some have bent the rule to include players with "B" in their first name, such as Brad Ausmus, or pitchers, such as Brandon Backe and Brad Lidge.

2000s: New Stadium; First World Series

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Houston Astros Logo circa 2000-present

After years at the outdated Astrodome, the Astros moved into their new stadium in 2000. Originally called Enron Field, the stadium was one of the first to feature a functional retractable roof, considered a necessity in Houston. Additionally the ballpark featured more intimate surroundings than the cavernous Astrodome.

The ballpark features a train theme, based on the ball park being built on the grounds of the old Union Station. The locomotive also pays homage to the history of Houston. 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, circles the outfield after Astro home runs. The ballpark also contains quirks such as "Tal's Hill", where there is a hill in deep center field on which a flagpole stands, all in fair territory. This was modeled after an identical feature that was located in Crosley Field, former home of the Cincinnati Reds.

Perhaps most significantly, with its short left field fence (only slightly longer to left field than Fenway Park), overall shorter dimensions, and exposure to the elements, including the humid Texas air, Enron Field played like a hitters' park. This was a dramatic difference from the Astrodome, which was considered to be an extreme pitchers' park, and likely contributed to the Astros poor 72-90 record, as the Astros' "fly-ball" pitchers began to give up home runs. In a challenge to home run hitters, 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" 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.

2001

In 2001, the Astros won another NL Central title, but were again eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the Braves. Despite four NL Central division titles in five years, the Astros lost in the first round each year (three times to the Braves) so Dierker was fired and replaced by former Boston Red Sox manager Jimy Williams. After the Enron scandal made headlines across the nation, the stadium's naming rights were eventually resold to Coca-Cola, which dubbed the park Minute Maid Park.

2004

Roger Clemens with the Astros

After two fairly successful seasons without a playoff appearance, at midseason in 2004 the Astros were floundering. Before the season, the Astros had added star pitchers Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens to a team that already included stars like Lance Berkman and Jeff Kent as well as the nucleus of Bagwell and Biggio. They were quickly anointed one of the favorites to win the National League. However, at the All-Star Break, they were 44-44 largely due to an inability to score runs, and a poor record in 1-run games. After being booed at the 2004 All-Star Game held at Minute Maid Park while serving as a coach for the National League, Williams was fired and replaced by Phil Garner, who had been a star for the Astros' second division winner in 1986. Though many people were highly skeptical of Garner, who had a mediocre track record in his prior managerial stints in Milwaukee and Detroit, with only one winning season at either stop (in 1992), the team responded to Garner, who led the team to a 46-26 record in the second half and the National League's Wild Card. They would go on to win their first playoff series in eight attempts, beating the Braves in five games of the National League Division Series to advance to the National League Championship Series for the third time. However, they would lose to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games, most dramatically on a walk-off home run by Jim Edmonds in Game 6.

The Astros' 2004 success had much to do with the postponed retirement of star pitcher Roger Clemens (a Houston resident), who ended 2004 with a record seventh Cy Young Award (his first in the NL). Clemens had previously announced that he was retiring after the 2003 season from the New York Yankees. However, after the Astros signed his former Yankee teammate Andy Pettitte and offered Clemens a number of perquisites (including the option to stay home with his family for certain road trips when he wasn't scheduled to pitch), Clemens reconsidered and signed a one-year deal with the Astros.

Additionally, the mid-season addition of Carlos Beltrán in a trade with the Kansas City Royals helped the Astros tremendously in their playoff run. Despite rumblings in July and August that the Astros might flip him to another contender, Beltrán would prove instrumental to the Astros' hopes, hitting eight home runs in the postseason. Following the season, after initially asserting a desire to remain with the Astros, Beltrán signed a long term contract with the New York Mets on January 9, 2005.

The Astros and Nolan Ryan would also re-establish their relationship, thanks to Ryan's longtime friendship with Astros owner Drayton McLane. Ryan's minor league team, the Round Rock Express (who played outside of Austin, Texas) would become an Astros minor league affiliate, first in the AA Texas League and eventually in the AAA Pacific Coast League. Additionally, Ryan was a frequent special guest of the Astros throughout the 2004 and 2005 playoffs and would also drop by Astros camp as a guest instructor. He also had a personal-services contract with the Astros.

2005: A burden lifted

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 future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens (who had a league-low ERA of only 1.87), Andy Pettitte, Roy Oswalt, and Brandon Backe. Rookie starter Ezequiel Astacio and Wandy Rodríguez 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. (Those Braves would go on and sweep the Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series. Coincidentally, the Astros beat out another Philadelphia team, the Phillies, for the Wild Card, to face the Braves in the first round of the playoffs.)

Playoffs

The Astros won their National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves in four games. The fourth game set a record for a post-season game with most innings (18), most players used by a single team (T-23), most grand slams (2), and longest game time (5 hours and 50 minutes). Chris Burke hit a home run to win the game by a score of 7-6. 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.

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National League Championship Logo

It is also notable that both the grand slam Lance Berkman hit in the 8th inning and the solo shot hit by Chris Burke in the 18th inning to win three hours later were caught by the same fan, Shaun Dean, in the left field Crawford Boxes. Dean, a 25-year-old comptroller for a construction company, donated the balls to the Hall of Fame and he and his son were rewarded with gifts from the Astros and the Baseball Hall of Fame as well as playoff tickets behind home plate. The National League Championship Series (NLCS) featured a rematch of the 2004 NLCS. The Astros lost the first game in St. Louis, but would win the next three games with one in St. Louis and the next two in Houston. The Astros were poised to close-out the series in Houston, but the Cardinals managed to score three runs in the top of the 9th with a monstrous 3-run home run by Albert Pujols off Brad Lidge with two outs. This would take the series back to St. Louis, where the Astros won the final game of the NLCS and the final game played at Busch Stadium.

Current honorary National League President William Y. Giles presented the Astros the Warren C. Giles Trophy, which is awarded to the National League Champion. It was Warren Giles, father of William and President of the National League from 1951 to 1969, who in October 1960 awarded the city of Houston the major league franchise that would become the Houston Astros. Roy Oswalt, who went 2-0 and had an ERA of 1.29, won the NLCS MVP.

World Series

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World Series Logo 2005

The Astros' opponent in their first ever World Series was the Chicago White Sox. Games 1 and 2 were held at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, while Games 3, 4 were played at Minute Maid Park. 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

After losing the World Series, the Astros prepared for the offseason. They signed Preston Wilson and moved Lance Berkman to first base, ending the long tenure by Jeff Bagwell due to injuries and a degenerative arthritic shoulder. The Astros resigned pitcher Roger Clemens on June 22, 2006. For their first pick in the 2006 draft, the Astros drafted high school catcher Maxwell Sapp, who ranked second among all high school catchers. On July 12, 2006, Houston traded two minor league prospects to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for left-handed hitter Aubrey Huff and cash. 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 8 1/2 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, (despite the fact that five out of the 22 teams that failed to reach the postseason in Major League Baseball had a better record than the Astros), it was the Astros who 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.

Season-by-season records

See Houston Astros Record-by-Year. and Post-Season Record-by-Year

Trivia

• The Astros are the only team to have had Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson (the top three on the all-time strikeouts list) on their roster at one point.
• On September 25, 1986, Mike Scott no-hit the San Francisco Giants to clinch the NL West title. This was the only time in MLB history that any division was clinched via a no-hitter.
• On June 11, 2003, six Astros combined to no-hit the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The six pitchers used in the effort (Roy Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner) eclipsed the previous Major League record of four. It was also the first time the Yankees had been no-hit since 1958.
• On October 25, 2005, the Astros hosted the first World Series game ever played in Texas.

Quick facts

Founded: 1962 (National League expansion)

Uniform colors: Brick red, black, and sand

Logo design: Red five-pointed star with the word "Astros" below it in script

Owner Drayton McLane, Jr.

General Manger Tim Purpura

Team motto: Believe The Buzz!

Playoff appearances (9): 1980, 1981, 1986, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005

World Series appearances(1): 2005

Television Stations: FSN (Houston), KNWS TV-51

Radio Stations: KTRH-AM 740 (flagship); KLAT-AM 1010 (Spanish); KBME-AM 790 (used to broadcast games in emergencies, power knockouts, weekday spring training games, or when KTRH can not broadcast said game).

Announcers (Radio): Milo Hamilton (Home games only), Dave Raymond, Brett Dolan

Announcers (TV): Bill Brown, Jim Deshaies

Spring Training Facility: Osceola County Stadium, Kissimmee, FL

Rivals: St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers

Current roster

Houston Astros roster

Former players

Baseball Hall of Famers

• 2 Leo Durocher, MGR, 1972-73
• 2 Nellie Fox, 2B, 1964-65
• 11 Eddie Mathews, 3B, 1967
• 8 Joe Morgan, 2B, 1963-71 & 1980
• 38 Robin Roberts, P, 1965-66
• 34 Nolan Ryan, P, 1980-88
• 20 Don Sutton, P, 1981-82

Retired numbers

• 24 Jimmy Wynn, OF, 1963-73
• 25 José Cruz, OF, 1975-87; Coach, 1997-present
• 32 Jim Umbricht, P, 1962-63
• 33 Mike Scott, P, 1983-91
• 34 Nolan Ryan, P, 1980-88
• 40 Don Wilson, P, 1966-74
• 42 Jackie Robinson, retired throughout Major League Baseball
• 49 Larry Dierker, P 1964-76, Manager 1997-2001

While not officially retired, the Astros have not reissued number 57 since 2002, when pitcher Darryl Kile died as an active player with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Additional players of note

Moises Alou Alan Ashby Bob Aspromonte Jeff Bagwell Kevin Bass Derek Bell Jack Billingham Bob Bruce Enos Cabell Ken Caminiti Cesar Cedeno Mike Cuellar Danny Darwin Glenn Davis Jim Deshaies Frank DiPino Bill Doran Octavio Dotel Carl Everett

Turk Farrell Steve Finley Ken Forsch Dave Giusti Fred Gladding Luis Gonzalez Tom Griffin Mike Hampton Pete Harnisch Art Howe Ken Johnson Randy Johnson Doug Jones Todd Jones Bob Knepper Frank LaCorte Bob Lillis Jose Lima Denis Menke

Roger Metzger Wade Miller Joe Niekro Don Nottebart Mark Portugal Terry Puhl Doug Rader Jim Ray Craig Reynolds Shane Reynolds J.R. Richard Vern Ruhle Joe Sambito Dave Smith Rusty Staub Greg Swindell Billy Wagner Denny Walling Bob Watson

See also

• Lone Star Series - interleague rivalry with the Texas Rangers
• Astros award Winners and league leaders
• Astros statistical records and milestone achievements
• Astros broadcasters and media
• Astros managers and ownership
• Houston Astros Record-by-Year

External links

• Astros World -- The #1 Houston Astros Fan Page
• Houston Astros official web site
• Houston Astros news from the Houston Chronicle
• Astros team page on Baseball-Reference.com