1973 - Houston owner Judge Roy Hofheinz votes along with the rest of the National League to allow the American League to conduct a three-year experiment using the Designated Hitter. It will be the first time since the A.L. was formed in 1901 that the two major leagues would have a different set of rules. The gimmick has survived ever since and is now used by National League teams when involved in interleague play.
January 12
2004 - Less than three months since retiring, pitcher Roger Clemens returns to sign a $5 million-dollar, one-year contract with the Astros. The 41-year-old holds a record six Cy Young awards. Clemens cites his Houston home and his friendship with Yankee-turned-Astro teammate Andy Pettitte among his reasons for pitching another season. The deal includes a ten-year personal services contract to remain with the organization once he retires for good. Clemens winds up giving the Astros a season to remember.
1977 - Houston trades catcher Alfred Henry "Skip" Jutze to Seattle for a minor leaguer and cash. After being brought to Houston with high expectations in 1973, Jutze finds himself unable to hold the job and is quietly dispatched to an expansion team in the other league. He ends with a .215 career average.
1961 - Casey Candaele is born in Lompoc, CA. The 5-9 utilityman plays five seasons in Houston (1988-1993) and, despite his small stature, bashed nine homers as an Astro. He credits his mother for his baseball skills.
January 13
2009 - Preston Gomez, the Astros' first minority manager, dies in Fullerton, CA at age 85. The Cuban native had been in failing health since being hit by a pickup truck while walking across the street nine months before. Gomez spent less than two years at the helm of the Astros, leading them to an 81-81 record in 1974 and a 47-80 record in 1975 before he was replaced by Bill Virdon. Gomez also managed the Padres and Cubs then served over 20 years as an assistant with the Angels.
1969 - Orlando Miller is born in Changuinola, Panama. The shortstop would break out in 1994 with a .325 average and two homers during an injury call-up, hit .266 as the strarter the following year and bats .256 with 15 homers in 1996 before being traded to Detroit.
1958 - Mike Madden is born in Denver, CO. The lefty compiles a 12-10 record in four seasons as an Astro from 1983 to 1986.
1950 - Bob Forsch is born in Sacramento, CA. He pitches for the Astros in 1988 and 1989, compiling a 5-9 record. His older brother, Ken, pitched eleven seasons for Houston.
January 14
1999 - The Astros swap catcher Brad Ausmus and pitcher C.J. Nitkowski to Detroit for five players including catcher Paul Bako and pitcher Brian Powell. Ironically, both players Houston traded away would return to the Astros organization.
1998 - Houston deals outfielder James Mouton to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Sean Bergman. Bergman contributes a 16-15 record on two division-winning Astros clubs.
1951 - Derrel Thomas is born in Los Angeles, CA. Although he only gets into five games as Astro in 1971 before being traded, Thomas would enjoy a 15-year career in the majors, playing every position except pitcher.
1939 - Hilario "Sandy" Valdespino is born in San Jose de las Lajas, Cuba. The reserve outfielder bats .244 for the Astros during the first five months of the 1969 season before being traded. He had been in the 1965 World Series during his rookie season with the Minnesota Twins.
January 15
2008 - During congressional hearings about the use of performance enhancing drugs, an order is issued for the FBI to investigate statements from shortstop Miguel Tejada for possible perjury charges. Tejada, acquired the month before in a trade, is in the Dominican Republic and unavailable for comment.
1943 - Mike Marshall is born in Adrian, MI. He pitches in only four games as an Astro in 1970 before he is sent to Montreal. As a Dodger in 1974, Marshall wins the Cy Young Award by winning 15 and saving 21 while appearing in a remarkable 106 games in relief.
January 16
2001 - Jim Deshaies, former Astro lefthander and current broadcaster, receives one vote in the Hall of Fame balloting. It comes from local sportswriter John Lopez. Deshaies receives notoriety for a humorous website openly promoting his candidacy for Cooperstown. At least he would have worn an Astros cap.
1970 - Ron Villone is born in Bergenfield, NJ. The much-travelled lefty posts an 11-13 record in two stints with Houston (2001, 2003).
1934 - Jim "Bear" Owens is born in Gifford, PA. Owens would compile an 18-20 record in four seasons of relief in Houston (1964-1967) with 16 saves and later became the Astros' pitching coach.
January 17
1973 - The Astros sign catcher Luis Pujols as a free agent. He would be a reserve for the Astros for seven seasons, hitting above .200 only twice.
1964 - Jeff Tabaka is born in Barberton, OH. The southpaw reliever compiles a 1-2 record with one save over the 1995 and 1996 seasons as an Astro.
1961 - The Houston Sports Association buys the minor league Houston Buffs, a team affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals for decades. The HSA runs the team for the rest of the season while building a transition to National League play the following year.
1915 - Chalmer Luman Harris is born in New Castle, AL. He would become the first manager of an indoor baseball team when the Colt .45s move into the Astrodome and become the Houston Astros in 1965.
January 18
1979 - Wandy Rodriguez is born in Santiago, D.R. The lefthander has a 51-52 record in five seasons (2005-2009) as an Astro.
1961 - Harris County officials and members of the Houston Sports Association stump for votes in favor of the upcoming bond election to be held on January 31st. The bonds would allow the County to begin building the first indoor baseball arena, a condition National League owners gave Judge Hofheinz while approving Houston for an expansion franchise.
January 19
1993 - Houston inks pitchers Mark Grant and Eric Bell to contracts. Neither wins a game for the Astros, appearing in just 16 games between them.
1971 - Two former Houston first round draft choices are born on this day. Infielder Phil Nevin is born in Fullerton, CA. The first pick overall in the 1992 June draft, Nevin tries management's patience before being traded to Detroit. Pitcher Jeff Juden is born in Salem, MA. The 6-8 righthander is the 12th overall pick in the 1989 draft but would record just a 0-3 record before being dealt.
1969 - Orlando Palmeiro s born in Hoboken, NJ. The free agent pickup bats .258 as a reserve outfielder over four seasons with Houston (2004-2007) with six homers.
1966 - Anthony Young is born in Houston, TX. The righthander sets a big league record for consecutive losses while with the Mets and the Cubs but home cooking is a little kinder back in Houston for the 1996 season, his final as a big leaguer. Young goes 3-3 as an Astro.
1965 - Bob Aspromonte is the first recipient of the Jim Umbricht Award, given to the team's most valuable player for the previous season. The honor was renamed after Umbricht's death from cancer the previous April.
January 20
1983 - Matt Albers is born in Houston, TX. The righthanded prospect compiles a 4-13 record playing for his hometown team over parts of two seasons (2006,2007) before being dealt to Baltimore.
1964 - Looking to solve their shortstop woes, the Colts trade two pitchers, Jim Dickson and Wally Wolf, and cash to Cincinnati for Eddie Kasko. Kasko hits .244 in two seasons with Houston before being traded to Boston. Dickson had two saves in 13 appearances for the Colts in 1963.
January 21
2005 - Roger Clemens forestalls retirement yet again, signing the richest salary ever for a pitcher as he agrees to return to the Astros for an $18 million dollar paycheck.
1999 - Houston signs four players to minor league deals but all will see action with the Astros. Pitchers Brian Williams and Jeff McCurry come to terms along with outfielders Alex Diaz and Ryan Thompson. Williams, in his second tour as an Astro, plays the biggest role going 2-1 in 50 games out of the bullpen. For McCurry, it was a nice 29th birthday present, having been born in Tokyo, Japan on this day in 1970.
1955 - Reliever Dave Smith is born in Richmond, CA. He would register 199 saves for Houston and was named to the Astros All-Time Team in 1999. He dies on December 17, 2008 at his California home of an apparent heart attack.
January 22
2001 - Tommie Agee dies of a heart attack in New York, NY at age 58. The outfielder, a hero of the 1969 "Miracle Mets", played part of the 1973 season with the Astros before being traded to St. Louis.
1969 - Star outfielder Rusty Staub is traded to Montreal for outfielder Jesus Alou and first baseman Donn Clendenon. This trade would become controversial when Clendenon refuses to report and the Astros are forced to take other compensation while Staub goes on to become the Expos' first marquee player.
1951 - Leon Roberts is born in Vicksburg, MI. The outfielder would bat .267 with seven home runs over parts of two seasons (1976 and 1977) in Houston.
January 23
2005 - After signing 30-something veterans Turk Wendell and Dave Burba to spring contracts, the Astros really get "old school", inking 44-year-old lefthander John Franco to a one-year $700,000 deal. The 21-year veteran comes to Houston in second place all-time for career saves (424) and appearances (1,088) but is released with a 0-1 record after 31 games.
1992 - Houston signs outfielder Pete Incaviglia and reliever Doug Jones as free agents. Jones would become the club MVP that season, leading the team with 11 wins and 36 saves with a 1.85 ERA. He either won or saved over half of Houston's victories that year. Incaviglia wasn't too bad either, hitting .266 with 11 homers in part-time duty while tying the club record with seven RBIs in a game against the Giants.
1976 - Brandon Duckworth is born in Salt Lake City, UT. He posts a 1-3 record in spot duty during the 2004 and 2005 campaigns.
1936 - Don Nottebart is born in West Newton, MA. He would toss the first no-hitter in franchise history in 1963.
1934 - Joey Amalfitano is born in San Pedro, CA. He's the Opening Day second baseman for the first Houston Colts in 1962 and bats .237 for the season. He becomes a longtime major league coach and manager.
January 24
1968 - Ross Powell is born in Grand Rapids, MI. The lefhander appears in 27 games in relief during 1994 and 1995 but does not record a win, loss or save during that time.
1965 - Comedian Bill Dana is named the first official mascot of the Houston Astros by Judge Hofheinz. The comic, whose signature routine is portraying a dimwitted astronaut, comments about the new ballpark "if they would build a cemetery, you'd never have to leave the place."
January 25
2003 - Slugger Daryle Ward is traded to Los Angeles for minor league pitcher Ruddy Lugo, younger brother of infielder Julio Lugo. Ward teases fans with his home run potential but management loses patience after a five-year run where he swats 49 homers and bats .269 in 418 games.
1979 - Philip Barzilla is born in Houston, TX. The lefthander tosses 1/3rd of an inning for the hometown team in 2006, much to the joy of his family, including one proud uncle.
1951 - Vern Ruhle is born in Midland, MI. Ruhle spends seven seasons as an Astro pitcher, best known for taking over a spot in the starting rotation in 1980 when J.R. Richard suffered a stroke and helping Houston win their first division crown. Later, he is a successful pitching coach in Houston under manager Larry Dierker.
1942 - Ernie Fazio is born in Oakland, CA. One of the first Houston bonus babies, he fails to hit over .200 with the Colt .45s in 1962 and 1963. His big league career peaks at age 21.
January 26
2001 - A new rivalry gets a name. The Astros and the Texas Rangers announce together that their new interleague head-to-head matchup will be called the "Lone Star Series".
1994 - Houston signs first baseman Sid Bream. As a backup to Jeff Bagwell, he contributes mostly as a pinch-hitter, delivering a .344 average in the strike-shortened season. Of course, Bagwell hit .368 in an MVP year so Bream got scant attention for his superb play. After the strike, he never appears again in the majors.
1990 - Astros ink pitcher Terry Clark who had played two seasons with the Angels. The righthander appears in just one game for Houston that season and reemerges six years later to pitch in five games for the Astros in 1996. His career in Houston is forgettable: 0-2 with an ERA over 11.00.
January 27
2006 - The end may be near for Jeff Bagwell's 15-year run in Houston. The Astros announce they have filed an insurance claim to recover $15.6 million of the $24 million remaining on Bagwell's contract, asserting he has not recovered sufficiently from shoulder surgery last year to throw a baseball. Bagwell disputes the allegation and wants to play in spring training which would jeopardize the claim. Bagwell had recently been examined by noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews.
1992 - In a rare spending spree, the Astros sign four free agents, pitchers Joe Boever and Rob Murphy along with infielders Ernest Riles and Denny Walling. It's the end of the line for Walling who spent eleven years previously in Houston, a vital man in two division champions during the eighties. He's forced out with a knee injury after three at bats. None of the others are in Houston the following season.
1969 - Phil Plantier is born in Manchester, NH. The powerful outfielder came to Houston in the mega-trade with San Diego but a broken hand limits him to 22 games as an Astro in 1995 before he is dealt back to the Padres.
January 28
2001 - Curt Blefary dies at age 57 in Pompano Beach, FL. He had one season in Houston as the team's regular first baseman in 1969, hitting .253 with 12 homers and 67 RBIs.
1985 - Dequam LaWesley Wright is born in Birmingham, AL. The lefthanded reliever crafts a 7-7 record in his first two big league seasons (2008-2009) in the Houston bullpen.
1928 - Pete Runnels is born in Lufkin, TX. The two-time American League batting champion is dealt to Houston for Roman Mejias but is a disappointment in two seasons with the Colts, losing his first base job to Rusty Staub then Walt Bond.
January 29
1963 - Brian Meyer is born in Camden, NJ. In parts of three seasons with the Astros (1988-1990), he notches two saves and sports a 2.84 ERA but his career record is 0-5.
1962 - Manager Harry Craft and General Manager Paul Richards begin the first winter publicity caravan in team history, starting in Victoria. The team has had one every year since then, touring cities throughout Texas and Louisiana. Among the other travelers are infielders Norm Larker, Bob Aspromonte, Don Buddin and Joey Amalfitano and broadcaster Gene Elston. This year's tour also makes a stop in Monterrey, Mexico.
January 30
2007 - The City of Houston proclaims Jeff Bagwell Day to celebrate the 15-year career of the Astros slugger. The proclamation coincides with a hitting camp Bagwell is conducting at Minute Maid Park and a pitching camp run by the legendary Nolan Ryan.
1989 - Houston inks a pair of veterans, pitcher Dan Schatzeder and outfielder Greg Gross as free agents. Gross bats .200 in mostly pinch-hit roles during the final campaign of his 15-year career, one that began as an Astro. Schatzeder wins four games in relief.
January 31
2002 - Despite a petition drive seeking to honor longtime Astro broadcaster Gene Elston with the Ford C. Frick Award at the Baseball Hall of Fame, the winner is his former broadcast partner Harry Kalas. Kalas worked six seasons (1965-1970) with Elston before becoming the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies and NFL Films. Kalas' signature call while with Houston was to descibe their home runs as "Astro orbits".
1980 - Two-time MVP Joe Morgan returns to the Astros as a free agent, signing a one-year contract. Fulfilling his promise to the organization that gave him his start, Morgan is an important cog in the team's first championship.
1965 - 18-year-old catcher Bob Watson signs as a free agent. Watson would eventually play left field and first base, becoming one of the best hitters in franchise history.
1961 - Harris County voters approve bonds to build a domed stadium. It is expected to house the new National League team when finished.
1947 - Lynn Nolan Ryan is born in Refugio, TX. He would pitch nine seasons in Houston (1980-1988), winning two ERA titles and tossing a record fifth career no-hitter on his way to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
February 1
1995 - Astros sign outfielder John Cangelosi as a free agent. He would hit .287 and steal 38 bases in two years as a reserve. He also works one hitless inning as a relief pitcher.
1990 - Houston avoids arbitration with reliever Larry Andersen when they agree on a two-year deal. The real benefit comes later in the season when Andersen is traded to Boston for a young minor-league third baseman.
1944 - Hal King is born in Oviedo, FL. He hits .192 in two seasons (1967,1968) as a reserve catcher for the Astros before finding similar work with the Braves, Rangers and Reds.
February 2
1996 - Speculation that Houston would become a member of the Canadian Football League ends when the Baltimore Stallions announce they will relocate to Montreal. Astros owner Drayton McLane toyed with the idea of bringing a CFL team to the Astrodome as a replacement for the departing NFL Houston Oilers.
1977 - Jeffery Adam Everett is born in Austell, GA. The slick-fielding shortstop has hit .248 with 35 homers over his seven seasons in Houston (2001-2007) with a .208 average in postseason play.
1972 - Jared Fernandez is born in Salt Lake City, UT. The knuckleballing righthander has compiled a 3-3 record and a 5.37 ERA in spot duty during 2003 and 2004.
1960 - Roland Americo "Buddy" Biancalana is born in Greenbrae, CA. A career .205 hitter who bats .042 during his 18 games as an Astro in 1987, Buddy gains notoriety as the butt of David Letterman jokes.
February 3
1999 - Billy Wagner signs a three-year $10-million dollar deal, avoiding arbitration. Wagner is coming off a season where he fans 14.55 batters per nine innings, setting a major league mark for pitchers tossing 50 or more innings.
1997 - Astros avoid arbitration with pitcher Mike Hampton, agreeing to a $1.3 million dollar contract, halfway between what both sides wanted. Hampton responds with a 15-10 record and becomes a critical member of three division-winning Houston teams.
1992 - Two years after it was first disclosed that Dr. John McMullen is looking to sell the Astros, he is no closer to finding a buyer. Complicating matters are a $100 million dollar bid from a Japanese group for the Seattle Mariners and McMullen's minority stake in a horse racing track to be built outside of Houston. Another group is offering to buy the team and move it to Washington, DC. McMullen, who had earlier nixed an $86 million dollar offer for the club, says the record price for the Mariners is not too high. He cites the Denver and Miami expansion clubs, to begin play in 1993, paid $95 million dollars apiece to join.
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1994 - Astros unveil new uniforms that do away with orange as a team color, rainbow stripes on the jersies, and the "H" on the cap. The new look will feature midnight blue and metallic gold with a flying star on the caps and jersies.
1973 - Chris Coste is born in Fargo, ND. The catcher/first baseman was claimed in 2009 and hit .204 in 43 games before getting released.
1961 - Houston Sports Association announces an agreement with Apache Junction, AZ for spring training facilities beginning the following season. Geronimo Park, in the shadow of Superstition Mountain, serves as the spring home of the Colt .45s in their first two seasons and is remembered best for its desolation and rumored curses.
1988 - Shortstop Dickie Thon, who retired during the 1987 season because of vision problems, is removed from Houston's "unable to perform" list and granted free agency. He later signs with San Diego and resumes his big league career.
1946 - Norm Miller is born in Los Angeles, CA. The outfielder bats .240 over nine seasons as an Astro (1965-1973). His career year comes in 1969 when he hits .264 in 119 games.
1958 - Bill Dawley is born in Norwich, CT. A surprise 1983 All-Star in his rookie year, Dawley compiles a 22-13 record with 21 saves and a 2.71 ERA during his three seasons as an Astro. His last four years are spent kicking around with the Cubs, Cardinals, Phillies and Athletics.
1995 - Cecil Upshaw dies of a heart attack in Lawrenceville, GA at age 53. The submarine reliever had a 2-3 record with one save as an Astro in 1973. The righthander had been a closer for Atlanta earlier in his career before tearing a finger on his pitching hand when he accidentally struck a sign while walking down the street.
1994 - Public batting practice by retired NBA star Michael Jordan draws hundreds of reporters. Jordan looks to sign a deal with the Chicago White Sox as an outfielder but some Astros are quick to point out it won't be easy for him. At his home, Houston pitcher Todd Jones is so incensed with radio callers predicting baseball stardom that he calls the station himself to challenge the basketball champion.
1990 - The Astros Silver Anniversary Team (1965-1989) is announced at a Houston banquet. Joe Morgan is honored as the first genuine Astro to make it to the Hall of Fame. Mike Scott also receives the 1989 Astros Most Valuable Player award. Not surprisingly, both are on the 25th Anniversary squad.
1977 - Dave Borkowski is born in Detroit, MI. The righthanded reliever won eight and lost seven with a 5.44 ERA during three seasons as an Astro (2006-2008).
2001 - Craig Cullinan, the last surviving member of the four men who brought Major League Baseball to Houston, is honored at the annual Houston Baseball Dinner. Jeff Bagwell is also there to pick up his 2000 Astros Most Valuable Player Award.
1993 - A trio of arbitration cases are avoided when three starters are inked to similar three-year deals. Infielders Craig Biggio and Ken Caminiti, along with outfielder Steve Finley now represent a $32 million dollar investment to go with the $36 million spent on deals for pitchers Doug Drabek and Greg Swindell - a pay-out unlikely to have happened before the recent change in ownership.
1965 - A few Astros take the field for the first practice inside the new Astrodome. Rusty Staub is the only player to swat a ball over the fence as 250 members of the press look on. Pitchers are relieved to discover that breaking pitches still break indoors. Singer Anita Bryant is on hand to deliver a ceremonial first pitch.
2005 - Sometimes they seem like Siamese twins even though Jeff Bagwell and Criag Biggio are not. The two infielders receive induction into the Hall of Fame - the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco, that is. Soon to be Astro teammates for 15 years straight, the pair are closing careers they hope will land them in a bigger hall - the one in Cooperstown, NY.
1999 - Astros agree to a contract with shortstop Ricky Gutierrez. It's the second year in a row that none of Houston's arbitration-eligible players actually reach a hearing. Gutierrez fights injury problems to hit .261 in his final year in Houston.
1942 - Hal Gilson is born in Los Angeles, CA. The lefty has just one year in the big leagues and he misses out on a World Series share when he is sent from the first-place Cardinals to last-place Houston in 1968. Gilson appears in just two games and earns no record while an Astro.
2005 - Houston avoids arbitration for the eighth straight year by coming to terms with pitcher Roy Oswalt on a two-year deal worth $16.9 million. A 20-game winner in both 2004 and 2005, he will receive $11 million in 2006.
1986 - Astros extend a spring training invitation to reliever Aurelio Lopez. The righthander rewards them with three wins and seven saves during their division-title season.
1976 - Lance Berkman is born in Waco, TX. The Rice grad has been a major power source with the Astros, leading the league in RBIs in 2002. In 11 seasons (1999-2009), he has batted .299 while powering 313 home runs and driving in 1041 runs. He has hit .321 with six homers in postseason play.
1967 - Astros sell pitcher Ron Taylor to the New York Mets. A washout over two seasons in Houston, Taylor emerges as the saves leader for the Mets when they win it all in 1969.
2009 - Miguel Tejada pleads guilty in Washington D.C. to lying to congressional investigators about performance enhancing drugs. He claims he also purchased but did not use human growth hormone which he bought from former Oakland teammate Adam Piatt. He is later sentenced to one year probation, 100 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine.
1984 - Justin Richard Towles is born in Crosby, TX. After a fast start, Towles bats .188 with seven homers in his first three seasons as an Astro (2007-2009).
1981 - Catcher Bruce Bochy is dealt to the Mets for two minor leaguers. Bochy spent parts of three seasons with the Astros and is best remembered for the forearm he took from Pete Rose in Game 4 of the 1980 N.L.C.S. Later he becomes the manager for the San Diego Padres and defeats Houston in the 1998 N.L.D.S.
1945 - John Paciorek is born in Detroit, MI. His younger brother Tom has an 18-year major league career. John has one day, but it was quite a day.
1944 - Ollie Brown is born in Tuscaloosa, AL. The outfielder plays just 27 games as an Astro in 1974 and bats .217. Hailed as "the next Willie Mays" when he came up with the Giants, Brown has a good 13 seasons in the bigs but could never live up to the lofty promotion, something with which teammate Cesar Cedeno could sympathize.
1991 - Astros owner John McMullen announces he has cleared the way for Houston to host the 1992 Republican National Convention at the Astrodome. The GOP has already selected Houston but there are details to resolve. National League President Bill Giles and Players Union chief Donald Fehr both voice their disapproval of the proposed 30-day road trip that the Astros will take in order to free up the Dome for the convention.
1978 - Tim Redding is born in Rochester, NY. In four seasons as an Astro (2001-2004), Redding built a career record of 21-28 with an ERA of 4.75 before being traded to San Diego.
1945 - Don Wilson is born in Monroe, LA. He wins 104 games and tosses two no-hitters in eight memorable seasons as an Astro. He was the third baseman on his Little League team in Compton, CA and only began pitching when his cousin got hurt.
2008 - Former Astro pitcher Roger Clemens has his day before Congress, denying again in testimony that he had used steroids or other performance enhancing drugs while his accuser, former trainer Brian McNamee, sat at the other end of the table facing accusations of his own. Clearly both can't be telling the truth but the only bombshells to come out were an admission from Clemens' teammate Andy Pettitte that he tried human growth hormones during the 2004 season when he injured his elbow and that Clemens' wife admitted to using human growth hormones while preparing for a swimsuit layout in Sports Illustrated. The prospect of federal charges still loom ahead.
1997 - Houston wins and loses their arbitration case with Darryl Kile. The inconsistent pitcher asks for a salary $1.27 million dollars more than what the Astros offer. The club prevails but, under the instruction of new Astro manager Larry Dierker and pitching coach Vern Ruhle, Kile goes on to have an outstanding year only to shun Houston and leave as a free agent after the season.
1968 - Matt Mieske is born in Midland, MI. A valuable reserve outfielder during the 1999 season, Mieske slumps as much as the rest of the guys in 2000, batting .173 before being released.
1984 - Houston signs infielder Enos Cabell, back from Detroit, as a free agent. A popular Astro during his six seasons (1975-1980) which he spent mostly as a third baseman, Cabell becomes the regular first baseman and bats .310 with eight homers. He is dealt to the Dodgers early in the 1985 season.
1951 - Larry Milbourne is born in Port Norris, NJ. The reserve infielder hits .245 during three seasons in Houston (1974-1976) and manages to last another nine years in the majors. It's interesting to note that someone nicknamed "The Devil" was born on St. Valentine's Day.
2007 - Morris "Buddy" Hancken passes away at the age of 92. Hancken was an Astros coach for five seasons (1968-1972) then stayed with the organization through 1992 in various capacities. He had been a minor league player, coach and manager before joining the Astros.
2006 - Reaction continues to simmer over a memoir published by Astros broadcaster Milo Hamilton, who is in his 22nd year with Houston. While he has some critical comments for local folks, the national media focuses on Hamilton's portrayal of deceased Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray as "a miserable human being". Caray's widow, Duchie, responds that Hamilton hasn't "shown any class at all". In the Chicago restaurant that bears Caray's name, a new drink called the "Milo" is christened made of "cheap shots and sour grapes".
1991 - Potential buyers of the Astros, Ben Love and six others, approach Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers to own a share of the team. The group includes Drayton McLane. Ryan declines, citing that an active player cannot also be a team owner.
1969 - Brian Williams is born in Lancaster, SC. He posts a 19-17 record in two stints (1991-1994, 1999) with Houston along with three saves.
1965 - A squad of young Astro hopefuls open camp in Cocoa Beach, FL as the first to begin spring training workouts. Veterans will arrive between February 22nd and March 3rd.
2009 - Routine physicals at the beginning of spring training sometimes reveal the unexpected. Returning pitcher Mike Hampton is told he has an irregular heartbeat and is sent back to Houston for tests and a minor procedure. Doctors then determine no procedure was necessary and fly him back to Florida the next day.
1989 - Astros sign righthander Roger Mason as a free agent. He appears in just two games with Houston but resurfaces with the Pirates in 1991 to resume a ten-year career in the majors.
1962 - The first Houston training camp begins in Apache Junction, AZ. The fledgling Colt .45s would finish with a 14-7 spring record, best in the majors - a testament to what 40 guys can accomplish when none of them are assured of employment.
1990 - Shortstop Andujar Cedeno is signed to a minor-league deal and placed on the Astros' 40-man roster, causing various national sportswires to misidentify him both as Cesar Cedeno and Joaquin Andujar. The 20-year-old fellow Dominican is not related to either former Astro.
1964 - Colts trade outfielder Carl Warwick to St. Louis for outfielder Jim Beauchamp and pitcher Chuck Taylor. Beauchamp would hit .164 and .189 as an Houston reserve. The 21-year-old Taylor was sent back to St. Louis where he saw his first big league action in 1969 and became a quality reliever.
2001 - Eddie Mathews dies in La Jolla, CA at age 69. The Hall-of-Fame infielder plays just a few months with the Astros but treats them to one of the greatest milestones of his career.
1974 - Houston trades pitcher Pat Darcy and cash to Cincinnati for infielder Denis Menke. For former All-Star Menke, he closes his career hitting .103 in a bench role. For the Ohio-born Darcy, it's great timing as two of his three big-league seasons are on World Championship teams.
1958 - Rafael Ramirez is born in San Pedro de Macoris, DR. A steady glove at shortstop, Ramirez bats .257 in five years with the Astros (1988-1992), although his production dwindles with each season.
1949 - John Mayberry is born in Detroit, MI. A hot prospect drafted by the Astros, he bats .191 in parts of four seasons in Houston (1968-1971) before being traded away to the American League where he stars for the next eleven years.
2008 - The first full day of spring training is a rough one for a trio of Astros. Outfielder Hunter Pence arrives with cuts all over his hands and knees after crashing through a sliding glass door while leaving the hot tub of his rental home. Shortstop Miguel Tejada is grilled by the press about his legal troubles stemming from the Mitchell Report and infielder Mark Loretta learns he has lost his arbitration case, receiving $2.75 million in salary instead of the $4.9 million he sought.
1999 - Astros General Manager Gerry Hunsicker announces that outfielder Moises Alou has suffered a knee injury while working out in the Dominican Republic. While initial reports are optimistic, Alou is lost for the entire season. Alou claims he hurt the knee while running on a treadmill but management expresses some skepticism.
1944 - Chris Zachary is born in Knoxville, TN. Expected to be one of the top young arms for the expansion Houston franchise, Zachary struggles through five seasons (1963-1967), compiling a 6-16 record. He dies on April 19, 2003 of cancer in the town of his birth.
1964 - Colts trade in cacti for grapefruits as they begin their first spring training in Cocoa, FL. The new facility is hailed as "state-of-the-art" but soon becomes disparaged because of poor drainage, snakes, and a spartan dormitory where the players are housed. Prankster Turk Farrell livens things up by purchasing a young alligator and slipping him into the clubhouse whirlpool.
1959 - Bill Gullickson is born in Marshall, MN. The righthander goes 10-14 as a Houston starter in 1990, part of his 14 big league seasons but he is gone to Detroit the next year as the Astros tighten their belts.
2006 - Gene Elston is named as the 30th Ford C. Frick Award winner, honoring the top baseball announcers in history. The award is presented at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Elston's career with Houston spanned from 1961 to 1986. He joins Harry Kalas (1965-1970), Bob Prince (1976) and Milo Hamilton (1985-present) as Astro play-by-play men to receive the honor.
1985 - Pitchers and catchers report to the first official workouts at the Astros' new spring training facility in Kissimmee, FL. It is considered by all an upgrade over the team's old facilities in Cocoa, FL that had been in use for the previous 21 years.
1943 - Jack Billingham is born in Orlando, FL. While he compiles a respectable 29-32 record in three years as an Astro (1969-1971), Billingham is best remembered as the player involved in two of the most reviled trades the club ever made, coming and going.
1931 - Buffs Stadium in Houston is home to the first night game between two major league teams as the Chicago White Sox and the New York Giants meet in an exhibition. 23 hits are achieved under the lights in the ten-inning affair.
1998 - Tornadoes pound the Kissimmee, FL area where the Astros spring training camp is based. The fields themselves suffer minor damage. A light tower is blown down, an astroturf field is ripped up and a batting cage is blown across the street and crumpled into a heap. Power is out and several nearby homes where the Astros were staying are damaged. Eight people die at a nearby RV park. The Astros donate money to the relief efforts.
1973 - William Russell Johnson is born in Baton Rouge, LA. A .266 hitter in four seasons as an Astro reserve (1997-2000), Johnson never gets the chance to be an everyday third baseman in Houston.
1965 - Eric Yelding is born in Montrose, AL. Tried in both the infield and outfield, Yelding's best season comes in 1990 when he bats .254 and steals 64 bases.
1948 - Tom Griffin is born in Los Angeles, CA. Great things are expected after his rookie 1969 campaign when he goes 11-10, with 200 strikeouts and a 3.54 ERA but arm injuries ruin most of his remaining six years an Astro. His best season is 1974, when he delivers a 14-10 record.
2000 - Jeff Bagwell arrives at spring training a changed man. Not only is the slugger sporting a new drooping red beard but he is playing his first baseball since off-season laser eye surgery.
1999 - Architects for the new downtown ballpark propose to Astros owner Drayton McLane a train engine to be placed upon the left field wall. Builders announce the new field is almost halfway complete.
1976 - Scott Elarton is born in Lamar, CO. The tall righthander is a key member of the 1999 staff, and is the one bright note of the 2000 campaign with a 17-7 record, but arm woes cause a 4-8 record the next year and Elarton is dealt to the Colorado Rockies in mid-season.
1958 - Juan Agosto is born in Rio Piedras, PR. The rubber-armed lefty lasts 13 seasons in the bigs, including five as an Astro. Agosto's career year is 1988 when he compiles a 10-2 record with four saves and a 2.26 ERA.
1946 - Ken Boswell is born in Austin, TX. In his three seasons as an Astro reserve (1975-1977), Boswell bats .242 and comes through 40 times as a pinch-hitter.
2006 - It's normally not news when a player shows up for spring training but that's not true this time for Jeff Bagwell. The first baseman arrives with a $15.6 million dollar insurance tag on his head if he can't play. Bagwell insists he'll play despite an arthritic right shoulder that required surgery the previous year. He fields grounders and hits in light drills the first day and talks briefly with owner Drayton McLane.
2004 - Nolan Ryan returns to the Astros organization under a five-year personal services contract. Ryan and his sons own one team in the Astros farm system and plan to add another one in 2005 when the AAA affiliate moves to Round Rock, TX and the AA squad moves to Corpus Christi.
1984 - Houston swaps backup catchers with Montreal. George Bjorkman heads to Quebec in exchange for Tom Wieghaus. Bjorkman batted .227 in his one season as an Astro. Wieghaus sees action in just six games and goes hitless.
1967 - Astros send pitcher Jim Ray to the Mets on a 30-day conditional deal. The Mets send him back a month later. It's a lucky break as Ray goes 42-25 with 23 saves over the next six years in Houston, used as both a reliever and a spot starter.
2009 - Third base prospect Chris Johnson mashes a home run estimated at up to 600 feet in the 6-3 victory over the Washington Nationals that opens the spring schedule. Reclamation projects Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz get off to good starts, each tossing a pair of shutout innings. It will be three weeks before they win another Grapefruit League game.
1994 - Former Houston manager Leo Durocher is selected by the Veterans Committee into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Yankee legend Phil Rizzuto. The fiery Durocher had died in 1991, claiming he no longer cared whether he would get inducted. His nearly 50-year career in baseball included 15 seasons as a player and 23 as a manager. His last was with the Astros in 1973.
1988 - Unwanted in Houston, 40-year-old Jose Cruz signs with the New York Yankees, ending an impressive 13-year run as an Astro. Houston will receive a compensation draft pick for the free agent signing.
1951 - Cesar Cedeno is born in Santo Domingo, DR. Considered the franchise's first superstar, Cedeno has twelve fascinating and sometimes frustrating seasons in Houston (1970-1981) and is a member of the 35th Anniversary All-Astros team.
1939 - Denver Lemaster is born in Corona, CA. The lefthander compiles a 30-46 record with six saves and a 3.40 ERA in four years under the Dome (1968-1971).
1992 - Outfielder Luis Gonzalez breaks two bones in his nose when he is struck by a pitching machine during indoor drills. The machine had one pitch left when Gonzo began picking up balls around the batting cage.
1987 - The owner of a Houston sports bar begins a campaign to raise $70,000 for Astros slugger Glenn Davis. That's what separates the Astros and Davis on a one-year contract, according to his agent Gerry Hunsicker. The two sides would eventually agree to meet roughly halfway. Davis is humbled by the public's show of support but declines taking their money.
2006 - Roger Clemens sends a brushback message to his own 19-year-old son after Koby slams a home run off his dad in the minor league Astros camp where Koby is training. Roger is preparing to pitch in the first World Baseball Classic but is not officially with the Astros. Denied salary arbitration, the pitching legend is fielding contract offers from other clubs while mulling retirement. The Astros cannot negotiate with him until May 1st. Officially, that is.
2002 - Astros announce they have purchased back the naming rights of their ballpark from Enron for $2.1 million dollars. The 30-year deal signed in 1999 winds up in bankruptcy court after Enron collapses in scandal during the fall of 2001. Tentatively, the park is named Astros Field while a new sponsor is sought.
1962 - Catcher John Bateman is inked to a free agent contract. The hulking catcher leads the team in home runs and RBIs in 1963 but his career year comes in 1966 when Bateman puts up a .279 average with 17 homers, 24 doubles and 70 RBIs - all career highs. He hits .228 over six seasons in Houston (1963-1968). Bateman dies in Sand Spring, TX at age 56 on December 3, 1996.
1937 - Carl Warwick is born in Dallas, TX. One of the best Colt .45 hitters, Warwick bats .257 with 23 homers and 107 RBIs during the franchise's first two seasons.
1997 - Larry Dierker's managerial debut with the Astros is an 8-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians. Shane Reynolds delivers two shutout innings but the Tribe get to Mike Hampton, Jose Lima and Ramon Garcia for the decisive runs.
1991 - Former major leaguers, Bob and Ken Aspromonte, now local beer distributors, announce they are seeking to buy the Astros from Dr. John McMullen but still need additional partners. Bob Aspromonte played for the team from 1962 to 1968.
1986 - Former Astros Joaquin Andujar, Enos Cabell and Jeff Leonard are among eleven players suspended by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth in the aftermath of the drug-dealing trial of Curtis Strong in Pittsburgh. Future Astro Dale Berra is also suspended. All the players agree to a stiff fine, community service and random drug tests in exchange for lifting the suspensions.
1975 - Ricky Stone is born in Hamilton, OH. The righthander plays a valuable set-up role in the bullpen, with a 10-8 record and two saves over four seasons (2001-04) before being released and claimed by San Diego.
2002 - Jose Vizcaino begins the Astros spring training schedule with a home run off Omar Daal that sparks a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is the first game for new Astros skipper Jimy Williams.
1987 - Reliever Charley Kerfeld declares he will buy up 3,000 tickets per game to give away to charity causes. Without a discount, which the Astros didn't discuss, the cost for the seats would total as much as $1.6 million dollars. Unable to afford that on a $110,000 salary, Kerfeld backs down from the offer.
1992 - Astros' broadcaster Milo Hamilton is named the annual Ford C. Frick Award winner for major contributions to baseball. He will be honored in July at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Hamilton becomes the 16th announcer to win the award since it began.
1985 - David S. "Bud" Norris is born in Greenbrae, CA. The righthander has an impressive debut in 2009 with a 6-3 record as a starting pitcher.
1995 - Astros replacement players lose their spring opener to the Florida Marlins, 3-2. Many players under minor league contracts, including top picks Billy Wagner and Scott Elarton, leave camp rather than take part in the game due to threats made by the players union to blacklist them.
1961 - The first tryout camp is held in Houston for the new National League expansion team. It is held at Busch Stadium, the same southwest Houston locale that had been called Buffs Stadium for decades.
1978 - Rodrigo Rosario is born in La Romana, DR. The slender Dominican righthander wins his 2003 big league debut in memorable fashion but lands on the DL after injuring himself in his second start.
1966 - Andy Mota is born in Santo Domingo, DR. A September call-up during the 1991 season, the second baseman bats .189 in 27 games. His father Manny Mota was with the Houston franchise in the spring of 1963 but was traded before the regular season began.
1994 - Astros owner and HSA president Drayton McLane slams the idea of a new downtown domed stadium, claiming the Astrodome can be refurbished for half the cost. McLane also complains that the $33 millon dollar estimated payroll for the Astros for 1994 is too high.
1993 - The first game in the Florida Marlins' history is a 12-8 pasting of the Astros in the Cocoa, FL park that was the spring home to the Astros for 21 years. Five-run outbursts in the second and fifth innings get the expansion franchise off in style. Phil Nevin belts two triples in his first game as an Astro.
1971 - Brian Hunter is born in Portland, OR. A .285 hitter with 61 steals in his first time through Houston (1994-1996), Hunter returns for two more seasons (2002-2003), batting .258 as a reserve.
2004 - Andy Pettitte, a major off-season addition, makes his Astro debut a succesful one, dropping the Braves, 9-3. The next day, Roger Clemens, the other Yankee free agent signee, wins his debut in a 15-8 clubbing of the Pirates.
1993 - Free agent pitcher Doug Drabek tosses two shutout innings in a 3-2 win over the Dodgers. It is Drabek's first start with Houston after a career in Pittsburgh that included a Cy Young Award and three division crowns.
1989 - After blowing late leads in each of their first three spring games, the Astros score four in the bottom of the ninth to steal a 5-4 victory over Kansas City for the first win in Art Howe's managerial career. Thad Bosley, Craig Biggio and Karl Allaire drive in the runs after three walks start the inning.
1968 - Jeff Kent is born in Bellflower, CA. The former National League MVP bats .292 and averages 24 homers and 100 RBIs during his two seasons in Houston (2003,2004). He also provides one of the most memorable homers in Astros playoff history to win Game 5 of the 2004 N.L.C.S.
1962 - KPRC-AM introduces Gene Elston and Al Helfer as the Colts' first radio play-by-play team. Loel Passe, a local favorite after his years with the Houston Buffs, is later added to the crew. Although Helfer leaves after the first year, Elston and Passe would be together for the next fourteen seasons. Elston would remain with the club through 1986.
1961 - The Houston Sports Association announces "Colt .45s" as the winner of the "Name That Team" contest. Entries from as far away as Australia came in. Many had suggested "Colts" but the gun, rather than the horse, won out much to the later chagrin of Judge Roy Hofheinz.
1950 - James Rodney Richard is born in Vienna, LA. Arguably the most intimidating pitcher in Astros history, Richard compiles a 107-71 record with 19 shutouts and 1,493 strikeouts in his ten seasons in Houston (1971-1980).
2007 - Orlando "Marty" Martinez dies in Santo Domingo, D.R. at age 65. The utility player hit .268 in three seasons with the Astros (1969-1971), playing every position but center and right field including two-thirds of an inning as a pitcher.
1995 - In spite of their current labor impasse, major league owners agree to expansion franchises in Tampa, FL and Phoenix, AZ for the 1998 season. League and divisional alignments are still under discussion. Some contend the owners need the money from entry fees to withstand the shutdown as much as they are looking to bring baseball to new markets.
1969 - After Donn Clendenon "retires" and refuses to report to spring training, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn rules that Montreal can keep both Rusty Staub and Clendenon, insisting that Houston will have to settle for further compensation rather than voiding the trade.
1963 - Reliever Jim Umbricht undergoes 6-1/2 hours of surgery at Methodist Hospital to remove malignant cancer tumors from his leg, thigh and groin. Two months later, he is back on the mound pitching for the Colt .45s.
1939 - Jim Bouton is born in Newark, NJ. The righthander had a blazing fastball when he pitched in the World Series for the Yankees in 1964. By the time he gets to Houston in 1969, all he has left is a knuckleball and a manuscript.
1992 - Democratic presidential contender Bill Clinton stops by the Astros training camp for pictures and autographs prior to an exhibition game with the Boston Red Sox. Florida and Texas both have primaries the next day. Clinton does not stay for the game.
1987 - A sign of things to come. Astros lose their home spring opener to Montreal, 19-3. Bob Knepper and Jeff Heathcock are knocked silly before the bullpen comes to the rescue. Five Houston errors worsen the mood. Knepper would slump from a 17-12 1986 season to 8-17 the next year, his ERA climbing by over two runs.
1973 - Christopher John Nitkowski is born in Suffern, NY. The popular lefty goes 3-3 with three saves in his one season with the Astros (1998) and is unable to catch on after a second signing in 2002.
1934 - Jim Landis is born in Fresno, CA. From the lowly 1967 Astros, Landis would spend the rest of his final big league season involved in the American League pennant race with both Detroit and Boston.
2001 - Astros drop the first of a two-game exhibition series in Valencias, Venezuela to the Cleveland Indians, 7-6. The following day's game would end in an 8-8 tie after Adam Everett's two-run homer in the ninth produces the stalemate.
1962 - Houston Colt .45s lose the first exhibition game in their history to the Los Angeles Angels, 7-3, in Palm Springs, CA. Bob Aspromonte scores the first run and Roman Mejias gets the first Colt hit, a clean single off Eli Grba.
2000 - Major League Baseball comes to the Dominican Republic for the first time as the Astros drop the Boston Red Sox, 4-3, at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo. Jeff Bagwell launches two homers to pace the Houston victory. Dominican pitcher Jose Lima thrills his countrymen with a 3-2 triumph the next day.
1985 - Righthander Mike Scott, coming off a 5-11 season, tests his new split-fingered fastball for the first time in live action. The two-inning stint against the Toronto Blue Jays is uneventful and Scott likes it that way. He hopes to earn the fourth spot in Houston's pitching rotation.
1980 - Chris Burke is born in Louisville, KY. The outfielder/infielder bats .249 during four seasons in Houston (2004-2007) but makes his mark with a home run that wins the 2005 N.L.D.S. over Atlanta in the 18th inning, the longest game in postseason history.
1974 - Bob Abreu is born in Aragua, Venezuela. A product of the Astros' baseball camp in his homeland, Abreu would play just 74 games for Houston before being lost in the 1997 expansion draft.
1948 - Cesar Geronimo is born in El Seibo, DR. Used mostly as a defensive replacement in Houston, Geronimo would leave for Cincinnati as part of the infamous Morgan deal and hold down center field for the Reds for the next nine seasons.
2002 - Astros deal third baseman Chris Truby to Montreal for infielder Geoff Blum. Since the Expos were purchased by Major League Baseball during the winter and is technically run by them, this makes the first trade by the sport itself on behalf of one of their clubs. Blum would bat .272 with 20 homers during two seasons in Houston.
2000 - Two armed gunmen rob six Astros minor leaguers in a motel in Kissimmee, FL. One is apprehended at the scene while the other fled after jumping through a second-story window. One player suffers a bite to his neck.
1965 - Steve Finley is born in Paducah, KY. A .281 hitter during his four seasons in Houston (1991-1994), Finley has played for two National League champs and a World's Champion since being traded away.
1949 - Jim Wynn is born in Hamilton, OH. Drafted away from the hometown Reds by the fledgling Colt .45s, the "Toy Cannon" would become the first Astro to reach 40 steals, hit 30 HRs or drive in 100 runs for the team. His tape-measure homers are still described with awe today. Wynn's number 24 is retired in 2005.
1995 - Only 621 attend an Astros-Royals replacement exhibition game and both clubs, in spite of fairly new spring facilities, grumble about declining revenues. The Astros weigh an option to return to Arizona when their contract in Kissimmee is up, looking at Tucson where their AAA team used to play.
1990 - Houston trades two minor league players to the Yankees for shortstop Orlando Miller. The infielder would come up to the majors in 1994 and would find himself as part of the nine-player deal with the Tigers after the 1996 season.
1962 - Colt .45s get their first-ever win in a 2-1 exhibition victory over the Cleveland Indians. Jack Waters singles home Jim Pendleton with the winning run. Jim Umbricht is the winning pitcher.
2003 - Houston signs lefthander Bruce Chen to a minor league contract but he stays with the parent club. This is his sixth National League team in the past four seasons but the ride doesn't last long. He is cut after 11 appearances with a 0-0 record and a 6.00 ERA.
2002 - Larry Dierker drops in on the Astros spring camp in Kissimmee, FL to smiles and hugs. After 37 years in various capacities with the franchise, the ex-manager says it felt "weird" to not be at spring training.
1991 - It's March Madness time and the most popular guy at the Astros camp is rookie Kenny Lofton. During his years at the University of Arizona, Lofton was known more as a guard for the highly-ranked Wildcat basketball team than as a speedy center fielder. Lofton becomes the resident expert in tournament betting pools.
1987 - After an 0-for-8 start and three errors in the field, shortstop Dickie Thon walks out of training camp. Although Thon is able to successfully return to baseball, it's the beginning of the end of his time in Houston. Blurred vision is cited as the reason for his walkout.
1988 - It hits the fan when newspapers publish pitcher Bob Knepper's reaction to the performance of minor league umpire Pam Postema, attempting to become the first woman ump in the majors. Knepper states his religious beliefs that women should not "have authority" over men. Astros public relations say calls in reaction to the comments are running 70% opposed. Postema's career eventually falls short of the big leagues.
2003 - As America prepares for a second war with Iraq, opinions are strong on both sides. After the lead singer of the country music group "The Dixie Chicks" causes an uproar by saying on stage that she's embarrassed that President George W. Bush is from Texas, Lance Berkman, another native Texan, says he's embarrassed for her and suggests she move to Oklahoma.
1994 - A poll conducted for the city of Houston at the request of Astros owner Drayton McLane shows 56 percent disapprove of building a downtown domed stadium primarily for the NFL Oilers and the NBA Rockets. Only 24% approve. Among those who disapprove, 49% say a new park is simply "not needed". Mayor Bob Lanier backs away from supporting the proposed stadium, which sets the scene for the Oilers' later move to Nashville, TN and the creation of a baseball-only downtown facility for the Astros.
2008 - Dodgertown in Vero Beach, FL, which was home for 60 years to the Dodgers, bids them farewell. The Astros make Dodger fans bluer in the finale with a 12-10 win, keyed by five home runs including a game-winning two-run shot from Nick Gorneault in the ninth.
1998 - Reliever Bryan Harvey asks for his unconditional release from the Astros training camp, ending a comeback bid for the former two-time All-Star.
1976 - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ends a labor lockout that threatens to delay the start of the regular season. Training camps are opened and America's Pastime plays as usual during America's bicentennial.
2009 - Infielder Aaron Boone, a free agent signed in December, announces he will have aortic heart surgery and forgo the season. Boone is best known for his home run that decided the 2003 A.L.C.S. for the Yankees over the Red Sox. He was expected to platoon at third base. Successful surgery is performed eight days later. He returns in September but goes hitless in 13 attempts.
1990 - A spring labor lockout is finally settled. The Astros report to spring camp in a rush to be ready in time for the April 9th season opener. The first exhibition game isn't until March 26th.
1973 - Raul Chavez is born in Valencia, Venezuela. The reserve catcher spends parts of five seasons with the Astros (2000-2005), batting .212 with four homers.
1962 - Construction begins on the Astrodome, a short hike from where Colt Stadium is nearing completion. The excavation pit for the domed stadium floor soon becomes a haven for breeding mosquitoes in land that was once marsh fields.
2005 - Lance Berkman is signed to a six-year contract worth $85 million dollars. Eligible for free agency after the season, Berkman had set a deadline to be re-signed by Opening Day. Berkman is glad to be under contract for the rest of the decade.
1988 - Larry Andersen closes out a 4-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals. It was number 42 but it didn't look like Andy and, in fact, it wasn't. It's Dave Smith, who forgot to pack his jersey for the short bus trip. Andersen bought an unmarked jersey at a concession stand so as to not be missed in the bullpen. The stunt leads to a fine for both players.
1966 - Players with the Astros and Dodgers are flown from Florida to Houston to test the new artificial surface. Balls bounce too high in the infield and engineers add more sand under the rug to make it behave more like natural grass.
1962 - Mickey Herskowitz of the Houston Post has his first column published as a mythical Houston pitcher named "Lefty" who tells about life with the Colt .45s. He continues the columns for five years and they sell as a book entitled "Letters From Lefty". A few more letters show up through 1971. They remain some of the best stories about the early years of the franchise.
2009 - After winning their first spring game of the year, the Astros fail to win their next 19 Grapefruit League contests until beating the Reds, 4-2, behind six shutout innings from Russ Ortiz. It comes the same day that the Astros sign catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez to a one-year deal. The 37-year-old Rodriguez is a 14-time All-Star with 13 Gold Gloves and fills a need as none of the other catchers in camp were hitting above .200 in spring action.
1996 - Jim Pendleton dies in Houston, TX at age 72. His 36 RBIs as a Colt in 1962 were the most of his big league career.
1994 - Both teams train in Florida, yet the Astros and Rangers spar in a two-game series at the Astrodome as part of their in-state rivalry. Tony Eusebio is the hero in a 6-5 victory, driving in Luis Gonzalez with an eighth-inning double. Astro nemesis Will Clark delivers the game-winner for the Rangers the following day. It's the first Dome visit for new Houston manager Terry Collins. Afterwards, both teams fly back to Florida.
1936 - Jim Golden is born in Eldon, MO. Jim lives up to his name when he shuts out the Cubs in his first start for the Colt .45s in just the third game in franchise history.
1996 - Houston sends lefthander Billy Wagner to the minors, intent on converting him to a starting pitcher. By year's end, he is in the Astros bullpen, winning two games and saving nine in 37 appearances.
1989 - Astros acquire second baseman Steve Lombardozzi from the Minnesota Twins for a player-to-be-named later. Lombardozzi bats .211 in 23 games with Houston.
1939 - Tommy Davis is born in Brooklyn, NY. The former two-time N.L. batting champ hits .271 as an Astro during parts of the 1969 and 1970 seasons.
1929 - Prentice "Pidge" Browne is born in Peekskill, NY. As a 32-year-old rookie, Browne hits .210 in 65 games for the Colt .45s. It is his only big league action.
2007 - After almost 20 years of wearing a pin in his cap to promote the Sunshine Kids charity for cancer-stricken children, Major League Baseball tells 41-year-old Craig Biggio that he can no longer wear the emblem during spring exhibition games. Biggio reacts angrily while the Astros front office refrains from comment. A week later, after a mild media uproar, Major League Baseball rescinds the order.
1986 - Astros lose to the Rangers, 6-2, their ninth loss in the past ten games. They provide as many errors as hits. Pressure is put on rookie manager Hal Lanier to show some imporvement. Pre-season forecasts predict the Astros will do no better than fourth place in the Western Division.
1978 - Jeremy Griffiths is born in Fairview, OH. Part of the trade in 2004 that sent Richard Hidalgo to the Mets, the 6-6 righthander makes one start for the parent club, lasting 4-1/3 innings.
1966 - Sean Berry is born in Santa Monica, CA. The scrappy third baseman bats .283 with 38 homers in three seasons with the Astros (1996-1998), including two as division champions.
1926 - Billy Goodman is born.in Concord, NC. The infielder bats .255 for the 1962 Colts in the final campaign of a 16-season major league career.
2005 - The burnt orange Hummer owned by Koby Clemens' father is stolen from the Memorial High School parking lot. It is recovered later in a southwest Houston apartment complex, apparently unharmed. The Hummer was a gift from the New York Yankees to celebrate father Roger's 300th major league win. The elder Clemens returns from the Astros' spring training camp to aid in the investigation. Koby is later drafted and signed by the Astros as an infielder.
1943 - Lee May is born in Birmingham, AL. The powerful first baseman slugs 81 homers in three seasons with the Astros and represents them in the 1972 All-Star Game.
1942 - Danny Coombs is born in Lincoln, ME. Coombs' big league debut comes in the "All-Rookie" game in 1963 but he's never able to cement a job with Houston. Still, the lefty reliever compiles an 8-7 record with two saves as an Astro in parts of seven seasons.
1979 - Jose Valverde is born in San Pedro de Macoris, DR., or is he? The Dominican has had his official birth date listed both in March and July, also in 1978 and 1979. Regardless, "Papa Grande" posts 69 saves while an Astro, including a league-leading 44 in 2008, before leaving in free agency.
1972 - Jose Cabrera is born in Santiago, DR. The reliever works parts of four seasons in Houston, earning a 6-3 record with two saves. Cabrera also tosses two scoreless innings in the 1999 N.L.D.S.
1967 - Astros deal utilityman Sandy Alomar to the New York Mets for utilityman Derrell Griffith. Alomar's two sons, Roberto and Sandy, Jr., would one day become All-Stars like their pop.
1961 - Houston holds their first rookie camp in Jacksonville, FL. Farm director Bobby Bragan conducts the camp for young players under contract with the newly-named Colt .45s.
1942 - Jesus Alou is born in Haina, DR. The youngest of three Alou brothers who would share the same San Francisco outfield in 1963, Jesus would hit .282 during two stints with the Astros.
2006 - Jeff Bagwell announces he may undergo "last resort" surgery to remove bone spurs in his aching right shoulder in a final attempt to resume his playing career. Bagwell, the subject of much off-season speculation and a $15.6 million dollar insurance claim, will go on the disabled list. Two days later, the insurance claim is denied but the Astros say litigation is likely.
2004 - Houston acquires utilityman Mike Lamb from the New York Yankees in return for a minor league pitcher. Lamb bats .281 with 49 homers and 196 RBIs over four campaigns, adding five more homers in postseason play.
1994 - Astros release outfielder Jesse Barfield. The Houston native and former A.L. home run champ had hit just .080 in Kissimmee after playing in Japan the previous season. He stays on to work as a coach.
1988 - Houston trades catcher Robbie Wine to the Texas Rangers for pitcher Mike Loynd. Selected as the eighth overall pick in the 1983 draft, Wine is never able to produce as he did in college. In 23 games as an Astro, Wine hits .146.
1984 - Astros purchase infielder Alan Bannister from Cleveland. In nine games that season with Houston, Bannister would bat .200 before a trade to the Rangers.
1999 - Roger Clemens tosses six innings of no-hit ball but the Astros storm back to topple the New York Yankees, 7-5. Clemens had been the subject of intense trade talks during the off-season as the Astros tried to swing a swap with the Toronto Blue Jays to bring the multiple Cy Young Award winner home to Texas. Ultimately, Clemens was sent to New York.
1991 - State Senators pass a bill to rename a part of State Highway 288 the "Nolan Ryan Expressway". The highway passes near the Astrodome on its way through Ryan's boyhood hometown of Alvin.
1977 - Astros obtain outfielder Willie Crawford and infielder Rob Sperring from San Francisco for infielder Rob Andrews. After the season, outfielder Art Gardner is sent to the Giants to complete the deal.
1968 - Future Astro teammates Shane Reynolds and Jose Vizcaino are born. Reynolds is born in Bastrop, LA. Vizcaino is delivered in San Cristobal, DR. They would play together in Houston for the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
2004 - In a scene that gave Astro veterans flashbacks, shortstop Adam Everett is hit in the face by a fastball from Toronto's Miguel Batista. Fortunately, the throw glances off Everett's shoulder before striking him in the mouth, unlike the blow that another Houston shortstop, Dickie Thon, took in 1984 that significantly altered his career. Bloodied and sore, Everett leaves the game, a 5-3 win over the Blue Jays, but returns before the regular season began.
2003 - Houston veterans are stunned to learn that pitcher Shane Reynolds, who had been with the team since 1992, has been released. Coming off back surgery and having a shaky spring, the Astros pull the plug on an incentive-laden deal that could have been worth as much as $5 million dollars to Reynolds. Penciled in as the third starter, Reynolds comments that he thought he was just sharpening up for the season and didn't need to compete for a job. He soon finds a new home pitching for Atlanta, posting an 11-9 record.
1997 - New manager Larry Dierker finds out he doesn't get the final say on his own roster. Dierker wants to keep righthander Donne Wall on the pitching staff but Wall is sent to the minors in favor of Chris Holt. Wall returns when Sid Fernandez goes on the disabled list after only one start, yet pitches just eight games while Holt and Ramon Garcia fill the void in the Astros rotation.
1985 - Shortstop Dickie Thon impresses as he comes back from the beaning that ended his 1984 season in the opening week. He swats a double off the wall in a 3-1 victory over the Dodgers and turns a thrilling double play behind Bob Knepper. Thon explains his injured eye socket seems healthy once again.
2005 - In the first trade of Tim Purpura's tenure as General Manager, the Astros send pitcher Tim Redding to San Diego for catcher Humberto Quintero. On the field, Houston outslugs the Tigers, 14-11 as Roger Clemens tosses 106 pitches in his first start since pulling his hamstring.
2003 - Halliburton Plaza opens next to Minute Maid Park, showcasing the team's history and featuring action statues adorned with the uniform numbers of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio turning a double play.
1990 - Astros Special Assistant Donald Davidson dies in Houston at age 64. Only four-feet-tall after contracting a childhood illness, Davidson spent 50 years in baseball, working his way up from batboy to baseball executive. Davidson came to Houston in 1976 and served a number of front-office roles. His body was donated to science.
1961 - Glenn Davis is born in Jacksonville, FL. As a troubled youth, he is taken in by the parents of major league pitcher George "Storm" Davis. Glenn would become Houston's best slugger since Jim Wynn, smashing 166 homers over seven seasons (1984-1990) while driving in 518 runs.
2002 - Lance Berkman drills two home runs and Roy Oswalt scatters seven hits as Houston tops the Boston Red Sox, 5-1, in an exhibition at the newly-renamed Astros Field. Scrubbed are virtually all signs of Enron, whose naming-rights deal for the ballpark fell into bankruptcy court. The win is also a little sweeter for manager Jimy Williams who was fired by the Sox midway through the 2001 season.
2000 - Houston swaps lefty relievers with Philadelphia, obtaining Yorkis Perez for Trever Miller. Perez would see action in 33 games, earning a 2-1 record before being released. Miller was 5-2 with a pair of saves over two seasons as an Astro.
1978 - Eric Bruntlett is born in Lafayette, IN. The utilityman bats .250 with nine homers during his five seasons with Houston (2003-2007). His turn of a double play in Game 4 of the 2005 N.L.C.S. seals a pivotal 2-1 victory. He later would make an unassisted triple play as a member of the Phillies in 2009.
2000 - 
Enron Field officially opens with a 6-5 exhibition win over the A.L. Champion New York Yankees, paralleling the feat that occured when the Astrodome opened in 1965. Daryle Ward's two-run homer caps a four-run eighth-inning rally to open up the Astros' new home in style. 
Jeff Bagwell earns the first hit in the new digs with a single off Roger Clemens.
1995 - In their only Astrodome appearance, Houston replacement players mop up the ersatz New York Yankees, 10-1, before a crowd of approximately 7,000. Former Astros Juan Guerrero and Dave Rhode star for the strike-breaking locals.
1993 - Astros release pitcher Jason Grimsley, whom they acquired for pitcher Curt Schilling the previous year. Grimsley catches on with the Cleveland Indians. He did not pitch an inning while in Houston. Schilling, meanwhile, becomes a six-time All-Star who is a pivotal member of four pennant-winners.
1977 - Jeriome Robertson is born in San Jose, CA. The lefty leads the Astros in wins during his rookie season, posting a 15-9 record in 2003, despite a 5.10 ERA. Also on this day, infielder Larry Milbourne is dealt to Seattle for pitcher Roy Thomas.
1961 - Rumors swirl that legendary manager Leo Durocher, currently a coach with the Dodgers, would be named the first manager of the new Houston franchise. Reports of phone conversations between Durocher and General Manager Gabe Paul are true but nothing materializes beyond that. Durocher would eventally lead the club in 1972 after several years as skipper of the Cubs.
2004 - Lefthander Jeriome Robertson is dealt to the Cleveland Indians for two minor league outfielders, Willy Taveras and Luke Scott. Taveras had been claimed by Houston in the Rule V draft but had been waived and returned to Cleveland before the trade. Robertson had a 15-9 rookie season in Houston but found himself out of the rotation after the Astros snared Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens in free agency.
1997 - Houston acquires infielder Tim Bogar on waivers from the New York Mets. Bogar hits .219 in four seasons as a utility infielder. He also pitches twice during the 2000 campaign.
1995 - U.S. District Judge Sonia Sotomayor issues an injunction that ends the longest work stoppage in baseball history and clears the way for a return of major league players to the ballpark. The season openers are delayed as spring training opens late.
1986 - Pitcher Mark Ross is traded for himself. Ross was dealt to St. Louis in December for a player to be named later. After no agreement could be reached, that player to be named became Mark Ross.
1983 - Astros deal catcher Alan Knicely to Cincinnati for pitcher Bill Dawley and outfielder Tony Walker. Another in the long line of catching prospects, Knicely bats .197 over parts of four seasons.
2003 - Former N.L. MVP Jeff Kent homers in his first at bat as a Houston Astro, leading a 10-4 mauling of the Rockies. Jeff Bagwell tops that with two home runs while Geoff Blum goes deep and drives in three. Roy Oswalt survives a shaky start for the victory. 
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1998 - A passed ball lets in the winning run as Houston rallies for two in the eighth to topple San Francisco, 7-6. Moises Alou belts his first homer of the season and Craig Biggio swipes three bases.
1997 - Many considered Drayton McLane a fool for hiring broadcaster Larry Dierker as his manager, replacing Terry Collins. Dierker had never managed on any level. Dierker's debut comes on April Fool's Day, getting the last laugh on the Atlanta Braves, the defending league champs. Pat Listach drives in Brad Ausmus with a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Shane Reynolds and Billy Wagner make it stand up for a 2-1 victory.
1981 - Astros deal pitcher Ken Forsch to the Angels for shortstop Dickie Thon. The versatile righthander compiled a 78-81 record for Houston, with 50 saves, nine shutouts, a 3.18 ERA and one memorable no-hitter.
1968 - Pitcher Bo Belinsky is sold to the Chicago White Sox. Having already left spring training to get engaged to former Playmate of the Year Jo Collins, Belinsky refuses a minor-league assignment in Oklahoma City preferring Honolulu where the Sox have their AAA affiliate.
2003 - Craig Biggio singles home the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the ninth, completing a five-run rally that stuns Colorado, 8-7. Four straight singles and a double by Orlando Merced set the stage for Biggio's heroics. Billy Wagner is the surprise winner.
1997 - Houston bunches six hits off Greg Maddux in the third inning and holds on for a 4-3 victory. Derek Bell's two-run double is the key blow. Mike Hampton picks up the win against Atlanta.
1993 - Nolan Ryan pitches in the Dome for the last time, a 4-3 exhibition loss for his Texas Rangers. A packed house of over 53,000 cheer the 46-year-old Alvin legend. Luis Gonzalez' three hits help to stake Pete Harnisch to a 4-0 lead over the future Hall-Of-Famer, who struck out only one batter in six innings.
1971 - Dome fans are treated to a 15-inning exhibition "tripleheader" between the Astros, Yankees and Twins. Houston nips New York, 2-1, in the first five-inning game and later tops Minnesota, 5-3, in the finale. In between, the Twins down the Yankees, 4-1.
1963 - Colt .45s trade outfielder Manny Mota to Pittsburgh for outfielder Howie Goss, who lasts one season. Mota torments Houston pitchers for the next twenty years.
2001 - Craig Biggio returns from knee surgery in style with the first five-hit game of his career during an 11-3 Opening Day win against Milwaukee, scoring three times. Daryle Ward and Chris Truby belt homers.
1998 - It's not in Colorado, but the Astros club the Rockies as if it was, 15-2. Derek Bell, now hitting in front of Jeff Bagwell in the lineup, drives in six and keys a seven-run uprising to put the game away.
1977 - An exhibition game with the Texas Rangers in Tulsa, OK, is halted when a part of the stand collapses, injuring 17 people. Players helped carry victims to aid, some making stretchers out of wooden planks.
1970 - Doug Rader becomes the first to reach the Dome's gold (upper reserved) seats with a home run off Stan Bahnsen during a 9-5 exhibition win against the Yankees. The ball lands in section 738D, row 6, seat 1.
1969 - The Rusty Staub trade with Montreal is finally settled when the Astros accept pitchers Skip Guinn and Jack Billingham, along with $100,000, instead of first baseman Donn Clendenon. Jesus Alou was to accompany Clendenon to Houston and he remains part of the deal.
2003 - Brad Ausmus slugs a grand slam homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the 12th to carry the Astros over St. Louis, 6-5. Ausmus also guns down three runners, including Fernando Vina at third base for the game's final out. Brad Lidge gets his first major league save.
1994 - Mitch Williams walks the bases full then surrenders two 12th-inning runs in the season opener against Montreal. Ken Caminiti's two-run double ends a dramatic three-run comeback for a 6-5 Houston triumph. . The Astros also debut their new navy-and-gold uniforms with the leaning star logo.
1982 - J.R. Richard tosses one inning in an exhibition game against Toronto. It would be his last appearance as an Astro after suffering a stroke in 1980. Richard gives up no runs and no hits but walks the bases full in the 3-2 victory.
1977 - Houston bombs the Rangers in a 16-6 exhibition win in Oklahoma City. Willie Crawford drives in five runs but the moment nobody forgets is when Bob Watson doubles into a double play. Texas catcher Bill Fahey tags out both Enos Cabell and Jose Cruz at the plate.
1966 - A tornado rips through the Astros' spring training home in Cocoa, FL. Three light towers are toppled, one crashing into the grandstand. The scoreboard has vanished. The batting cages are ruined. That day's exhibition game with Kansas City is cancelled.
2006 - Craig Biggio adds to his illustrious credentials in a 6-5 triumph over the Marlins. His first-inning double gives him 606 in his career to become tenth all-time in that category. Later, he scores his 1700th run, 24th all-time in that department. He is two hits shy of the 2800 plateau. Lance Berkman and Preston Wilson supply the muscle with two-run homers to support Wandy Rodriguez.
1998 - Astros greet Darryl Kile with five runs in the second inning, on their way to a 6-2 win over Colorado. Houston fans boo Kile who left the Astros as a free agent over the winter. Shane Reynolds' three-run double and Craig Biggio's two-run homer do the damage.
1988 - Kevin Bass' two-run single keys a five-run eighth-inning rally to grab a 6-3 Opening Day win against San Diego. Mike Scott takes the win even though he surrendered two runs in the top half of the frame.
1976 - The Astros host an exhibition game at the Louisiana Superdome, a 12-5 win over Minnesota, before just over 10,000 fans. Cliff Johnson stars with three hits, including a homer. Not built for baseball, New Orleans' new dome creates a few problems such as a concrete warning track and football sidelines down the third base line. Hitters complain about poor visibility, causing an auxilliary scoreboard to be shut off.
1971 - Houston shows off their new orange-and-navy uniforms in a 5-2 Opening Day win against Los Angeles. Larry Dierker earns the complete-game victory.
2001 - Craig Biggio homers and drives in three to pace a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh to give the Astros a 4-0 start on the young season. Octavio Dotel tosses seven strong innings for the win.
1999 - The Astros begin their final campaign in the Astrodome by defeating the Cubs, 4-2. Shane Reynolds is the Opening Day winner. Carl Everett and Richard Hidalgo bash solo home runs.
1987 - Jose Cruz homers off the Dodgers' Orel Hershiser to lead the defending N.L. West champion Astros to a 4-3 season-opening triumph. Alan Ashby contributes a two-run single. Dave Smith pitches the last two innings to seal the win for Mike Scott.
1975 - For $35,000, the Astros purchase Joe Niekro from the Braves. Niekro would win 144 games for Houston and become the club's first two-time 20-win pitcher.
1973 - Cesar Cedeno doubles home Tommy Helms with the winning run in the 13th for a 2-1 Opening Day triumph in Atlanta. It was Cedeno's third extra-base hit of the game. Jim Wynn's homer tied it in the sixth.
2004 - What retirement? 41-year-old Roger Clemens makes his debut as an Astro a memorable one, blanking the Giants on one hit over seven innings to earn his 311th career victory, a 10-1 blowout. Homers by Richard Hidalgo, Jeff Bagwell and Jeff Kent support The Rocket who fans nine, including slugger Barry Bonds twice. Clemens also singles in his first at-bat as a National Leaguer.
2000 - Enron Field's first regular-season opener goes much the same way as the Astrodome - a 4-1 loss to Philadelphia. Craig Biggio leads off the season with a single but it isn't until Richard Hidalgo homers in the seventh that the sellout crowd has more to cheer. For trivia buffs, Randy Wolf gets to howl as Enron's first winning pitcher much like Chris Short 35 years before.
1979 - Ken Forsch fires a no-hitter, blanking Atlanta, 6-0 . Bedridden two days before the gem, Forsch needs just 106 pitches, striking out three and walking two. Forsch has a tension-free ninth inning getting Rowland Office, Jerry Royster and Glenn Hubbard on routine grounders. He and his brother Bob become the first brothers to pitch no-hitters.
1975 - Setting the baseball fashion world on its ear, the Astros introduce the rainbow uniform to major league baseball, humbling the Braves in a 6-2 season opener. Jose Cruz homers in his first game as an Astro.
1970 - Pitcher Larry Dierker orders pinch-hitter Norm Miller to belt a homer as he's leaving the game. Miller delivers with a three-run shot off Gaylord Perry to key an 8-5 Opening Day win at San Francisco. Dierker picks up the victory while Fred Gladding earns the save.
2005 - Roger Clemens wins for the 329th time in his career - tying Steve Carlton for ninth on the all-time list - using his bat as well as his arm. Clemens' infield hit in the sixth scores two for a 3-2 squeaker over the Reds. Luke Scott and Willy Taveras, two rookies making the jump from AA ball, score runs with Scott pounding a triple for his first major league hit - just 16 behind Clemens on the all-time hit list.
2002 - Craig Biggio becomes the fourth player in franchise history to hit for the cycle in an 8-4 triumph in Colorado. After reaching with a single and a triple his first two times up, Biggio homers off Denny Neagle for two runs then doubles in the eighth off Mike James for two more. Richard Hidalgo and Lance Berkman also go deep.
1988 - Glenn Davis drills a two-run shot with two outs in the ninth to tie Cincinnati then Houston explodes for five runs in the 16th to take an 8-3 victory. Winning pitcher Larry Andersen starts the final rally with a single off Jose Rijo then scores on a two-run single by Billy Hatcher.
1984 - Shortstop Dickie Thon is beaned by Mike Torrez in a 3-1 loss to the Mets. The fastball broke a bone near Thon's left eye which caused bruising and a huge shiner. He would be out the entire season and battled vision problems the rest of his career.
1964 - Colts reliever Jim Umbricht dies at the age of 33 from melanoma cancer. He was the only pitcher with a winning record in both of Houston's first two seasons, overcoming major surgery during the 1963 campaign - or so it seemed.
1999 - On the Astrodome's final anniversary, Tim Bogar drives home Richard Hidalgo with the winning run as Houston nips Milwaukee, 2-1. Starter Sean Bergman adds a solo homer but Scott Elarton takes the win in relief.
1990 - On the Dome's 25th Anniversary, Houston fails to hold an early lead and drops an 8-4 decision to Cincinnati. Glenn Davis is hit-by-pitch three times, tying a major-league record.
1985 - On the Dome's 20th Anniversary, Nolan Ryan leads a 2-1 victory over Los Angeles, surviving a first-inning kiss from Morganna who also smooches Dickie Thon before the police arrest her.
1975 - On the Dome's 10th Anniversary, Houston drills the Braves with six runs in the fourth and eight more in the seventh for a 14-2 massacre. Doug Rader, Roger Metzger and Enos Cabell lead the assault with three hits apiece.
1965 - Houston's "Eighth Wonder Of The World" opens its doors for the first indoor baseball game, an exhibition against the New York Yankees. Dick Farrell tosses the first pitch . Ron Brand triples for Houston's first hit. The legendary Mickey Mantle homers to center field for the game's first run but the newly-named Astros prevail, 2-1 in twelve innings, on a single by player-coach Nellie Fox .
2003 - Craig Biggio sets a league record with his 31st leadoff homer, sparking the Astros to a 4-2 triumph over Cincinnati. He eclipses the mark of Bobby Bonds. Jeriome Robertson picks up his first major league win, allowing just two hits and fanning eight over seven innings.
1979 - J.R. Richard ties a major-league record by throwing six wild pitches in a game against Los Angeles, but he also strikes out 13 in a 2-1 victory. Cesar Cedeno, Jose Cruz and Enos Cabell tag consecutive doubles off Burt Hooton in the fourth for the Houston runs.
1971 - Chicago great Ferguson Jenkins is sailing along with a four-hit shutout and a 1-0 lead through eight innings when the Astros win without hitting a ball past the infield. Cesar Cedeno's scratch hit starts it off. Two walks later, Cedeno bluffs a break for the plate which causes Jenkins to balk home the tying run. Jenkins then misplays Roger Metzger's botched squeeze bunt for an error as Cesar Geronimo scores the game-winner.
1968 - Houston wins the season opener over Pittsburgh, 5-4. The season was delayed due to the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Astros score three in the bottom of the ninth as a rare error by Bill Mazeroski on a foul pop proves critical.
1962 - Major League Baseball officially starts in Houston as the Colt .45s make a big hit in their 11-2 Opening Day win against the Chicago Cubs. Bobby Shantz gets the victory, striking out Lou Brock as the first batter. Roman Mejias belts two home runs and drives in six for the Colts. Hal Smith also homers. In all, quite a 50th birthday gift for team owner Judge Roy Hofheinz.
1999 - Craig Biggio scores his 1000th career run against Milwaukee in a 5-2 victory. Biggio has two hits on the day, including a double. Shane Reynolds captures the victory.
1981 - Don Sutton, signed as a free agent from Los Angeles over the winter, makes his Astro debut against the Dodgers, and surrenders six runs in a 7-4 loss.
1980 - Craig Reynolds, homerless the year before, blasts a leadoff homer against Don Stanhouse to spark a five-run eighth-inning rally that topples Los Angeles, 10-6. Dave Smith wins in his first big league appearance.
1967 - Eddie Mathews beats his old Atlanta teammates in a 6-1 Opening Day victory. The Braves had traded their aging star to Houston that winter and he responds with two hits including a triple off Dick Kelley to key a six-run sixth inning. Mike Cuellar picks up the win.
1962 - Hal Woodeshick and Dick Farrell combine for Houston's first shutout, 2-0 over the Cubs. Hal Smith's first-inning single plated the game's only runs. This game also featured the franchise's first rain delay - one hour and seven minutes.
1996 - Todd Jones blows the save but gets the win in a 10-8, ten-inning triumph at Cincinnati. Jones gives up a two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth to Jeff Branson but Derek Bell comes through with a two-run double in the extra frame.
1980 - In his first game as an Astro, Nolan Ryan hits the first home run of his career, a three-run shot off Don Sutton. But the lead doesn't hold and Los Angeles eventually wins in 17 innings, 6-5.
1970 - Astros blast five home runs to trounce Phil Niekro and the Braves, 8-3 . Jim Wynn has the most memorable shot, a rocket that doesn't come to rest until it finds the gold (upper reserved) seats in the third inning (section 738C, row 6, seat 3) . That bested his blast into the purple seats in the first. Tommy Davis, Joe Pepitone and Doug Rader go yard as well, making an easy night for starter Larry Dierker.
1965 - Philadelphia's Chris Short and Dick Allen spoil the Astros' regular season Dome debut in a 2-0 shutout. Allen belts the park's first regulation homer while Short tosses a four-hitter. Twenty-two NASA astronauts threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
1962 - Dean Stone tosses the first complete-game shutout in franchise history, blanking the Cubs, 3-0. It's a three-hit effort and caps a series sweep in their inaugural homestand. At 3-0, they are tied with Giants atop the National League standings.
2007 - Roy Oswalt gets his 100th victory in an un-Oswalt-like way. He walks six and allows six runs but Carlos Lee's three homers and a three-run blast by Morgan Ensberg pace a 9-6 victory at Philadelphia. Lee belts a grand slam as well as two solo shots while Craig Biggio takes over eighth place on the All-Time doubles list with 641, passing Honus Wagner.
1993 - Houston erupts for seven runs in the eighth to master the Expos, 9-6. Eddie Taubensee's two-run homer is the big blow in the uprising.
1989 - Glenn Davis ties the Dodgers with an eighth-inning blast then an error by Eddie Murray in the 15th keys a 4-2 victory. Bob Forsch tosses shutout ball over the last four innings for the win.
1971 - Astros rally for five runs in the ninth to stun the Cardinals, 8-4. Joe Morgan's bases-loaded single precedes a three-run bomb by Norm Miller. Bob Watson also homers.
1964 - Colt .45s win the league's season opener in Cincinnati, defeating the Reds, 6-3. It is the only time in their three-year history that the Colts have sole possession of first place. President Lyndon Johnson watches while Ken Johnson, still grieving over the death of roommate Jim Umbricht, hurls a two-hit shutout before tiring in the ninth. Jim Wynn, who grew up in Cincinnati, belts a two-run shot in the victory.
2001 - Chris Truby slams two home runs to pace a 7-4 win in St. Louis. Scott Elarton survives three solo homers to pick up the victory.
1988 - Glenn Davis drives in five, including three on his fifth home run of the young season, to slam the Reds, 9-3. It makes for an unhappy 47th birthday for Cincinnati skipper Pete Rose.
1985 - In a battle between the major-league's top two strikeout artists of all time, Nolan Ryan defeats Steve Carlton and the Phillies, 6-3. Ryan increases his career strikeout lead over Carlton to ten (3,887 to 3,877). Jose Cruz supports with three hits.
1965 - Houston gets their first regulation win as the Astros, an eleven-inning 7-6 triumph over the Mets. Al Spangler stole home for the eventual winning run. Ron Brand has a two-run bunt single that refused to roll foul.
1963 - Colts score four times against Sandy Koufax in the sixth to emerge with a 5-4 victory over the Dodgers. Howie Goss drives in two runs. Carroll Hardy and Hal Smith also generate RBI singles.
2004 - Despite a 6-2 loss to Milwaukee, reliever Brandon Backe becomes the third pitcher in franchise history to strike out the side on nine pitches. He whiffs Bill Hall, Scott Podsednik and Craig Counsell in order after having fanned Chad Moeller to end the previous frame. Craig Biggio swats the 35th leadoff homer of his career, an NL record.
1991 - Jeff Bagwell's first major league homer is a two-run shot off Kent Mercker in the ninth inning to stun the Braves, 3-1. Back then, nobody thought Bagwell would develop into the franchise's premier power hitter.
1987 - Mike Scott delivers a one-hit, ten-strikeout shutout in Los Angeles, 4-0. A single by Mariano Duncan in the third is the lone blemish. Billy Hatcher and Glenn Davis pace the offense. Each had a home run and two RBIs.
1970 - John Mayberry slugs two home runs, drives in four and scores three times in a ten-inning, 7-6 victory over San Francisco . Jim Beauchamp singles Mayberry home with the winning run.
1968 - The longest shutout in major league history is played at the Astrodome before a crowd that sits through over six hours of baseball before a run scores. Houston outlasts the Mets, 1-0, as Al Weis lets Bob Aspromonte's roller through his legs in the 24th inning allowing Norm Miller to cross home plate . Catchers Hal King and Jerry Grote play the entire contest.
2002 - Lance Berkman drills three home runs to lead an 8-3 triumph in Cincinnati. Berkman plates five. Richard Hidalgo and Jeff Bagwell also tee off on losing pitcher Jose Acevedo. Berkman gets two chances to tie the NL mark of four homers but comes up short.
1998 - Houston swipes six bases during a 7-4 win over the Reds. Mike Hampton, who had one of the thefts, also picks up his third victory of the season.
1991 - Ken Caminiti starts an around-the-horn triple play during a 10-4 loss to the Braves. In the second-inning, Mike Heath's grounder goes from Caminiti to Casey Candaele at second to Jeff Bagwell at first for the feat.
1985 - Astros touch Steve Howe, Tom Niedenfuer and Ken Howell for six runs in the ninth to shock the Dodgers, 7-3. Kevin Bass' double starts the rally which makes a winner of Dave Smith. The key play occurs when Howell misfires on Bill Doran's suicide squeeze bunt, allowing two Astros to score.
1964 - Texas Governor John Connally tosses out the first pitch for the Colts' home opener, a 6-5 loss to the Milwaukee Braves. Connally tosses lefthanded because his right arm is still healing from gunshot wounds suffered in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
1983 - Nolan Ryan fans seven Expos to pass 3,500 strikeouts for his career. He beats Montreal, 6-3, for his first win of the season. Ray Knight adds two hits, including a home run.
1980 - Astros get more steals than hits in a 6-4 loss to the Dodgers. Joe Morgan has three of the seven swipes while Houston manages just six hits. Utilityman Derrel Thomas is the Dodger catcher, explaining the larceny in Astro hearts.
1976 - Ken Forsch has to save the Astros twice. Leading San Diego, 5-4 in the ninth, and the tying runner aboard, Forsch gets Ted Kubiak to ground to second for an apparent finish but catcher Cliff Johnson is ruled for interference. Kubiak is awarded first and Forsch must retire Merv Rettenmund, which he does on a fly to Greg Gross in right to seal the victory.
1963 - Backup catcher Jim Campbell homers in the 13th for a 2-1 triumph over the Giants. The Colts' other run comes when Howie Goss, Carroll Hardy and Bob Aspromonte successfully execute a triple steal.
1962 - Don Buddin's three-run blast in the 11th inning gives Houston their first road win in franchise history, a 5-2 victory over the Mets at the Polo Grounds. Norm Larker hit a two-run shot to account for the earlier runs.
2006 - It took 44 years for Houston to reach the World Series; it takes 44 years for the Astros to return to the .500 mark as a franchise, standing 3,507-3,507 overall and 10-4 on the season with a 13-12 slugfest over Milwaukee. Adam Everett drives in four while Morgan Ensberg belts two homers to lead the attack. Brad Lidge gets the save after the Brewers rallied from an 11-2 deficit. Preston Wilson fans twice to reach seven consecutive strikeouts before grounding out and singling twice.
1998 - Sean Berry tags Miguel Batista for a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 triumph against Montreal. Craig Biggio scores his 891st career run, breaking Cesar Cedeno's franchise record.
1992 - Jeff Bagwell slams a two-run tenth-inning shot off Randy Myers to claim a 4-2 win over San Diego. Craig Biggio has four hits.
1972 - After the infamous eight-player trade that sent Joe Morgan to Cincinnati, Houston wins the first head-to-head matchup with the Reds, 8-4. Tommy Helms, part of the deal, homers off Don Gullett to spark the attack.
1966 - The first major league game on artificial turf is played in the Astrodome. Two future Hall-of-Famers face off. 21-year-old rookie Don Sutton stymies Robin Roberts and the Astros for a 6-3 Dodger win, the first of his career. The infield was carpeted with the Monsanto product Judge Roy Hofheinz dubbed "Astroturf". The outfield and foul grounds were still dirt but had the zippered sod installed after the homestand.
1996 - Houston batters Cincinnati, 13-5, on 18 hits. Sean Berry has three hits and five RBIs. Derek Bell has four hits while four other Astros enjoy multi-hit evenings.
1983 - Pinch-hitter Harry Spilman drills a three-run ninth-inning homer off Tom Hume to stun Cincinnati, 6-5. Shortstop Dickie Thon has four hits, including a home run. Bill Dawley earns his second win in relief. The Astros' day does not start well as catcher John Mizerock suffers three passed balls in the first inning while the Reds jump on Joe Niekro for four runs.
1980 - J.R. Richard one-hits Los Angeles in a 12-strikeout performance, his 13th straight win over the Dodgers. The only hit allowed is an infield single by Reggie Smith in the fourth inning.
1970 - Tom Griffin tosses a one-hitter in a 5-1 victory over the Padres. A double by Cito Gaston in the seventh is the lone safety although Jim Wynn robbed Gaston of a similar hit earlier . Houston also pulls off a triple steal when John Mayberry, Doug Rader and Johnny Edwards run on a failed squeeze play.
1964 - Bob Bruce ties a major-league record by striking out the side on nine pitches in the eighth inning against the Cardinals. It happens in a 6-1 loss to Bob Gibson. Bruce fans Bill White, Charley Jones and Ken Boyer in perfect order. The next inning, after a leadoff single, Bruce KOs Tim McCarver, Julian Javier and Gibson for good measure.
2005 - Back-to-back homers by Adam Everett and Craig Biggio in the first pace the Astros over Ben Sheets and the Brewers, 6-1. Biggio drives in himself for the 1,000th RBI of his career, the second Astro to achieve that many in a Houston uniform. Later, he swipes third for his 399th career steal. Roy Oswalt tosses a complete-game four-hitter while Everett enjoys a three-hit night.
1997 - Craig Biggio blasts two homers to topple Los Angeles, 3-1, at Dodger Stadium. His solo shot off Ismael Valdes stakes the Astros to an early lead but Raul Mondesi ties the game with a blast off Chris Holt. After Tim Bogar doubles, Biggio takes Tom Candiotti deep in the eighth for the game-winner.
1994 - A leadoff homer by Craig Biggio blossoms into a four-hit night as Houston trips the Cubs, 7-5. Jeff Bagwell drives in four runs. Tom Edens picks up the win in relief.
1985 - Joe Niekro and Frank DiPino combine on a two-hitter for an 8-1 victory over Atlanta. Jose Cruz drives in four while Brave-killer Craig Reynolds has two hits, including a homer.
1964 - Nellie Fox drives in four runs with a two-run single and a two-run triple to pace a 7-1 win over St. Louis. Dick Farrell tosses a four-hitter.
1999 - Jeff Bagwell bashes three home runs at Wrigley Field and drives in six to drop the Cubs, 10-3. Bagwell passes Jim Wynn's mark for the most homers in franchise history.
1996 - For the third time that season, Todd Jones blows the save and gets the win. Each time, Derek Bell is his savior. Bell's three-run homer in the eighth rescues a 7-5 victory over Cincinnati. Brian Hunter chips in with three hits. Jones has a rather undeserving 3-0 record.
1987 - Red-hot Billy Hatcher marks his ninth consecutive multi-hit game and 11th in the 14 games he's played.. His 28th hit of the season (a .475 average) keys a four-run ninth-inning comeback that shocks Atlanta, 7-6. His hitting streak would end at 16 games.
1978 - A Hollywood ending helps Houston subdue the Dodgers, 8-6. With two on against Ken Forsch in the bottom of the ninth, Ron Cey lines to Bob Watson who steps on first to double off Reggie Smith. Watson spins and throws to Roger Metzger at second who beats Bill Russell to the bag to complete the game-ending triple play. Joe Ferguson's three-run homer in the eighth had given the Astros their lead.
1976 - Jose Cruz ends a numbing 1-0 victory over the Dodgers in the 16th inning. Cruz singles off Stan Wall to score Larry Milbourne for the game's only run. Mike Barlow tosses one inning for the win after J.R. Richard pitched for ten and Ken Forsch threw for five.
2006 - Taylor Buchholz gets his first big league win, blanking the Pirates, 3-0. Buchholz has a one-hitter with one out to go before an error and a single causes Manager Phil Garner to bring Brad Lidge in to get the final out. Craig Biggio scores all three runs using a single, a double and a homer. The Astros' all-time franchise record climbs above .500 for the first time since early 1962.
1986 - Alan Ashby homers off Atlanta's Duane Ward in the ninth for a 3-2 triumph. Charley Kerfeld, wearing his lucky Jetsons tee-shirt under his jersey, is the winning pitcher.
1980 - Nolan Ryan 's first win as an Astro comes in an 8-0 victory over Cincinnati. It's the initial dividend from baseball's first million-dollar-per-year contract. Ryan fans seven and walks six in seven innings. Jose Cruz is the star with three hits and five RBIs, including a bases-loaded triple in the first inning.
1974 - Cesar Cedeno drills two homers and drives in five to pace Houston past Atlanta, 7-0 . Claude Osteen, who was dealt by the Dodgers over the winter, scatters seven hits.
1966 - Dave Giusti surrenders eight hits but walks away with a 2-0 shutout against the Giants. Giusti delivers three hits of his own but solo homers by Joe Morgan and Jim Gentile provide all the scoring.
2004 - Mike Lamb devours Colorado pitching with four hits, including a double and triple, along with six RBIs to pace a 13-7 donnybrook over the Rockies. Craig Biggio and Orlando Palmeiro bash homers while Brandon Duckworth gets his first win as an Astro.
1997 - Seven Astros have multi-hit performances in an 11-7 thrashing at San Diego. Bill Spiers, Jeff Bagwell, Thomas Howard and Brad Ausmus have three-hit games in the 18-hit attack.
1986 - Down 2-0 with two outs and nobody on base in the top of the ninth, Houston rallies for a 3-2 triumph in Atlanta. Craig Reynolds gets the game-winner with a two-run single off Bruce Sutter.
1972 - Astros stun the Giants with ten runs in the ninth for a 13-7 victory. Cesar Cedeno contributes two hits in the inning, part of five on the day. Lee May has a three-run blast in the uprising.
1964 - Ken Johnson no-hits the Reds but the Colts still lose, 1-0 . The run scores when Nellie Fox boots Vada Pinson's grounder in the ninth. Pete Rose had reached on Johnson's two-base error to start the inning. Joe Nuxhall fans Johnny Weekly to seal Johnson's fate as the hard-luck loser.
2001 - Moises Alou bangs two home runs among his four hits as Houston pounds the Braves, 11-6. Tony Eusebio adds a homer and three RBIs.
1983 - Mike LaCoss battles Steve Carlton to a 2-2 draw before Jose Cruz caps a three-hit night with the game-winner in the eleventh. Omar Moreno scores for the 3-2 win over Philadelphia.
1972 - Johnny Edwards takes Ferguson Jenkins deep to stop the Cubs, 3-2, in eleven innings . Lee May and Ron Santo trade two-run shots in the first before Edwards breaks the tie. Jim Ray takes the victory.
1965 - Bob Aspromonte is the first to set off the Astrodome scoreboard's home run display for its intended purpose during a 5-0 shutout of the Pirates. Vern Law is the victim. Jim Wynn adds another blast two innings later to delight the crowd. Dick Farrell scatters seven hits.
1962 - Colt .45s host St. Louis for the first time and defeat them, 4-3. The Houston Buffs were a farm club of the Cardinals for 40 years before the city joined the National League. Don Taussig's homer off Larry Jackson in the sixth inning is the game-winner . Hal Woodeshick survives five errors to earn the victory.
2008 - A triple by Miguel Tejada and a solo homer by Carlos Lee key a three-run rally in the ninth off Jason Isringhausen to stun the Cardinals, 3-2. After starting the season 6-12, the revamped Astros notch their sixth win in a row to climb back to the .500 mark.
1994 - Smurfish Andy Stankiewicz slugs a three-run homer off Denny Neagle and Craig Biggio later follows with a two-run shot to power Houston past the Pirates, 7-3. Pete Harnisch strikes out eight in a complete game performance.
1980 - J.R. Richard notches his 100th victory, toppling the Mets, 7-4. Art Howe contributes three hits and Jeff Leonard homers in the win.
1969 - San Francisco catcher Jack Hiatt drills two homers and drives in seven during a 12-8 decision over the Astros. Houston would later acquire Hiatt from the Cubs.
1965 - Joe Morgan singles home Bob Aspromonte in the 11th inning for a 5-4 triumph over Pittsburgh. It's the first day game at the Astrodome after the ceiling tiles had been painted to reduce the glare. Pirate outfielder Bill Virdon couldn't use it as an excuse when Jim Wynn scores on his three-base error. Umpire Vinnie Smith couldn't use it as an excuse when he overturns his own home-run call on Walt Bond's drive off the fence.
1998 - Former Expos Sean Berry and Moises Alou lead a 15-0 thrashing in Montreal. Alou homers and drives in five runs while Berry and Richard Hidalgo each deliver four hits. Derek Bell also belts a home run. Sean Bergman is the beneficiary as Houston tallies in six of the nine frames.
1995 - "Play Ball" never sounded so good. The Astros open the strike-delayed season with a 10-2 victory in San Diego. Jeff Bagwell, Derek Bell and Phil Plantier start the campaign with home runs. Doug Drabek works five innings for the win. Although over 41,000 attend, baseball's attendance plummets as resentment over the strike lingers.
1981 - Bob Knepper tosses his second consecutive shutout, a 1-0 whitewash over Cincinnati. Denny Walling 's homer off Mario Soto accounts for the game's only run. Walling also supplies a defensive gem, an over-the shoulder grab with two men aboard to thwart a Red threat.
1963 - Bob Bruce tosses the first one-hitter in franchise history, a 2-0 blanking of the Reds. A harmless single by Vada Pinson is the only blemish. Bruce needs just 96 pitches to accomplish the feat.
1955 - Mike Scott is born in Santa Monica, CA. He notches 110 wins in a Houston uniform and is the first Cy Young Award winner in franchise history. He is a member of the 35th Anniversary All-Time Team and one of seven Astros to have his number retired.
1998 - Tony Eusebio's double caps a three-run ninth-inning rally that stuns the Mets, 4-3. Sacrifice flies by Moises Alou and Ricky Gutierrez precede the game-winner. C.J. Nitkowski picks up the victory.
1988 - Nolan Ryan takes a no-hitter into the ninth inning against Philadelphia but loses it and the lead. Mike Schmidt singles with one out before Lance Parrish doubles to tie the game. Houston wins it in the tenth, 3-2.
1983 - Nolan Ryan breaks Walter Johnson's major league record for career strikeouts, fanning Montreal's Brad Mills for his 3,509th victim. Ironically it was a curveball, not Ryan's famed fastball, that claims Mills. Ryan accomplishes the feat in 2,500 less innings than Johnson needed to set it. Nolan tips his cap to the applauding Canadian fans then quickly resumes on his way to a 4-2 victory.
1979 - Art Howe singles home Craig Reynolds for a 9-8 triumph over Pittsburgh in eleven innings. It is Howe's fourth hit and fourth RBI of the game. Reynolds also has four hits.
1967 - Joe Morgan keys a five-run outburst with a bases-loaded triple off Hal Woodeshick that drops the Cardinals, 6-4. The win ends a ten-game losing streak, their longest since 1963.
2000 - Chris Holt one-hits the Brewers, 7-0. Jeff Bagwell, Richard Hidalgo and Daryle Ward support Holt with long balls. A second-inning single by Ron Belliard is the only Milwaukee safety.
1998 - Sean Berry singles home Tim Bogar in the tenth inning for a 4-3 victory over the Mets. Moises Alou's two-run single off John Franco in the ninth sets the stage for Berry's heroics.
1984 - NBC accidentally leaves the field microphone open while broadcasting a 5-3 Atlanta victory. Astro catcher Harry Spilman argues with home plate umpire Jerry Crawford. Manager Bob Lillis and Coach Denis Menke soon get into the act and profanities fly in every direction. NBC switchboards are flooded with complaints.
1973 - Doug Rader and Jim Wynn blast homers off Montreal's Steve Renko as part of a five-run seventh inning that stops the Expos, 5-3. Fred Gladding picks up the win.
1965 - New York broadcaster Lindsay Nelson calls the Mets' 12-9 loss to Houston from the gondola at the top of the Astrodome, located 208 feet above second base . The umpires tell Met skipper Casey Stengel that any ball which might hit Nelson would still be considered in play. That doesn't occur but a lot does as the two teams trade the lead. Bob Aspromonte's bases-loaded single delivers the game-winner.
2005 - For the first time in 113 years, a National League game features two starting pitchers with over 300 wins in their careers. Chicago's Greg Maddux edges Roger Clemens for a 3-2 verdict on Jeromy Burnitz' solo homer off Clemens in the seventh. Jeff Bagwell launches the 449th and final homer of his career.
1975 - The Astros explode for eight runs in the seventh to topple the Padres, 8-2. J.R. Richard starts the scoring with a two-run single. Roger Metzger ends it in the same manner. Jose Cruz has two hits in the inning. Richard tosses a five-hitter.
1974 - Lee May slams a pair of two-run homers in a nine-run sixth inning to spark an 18-2 mauling of Chicago. His two "taters" cap a five-for-five performance by the slugger to pace a 20-hit assault. Manager Preston Gomez gives May the rest of the night off or he might have done more. Winning pitcher Dave Roberts adds a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to the cause. The 18-2 win ties a club record for the largest margin of victory in a game.
1973 - Montreal's Mike Marshall walks home the tying run in the bottom of the ninth before Tom Walker balks home Cesar Cedeno for a 4-3 Astros win. Bob Watson's two solo homers plated the other two Houston runs.
1962 - Roman Mejias belts a ninth-inning homer off Don McMahon to beat Milwaukee, 3-2. Hal Smith and Jim Pendleton also launch solo homers in the victory. Dick Farrell takes the win in relief.
1994 - Steve Finley and Jeff Bagwell each homer, part of their four hits apiece as Houston stomps the Cards, 15-5. Total attendance breaks the 50,000 mark for the first time in a regular-season game since 1966.
1982 - Phil Garner celebrates his 33rd birthday with a three-run homer that beats his old Pittsburgh teammates, 4-3. Garner had been traded to Houston the previous summer.
1979 - Terry Puhl's two-run homer in the ninth upends the Cardinals, 6-5. It caps a four-run rally which is just enough after Joaquin Andujar escapes a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half of the inning.
1969 - Jim Maloney tosses a no-hitter as Cincinnati embarrasses the Astros, 10-0. The Reds ace fans 13 and walks five, including an intentional pass to Jim Wynn with the bases empty and two outs in the ninth. Doug Rader whiffs for the final out. Houston ends the month with a dismal 4-20 record.
1966 - A dropped third strike keys a 5-4 win over the Braves. Phil Niekro has Rusty Staub out on strikes but he is safe at first after Gene Oliver lets the pitch roll away in the ninth inning. John Bateman eventually singles Staub home with the game-winner. Lee Maye and Jim Gentile also homer for Houston.
2003 - An emotional day in Houston ends with an 8-7 loss to the Braves. The Astros had earlier released starting shortstop Julio Lugo after his arrest on domestic violence charges the night before. Shane Reynolds, in his first Houston appearance since his sudden spring release, gives up five runs in five innings for Atlanta but Houston wastes a six-RBI performance by Lance Berkman when Mark DeRosa slams a two-run shot off Billy Wagner in the ninth. Expected to challenge for the division crown, the freefalling Astros drop their 14th game in their last 18.
1987 - Nolan Ryan belts his second career home run as he coasts to a 12-3 win over Atlanta. It's a three-run shot off Charlie Puleo and caps a 10-0 lead. Kevin Bass also homers in a three-hit effort.
1972 - A sacrifice fly by Tommy Helms proves to be the game-winner as the Astros outslug Pittsburgh, 9-8. Jim Wynn's grand slam and a three-run shot by Johnny Edwards build a 7-3 lead but the Pirates rally to tie. An RBI single by Bob Watson breaks the deadlock but Helms' insurance run is needed at the end.
1969 - For only the second time in major league history, back-to-back no-hitters are tossed. Don Wilson avenges Jim Maloney's no-no by hurling one against the Reds, 4-0, at Crosley Field . Doug Rader homers and squeezes the final out on a foul pop. Wilson, who fans 13 and walks six, has two career no-hitters and has yet to see his 25th birthday.
1965 - Astros sweep the Cubs, 6-4 and 6-1, to run their winning streak to ten games. Though tied several times, the streak remains a club record for 34 years.
2008 - Consecutive homers by Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee highlight a 7-4 victory over Milwaukee. The feat happens in the sixth off Carlos Villarreal. Tejada's blast comes after he promised a homer to a child with muscular dystrophy before the game. Hunter Pence accounts for the other three tallies with a pair of long balls.
2001 - Lance Berkman and Moises Alou slug back-to-back home runs in the tenth inning then hold on to nip the Mets, 6-5. Solo shots are the order of the day as Alou, Craig Biggio and Daryle Ward go yard in the eighth inning as well. Carlos Alfonso and Jay Payton play long ball for New York.
1989 - Kevin Bass drills four hits while Glenn Davis and Bill Doran drive home three runs each during a 12-4 mauling in Philadelphia. Jim Deshaies gets the win and adds an RBI single to boot.
1986 - Bob Knepper runs his record to 5-0 with a 6-1 victory at chilly Montreal. Manager Hal Lanier has been using a three-man rotation of Knepper, Mike Scott and Nolan Ryan to get the Astros off to a fast start.
1967 - Houston erupts for eight runs in the eighth to wallop the Phillies, 10-3. Rusty Staub has four RBIs. Bob Aspromonte slams a three-run shot and Jim Wynn has two hits in the decisive frame. Winning pitcher Mike Cuellar drills a run-scoring double to help his own cause.
1996 - Craig Biggio and Derek Bell blast homers to lead a 4-1 win over Montreal. Tony Eusebio adds three hits. Shane Reynolds increases his record to 5-1, surrendering three hits over seven innings.
1991 - Steve Finley's home run in the bottom of the eighth gives the Astros a 1-0 triumph against the Pirates. Four pitchers combine on a four-hitter with Al Osuna getting the win.
1980 - Bill Virdon picks up his 356th win as a Houston manager, setting a team record, as the Astros edge St. Louis, 4-2. Vern Ruhle is the hero, going 8-2/3rds innings for the win, producing two hits and driving in a run. Terry Puhl and Jose Cruz supply two hits apiece. Joe Sambito nails the final out for the save.
1974 - Astros get an assist from part of the Astrodome crowd as they drop the Cardinals, 4-1. Two female fans run nude through the outfield during the seventh-inning stretch. The distracted Cards give up three runs in the bottom half of the frame. A two-run single by Doug Rader is the key hit. Claude Osteen goes the distance.
1966 - Joe Morgan homers and drives in three to pace the Astros past the Cubs, 10-2. Dave Giusti is the complete-game winner, assisted by three Chicago errors that provide five unearned runs. Sonny Jackson adds three hits and a stolen base.
2001 - Craig Biggio collects his 2,000th career hit during an 8-4 victory in Montreal. It's an infield single off Javier Vasquez. He later singles before Jeff Bagwell belts a disputed three-run shot in the fifth to open the scoring. Wade Miller, named NL Pitcher of the Month for April, picks up his fifth win.
1997 - Darryl Kile outpitches Kevin Brown with a four-hit shutout and a 1-0 victory over the Marlins. Luis Gonzalez singles home Jeff Bagwell in the first for the game's only tally.
1975 - Bob Watson scores baseball's millionth run in the first game of a doubleheader split in San Francisco. Despite Milt May's homer, Watson runs full speed around the bases, edging Cincinnati's Dave Concepcion for the milestone moment . Watson should have given lessons about finding home plate. A record 41 walks are issued in the twinbill, with an league-record 26 coming in the nightcap which Houston pulls out, 12-8. J.R. Richard walks a club-record eleven batters in the second game.
1973 - Houston scores four in the 14th to topple the Mets, 9-5. Doug Rader's two-run double is the big blow in the inning. Cesar Cedeno has four hits, including a home run. Jim Ray is the winning pitcher.
1969 - Astros tie a major league mark, turning seven double plays in a 3-1 victory over the Giants . First baseman Curt Blefary makes a putout in all seven.
2004 - Roger Clemens passes Steve Carlton to become second on the all-time strikeout list behind Nolan Ryan. He fans Pittsburgh's Raul Mondesi for his 4,137th career K. Clemens also runs his season record to 6-0 with a 6-2 victory.
1991 - Rookie Jeff Bagwell hits only the ninth upper-deck home run at Three Rivers Stadium, a 456-foot pinch-hit poke in a 6-4 victory over Pittsburgh. Steve Finley follows with a two-run shot for the winning margin.
1987 - Pitcher Danny Darwin , lifetime 2-for-26 with 20 strikeouts at the plate before the game, delivers three hits in a 5-1 triumph against the Phillies. He slaps a ground-rule double and a bunt single before spanking a two-run triple over Milt Thompson's head in center field in the seventh inning for the game-winner.
1981 - Alan Ashby bloops a two-run, two-out ninth-inning single off Lee Smith to stun Chicago, 4-3. Smith would have won but for Scott Fletcher's error than prolonged the inning.
1966 - "13" is not an unlucky number when the Astros trip the Cubs, 4-3, in 13 innings. Jim Wynn singles home Joe Morgan for Houston's 13th win of the season. Dick Farrell and Bill Faul, who both wear 13 on their backs, are the starters but it's Frank Carpin who gets the victory.
2001 - Jeff Bagwell hits a grand slam and drives in five while Julio Lugo goes five-for-five during a 13-7 spanking in Montreal. Richard Hidalgo adds a three-run shot. Six runs in the sixth break open a 3-3 tie.
1998 - In perhaps the most dominant pitching performance of all time, Cubs rookie Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Astros en route to a 2-0 shutout. Ricky Gutierrez' third-inning single is the lone Houston hit. Wood walks none and hits one batter. Derek Bell is the final victim as Wood sets a National League single-game strikeout mark, tying Roger Clemens for the major league record.
1984 - Astros club 19-year-old phenom Dwight Gooden with eight runs in the third on their way to a 10-1 drubbing of the Mets. Nolan Ryan, almost twice Gooden's age, scatters six hits for the victory. Ryan contributes a bunt hit over Gooden's head in the rally while Mark Bailey drives home the first and last runs of the frame.
1980 - Cold, damp Olympic Stadium is where the Astros must wait through a rain delay of three hours and 50 minutes to complete an 8-4 victory. Jose Cruz has four RBIs to lead the Astros while Joe Niekro survives the weather and the Expos for a complete-game win.
1968 - Judge Roy Hofheinz gives San Francisco's Willie Mays a 569-lb. cake for his 37th birthday. Rusty Staub serves the dessert with six RBIs in a 10-2 Houston win.
2000 - Roger Cedeno's three-run homer keys a seven-run tenth inning that sinks the Dodgers, 14-8. Mitch Meluskey delivers five hits while Ken Caminiti and Richard Hidalgo go deep.
1996 - Anthony Young , who had the majors' longest personal losing streak while with the Mets and Cubs, gets the win as Houston roars back to topple the Phillies, 7-5. Jeff Bagwell launches two home runs while Sean Berry adds a solo shot. Both rap four hits on the evening.
1977 - Joe Ferguson blasts a two-run clout in the eleventh inning off John Urrea to shock the Cardinals, 3-1. It's his seventh homer of the year and the third in overtime. Joe Sambito takes the win in relief.
1974 - Tom Griffin one-hits the Pirates, 2-1, outdueling Dock Ellis for the victory. Milt May triples home Bob Watson with the winning run.
1971 - Joe Morgan raps four hits, steals two bases, scores three times and drives in two to lead the Astros over the Phillies, 8-1, in their first game at Veterans Stadium. Don Wilson strikes the key blow off Jim Bunning, a bunt that found a hole in the artificial turf between third and the pitcher and rolled until two runs were in.
2005 - The Astros find themselves in last place after a 16-0 drubbing by the Braves. Ex-Astro Mike Hampton tosses a complete-game two-hitter and swats a homer while reserve outfielder Ryan Langerhans drills two home runs and drives in six. The loss ties the most lopsided defeat in team history.
2004 - Craig Biggio spanks a leadoff single for his 2,500th career hit. He celebrates by launching solo homers in his next two at bats. But he strikes out in a key ninth-inning situation and the bullpen melts down in a 5-4 ten-inning loss in Atlanta. Andruw Jones' blast off Ricky Stone is the game-winner.
1987 - Mike Scott hurls a two hitter to stop the Expos, 3-0. Scott fans twelve and walks only two. Phil Garner's solo homer in the first is all the offense Scott will need.
1974 - Doug Rader's three-run homer in the 12th lifts the Astros over Pittsburgh, 8-6. Rookie Dave Parker, substituting for an ejected Richie Zisk, had slammed a solo homer in the top of the inning to give the Pirates a lead before Rader's blast off Jim Sadowski settles the issue.
1969 - Houston storms back from a 6-1 deficit with three runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth to upend the Phillies, 7-6, at Connie Mack Stadium. Jesus Alou has a big night, driving in two runs with a double then producing an RBI single in the two rallies. Johnny Edwards' two-run single is the game-winner. Fred Gladding quells a Philadelphia threat to save the game for Jack Billingham.
2007 - Woody Williams, a Houston native signed at age 40 as a free agent, gets his first win as an Astro in eight starts. The righthander gets the gamewinning hit as well, a bloop single to right for a 3-2 victory in Cincinnati. Lance Berkman supplies the other two runs with a homer in the third. Criag Biggio leads off the game with a double, the 646th of his career to tie Carl Yastrzemski for seventh all time. It's his 2,963rd career hit.
2000 - Ken Caminiti belts a grand slam and Craig Biggio drives in four to lead Houston past Colorado, 13-8, at Enron Field. The Astros climb out of a 7-1 hole with Caminiti's slam and a four-run sixth.
1983 - Phil Garner scores the winning run while ex-Astro Danny Heep argues the call of first base ump Terry Tata in a 6-4 victory over the New York Mets. Tata had ruled that Jose Cruz beat Heep to the bag on a roller to first. Nobody calls for time and Garner alertly speeds home. Garner's double off the third base bag had scored Omar Moreno and Dickie Thon to set up the go-ahead moment.
1976 - Houston catchers combine for the cycle during a 10-5 beating of St. Louis. Cliff Johnson pounds four hits (two singles, a double and a homer) before twisting his ankle. Backup Skip Jutze triples in the seventh.
1963 - Frank Robinson blasts two home runs and drives in seven as the Reds stampede the Colts, 13-3. The last of his mammoth shots comes at the expense of Jim Umbricht, making his first appearance after cancer surgery. Umbricht has over 100 stitches in his leg as he takes the mound.
1993 - Ken Caminiti spanks a two-run double that caps a four-run eighth as Houston stuns the Braves, 5-2. Jose Uribe scores the game-winner. Xavier Hernandez picks up the win in relief.
1992 - Jeff Bagwell comes off the bench to club a solo homer in the eighth that ties the Pirates at 4-4. He then tags Roger Mason in the tenth with another blast to cap a 6-4 victory.
1986 - Glenn Davis swats two home runs and a double in leading a 6-3 triumph at Pittsburgh. Rick Rhoden and Bob Walk are his victims. Kevin Bass adds a solo shot to the winning effort.
1979 - Dr. John McMullen purchases the Astros from the Ford Motor Credit Corporation. The shipping magnate, a former partner of New York Yankee boss George Steinbrenner, jokes that nothing is more limited than being Steinbrenner's limited partner.
1972 - Pencil-thin shortstop Roger Metzger belts his first major-league homer to spark a six-run eighth-inning rally that shocks the Cardinals, 10-7. The shot comes off Hall-Of-Famer Bob Gibson. Pinch-hitter Jimmy Stewart's two-run triple gives Houston the lead. Lee May caps a four-hit night with a ninth-inning blast. Houston leads the NL West by a game over Los Angeles.
2008 - Hunter Pence breaks up a no-hit bid in Los Angeles with a single after two outs in the seventh. The bats wake up and clobber the Dodgers with an 8-5 thrashing. Houston wins their eighth game in their last nine while climbing within 1-1/2 games of the division lead.
1999 - Houston ties a club record for runs scored during a 19-8 demolition of the Pirates at the Astrodome. Seven Astros, including Tim Bogar and Paul Bako , have multi-hit games in the 18-hit assault. Houston breaks open the game with back-to-back five-run frames in the fourth and fifth, making an easy winner of Sean Bergman, who surrenders six runs in five innings of work. Houston's ten doubles sets another club mark.
1985 - Astros rebound from a 5-0 deficit to take a 10-7 victory in Cincinnati. A five-run sixth does the trick as Phil Garner drills a bases-loaded triple off Mario Soto then scores on a suicide squeeze bunt by Mark Bailey.
1973 - Manager Leo Durocher returns from a three-week hospital stay to watch Don Wilson toss a three-hitter over Cincinnati, 5-1. Lee May's two-run shot gets the scoring started. Interim manager Preston Gomez was 14-3 in Durocher's absence, perhaps leading Leo to a quicker recovery.
1963 - Bob Aspromonte slugs a tenth-inning homer as the Colt .45s sweep the Cubs, 2-1. Jim Umbricht pitches two innings for the victory.
2007 - Roy Oswalt sails to his sixth win in a 10-4 bombing of the Diamondbacks. Mike Lamb and rookie Hunter Pence crunch three hits apiece, including a home run. Carlos Lee and Luke Scott also go deep. Lee leads the league in RBIs with 34. Craig Biggio ties Sam Crawford on the all-time hits list at 2,964 while passing Carl Yastrzemski for seventh on the all-time doubles list (647).
1996 - Reserve catcher Jerry Goff ties a modern major-league record, allowing six passed balls in an 8-7 loss to Montreal. Goff also plunks a homer and goes two-for-four in his final major league appearance.
1989 - Jim Deshaies goes the distance with a four-hitter as Houston trips the Cubs, 3-1.Gerald Young and Billy Hatcher execute a double steal for the game's first run, with Young crossing the plate.
1978 - Reliever Tom Dixon singles home Julio Gonzalez in the 14th inning for a wild 5-4 victory in New York. It's his first big league hit. Houston scores twice in the ninth to reach extra innings then takes the lead in the 12th on a two-run homer by Enos Cabell. Ken Forsch can't hold the lead, setting up Dixon's heroics.
1974 - Cincinnati fans hurl beer, ice, cups and insults at an injured Bob Watson after the left-fielder crashes head-first into the fence. It happens in the nightcap of a doubleheader loss at Riverfront. Watson's glasses shatter. He gets twelve stitches to his face at a local hospital.
2009 - Every person in the Astros' starting lineup, including pitcher Mike Hampton, has a multi-hit game in the 15-11 victory over Colorado at Coors Field. Lance Berkman leads the 24-hit attack (one shy of the club record) with a 4-for-4 night. Miguel Tejada adds three hits while Geoff Blum drives in five. Houston scores all their runs without the benefit of a homer.
1988 - Glenn Davis drives in four and Gerald Young provides four hits as Houston pounds the Cubs, 8-2. Nolan Ryan tosses his first complete game in over two years, fanning eleven. Davis leads the league in RBIs (33) while Young leads in stolen bases (22).
1981 - Don Sutton twirls a five-hit shutout to blank St. Louis, 3-0. Art Howe adds a two-run homer. Off the field, Mike Ivie is hospitalized for mental exhaustion less than a month after he was traded to Houston for Jeff Leonard and Dave Bergman. Expected to be the cleanup hitter, Ivie bats .237 with no homers in 19 games. He will miss the rest of the season.
1969 - Houston plays their first game outside the United States, a 10-3 pounding of the Montreal Expos at Parc Jarry. Doug Rader drives in three and Johnny Edwards produces two run-scoring singles against their new expansion foe. Donn Clendenon, who refused to accept a trade to Houston during the winter, goes 0-for-5.
1966 - Dick Farrell and Claude Raymond combine for a one-hitter in Philadelphia. The Astros only manage three hits themselves but the last is a ninth-inning blast by Jim Wynn off Chris Short that hits the roof of Connie Mack Stadium for a 1-0 victory.
2008 - Lance Berkman's incredible month continues during a 6-3 win at San Francisco. He hits a two-run homer to give him a majors-leading 14. He also leads the National League in RBIs (40), runs (43) and OPS (1.264). He's batting .580 for the month and his current batting average (.388) is second overall. Miguel Tejada and Brad Ausmus drive in the other runs. The next day, Berkman homers into McCovey Cove to complete an 8-7 comeback. Houston has won 18 of their last 24 after a 6-12 start.
1993 - Ken Caminiti drills a bases-loaded double to key a seven-run fifth as Houston stops the Dodgers, 9-1. Scott Servais swats his third hit of the night, a two-run shot in the eighth, for good measure.
1985 - Rookies Ron Mathis and Mark Ross team up to blank Montreal, 10-0. Craig Reynolds is the offensive star with four hits, including a two-run double. Jerry Mumphrey and Bill Doran each contribute three hits. Mathis would have only three major league wins in his career. Ross would have two.
1975 - Doug Rader belts two homers and drives in five to pace an 11-7 triumph at Chicago's Wrigley Field. Roger Metzger adds four hits while Bob Watson supplies three, including a home run.
1972 - Astros put the shift on for Willie Stargell, leading 7-6 with two out and two on in the top of the ninth. It works as Stargell rolls out to shortstop Roger Metzger, who is behind second base, for the final out. Houston had built a 7-2 lead behind homers from Cesar Cedeno and Bob Watson.
2005 - On the same night that Jeff Bagwell announces he will need shoulder surgery, Morgan Ensberg fills his role with three home runs and five RBIs as Houston wallops the Giants, 9-0. Brandon Backe spins a complete-game four-hitter. Craig Biggio swats his seventh homer of the year, tying Ensberg for the club lead.
2001 - Tony Eusebio belts a two-run blast in the 12th inning to muzzle the Cubs, 9-7. Vinny Castilla, signed earlier in the day, adds three hits including a homer. Castilla becomes one of the best in-season signings in team history, batting .270 with 23 homers and 82 RBIs while solidifying third base.
1999 - Craig Biggio goes four-for-four with four RBIs to pace a 10-5 victory over San Francisco. Biggio and Jeff Bagwell both launch three-run shots off Mark Gardner. Mike Hampton cruises to his fifth win.
1978 - J.R. Richard two-hits Philadelphia in a 5-0 shutout. He fans nine and allows two harmless singles. Bob Watson 's two-run homer paces the offense. Phillie catcher Bob Boone has a rough night, committing two errors and suffering five bruises before being tossed in an argument with umpire Bruce Froemming.
1973 - A furious GM Spec Richardson posts a message on the Astrodome scoreboard blaming recent Houston losses on umpires Bruce Froemming and Augie Donatelli. Froemming had negated a key inning-ending double play during a 4-1 defeat to Atlanta, ruling the Astros missed second base. Donatelli's gaffe, two days earlier, was to rule a Bobby Tolan home run fair after it had landed foul. The league fines Richardson $300.
1998 - Craig Biggio swats a dramatic ninth-inning homer off Kerry Ligtenberg to drop the Braves, 3-2. Houston had scored twice on Greg Maddux but Atlanta evens it with two against Shane Reynolds. Doug Henry throws two perfect innings of relief to get the win.
1997 - Craig Biggio slams two home runs, including the 100th of his career, during a 12-7 victory at Philadelphia. His first blast leads off the game and triggers a seven-run outburst. Brad Ausmus and Jeff Bagwell also go deep.
1993 - Doug Drabek drills a home run off Pedro Martinez to beat the Dodgers, 3-2. Drabek picks up his fourth win while Doug Jones gets the save. Earlier, Craig Biggio had tagged Pedro Astacio for a solo shot.
1981 - Craig Reynolds ties a major-league mark with three triples during a 6-1 victory over Chicago. It is part of a four-hit night with four RBIs. His first triple sails to the gap in right-center. His other two hug the right field line. Nolan Ryan and Joe Sambito team up to tame the Cubs.
1971 - Doug Rader belts a grand slam and drives in six to pace a 12-4 thumping of the Cardinals. His two-run double in the third follows the first-inning slam. Jack Hiatt and Roger Metzger add three hits apiece in the 17-hit performance.
2009 - Ivan Rodriguez belts the 300th homer of his career in a 6-5 victory at Chicago. Wrigley fans toss back the momento, much to the catcher's delight. Chris Sampson picks up his first career save but does so only after allowing two runs in the ninth and needing Jeff Keppinger to catch a screaming liner with two men on for the final out. Sampson was pressed into service after three Houston relievers had been sent to the Disabled List and a fourth was dinged up the day before.
1995 - Luis Gonzalez goes four-for-four with three RBIs to pace a 7-2 triumph over the Mets. Greg Swindell works seven innings for the victory. James Mouton adds a homer off Jason Jacome.
1990 - Eric Anthony becomes the first Astro to reach the Dome's upper reserved seats in right field with a mammoth blast off Mike Bielecki in a 5-4, eleven-inning victory against Chicago. Cincinnati's Bernie Carbo was the only previous player to do it. Ken Oberkfell's sacrifice fly scores Ken Caminiti with the game-winner.
1968 - First baseman Rusty Staub visits Larry Dierker at the mound during a 6-0 loss in Los Angeles. Absent-mindedly, he spits on the ball while standing on the hill. Zoilo Versalles has a three-ball count and Staub's miscue becomes an automatic ball four. Versalles eventually scores.
1963 - Don Nottebart hurls the first no-hitter in franchise history, a 4-1 triumph over Philadelphia at Colt Stadium. Nottebart fans eight and walks three. Carl Warwick and Howie Goss homer to supply Houston its runs. Al Spangler snares Wes Covington's fly on the run for the final out. It is just the third Colts win in 24 tries against their early nemesis.
2002 - Jose Vizcaino slams a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth to drop the Pirates, 2-1. Octavio Dotel gets the win after Tim Redding works seven solid innings. The victory pulls the Astros back to the .500 mark for the season and into a tie for second place in the Central Division.
1986 - Five Cubs suffer food poisoning prior to a 5-2 Chicago victory at the Astrodome. All had eaten hamburgers and bad mayo is the prime suspect. Pitcher Rick Sutcliffe is hospitalized.
1967 - Jim Wynn 's first-inning homer off the left-field foul pole ignites a near riot during a 6-2 Astros win. Giants Manager Herman Franks and umpire Shag Crawford nearly come to blows as Franks insists the hit was foul. A voice in the dugout calls Crawford a "meathead" and Ollie Brown gets tossed for it, inciting another feud. Pitcher Gaylord Perry, who gave up the homer, later admits it was he who used the m-word.
1966 - Houston sweeps the Cubs, 5-1 and 4-2, to take sole possession of second place in the NL race. Homers by Lee Maye and Rusty Staub back Dave Giusti in the opener while Robin Roberts notches his 284th career victory in the nightcap. Astros sit 2-1/2 games behind the Giants for first.
1962 - Ken Johnson gives up a game-tying homer to Willie McCovey in the bottom of the ninth but singles home Carl Warwick in the tenth for a 3-2 victory. Norm Larker also homers for Houston.
2006 - After losing three at home to the Giants by a combined 34-5 and getting two suspensions, the Astros appear in a free-fall until Adam Everett delivers a three-run double off Joaquin Benoit in the bottom of the eighth to topple the Texas Rangers, 5-3. Brad Lidge, who had temporarily lost his closer role, returns to nail down his 12th save. Chad Qualls gets the win after rescuing Roy Oswalt from a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. The day was a 20th Anniversary tribute to the division-winning 1986 Astros, made sweeter by a comeback win befitting that club.
1995 - A grand slam by Tony Eusebio keys a seven-run uprising as Houston pummels Montreal, 10-2. Jeff Bagwell had earlier provided a two-run blast off Pedro Martinez.
1989 - Mike Scott pitches seven innings of no-hit ball before Glenn Wilson singles to break it up. It is Pittsburgh's only hit in a 3-0 Houston triumph, the third one-hitter of Scott's career. Houston had tried to trade for Wilson earlier in the month but reached a snag when Alan Ashby, whom the Pirates wanted, vetoed the deal. Ashby is released soon afterwards.
1985 - Jim Pankovits raps four hits, including a double and a home run, to pace a 7-3 victory over St. Louis. Enos Cabell and Alan Ashby also go deep.
1968 - Astros take no prisoners in a doubleheader sweep at Los Angeles, 2-1 and 3-1. In the nightcap, while walking down to first, Jim Wynn points out a snake in the basepath. Coach Mel McGaha gets a bat and beats the viper to death. Denny Lemaster and Mike Cuellar hypnotize the Dodgers with complete-game victories.
1999 - Billy Wagner surrenders two homers but hangs on for a 4-3, ten-inning victory in Los Angeles. A double by Derek Bell and a sacrifice fly by Ken Caminiti in the tenth salvage the win after light-hitting Tripp Cromer took Wagner deep with two down in the bottom of the ninth.
1995 - Jeff Shaw walks home Craig Biggio with the winning run in the tenth as Houston nips the Expos, 2-1. Pinch-hitter Dave Magadan takes ball four to end the game. John Hudek picks up the win.
1988 - Billy Hatcher delivers five hits during a 5-3 triumph in St. Louis. His last one snaps a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth, driving in Terry Puhl. Bob Knepper picks up his sixth win - lowering his ERA to 0.89 for the season. The two sides commit seven errors and even Cardinal wizard Ozzie Smith is not immune.
1978 - J.R. Richard fires his second-straight shutout in a 13-0 drubbing of the Braves. Jose Cruz is the batting star with four hits and six RBIs. Enos Cabell contributes three hits while Denny Walling launches his first major league home run.
1973 - Johnny Edwards belts a three-run homer as Houston builds a 7-0 lead against the Giants. San Francisco rallies to tie it but Jim Wynn smashes a solo shot off Sam McDowell in the ninth for an 8-7 victory. Astros take over first place in the NL West.
1997 - An intentional walk to Jeff Bagwell with the bases empty and two outs in the 14th backfires on the Reds. It is Jeff's third free pass of the night but he steals second and scores on a single by Luis Gonzalez for a 4-3 triumph. Bill Spiers adds four hits.
1990 - Eric Anthony goes yard off Ted Power in the bottom of the eleventh for a 3-2 Houston win over the Pirates. Juan Agosto gets the victory. Franklin Stubbs also homers.
1977 - Ballboy Scotty Tarvin gloves Larry Bowa's double down the right field line. Umpires allow Bowa to take third during the 7-4 Phillies win at the Dome. Bowa later scores. Greg Luzinski tags Bo McLaughlin for a titanic shot into the upper reserved seats to help Philadelphia.
1972 - Doug Rader makes a spectacular stab of a liner by Jim Lefebrve then doubles up Wes Parker at third base to end a 2-1 victory over the Dodgers. Bob Watson's two-run shot provides the Astro runs.
1965 - Two nights after manager Luman Harris had been ejected by umpire John Kibler, Bob Aspromonte is ejected by Kibler after a tag call at third base. Bill Giles, the Dome's scoreboard operator, splashes the words "KIBLER DID IT AGAIN" on the big board. This led to an apology to the umpires and to Warren Giles, Bill's father and president of the league. Pitcher Ron Herbel of the Giants also gets the first hit of his career after going oh-for-55 in the 8-1 San Francisco decision. Herbel retired with an .029 batting average in nine seasons.
1993 - Ken Caminiti swats two solo homers and Jeff Bagwell hits only the tenth Loge Level home run at Jack Murphy Stadium, but the Padres dominate in a 9-4 decision. The blasts account for three of the five hits the Astros accumulate.
1984 - Fredbird, the mascot of the St. Louis Cardinals, tackles Enos Cabell in pre-game warmups. Cabell aggravates a knee injury. Heated words are exchanged between the two clubs but Houston gets revenge in the twelfth when Mark Bailey triples off Bruce Sutter to key a 4-3 victory.
1974 - Milt May belts a two-out pinch-hit grand slam homer off Vicente Romo in the ninth inning to topple San Diego, 5-1 . Claude Osteen and Randy Jones had dueled to a 1-1 draw for eight innings. Osteen takes the victory, allowing five hits. Osteen had once tutored Jones when the hurler was in junior high school.
1968 - Dave Giusti tosses a two-hitter in a nail-biting 1-0 shutout in Cincinnati. The first hit, with two out in the eighth, is questionable after Pete Rose's bloop escapes Jim Wynn's glove. Vada Pinson later gets a clean double. Rusty Staub singles home Ron Davis for the only run.
1965 - The Astrodome appears on national television for the first time. Viewers of ABC's Game Of The Week watch Willie Mays blast a mammoth shot into the center field tunnel as the Giants pummels the Astros, 10-1. Chris Schenkel and Leo Durocher are the announcers. In the untelevised nightcap of the day-night twinbill, Nellie Fox drives home Rusty Staub in the eighth for a 3-2 Houston victory. Joe Gaines homers.
2008 - Jose Valverde takes a line drive off the face yet stays in the game to notch his league-leading 15th save in a 4-3 triumph against the Phillies. Hunter Pence had drilled two solo homers and Brandon Backe allowed just one run over 7-1/3rd innings but Valverde steals the spotlight with his amazing toughness.
2003 - After 51 major league appearances, righthander Scott Linebrink gets his first big league win - and is released the next day. A six-run first inning allows Linebrink to post a 7-5 victory over the Cubs, capped by a three-run homer from Jose Vizcaino. Injuries and illnesses force the Astros into the roster move that sends Linebrink back to the farm.
1990 - Astros set a club record by stealing eight bases in a 7-3 victory over Pittsburgh. Eric Yelding swipes half of them. Casey Candaele adds two thefts while Bill Doran and Ken Caminiti join the parade. Juan Agosto wins in relief of Bill Gullickson.
1988 - Mother Nature gets the save in a 3-0 victory at Pittsburgh. The game is called in the top of the ninth as swirling gale-force winds stop the action. Rafael Ramirez clings to third base for all he's worth. Dirt and debris litter the field. Mike Scott's eight scoreless innings are good enough.
1965 - Hard luck pitcher Ken Johnson loses his last game for Houston, 5-2 at the hands of the Giants, in typical fashion. Jim Ray Hart hits a three-run inside-the-park homer in the first inning when Jim Wynn fails to track the fly ball as it falls on the warning track behind him. Johnson is traded later that afternoon to Milwaukee for Lee Maye.
1997 - Darryl Kile blanks the Rockies at Coors Field for seven innings during a 7-0 whitewash, allowing four hits. Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell blast homers for Houston. Kile would opt for Colorado and free agency after the season, despite warnings his pitching would suffer in the thin Rocky Mountain air.
1996 - Houston rallies for an 8-7 victory over the Cubs in the ten innings. Craig Biggio belts a two-run two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth off Turk Wendell before Sean Berry ties it. John Cangelosi singles home Ricky Gutierrez the next inning to win it. Todd Jones picks up the victory.
1994 - Doug Drabek gets three hits and drives in two, as well as tossing a three-hit shutout, to steamroll the Braves, 8-0. James Mouton adds four hits and Scott Servais provides a three-run homer. Drabek runs his record to 7-1 on the season.
1981 - Art Howe triples off Vida Blue to set a club-record 23-game hitting streak. San Francisco wins, however, 2-1. The only Houston run is on a solo shot by Luis Pujols.
1970 - Astros erupt for seven runs in the bottom of the eighth to surprise the Reds, 10-7. Denis Menke has two hits in the inning and four in the game. Jesus Alou drives in three. Jack DiLauro saves it for Fred Gladding.
1999 - Carl Everett singles home Bill Spiers with the winning run for a 2-1, twelve-inning victory over the Rockies. Everett had also doubled home Jeff Bagwell in the eighth for the only other Houston run. Scott Elarton wins in relief as he, Mike Hampton and Billy Wagner limit Colorado to five hits.
1977 - Art Howe slams a Charlie Hough knuckler for his second homer of the day to upend the Dodgers, 7-6. Julio Gonzalez contributes four hits. Joaquin Andujar gets the win in relief.
1975 - Coming back from an early 6-0 deficit, the Astros tie the Expos in the ninth on Cesar Cedeno's leadoff blast into the center field tunnel. Montreal's Mike Jorgensen doubles off Joe Niekro in the 12th to snap the tie. Doug Rader cracks his third double and fifth hit of the game before Enos Cabell doubles to tie it again. Milt May's bloop eludes three Expos for the game-winner to give Houston an 8-7 triumph.
1973 - Lee May swats two homers to pace a 7-2 victory in Pittsburgh. Jerry Reuss goes the distance, scattering five hits for the win, pushing Houston back into a tie for the division lead.
1966 - Dave Nicholson goes four-for-four with a home run while John Bateman goes three-for-three with a homer and a triple as the Astros club the Mets, 7-1. Larry Dierker strikes out eight and hurls a complete-game five-hitter. Houston moves to 2-1/2 games back of the Giants in second place, the closest they would be to the top of the standings this deep into the season until 1972.
1990 - Glenn Davis mauls the Cubs at Wrigley Field during a doubleheader sweep. Davis swats two homers and a single for five RBIs in the 8-1 opener. In the nightcap, he adds another homer and two doubles with four RBIs to lead a 12-3 victory. Davis had been homerless for nearly three weeks before the twinbill.
1982 - After Don Sutton and Charlie Lea complete nine innings of shutout baseball, Frank LaCorte walks the bases full before being lifted in a 4-0 loss to Montreal. In the Astro clubhouse afterwards, LaCorte sets fire to his "31" jersey. Haunted by three-and-one counts, LaCorte insists on a new uniform and is given number "27".
1972 - Dave Roberts throws a complete game against the Dodgers, a 5-3 triumph, setting a team record with six consecutive complete games by the staff. Six different Astro hurlers take part. Roberts scatters five hits in this one which saw both managers ejected and Bob Watson robbed twice by the men in blue.
1971 - In the opener of a doubleheader in San Diego, Al Santorini starts against an Astro lineup stacked with seven lefty hitters. Santorini gets the first out and is yanked for lefty Dave Roberts. Houston wins, 2-1, behind Wade Blasingame. Santorini returns to start the nightcap, tossing six innings, but Larry Dierker bests him in an 8-0 one-hitter. The lone Padre hit was a broken-bat single by Ollie Brown in the seventh.
1967 - With the wind blowing out at Wrigley, Rusty Staub, Joe Morgan, Jim Wynn and Ron Davis homer in a 17-4 bombing of Chicago. Conditions favor the hitters so well that John Bateman, after being plunked by a pitch, begs the umpire to let him stay and hit.
2008 - Hunter Pence goes 5-for-5 and Miguel Tejada blasts a two-run homer to pace an 8-2 win in St. Louis behind seven strong innings from Shawn Chacon. The Astros and Cardinals are in a tie for second in the division behind Chicago.
1995 - James Mouton sends the Astrodome fans home happy with a tenth-inning homer off Mike Stanton to stun the Braves, 3-2. John Hudek picks up the victory.
1989 - Glenn Davis drills a two-run, two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie Pittsburgh. In the 12th, he reaches on an error by Bobby Bonilla and Rafael Ramirez drives him home for the 5-4 triumph.
1969 - Doug Rader belts a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth off Luis Peraza to beat the Phillies, 6-2. Don Wilson strikes out 13 and goes the distance for the victory. Denis Menke also homers.
1968 - San Diego and Montreal are awarded NL expansion teams for 1969 and Dallasites are quick to blame Houston's Judge Roy Hofheinz for the snub. Montreal doesn't even have a minor league team at the time. One Dallas paper prints a picture of the judge with a bullseye over it. The Astros celebrate by clubbing the Dodgers, 10-1. Dallas-Ft. Worth would get the old Washington Senators team in 1972. Elsewhere, Jeff Bagwell is born in Boston, MA. He owns many records for the Astros, including the career marks for home runs and runs batted in.
2006 - Having lost five straight, as well as an 18-inning affair the night before, and trailing 4-0 in the ninth, the Astros get off the mat and stun the Pirates at PNC Park, 5-4, in ten innings. Houston takes advantage of two bases-loaded walks before Preston Wilson singles home Morgan Ensberg in the tenth for the game-winner.
2000 - Lance Berkman and Ken Caminiti go deep off Rudy Seanez in the bottom of the eighth to shock the Braves, 4-3. Marc Valdes is the surprise winner in relief. The blasts ruin a fine effort by Kevin Millwood that comes eight months too late for Astros fans.
1982 - Nolan Ryan fans eleven Mets in 5-2/3rds innings during a 7-4 victory. Mike LaCoss and Dave Smith strike out three each to total 17 Ks, one short of Don Wilson's club record. Dave Kingman whiffs five times, once with the bases loaded. Terry Puhl socks a home run and Phil Garner drives in three to pace the offense.
1980 - Enos Cabell singles home Jose Cruz in the second inning and Nolan Ryan makes it stand up for a 1-0 shutout over San Diego. Ryan fires a two-hitter, striking out seven.
1969 - Doug Rader delivers the game-winner again in a 7-6, ten-inning triumph over the Phillies that ties a club-record ten-game winning streak. This time it's a bases-loaded single off Gary Wagner that sends the crowd home happy. Afterwards, Rader apologizes for not slugging another grand slam.
2009 - Brian Moehler tosses a complete game for the first time in nine years as he tops Pittsburgh, 6-1, to snap a seven-game losing streak. Edwin Maysonet, in just his third big league start, becomes the offensive star with his first major league homer, two doubles, four hits and four RBIs. Ivan Rodriguez chips in three hits as well.
1996 - In a 7-4 Astros triumph, Jeff Bagwell swats an upper-deck shot off Danny Darwin at Three Rivers Stadium, to join Pirate legend Willie Stargell as the only players to reach that level more than once. Bagwell caps his four-hit, five-RBI night with a two-run shot off Francisco Cordova.
1985 - Jim Pankovits ' grand slam off John Candelaria breaks a 3-3 tie as Houston belts the Pirates, 8-3. The blast keys a seven-run seventh inning after Phil Garner and Mark Bailey delivered RBI singles. Nolan Ryan picks up the victory.
1976 - Joe Niekro tags his brother Phil for a home run in a 4-3 victory at Atlanta. It is the only homer in Joe's 21-season major league career (973 ABs). The seventh-inning blast comes on a knuckleball that Joe sends over the left field fence. Ken Boswell contributes three hits, including the game-winner.
1966 - Jim Gentile drills a homer off Elroy Face in the eleventh inning to drop Pittsburgh, 3-2. John Bateman had earlier gone deep off Vern Law to send the game into overtime. Claude Raymond picks up the win.
2001 - Wade Miller goes three-for-three and notches his seventh win to stop the Padres, 7-4. The win snaps an eight-game losing skid that had sunk Houston below the .500 mark. Craig Biggio leads off the game with his fifth home run of the year.
1983 - Terry Puhl 's two-run two-out triple off the ivy beats Chicago, 9-7. The eighth-inning drive off Bill Campbell makes a winner of Bill Dawley. Ray Knight has three hits to pace Houston's attack.
1981 - Rafael Landestoy steals a base and scores on a single by Terry Puhl as Houston outlasts the Giants, 8-7, in 14 innings. The Astros blew a lead in the ninth then blew a three-run lead in the 13th before putting this one away. Houston tallies 21 hits in the effort, including three by Joe Niekro.
1978 - J.R. Richard tosses three wild pitches in the seventh inning, wasting his own three-hitter in the process. His last errant one allows Larry Herndon to trot home with the only run in a 1-0 defeat by Bob Knepper and San Francisco. The wild pitches tie a record Richard had already tied once that season.
1976 - The Astros set a team record with 25 hits in the nightcap of a doubleheader sweep of the Braves. 23 of the hits are singles in the 16-5 victory. Jerry Davanon delivers three hits and drives in five. Cliff Johnson contributes four. Houston scores eight in the first three frames to cruise to the sweep. Tom Griffin is the winner in the 5-2 opener.
2003 - Chicago breaks through in the 16th inning to nip the Astros, 1-0. A single by Sammy Sosa, who had struck out his first five times that chilly afternoon, scores the game-winner. Sosa is not alone as Houston sets a team record with 23 strikeouts, spread amongst five pitchers. The two squads combine to fan 37 times.
1975 - Houston erupts for twelve runs in the eighth inning, setting a club mark, during a 15-3 bombing of Philadelphia. Wayne Twitchell, a former high Astros draft pick, had allowed two hits in seven innings before the collapse. Pinch-hitter Cliff Johnson belts a double and a home run for three RBIs during the frame but the league later rules that the homer cannot officially be a pinch hit since he batted earlier in the inning .
1970 - A bad day for Denny Lemaster. He gives up six runs in five innings during a 14-4 doubleheader loss to the Mets. He's pressed into service in the nightcap and picks up his second loss of the day, 4-3, in 14 innings. Cleon Jones reaches base ten of twelve times in the twinbill. Jim Wynn homers in both contests.
1965 - The Astros score six times in the eighth inning to stun Milwaukee, 7-2. Four walks, a throwing error and a "hit" that fell out of Rico Carty's glove doom the Braves. Bob Bruce is the winning pitcher.
1962 - Weldon Appelt proposes to Harris County Commissioners a stadium plan using arches that he says could be built faster and cheaper than the proposed domed stadium. Elsewhere, the Colts stun the Cubs with five runs in the ninth for a 10-6 shocker. Carl Warwick's two-run single precedes a three-run shot from Jim Pendleton in the uprising.
2001 - Richard Hidalgo bangs a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to top the Dodgers, 10-9, at Enron Field. It's Hidalgo's fourth hit of the night and third RBI. Vinny Castilla adds three hits and also goes deep.
1990 - Glenn Davis belts three home runs and drives in five but that's only good enough to tie San Francisco after nine innings. Greg Litton taps home the game-winner in the eleventh for a 6-5 Giant decision.
1987 - Jose Cruz lofts a home run to left in the top of the tenth inning off ex-Astro Frank DiPino to topple the Cubs, 6-5. Kevin Bass also homers and drives in four. All five Chicago runs come from the bat of Andre Dawson who slugs two long balls but fans in his final trip up at the hands of Dave Smith.
1971 - Jesus Alou and Cesar Cedeno smash four hits apiece and drive in three runs each to spark a 7-6 win in Atlanta. Fred Gladding takes the save after the Braves rally for the final four runs.
1968 - Bill Hands of the Cubs outduels Don Wilson for a 3-1 decision at the Dome but it's definitely not the most newsworthy event that day. Judge Hofheinz opens Astroworld right across the Loop 610 freeway, featuring rides and exhibits. In the Texas can-do spirit of the times, outdoor seating areas are air conditioned.
1987 - Andre Dawson of the Cubs drives in seven to lead a 13-2 rout of Houston. He has two homers and a triple among his four hits. But it's just a prelude for the next afternoon.
1982 - Alan Ashby swats a three-run homer and a two-run double to give him five RBIs during a 6-4 triumph over the Expos. The home run comes off Scott Sanderson. Nolan Ryan picks up the win.
1977 - Bob Watson drills a three-run blast in the top of the ninth to tie the Reds at 3-3, then Art Howe scorches a two-run double in the eleventh for a 6-4 victory. Watson has four hits on the night.
1966 - Houston produces nine hits, including eight consecutive singles, in the 12th inning to subdue the Reds, 11-4. The inning starts as a 3-3 tie when Bob Aspromonte singles off Jack Baldschun. Base knocks by Rusty Staub, Ron Brand, Jim Gentile, Joe Morgan, Sonny Jackson, Jim Wynn and Dave Nicholson follow. Staub later doubles in the frame. Claude Raymond survives a bases-loaded scare for the victory.
1963 - Catcher Jim Campbell singles home the game-winner in a 3-1, 17-inning triumph over the Milwaukee Braves . Campbell catches the entire game and adds three hits as well.
2001 - Houston wastes a two-homer, six-RBI night from Vinny Castilla as they lose to the Dodgers in ten innings, 9-8. Ex-Astro Tim Bogar takes Octavio Dotel deep for the deciding blow.
1997 - Jeff Bagwell tags Scott Radinsky for a game-winning homer in the tenth as the Astros down Los Angeles, 4-3. Luis Gonzalez adds three hits. Mike Magnante wins it in relief.
1987 - Chicago scores nine in the first inning off Bob Knepper en route to a 22-7 massacre, the most runs allowed by Houston in one game. Brian Dayett and Keith Moreland bash grand slams as does Billy Hatcher to tie a major league record. Moreland has seven RBIs in the game.
1963 - Pitching against the Dodgers usually gets Dick Farrell fired up, never forgiving them for making him available in the expansion draft. He tosses a no-hitter for the first seven innings and finishes with a 2-1, two-hit triumph. Rusty Staub belts the first homer of his big league career off Don Drysdale in the fourth .
1962 - Houston gets their first doubleheader sweep when they bounce the Pirates, 10-6 and 10-3, at Forbes Field. Tied at six in the opener, catcher Hal Smith uses pitcher Bobby Tiefenauer's glove to tag out Roberto Clemente at the plate. Smith then singles to start a four-run rally that puts the game away. The Colts tally seven runs in the first inning of the nightcap to complete the sweep.
1996 - Craig Biggio scores five times during a 16-8 drubbing of Colorado at the Dome. John Cangelosi and Sean Berry both launch three-run shots off Lance Painter.
1989 - The Astros end a 22-inning marathon with the Dodgers, 5-4, when Rafael Ramirez slaps the game-winner off emergency pitcher Jeff Hamilton to score Bill Doran. The hit glances off the glove of emergency first baseman Fernando Valenzuela, ending seven hours and fourteen minutes of action. Houston and Los Angeles go extras again that afternoon. The Astros win, 7-6 in 13 innings, with emergency reliever Mike Scott's game-ending sacrifice fly scoring Ramirez.
1983 - Alan Ashby smashes two homers and a double, driving in six, to rout the Reds, 13-0. Mike Scott wins his first game as an Astro. Ray Knight contributes four hits.
1982 - Ray Knight slaps a bases-loaded single then Jose Cruz follows with a three-run blast to snap a 3-3 tie in the eighth and claim an 8-3 victory over Philadelphia. Knight drives in four altogether.
1965 - Ron Brand drives a three-run shot into the left field seats off Bob Gibson in the ninth to shock St. Louis, 5-2. Walt Bond homers for the other two runs. Elsewhere, first baseman Jim Gentile is acquired from the Kansas City A's for two players and cash.
1997 - Bill Spiers draws his sixth consecutive walk (over three games) setting a franchise record during a 6-5 loss at Cincinnati. He is one short of the major-league record. Spiers' streak is broken later when he is hit by a pitch from Mike Remlinger. He walks in his next plate appearance four days afterwards. His consecutive on-base streak ends at 13 on June 11th, one shy of the NL mark in that category.
1995 - Craig Biggio blasts a three-run shot off Robb Nen with two away in the bottom of the ninth to shock Florida, 6-5. Greg Swindell helps his own cause with a run-scoring double but Dave Veres gets the win.
1992 - Jeff Bagwell tags Jeff Brantley with a two-run homer in the ninth to stun the Giants, 5-4. Xavier Hernandez is the surprise winner with Doug Jones notching his 14th save.
1981 - Nolan Ryan breaks the major league record for career bases on balls issued during a 3-0 shutout over the Mets. His second pass of the night eclipses the mark of Early Wynn. Ryan also strikes out ten.
1969 - Joe Morgan goes 4-for-4, including a home run and four runs scored, to pace the Astros past St. Louis, 11-6, at the Astrodome. Dooley Womack, the last of six Houston pitchers, gets the victory. Houston wins off the field too, choosing pitcher James Rodney Richard of Ruston, LA with the second overall pick in the draft, behind Jeff Burroughs. Richard has a 21-0 mark in his three years at Ruston High School.
1991 - After giving up three runs in the top of the ninth, the Astros storm back with four in the bottom half of the frame to stun Montreal, 9-8. Doubles by Luis Gonzalez and Ken Caminiti key the rally.
1974 - Lee May hits the first "foamer" in team history, a promotion where Dome patrons get free beer for the rest of the night if an Astro belts one out on an even-numbered minute. May hits a second shot for good measure and Larry Dierker tosses a three-hitter in a 4-0 whitewash of the Expos.
1972 - On "Turn It Around Night" in Philadelphia, Astros pitcher Dave Roberts swats a two-run homer for a 4-3 victory. The Phils, losers of 18 of their past 19 games, resort to such lunacy as holding the seventh-inning stretch in the third inning, introducing the starting lineups backwards and playing the national anthem after the game ended. The hex had a delayed effect as the Phillies beat Houston the next day.
1968 - Houston selects catcher Martin Cott of Buffalo, NY in the first round of the June draft, passing on a catcher from Canton, OH named Thurman Munson whom the Yankees grab with the next pick. Cott never reaches the big leagues. It's not a good day on the field either as Cardinal ace Bob Gibson blanks Houston, 4-0.
1965 - After 140 relief appearances, Claude Raymond makes his first big league start, scattering seven hits for a complete-game 10-1 triumph at St. Louis. Lee Maye, Jim Gentile and Jim Wynn blast homers while Bob Aspromonte drives in three. Rain cancels the second game of the scheduled twinbill.
2003 - Richard Hidalgo comes off the disabled list to smack the game-winning homer as Houston edges Tampa Bay, 5-4, for their sixth straight win. It was Hidalgo's third hit of the night after being hospitalized with a fever from tonsilitis. Lance Berkman's three-run blast, a ballpark-record 464-foot shot, stakes the Astros to the early lead. Billy Wagner saves his 199th game as an Astro, tying Dave Smith for the franchise record.
1999 - Jose Lima runs his record to 10-2 with a complete-game victory over the White Sox, 8-2. Every Astro in the lineup gets at least one of Houston's 17 hits except, of course, for Lima who never bats. Daryle Ward is the Designated Hitter, which is used in American League parks.
1984 - Jerry Mumphrey and Craig Reynolds crack two-run homers to pace the Astros to a 14-5 thumping in San Francisco. Terry Puhl has four hits while Jose Cruz and Bill Doran each contribute three. Joe Niekro is the beneficiary.
1974 - Lee May stays hot. His solo shot in the second inning is the only run as Houston nips the Mets, 1-0. Don Wilson scatters seven hits in the shutout and delivers two of his own.
1967 - Bob Aspromonte smacks five hits in a 17-1 thrashing at St. Louis, the biggest winning margin in club history. Houston pounds 23 hits, four by catcher Ron Brand. Julio Gotay adds three hits. Bo Belinsky and Claude Raymond combine to shut down the Redbirds, with reliever Raymond chipping in with a run-scoring double.
2001 - Houston wins the first-ever in-season meeting with the Texas Rangers, 5-4, at The Ballpark in Arlington. DH Moises Alou is the hero with a solo blast off Tim Crabtree in the 11th for the winning run.
1998 - The Astros greet Todd Jones with five runs in the ninth to bite the Detroit Tigers, 9-5. Doubles by Derek Bell and Carl Everett are the key blows. Everett had homered earlier and notches four RBIs on the night.
1990 - Glenn Wilson's three-run pinch-hit homer in the tenth inning off Randy Myers stuns the Reds, 3-1, at the Astrodome. Mike Scott and Tom Browning trade nine shutout innings before the Reds break the tie with a single by Todd Benzinger, only their third hit of the night off Scott, who fans fifteen. Myers comes in to close only to see Wilson launch the game-winner.
1976 - With the overall first pick in the baseball draft, Houston chooses lefthanded pitcher Floyd Bannister of Arizona State University. Rushed to the majors the next year, Bannister is 11-18 in two seasons with the Astros. On the field, Larry Dierker blanks St. Louis on a five-hitter, 2-0.
1969 - Private Larry Dierker, on a 24-hour pass from the Army while fulfilling his military commitment in Louisiana, outduels Steve Carlton for a 2-1, eleven-inning triumph over the Cardinals at the Astrodome. Dierker allows just five hits and caps his night by driving in Julio Gotay with the game-winner. Dierker singled off Joe Hoerner to earn his eighth win of the year.
1999 - Jeff Bagwell slams three home runs and drives in six as the Astros pound the Chicago White Sox, 13-4, at Comiskey Park. Carl Everett and Tim Bogar also go deep. Bagwell has 20 homers in just 58 games. He is the first Astro to launch three homers in a game thrice.
1985 - Joe Niekro becomes the winningest pitcher in club history with a two-hit shutout of the Giants, 5-0. Mark Bailey helps his batterymate with a three-run blast. Niekro had failed in the previous six starts to notch his 138th win as an Astro, leading to offers from Niekro to pay the hitters for helping him set the mark.
1980 - Dave Kingman of the Cubs launches an air ball from left field during a 6-2 loss in Houston. Fielding a single off Alan Ashby, Kingman's throw to the plate lands in the Chicago dugout on the third-base side on the fly. Ken Forsch finishes the scoring by singling home Ashby from third en route to the victory. The win is a nice 49th birthday gift for Astros skipper Bill Virdon.
1963 - The first Sunday night game in National League history is played at Colt Stadium with Houston blanking the Giants, 3-0, to sweep the series. The Colt .45s got permission from the league after the summer heat made day games an ordeal during the 1962 season. 38-year-old castoff Hal Brown is the hero, relieving Dick Farrell in third inning and allowing just one hit the rest of the way for his first National League win.
1962 - The Colts bomb the Dodgers, 13-1, using three homers and three triples. Carl Warwick, Roman Mejias and Bob Aspromonte go deep . Backup catcher Merritt Ranew belts a two-run triple as part of the eight-run fifth inning, his seventh three-bagger of the season to lead the National League.
2001 - Orlando Merced belts a two-out pinch-hit three-run homer in the top of the ninth to stun the Texas Rangers, 6-5, and take two of three in the first "Lone Star Series". Jay Powell picks up the win after blowing the save in the previous frame.
1986 - Kevin Bass and Bill Doran both homer in a 12-1 massacre of the Padres. Bob Knepper claims his tenth win of the season with a four-hitter.
1981 - Pete Rose of Philadelphia singles against Nolan Ryan to tie Stan Musial for the most hits in league history (3,630). Ryan would fan Rose in his final three at-bats before a two-month strike begins the next day. The strike is one day too late for Frank LaCorte who blows a 4-0 lead in a 5-4 Phillies verdict.
1974 - Philadelphia's Mike Schmidt hits arguably the longest ball in Astrodome history although it is only a single. The ball strikes a speaker that hung from the roof of the Dome, 117 feet above centerfield and 300 feet from home plate, only to bounce back into play as a live ball. Although the bases are full, confused Phillies only move up one base. It hardly matters as the Phils crush the Astros, 12-0. Schmidt's blast, if unimpeded, was estimated to travel 600 feet.
1962 - 78 fans, as well as umpire Jocko Conlan, are treated for heat stroke during an afternoon doubleheader at Colt Stadium. The Dodgers sweep the twinbill, 9-3 and 9-7, but complain about Houston's stiffling heat afterwards. Don Buddin, a shortstop with a .160 average, belts the first grand slam in franchise history .
2004 - Jeff Kent doubles in the second inning to set the club's hitting streak record at 25 games. He's gunned down attempting to steal third, however, and Milwaukee emerges with a 9-3 decision as Scott Podsednik homers and drives in four.
2003 - Houston fans moan when starter Roy Oswalt leaves the game in the second inning with a pulled groin, but they rejoice when the bullpen comes through in a record-setting way. Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner combine to no-hit the New York Yankees, 8-0. It's the first time in big league history that a no-no is shared by six pitchers. They walk three Bronx Bombers, striking out 13, while accomplishing the first no-hitter against the Yankees since 1958 and the first opposition no-hitter at Yankee Stadium since 1952. Lidge gets credit for the win. Dotel ties a record with a four-strikeout inning. Lance Berkman's mammoth two-run blast off Jeff Weaver highlights the offense.
1980 - J.R. Richard blanks the Chicago Cubs, 3-0, extending his shutout innings steak to 31-2/3rd innings. He fans eight and walks three, allowing six hits yet says his arm doesn't feel right. Jose Cruz and Denny Walling give Richard all the support he needs with RBI singles in the first inning. The win marks the first homestand sweep in Houston history, taking six from the Giants and Cubs.
1967 - Jim Wynn belts a mammoth home run at Cincinnati's Crosley Field off Sammy Ellis that lands on a freeway ramp beyond left field . The Reds explode for five runs in the ninth to salvage a doubleheader split, 8-4, after Houston won the opener, 7-4. Bob Aspromonte homers in both games.
1963 - Bob Aspromonte hits a grand slam home run off Lindy McDaniel to beat the Cubs in ten innings, 6-2. The blast fulfills a promise Aspromonte made to a Little Leaguer blinded by a lightning strike who is recovering in Houston. The next year, Aspromonte hits another grand slam on June 11th to down Cincinnati, 5-3.
1993 - The Astros get a Mile High welcome in their first visit to Denver. Houston watches a 7-0 lead evaporate in the thin Rocky Mountain air as Colorado rallies for a 14-11 decision. Doug Drabek and Doug Jones are pounded, wasting a four-hit, four-RBI night from Ed Taubensee.
1991 - Steve Finley drives home Jeff Bagwell with two away in the bottom of the ninth to trip Philadelphia, 3-2. Joe Boever is the victim. Al Osuna wins his second game in as many nights.
1988 - Mike Scott's bid for his second career no-hitter ends one out short when Ken Oberkfell delivers a clean single to right with two outs in the top of the ninth . It's the only sour note in a 5-0 whitewash over Atlanta. Scott walks none and fans eight. Terry Puhl, Kevin Bass and Craig Reynolds contribute three hits each.
1978 - Despite committing a team-record seven errors, Houston explodes for six runs in the eighth inning to upend the Pirates, 6-5. Jesus Alou begins the frame with a double, his fourth hit of the night. Cesar Cedeno completes the rally with a bases-loaded single. Rick Williams gets the win in his major league debut.
1966 - Astros pitcher Dave Giusti tosses a complete game for an 8-4 victory over the Cubs. Giusti also goes 3-for-3 at the plate, including a double. John Bateman belts a two-run homer, Rusty Staub gets a two-run inside-the-park homer and Dave Nicholson adds a three-run shot.
2009 - Minutes after Miguel Tejada strokes his 2,000th career hit to drive in a run, Lance Berkman launches his 300th career homer to pace a 6-4 win at Arizona. After seven strong innings by Roy Oswalt, Jose Valverde and LaTroy Hawkins work their way out of jams to preserve the win. The Astros are last in the division with a 28-32 record but are just five games out of first.
2004 - Brad Lidge has a four-strikeout seventh inning against the Brewers during a 5-4 victory. The last three come after Lidge had filled the bases with a hit batsman, a balk, a wild pitch on strike three and a walk. Milwaukee starter Ben Sheets also joins the record books with a "perfect inning", fanning Pete Munro, Craig Biggio and Jose Vizcaino in the third on nine pitches. Dan Miceli gets the win.
1999 - Astros manager Larry Dierker collapses in the dugout due to a seizure during the eighth inning of a home game against San Diego. Houston has a 4-0 lead thanks to a grand slam by Derek Bell. Dierker misses only 27 games despite undergoing brain surgery. The game is suspended until July 23rd when the Astros complete the 4-3 victory.
1997 - Houston's first official interleague game does not go well as the American League's Minnesota Twins slap the Astros, 8-1. Brad Radke goes eight innings for the win and Houstonian Chuck Knoblauch gets four hits. Jeff Bagwell singles for Houston's first interleague hit.
1989 - Terry Puhl, of Melville Saskatchewan, plays in his 1403rd major league game, breaking the mark of Jack Graney (1908-1922) for Canadian ballplayers. Puhl celebrates with two hits but Houston falls to the Dodgers, 3-2.
2000 - Moises Alou, Richard Hidalgo and Tony Eusebio drill back-to-back-to back homers during an 8-4 win in Colorado. Alou's is his second of the night off Pedro Astacio. Stan Belinda relieves and is greeted with the next two bombs. Jeff Bagwell also goes deep.
1998 - The Astros tag Cincinnati closer Jeff Shaw for five runs in a 6-3 ten-inning stunner. Barry Larkin's error lets Houston tie it in the ninth. Bill Spiers completes a four-hit night with a two-run homer in the tenth after an error by Reggie Sanders broke the deadlock.
1992 - Pete Incaviglia ties the club record with seven RBIs as the Astros drub the Giants, 15-7, at the Astrodome. "Inky" swats a three-run homer off Dave Righetti and a two-run shot off Dave Burba before belting a two-run double off Burba to complete his day. Eric Anthony adds three hits.
1966 - 19-year-old Larry Dierker outduels Hall-of-Famer Sandy Koufax for a 3-0 whitewash of the Dodgers. Dierker surrenders just five hits. A two-run single by Chuck Harrison and a solo shot by Bob Aspromonte supply the offense.
1964 - Dick Farrell becomes the first ten-game winner in the majors that season with a 4-1 triumph over Bob Gibson and the Cardinals. Two sacrifice flies by Al Spangler chase home half the runs. Injuries and bad luck would limit Farrell to just one win the rest of the year.
1987 - Mike Scott and Dave Smith combine for 17 strikeouts in a 4-0 shutout of the Reds. Scott fans the first 14 over eight innings then Smith punches out the final three. Bill Doran homers while Kevin Bass adds a two-run triple.
1976 - The Astros suffer their only rainout at the Astrodome when local flooding forces them to cancel a game with the Pirates. The players arrive early but umpires and fans could not evade the downpour.
1975 - Cliff Johnson swats a grand slam off Mike Garman in the top of the ninth for an 8-7 stunner over St. Louis. The Redbirds had just tallied three to snap a 4-4 tie.
1967 - Jim Wynn drills three solo homers at the Dome to trip the Giants, 6-2. He is the only player to belt three homers at an Astrodome game until 1994. Bob Bolin and Bill Henry are his victims. Mike Cuellar strikes out ten to win his eighth of the year.
1963 - San Francisco's Juan Marichal spins a 1-0 no-hitter against the Colts at Candlestick Park. For 7-1/2 innings, a scratch single by Willie Mays off Dick Drott is the only hit but Jim Davenport legs out a double in the eighth then Chuck Hiller doubles him home. Marichal strikes out Pete Runnels and Brock Davis to finish the gem.
2001 - Richard Hidalgo's sacrifice fly in the eighth chases home Jeff Bagwell for a 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers at Enron Field. Nelson Cruz picks up the win in relief of Tony McKnight. Texas would win the next day to claim a split in the inaugural six-game Lone Star Series.
1995 - In a wild 16-inning affair at Shea Stadium, the Astros outduel the Mets, 7-5. Brian Hunter's double drives in Craig Shipley in the 12th to snap a 2-2 tie but Jose Vizcaino's RBI grounder keeps New York alive. Back-to-back homers by Hunter and Craig Biggio put Houston up in the 15th but a two-run single by Brett Butler ties it again. Jeff Bagwell's bases-loaded hit is the game-winner. Doug Brocail slams the door to finally silence the Mets.
1984 - Ray Knight's three-run shot and Phil Garner's two-run blast in the seventh overcome a 5-1 Dodger lead en route to a 7-5 Houston triumph. Prior to the seventh, the Astros had hit only two homers in the Dome all season. Mike Madden gets the win in relief.
1972 - Jim Wynn belts a solo shot off Dick Selma in the bottom of the eleventh to stun the Phillies, 1-0. Houston outlasts eventual Cy Young Award winner Steve Carlton, who blanked them on six hits for the first ten frames. Don Wilson and Tom Griffin team for the shutout.
1967 - Minutes before the trade deadline expires, Houston ships closer Claude Raymond to Atlanta for pitcher Wade Blasingame. Less than 24 hours later, Raymond saves a 9-8 decision over the Astros. Jim Wynn homers again, his seventh long ball in the past week.
2009 - Ivan Rodriguez sets the record for most games caught in a big league career (2,227) but he commits two errors that help the Rangers outlast Houston, 5-4, in ten innings. Hunter Pence notches four hits including two doubles and a solo homer.
1998 - Houston nails closer Jeff Brantley with four runs in the bottom of the ninth to stun the Cardinals, 6-5. After Jeff Bagwell launches a two-run bomb to tie the game, Brad Ausmus singles home Carl Everett with the game-winner. C.J. Nitkowski is the beneficiary, picking up his second win.
1983 - Dickie Thon tags two solo homers off Eric Show to give Nolan Ryan all the cushion he needs. Houston dumps San Diego, 4-1. Ryan fans six and is one behind Philly's Steve Carlton in the all-time strikeout race.
1979 - Montreal puts a 19-3 hurt on the Astros, touching Joe Niekro for eight runs in the first three innings. George Throop and Randy Niemann are also blasted. Even winning pitcher Dan Schatzeder gets two hits.
1973 - Roger Metzger goes 4-for-4 and Bob Watson drives in three to lead a 7-3 triumph over St. Louis. Tommie Agee homers. Jim Ray gets the victory in relief of Don Wilson.
2007 - Chone Figgins of the Los Angeles Angels caps a 6-for-6 night with a game-winning triple that drives in Reggie Willits for a 10-9 comeback over the Astros. Houston's bullpen blows a five-run lead built by Mark Loretta's four hits and homers from Mike Lamb and Luke Scott. At 30-40 on the season, the Astros slide nine games behind suprising Milwaukee in the Central Division.
2001 - Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman drive in four runs apiece to drum the Rockies, 13-5. Tony Eusebio adds a double and a homer. Colorado manages to outhit Houston, 14-12, and still lose by eight.
1988 - Houston tallies nine runs in the seventh inning to topple the Braves, 14-7. Bill Doran has three hits and a homer with four RBIs to pace the Astros attack. His two-run single opens the scoring in the seventh. Glenn Davis adds a two-run blast off Paul Assenmacher in the frame.
1972 - Jerry Reuss allows only a ninth-inning double to Larry Bowa in a 10-0, one-hit victory over Philadelphia . Cesar Cedeno paces the attack with four hits, including two doubles and a homer. Bob Watson collects three hits and drives in four.
1967 - Don Wilson, just 22, fans Hank Aaron to complete his first no-hitter, a 2-0 gem over the Atlanta Braves . Aaron is Wilson's 15th strikeout victim that Father's Day afternoon. Jim Wynn's double off Phil Niekro keys a two-run rally for the game's only scoring. Though it is the third no-hitter in franchise history, it's the first shutout no-hitter and the first hurled in the Astrodome.
1992 - Luis Gonzalez blasts a solo homer off Jim Gott in the 12th to shock the Dodgers, 2-1. Eric Anthony had gone deep early to tie it. Joe Boever tosses two perfect innings for the win.
1980 - Nolan Ryan and Joe Sambito team up to one-hit St. Louis, 2-0. Struggling with the flu, Ryan lasts seven innings before bowing out. Garry Templeton's third-inning double is the only Cardinal hit. Jose Cruz drives in both Astro runs with a single and sacrifice fly.
1972 - Larry Dierker hurls a one-hitter to blank the Mets, 3-0 . Duffy Dyer's third-inning single is the lone blemish on Dierker's night. Tommy Helms delivers four hits to lead the Houston offense. The day before, Jerry Reuss had tossed a one-hitter at the Phillies. The back-to-back one-hitters tie a major league mark and establish a club record.
1967 - Julio Gotay, filling in at second base while Joe Morgan is on military leave, goes 5-for-5 but the Cardinals outlast Houston, 5-4, in eleven innings. His last hit plates Bob Aspromonte to send the game to overtime. Roger Maris hits the game-winner off Barry Latman. Curt Flood ends it with a rare outfield unassisted double play, snaring a sinking liner by Bob Lillis then trotting to second base to double off Jim Landis.
1962 - Bob Aspromonte celebrates his 24th birthday with two hits and two runs scored as the Colts subdue the Giants, 6-4. Hal Smith homers. Dick Farrell escapes a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to save it for Dave Giusti.
2002 - Lance Berkman's grand slam highlights a seven-run fourth as Houston blows past the Brewers, 9-3. Berkman's five RBIs give him 62 on the season to lead the league. Wade Miller gets the victory.
1999 - Carl Everett launches two homers and drives in six as Houston bombs the Expos, 11-3. His grand slam off Ugueth Urbina comes after Everett was hit in his previous at bat by Dan Smith. Everett had gone deep on Smith earlier. Tim Bogar also homers.
1992 - Everyone is talking about the Jones boys as they outpitch Orel Hershiser and Los Angeles, 1-0. Doug Jones picks up the victory after Jimmy Jones scatters six hits over eight frames. Eric Anthony drives home Luis Gonzalez with the only run in the bottom of the ninth.
1970 - 19-year-old Cesar Cedeno makes his major league debut in a 9-6 triumph over the Braves. He singles twice off George Stone as Houston builds an early lead. Homers by Johnny Edwards and Bob Watson appear to put the game away but Atlanta makes a furious rally which ends only when Fred Gladding fans Bob Aspromonte with two aboard for the final out.
1967 - Julio Gotay doubles off Larry Jaster in the fifth inning for his eighth consecutive hit. The Cardinals rally late against Bo Belinsky to beat the Astros, 6-2. Gotay had been hit-by-pitched and singled before setting the club record.
2003 - Rodrigo Rosario wins his big league debut as Houston holds on for a 9-5 victory, their second straight win against the cross-state rival Texas Rangers. Craig Biggio starts the game with his 32nd career leadoff homer. Richard Hidalgo and Jeff Bagwell also go deep. Houston moves past Chicago into first place in the Central Division, one win ahead of the Cubs and the Cardinals.
2001 - In Enron Field fashion, the Astros belt five home runs and lose to the Reds, 8-7, in eleven innings. Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell and Richard Hidalgo go deep in a four-run first. Lance Berkman adds four hits and two homers. Cincinnati smacks four long balls of their own but mere singles produce the game-winner.
1992 - Pete Incaviglia slams a two-run shot while Butch Henry and Doug Jones combine to blank the Dodgers for a 2-0 victory. The series sweep sees Los Angeles held scoreless for 24 consecutive innings. Jones notches his 16th save of the season.
1973 - Lee May belts three home runs as Houston puts a 12-2 hurt on the Padres . May's three bombs net five runs. Tommy Helms socks a grand slam for four more while Cesar Cedeno contributes a solo shot. Ken Forsch picks up the complete game victory although he allows Dave Winfield's first big league homer.
1964 - The Colts spank the Milwaukee Braves, 5-2 and 5-4, to complete a four-game sweep. Rusty Staub is the opening-game star with four hits, including two home runs. Pitcher Ken Johnson and outfielder Joe Gaines go deep in the nightcap. Bob Lillis picks up five hits in the twinbill. In addition, the team signs high-school phenom Larry Dierker.
2002 - Stunned by the death of ex-teammate Darryl Kile, Astro veterans Craig Biggio, Brad Ausmus and Jeff Bagwell sit out a game against the Seattle Mariners. But all come in to pinch hit as the game moves into extra innings with an emotional Bagwell singling home Julio Lugo with the winning run in the 12th for a 3-2 victory. Daryle Ward plates the other two runs. Ricky Stone wins in relief.
1993 - Jeff Bagwell does it all in a 5-1 victory over the Dodgers. He singles, doubles, homers, scores twice, drives in two and steals home. Darryl Kile goes the distance for his seventh win. All of Houston's runs are unearned.
1984 - Bill Doran slaps two triples and drives in four to spark a 10-3 victory over the Giants. Mark Bailey adds a home run. Mike Scott delivers two hits of his own while winning his fourth of the year.
1966 - The Astros set a home attendance mark which stands for 22 years, as 50,908 fans watch Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers down Houston, 5-2. Koufax is no mystery to Jim Wynn who goes 4-for-4 with a homer and two doubles. John Bateman also doubles twice but they don't get enough help elsewhere.
1962 - Dick Farrell ponders life's unfairness. He is the losing pitcher while New York's Al Jackson tosses a 2-0 one-hitter in the opener of a twinbill at the Polo Grounds. In the nightcap, the Colts explode for a 16-3 triumph. Winning pitcher Jim Golden gets support from four Houston homers and six Met errors, including three by first baseman "Marvelous" Marv Throneberry. Golden helps himself with three hits, including two triples.
1995 - Derek Bell caps a four-hit night with the game-winning RBI as he drives home Brian Hunter for a 3-2, twelve-inning triumph over the Cubs. Craig Shipley had tied it in the bottom of the ninth with a sacrifice fly off Randy Myers. Todd Jones fans five of the seven Chicagoans he faces to get the victory.
1993 - Eric Anthony smacks a three-run homer off Jim Gott in the top of the ninth to upend the Dodgers, 5-3. Luis Gonzalez had previously gone deep off Tom Candiotti. Doug Drabek hangs in long enough to claim the win.
1986 - Glenn Davis slugs a two-run shot off Ted Power in the bottom of the ninth to shock the Reds, 7-6. Davis had earlier singled home a run. Larry Andersen is the winning pitcher without officially facing a batter. He tags out Buddy Bell at the plate after tossing a wild pitch that ends a ninth-inning Cincinnati threat.
1975 - Bob Watson's three-run homer off Burt Hooton caps a six-run outburst against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wayne Granger pitches the final 2-2/3rds innings to save the 6-5 victory. Granger picks off Ron Cey at third base in order to preserve the win.
1973 - Tommy Helms goes 4-for-5 to spark a 6-3 victory over the Giants. Jerry Reuss takes the win and singles home Helms with the eventual game-winner. Rafael Batista gets his first big league hit.
2007 - Craig Biggio legs out the 658th double of his career, most of any righthanded batter in major league history. More importantly, it plates Morgan Ensberg in the 10th for the winning run in a wild 12-9 slugfest against the Texas Rangers. Arlington's own Hunter Pence goes 4-for-6 with a homer and a double. Lance Berkman also goes deep and drives in four. The offense is necessary after Dan Wheeler blows a four-run lead in the eighth and a two-run lead in the ninth before getting credit for the win.
2004 - Roger Clemens becomes the majors' first ten-game winner by nipping the Pirates, 3-2, but the buzz is about a three-way trade with Kansas City and Oakland that brings All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran to Houston for closer Octavio Dotel, minor league catcher John Buck and cash. The Astros greet Beltran in fourth place in the Central Division, just four games over .500 and five games behind St. Louis in the standings.
1994 - Jeff Bagwell slams two home runs in one inning and three in the game as Houston mauls the Dodgers, 16-4. Bagwell's blasts are the alpha and omega of a nine-run sixth inning. His four hits and six RBIs spark a 17-hit attack. Shane Reynolds is the easy winner.
1980 - Joe Beckwith makes a wild throw to third in the 12th inning, allowing Cesar Cedeno to score the winning run in a 5-4 triumph over Los Angeles. It caps a 5-for-5 night for Cesar who hits two doubles, steals two bases, drives in two and makes a sensational catch in center. Joe Morgan sends the game to extra innings with a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth.
1977 - Bob Watson belts a three-run triple off San Francisco's Bob Knepper in the first inning. He then doubles and hits a solo homer. In the eighth, he singles home Cesar Cedeno to become the second Astro to hit for the cycle. Watson has five RBIs in a 5-5 tie. Jose Cruz doubles home Wilbur Howard in the 11th for the 6-5 victory.
2006 - Adam Everett's bloop triple in the 13th inning followed by Willy Taveras' RBI single salvage a 10-9 win over the Chicago White Sox, avoiding their second series sweep at the hands of the American League champs in a span of nine months. The Astros were coasting with a 9-2 lead behind Roy Oswalt going into the bottom of the eighth when one man led the Sox back. Tadahito Igushi belts a three run shot off Russ Springer then tags Brad Lidge for a grand slam the next inning - the third slam off Houston pitching in three days - to tie it up. Fernando Nieve gets the win. Despite a dreadful month and a .500 record, the Astros are only five games back of St. Louis and three games back of Cincinnati in the division chase.
1995 - Houston erupts for a team-record 19 runs, destroying the Cubs in a 19-6 laugher at the Dome. You might expect Jeff Bagwell to be at the center of this and he is, driving in five including a three-run blast in the seventh. But John Cangelosi? The 5-7 mite takes Bryan Hickerson deep in the eighth as the Astros pour it on with nine runs in their final time up.
1971 - Talk about getting back at your boss! Backup catcher Jack Hiatt singles home Doug Rader with the winning run as Houston takes a 5-4 victory over Gaylord Perry and the Giants. Hiatt, who was traded from San Francisco the year before, still held a winter job in the Giants' sales office at the time.
1966 - A batting-practice line-drive by Lee Maye strikes Joe Morgan, breaking his kneecap and forcing him to miss 40 games as well as an All-Star appearance. Morgan's replacement, Bob Lillis scores the winning run in a 3-2 victory over the Cardinals. Mike Cuellar fans 15 Redbirds in the win.
1965 - The Astros pass the one million mark in attendance for the first time during a 6-2 victory over the Mets. A two-run triple by Joe Morgan highlights the scoring. Larry Dierker outpitches Hall-of-Famer Warren Spahn who is a quarter-century older than the 18-year-old righthander.
2008 - Astros release pitcher Shawn Chacon a day after he grabbed General Manager Ed Wade by the throat and threw him to the floor in a pre-game altercation. Chacon had become increasingly defiant after getting yanked in the first inning of a start in Milwaukee then later getting dropped from the starting rotation. On the field, the news was better in a 7-2 win over the Texas Rangers but a sour month had left the club in fifth place, five games below .500 at 37-42.
1995 - Orlando Miller smacks a three-run shot and drives in five as Houston buries the Cardinals, 11-0. Greg Swindell hurls the complete game shutout, coasting to victory after his teammates tally ten runs in the first two frames. Luis Gonzalez adds three hits and drives in three.
1988 - Catcher Craig Biggio makes his major league debut in a 6-0 whitewash of San Francisco. He walks in the fourth and scores the game's final run after stealing second. Houston does all its damage on just three hits, aided by six walks. Jim Deshaies and Larry Andersen combine to blank the Giants on seven hits. Biggio will get his first hit three days later against Dodger ace Orel Hershiser.
1972 - The first five Astro hits in San Diego are all homers - two solo shots by Doug Rader , two-run blasts by Jim Wynn and Cesar Cedeno and a round-tripper by Lee May which ties a club record . All that does is create a 7-7 tie. Wynn doubles home Cedeno in the seventh and Houston tallies six more times for a 14-7 victory. Cedeno has three hits and four RBIs. George Culver pitches 7-1/3rd innings of relief for the win.
1968 - Dave Giusti gives up first-inning singles to Chicago's Don Kessinger and Glenn Beckert then goes the rest of the game without allowing a hit for a 2-1 triumph. He also provides the game-winner, singling in Bob Watson. Jim Wynn's solo homer off Bill Hands is the other Houston run.
2003 - Infielder Dave Matranga homers in his first big league at bat as part of a four-homer assault, but it isn't enough as the Texas Rangers stop the Astros, 10-7, at Minute Maid Park. Lance Berkman, Morgan Ensberg and Jeff Bagwell also go yard but the bullpen isn't up to the task of replacing rookie starter Rodrigo Rosario after he leaves with a shoulder strain in the second inning.
2002 - Pinch-hitter Gregg Zaun blasts a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth off Byung-Hyun Kim to stun the Diamondbacks, 7-4. Octavio Dotel is the surprise winner. Lance Berkman and Brad Ausmus also go deep.
1989 - Craig Biggio cracks a pinch-hit three-run homer off Steve Bedrosian to rock the Giants, 7-5. With Houston battling San Francisco for the NL West lead, they rally from a 5-3 eighth-inning deficit when Ken Caminiti doubles off Jeff Brantley. Rafael Ramirez singles him home then Bill Doran walks setting up Biggio's game-winner. Danny Darwin fans five of the seven batters he faces to notch the victory.
1987 - Kevin Bass becomes the first Astro to collect four extra-base hits in a game. He gets a "cycle plus one", legging out his second double for his final hit of the game after earlier hitting a homer and a triple. Houston wins, 6-5, over the Giants as Larry Andersen saves it for Jim Deshaies.
1969 - Orlando "Marty" Martinez, a utility man picked up in an off-season trade with Atlanta, drives home Curt Blefary in the ninth inning for a 5-4 triumph over the Braves. It is the Astros' tenth straight win, the second time they've reached that plateau that season.
2007 - Craig Biggio gets the 3,000th hit of his career. And 3001. And 3002. In fact, Biggio gets five hits for the second time in his career, all singles. The milestone moment comes in the seventh and plates Brad Ausmus to tie the Rockies at one . His final hit puts him at third base in the 11th when Carlos Lee rocks a grand slam off Brian Fuentes into the Crawford Boxes for an 8-5 thriller . Lance Berkman and Mike Lamb homer in the eighth to put the game into extras. Biggio becomes the 27th member of the 3,000-hit club and the first to reach it with a five-hit performance.
1992 - A morning earthquake shakes the Astros before an 8-2 loss in Los Angeles. Willie Blair is rattled for five runs early. Ken Caminiti is one of the few Astros focused as he pounds out four hits.
1983 - Dickie Thon swats two home runs to carry Houston to a 4-2 victory over Atlanta. He hits a solo shot off Craig McMurtry then a two-run blast off Terry Forster to give the Astros the cushion they need.
1974 - Doug Rader is roasted in San Diego during "Short Order Cooks Night". Earlier in the year, Padres owner and McDonald's magnate Ray Kroc gave the fans a Quarter-Pounder of his mind when he seized the PA system to publicly grill his players. Rader said, "He can't treat us like a bunch of cooks". Doug gets the last chance, trailing 5-4 with two outs in the ninth. He flies out to John Grubb as Houston's hopes melt in defeat.
1966 - Joe Morgan becomes the first Astro named to start in an All-Star Game. Unfortunately, Morgan had broken his kneecap three days earlier and is unable to play. He was hitting .319 at the time of his injury. On the field, Houston loses at Pittsburgh, 4-3, but remain a surprising fourth in the National League race.
2005 - Houston drills Colorado, 7-1, as Roy Oswalt wins his 10th of the year. Morgan Ensberg blasts his 20th homer and Jason Lane belts his 13th. But the day's headline belongs to Craig Biggio who is hit in the elbow by Byung-Hyun Kim to claim the modern day career record for being hit by a pitch. It's his 268th plunking, passing Don Baylor. He's third on the all-time list. Biggio thanks the Rockies with a solo homer his next time up.
1992 - Benny Distefano smacks a pinch-hit three run triple off Rob Dibble in the bottom of the eighth to stun the Reds, 4-3. Al Osuna gets the gift victory.
1986 - Houston regains first place in a 2-1 nailbiter over Fernando Valenzuela and the Dodgers. Craig Shipley and Alex Trevino team up for the only Dodger run but they give it back in the seventh when a bad throw by Shipley puts Phil Garner aboard then a dropped third strike by Trevino puts Glenn Davis on base. Kevin Bass drives in Garner then Jose Cruz dribbles a 20-foot roller that Valenzuela must eat while the winning run scores.
1979 - The Astros witness the re-hatching of the famous San Diego Chicken before a 4-1 victory. Heavy traffic delays the game for a half-hour before Ted Giannoulas breaks out of a five-foot egg to thunderous cheers. Unimpressed, Terry Puhl bashes Gaylord Perry's first pitch for a homer and Houston gets the last cluck.
1978 - Luis Pujols knows how to make an entrance. Called up from the minors, the catcher is dropped by helicopter into the Dome parking lot because of area flooding. He arrives in time to catch Floyd Bannister's four-hit shutout of the Reds. Pujols does not get a hit but he scores in the 5-0 whitewash.
1998 - Jeff Bagwell and Moises Alou each belt a pair of homers and drive in four as the Astros sink the White Sox, 17-2, at the Astrodome. Their first homers go back-to-back off Jamie Navarro. The bats are working so well that Dave Clark can contribute a two-run double.
1996 - John Cangelosi is the sparkplug in a 9-3 triumph over the Mets. He gets two hits, walks twice, drives in three and steals three bases to pace the Houston attack. Everyone in the lineup gets at least one hit, including Darryl Kile who notches his seventh win in a complete-game performance.
1979 - J.R. Richard blanks the Padres on three hits, 3-0. Cesar Cedeno belts a homer and Jose Cruz adds three hits to spark the offense.
1970 - Doug Rader pins down Dodger first baseman Wes Parker as exotic entertainer Morganna dashes out to kiss Parker during a game at Dodger Stadium . Pitcher Denny Lemaster is the one who deserves a smooch. He scatters six hits in a 6-2 Houston win, contributing two hits and two RBIs of his own.
1962 - The Colt .45s walk off with a 7-3 victory over Cincinnati, cut short due to fog. The Reds must have thought they'd entered some Biblical plague what with the heat, humidity, a blinding fog and those Texas-sized mosquitoes. A six-run rally puts Houston on top early. Manager Harry Craft has something else on his mind - the birth of his first grandchild is taking place at the same time.
1998 - Sean Berry raps four hits, including a homer, to pace a 10-4 triumph over the Chicago White Sox. Jeff Bagwell and Moises Alou also go deep. Houston plays "deuces wild", scoring two runs in five separate innings to complete the scoring.
1995 - Houston explodes for eight runs in the fifth inning while blanking the Pirates, 11-0. Brian Hunter delivers two hits and scores twice in the inning as well as doubling in a pair. Craig Biggio singles twice on the night to record his 1000th hit. Shane Reynolds hurls a six-hit shutout.
1984 - Jerry Mumphrey cracks two home runs and drives in six as the Astros maul the Phillies, 13-1. Denny Walling also homers. Jose Cruz has a four-hit night and scores four times. Craig Reynolds and Terry Puhl chime in with triples. Joe Niekro scatters six hits in an easy victory.
1978 - Catcher Joe Ferguson is traded to the Dodgers for two players to be named later (outfielder Jeff Leonard and infielder Rafael Landestoy). On the field, the Astros split a twinbill against the Padres, winning 9-4 and losing 9-3. Wilbur Howard stars in the opener with three hits and three RBIs.
1963 - Ernie Fazio scores on a single from Rusty Staub in the 11th inning for a 4-3 victory over St. Louis. It is Staub's second RBI of the game. Hal Woodeshick wins his eighth, all in relief. Johnny Temple drives in the Colts' other two runs with a single in the eighth inning.
2009 - A 7-2 Astros victory in San Diego is delayed 52 minutes in the top of the ninth when a swarm of bees moves into left field and begins nesting in the jacket of the ballgirl. A local bee expert is brought in to kill and capture the queen and her nest, dispersing the others. "Killer B's" Geoff Blum, Lance Berkman and Michael Bourn delivered six hits, six runs and six RBIs between them.
2004 - Morgan Ensberg, who had smacked 25 homers the year before, belts his first homer - 213 at-bats into the season . The blast is a dramatic two-run bomb over the railroad tracks in left field in the eighth to give Houston a 7-5 comeback victory over the Texas Rangers. Ensberg swats a grand slam the next night in a 10-8 win that overcomes a five-run deficit.
1987 - Glenn Davis belts a three-run homer with two out in the ninth to stun the Phillies, 7-6. It comes off Steve Bedrosian who had just set a record by converting 13 consecutive save appearances. Davey Lopes also homers. Dave Smith saves it for Larry Andersen.
1986 - Denny Walling blasts two home runs and drives in six on a four-hit afternoon to bomb the Padres, 8-1. That's plenty for Mike Scott who scatters six hits while striking out just three.
1976 - Cesar Cedeno drives in both game-winners in a doubleheader sweep of Cincinnati. Cesar goes 7-for-11 in the twinbill, including a single that is his 1,000th career hit . His two-run bomb in the 14th off Rich Hinton wins the opener, 10-8. The 25 hits collected in the game ties a team record set just months earlier. Cedeno delivers an eighth-inning double off Fred Norman to plate the winning run in the 3-2 nightcap.
2005 - Roger Clemens tosses seven shutout innings on his way to a 9-0 whitewash in Cincinnati for his 335th career win. He shrinks his ERA for the season to 1.41. Clemens adds two hits of his own including an RBI single. To top off his day, Roger is named to the All-Star team for the 11th time, his second as an Astro. Closer Brad Lidge is also named to represent Houston. Morgan Ensberg, who swats his 22nd homer, and Roy Oswalt are later added as injury replacements.
1995 - Andres Galarraga of Colorado goes 6-for-6 with two homers and five RBIs as the Rockies take a 15-10 slugfest over Houston at Coors Field. Derek Bell and James Mouton go deep for the Astros but it's not enough to offset the 21-hit assault of Colorado.
1994 - Ken Caminiti slugs an inside-the-park homer while Craig Biggio and James Mouton belt the traditional kind as the Astros trap the Cubs, 12-6. Caminiti and Biggio are named to the N.L. All-Star team along with Jeff Bagwell, Doug Drabek and John Hudek (none as starters) to total a club-record five All-Stars in one season.
1993 - Darryl Kile slams a home run and a double, as well as pitching a six-hit shutout, to subdue St. Louis, 6-0. The homer comes against Omar Olivares. Eric Anthony contributes a two-run shot while Ken Caminiti punches three hits.
1971 - Jack Hiatt singles home Jim Wynn with the game-winner in a 4-3, 13-inning thriller over Cincinnati at the Dome. The two had also teamed up in the ninth to preserve the tie when Wynn snared a sinking liner in center field then gunned down Buddy Bradford at the plate with Hiatt supplying the tag.
1999 - Surprising everyone by batting lefthanded against lefty Steve Avery, switch-hitter Carl Everett blasts a two-run homer to spark a 5-3 win in Cincinnati that pulls Houston into a tie for the division lead . Derek Bell also goes deep.
1995 - Craig Biggio slams two home runs and Jeff Bagwell drives in five during a 16-8 donnybrook at Colorado. Biggio scores five times, setting a club record that still stands. He also steals a base and drives in three. Derrick May and Phil Nevin contribute three hits apiece.
1994 - Tony Eusebio gets four hits, including a double and a triple to pace a 13-6 spanking of the Cardinals. Eusebio and Andujar Cedeno drive in four runs each. Brian Williams is the easy winner.
1980 - Nolan Ryan strikes out Cesar Geronimo for his 3000th career strikeout but Cincinnati prevails, 8-1. Ryan fans six but walks seven in just over four innings of work. A solo shot by Cesar Cedeno is the lone Astro tally.
1979 - Fireworks in Cincinnati. The upstart Astros nip the Reds, 3-2, to take their first-ever ten-game divisional lead. Jose Cruz and Jeff Leonard drive home runs in the seventh to lead the come-from-behind victory. Joaquin Andujar and Ray Knight, ex-teammates in the Cincy farm system, start a bench-clearing brawl after hurling insults across the diamond. Joe Sambito cools the Reds with two shutout innings for the save .
2001 - Roy Oswalt finds a groove, striking out eight in a 5-1 victory over Arizona at Enron Field. Lance Berkman, Vinny Castilla and Craig Biggio support him with home runs. The rookie righthander runs his record to 7-1 and shrinks his ERA to 2.26.
1992 - Eric Anthony tags Jeff Innis with a two-run bomb as Houston blanks the Mets, 2-0, in ten innings. Four Astro pitchers share the four-hit shutout. Rob Murphy gets the win. Luis Gonzalez gets half of Houston's six hits.
1985 - Kevin Bass launches two solo homers to pace a 4-2 triumph over Montreal. Jose Cruz drives in the other two runs to set a new franchise mark for RBIs (783), since broken by Jeff Bagwell.
1982 - Joe Niekro gives up homers to Omar Moreno and Johnny Ray to start the game, then settles in for a 6-4 complete-game victory in rainy Pittsburgh. Jose Cruz and Phil Garner bail Niekro out with a home run and three RBIs apiece.
1968 - Ex-Brave Denis Menke tags ex-Astro Claude Raymond with a three-run bomb in the ninth to topple Atlanta, 13-9. Doug Rader follows with a solo shot. John Bateman and Rusty Staub had earlier home runs. Another former Brave, Wade Blasingame, shuts the door in the ninth.
2002 - Daryle Ward becomes the first player to smash a home run into the Allegheny River as Houston bombs the Pirates, 10-2, at PNC Park. It's a grand slam too. Lance Berkman and Jeff Bagwell tag back-to-back shots. Nelson Cruz wins with six shutout innings.
1997 - Tony Eusebio singles home Derek Bell in the bottom of the ninth to upend Cincinnati, 6-5. Jeff Bagwell wallops two home runs and drives in four to pace the Astro attack. Luis Gonzalez also homers. Deion Sanders takes Mike Hampton deep to tie the game at five all.
1984 - Bill Doran singles five times in the second game of a doubleheader against Montreal, a 7-5 loss. Houston takes the opener, 8-2, as Joe Niekro wins his seventh straight in a complete-game performance.
1977 - After being called out on strikes by umpire Paul Pryor, Jose Cruz belts the game-winning homer in the 14th inning to give Houston a 2-1 triumph in Los Angeles. Cruz argues he has only two strikes on him and Pryor admits his mistake. Jose promptly sends the next pitch from Mike Garman into the right field stands.
1973 - Leo Durocher pulls Jerry Reuss with a cozy 7-1 lead in the doubleheader opener in Montreal. The Expos storm back for a 12-8 decision then thump the Astros again, 14-6, in the nightcap. Reserve catcher John Boccabella blasts two home runs in one inning for five RBIs. Ron Fairly also goes deep twice in the nightcap. Giddy Canadians taunt Durocher. Reuss fumes afterwards.
2001 - Jeff Bagwell ties a club record with seven RBIs in a 10-8 slugfest in Kansas City. His day starts with a three-run shot off Paul Byrd and finishes with a two-run double in the eighth to give the Astros breathing room. Lance Berkman strokes four safeties to run his hitting streak to 20 games.
1986 - Glenn Davis drills two home runs and drives in five as the Astros put a 12-1 hurt on the Expos. Kevin Bass caps the scoring with a grand slam. Mike Scott, soon to be named to the N.L. All-Star team, pockets the easy victory.
1982 - Don Sutton notches his 250th career win, a 5-1 four-hit victory over the Cubs. It's Sutton's ninth of the year. Phil Garner drills a two-run shot and Jose Cruz plates the other two tallies.
1971 - Houston erupts for ten runs in the fourth inning as they pound the Giants, 18-4. Cesar Cedeno and Bob Watson both rap two hits in the inning. Cedeno drives in four for the day on a pair of two-run doubles. Larry Dierker picks up his 12th win and is named to the N.L. All-Star team but declines to appear due to a sore elbow.
1966 - After playing half the season with an artificial turf infield and a spray-painted dead grass outfield, the Astros depart for twelve days while the grounds crew rips up the sod and replaces the outfield with Astroturf. The last chunk of green dirt is boxed and shipped to Chicago's Leo Durocher, a vocal critic of the new surface.
2007 - Roy Oswalt, newly named to his third consecutive All-Star team, wins his eighth of the year, an 8-3 stroll over the Mets. Houston does all their scoring in the first four innings, led by Chris Burke who homers and scores three times. Carlos Lee, the other Astro All-Star, adds his league-leading 73rd RBI going into the midseason break.
2001 - Scott Elarton is ejected after he hits the first batter and misses a 14-5 thrashing by the Astros in Kansas City. After Craig Biggio and Julio Lugo are plunked to start the game, umpires warn both teams. After Elarton hits Rey Sanchez with his fifth pitch of the day, he and skipper Larry Dierker get the thumb. Jeff Bagwell and Mendy Lopez bash three-run homers in the game. Lance Berkman (.365) and Moises Alou (.362) take the league's top two batting averages into the All-Star break.
1980 - J.R. Richard becomes the first Astro to be the starting pitcher in an All-Star Game . He fans three in two innings of work during a 4-2 National League win. While the short stint causes no pain in his tired right arm, Richard plans to have Dr. Frank Jobe examine it while he's in Los Angeles.
1973 - Tommy Helms' two-run single caps a ninth-inning comeback for a 9-7 victory in Montreal. Cesar Cedeno clubs two home runs and Doug Rader adds a solo shot. Bob Watson breaks SS Tim Foli's jaw while sliding into second, causing a shower of debris to fall from Parc Jarry when Watson returns to left field.
1965 - Joe Morgan sets a club record, going 6-for-6, but the Astros lose in Milwaukee, 9-8, in twelve innings. Morgan launches two bombs, scores three times, drives in three and steals a base. The Braves counter with five solo homers then push three more across in the ninth to tie it. Don Bolling singles home Mike de la Hoz for the game-winner and it was good timing for them - Morgan was due up the next inning.
2000 - Jose Lima snaps a personal 13-game losing streak with a 9-6 victory over Kansas City. Lance Berkman powers two homers and drives in four while Bill Spiers spanks two doubles and a triple. Moises Alou also goes deep.
1988 - Nolan Ryan wins his 100th game as an Astro, dropping the New York Mets, 6-3. Only Cy Young before him had won 100 games for two teams in two separate leagues. A four-run fifth inning is the difference as RBI singles by Glenn Davis, Buddy Bell and Billy Hatcher surround four walks.
1976 - Larry Dierker tosses the fifth no-hitter in franchise history, a 6-0 gem over Montreal . He supports his own cause with a sacrifice fly while batterymate Ed Herrmann drives in two, one on his first National League homer . Dierker fans Pepe Mangual and Jim Lyttle before Mike Jorgensen taps out to first for the final out.
1968 - Houston is host to its first All-Star Game. True to the Astrodome's nature, the game is a pitcher's duel. Willie Mays of the Giants scores in the first inning on a double play and the Nationals make it stand for a 1-0 victory. Mays is named Most Valuable Player. Rusty Staub pinch-hits as the lone Astro representative .
1964 - Colts shock the Dodgers with four in the ninth for a 6-5 triumph. Nellie Fox bloops a single to plate the tying and winning runs. Earlier, Jerry Grote had belted a two-run homer off Don Drysdale.
2003 - Houston explodes for nine runs in the first inning (a franchise record) and coasts to an 11-2 blast over Cincinnati, completing a four-game sweep. Geoff Blum gets two hits and two RBIs in the opening frame. Craig Biggio becomes the 40th player in major league history to reach 500 doubles in his career . Richard Hidalgo drives in four as the Astros extend their lead in the weak Central Division to two games, even though they are just five games above the .500 mark.
1994 - In just his third major league game, shortstop Orlando Miller launches two home runs and drives in three to pace a 5-3 victory in Chicago. He earns respect too, receiving two intentional walks as well. Ken Caminiti also goes deep while Craig Biggio pounds three hits including two doubles.
1993 - Pete Harnisch hurls a one-hitter at Wrigley Field to begin a doubleheader sweep of the Cubs. Mark Grace's single in the seventh is the lone hit. Luis Gonzalez swats a double, triple and homer to drive in all four runs in the 4-0 opener. Gonzo belts another homer in the nightcap then Kevin Bass takes over to finish the 5-2 sweeper. Craig Biggio adds two doubles and a triple among his five hits.
1966 - Mike Cuellar slams the door in the eighth with the bases loaded and nobody out to preserve a 6-5 triumph in St. Louis. Rusty Staub bashes two home runs and drives in four while Bob Lillis singles home the game-winner. It's a sweltering 104 degrees as the Great Plains bake in a killer heatwave. Cuellar induces a double play grounder from infielder Jimy Williams to end the contest - one of the 14 big league games in Williams' playing career.
1965 - Joe Morgan stays hot, clubbing two home runs to lead a 10-1 thumping of the Mets in a 19-hit attack. Dick Farrell cruises through a five-hitter and is named to represent Houston at the All-Star Game for the fourth time.
1991 - Ken Oberkfell cracks a two-run double off Dave Smith in the 11th inning for a 6-4 triumph over the Cubs. A three-run shot by Luis Gonzalez off Greg Maddux stakes Houston to an early lead but George Bell tags Jim Clancy with a homer in the ninth to send it to extra innings.
1985 - Nolan Ryan fans Danny Heep in the sixth inning to become the first player to reach 4,000 career strikeouts. Kevin Bass homers in the frame to give the Astros a 3-1 lead but miscues later let the Mets tie it. Bill Doran's fifth hit of the game, in the 12th, scores Dickie Thon for a 4-3 Houston victory.
1972 - Chicago's Billy Williams goes 8-for-8 in a doubleheader split against the Astros. He sets a league mark with ten consecutive hits. Jim Wynn and Lee May go deep as Houston wins the opener, 6-5. The Cubs roar back in the nightcap, 9-5, as Williams goes 5-for-5 and Rick Monday socks two homers.
1969 - Cincinnati manager Dave Bristol launches a tirade for the ages during a 13-2 massacre by Don Wilson and the Astros. Bristol bumps umpire Augie Donatelli, steps on his shoes, berates the ump for several minutes then flings chairs and equipment upon returning to the dugout. And he was only behind 2-1 at the time! Good thing he didn't see the nine-run Houston sixth, highlighted by a bases-loaded triple from Denis Menke and two hits by Sandy Valdespino. Wilson fans ten and posts a six-hitter. He's also plunked twice at the plate.
1967 - Jim Wynn becomes the first Houston player to get a hit in the All-Star Game . He singles in the ninth against Al Downing but does not score. Rusty Staub singles off Catfish Hunter in the 11th but also doesn't score. Mike Cuellar, the third Astro All-Star, pitches two shutout innings . Finally, Tony Perez of Cincinnati homers in the 15th to give the Nationals a 2-1 win.
1997 - Pittsburgh's Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon team to no-hit the Astros, 3-0, in ten innings. Cordova is flawless through the first nine, but Chris Holt and Billy Wagner shut down the Pirates. After a perfect 10th from Rincon, John Hudek walks two then surrenders a three-run blast to Mark Smith.
1973 - A home run by Jim Wynn in the ninth off Barry Lersch sinks the Phillies, 7-6. It's his second long ball of the night. Veteran lefty Juan Pizarro wins in relief, appearing for the eighth big league club in his career.
1972 - Jim Wynn bangs two home runs and drives in four to pace a 10-6 triumph over the Cubs. Norm Miller and Lee May also homer. Chicago's Billy Williams is retired in his first time up, snapping his consecutive hitting streak, but stays hot with a double and a home run.
1970 - San Francisco's Gaylord Perry is met by two umpires and forced to towel down before the second inning of a game at the Dome. Minus the medicine, Perry gives up five runs as the Astros build an early lead. The Giants roar back to claim a 7-5 advantage before Houston tallies three in the ninth for an 8-7 triumph. Doug Rader singles home Jim Wynn with the game-winner.
1964 - Nellie Fox singles home Eddie Kasko with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to end a wild 5-4 victory over the Giants at Colt Stadium. Tempers are hot as the Texas heat with players and managers from both teams getting run by umpire Lee Weyer. San Francisco's Billy O'Dell is thumbed as he makes warm-up tosses after arriving from the bullpen. An angry Gaylord Perry grabs Fox's bat when it's all over and smashes it to pieces before handing it to the batboy.
2004 - Houston hosts the All-Star Game for the third time. Four Astros are named to the National League team and three start but the American League leaves with a 9-4 victory, buoyed by a six-run first inning off Roger Clemens. Jeff Kent and Carlos Beltran single before the Minute Maid Park crowd while Lance Berkman mans center field . Local fans boo manager Jimy Williams when he is introduced. It will be the last time as he and two coaches are fired the next day. Former Astro infielder Phil Garner is named interim manager.
2001 - Jeff Bagwell and Vinny Castilla bash two home runs apiece off Woody Williams in an 11-3 triumph over San Diego. Both get three hits. Castilla drives in five while Bagwell has four RBIs. Brad Ausmus also goes deep for good measure.
1983 - Injury call-up George Bjorkman, in his third big league game, swats a three-run homer and drives in five to lead a 9-4 victory over Montreal. But his biggest thrill, he says afterwards, is catching Nolan Ryan. The Express fans five while winning his eighth straight decision.
1976 - Cesar Cedeno becomes the first Houston player to homer in an All-Star Game . His two-run shot off Frank Tanana caps a 7-1 National League win in Philadelphia. Ken Forsch pitches a scoreless ninth to finish the game .
1962 - Colt .45s ground into five double plays, still a franchise record, during a 4-0 meltdown in Pittsburgh. Shortstop Dick Groat starts three of them. Bob Friend defeats hard-luck Dick Farrell, who is wearing number "13" on Friday the 13th. It's the 16th loss in the past 18 games for the sinking Colts.
1995 - Jeff Bagwell and Tony Eusebio deliver four hits apiece as the Astros outslug the Giants, 13-8. Bagwell's three-run shot gives him four RBIs while Eusebio and Dave Magadan bring home three runs apiece.
1978 - Ken Forsch wins a pair of extra-inning contests against the Expos. Jose Cruz singles home the winning run in the 13th for a 4-3 victory in the opener after Reggie Baldwin tied it with a two-out single in the ninth. In the nightcap, Jesus Alou draws a bases-loaded walk for the game-winner in a 5-4, ten-inning triumph.
1974 - Bob Gallagher drives in Milt May in the bottom of the 12th for a 7-6 win over the Cubs. It rains indoors! Workers forget to replace some tiles in the Astrodome roof and an evening downpour creates puddles in right and center fields while showering a few lucky outfield ticket-holders who are handed plastic trash bags for shelter.
1968 - Don Wilson whiffs Johnny Bench for his 18th strikeout to tie, what was then, the major-league record held by Bob Feller and Sandy Koufax . It is part of a rain-soaked 6-1 nightcap that completes a doubleheader sweep in Cincinnati. Ron Brand scored Denis Menke for a 5-4, ten-inning victory in the opener.
1967 - Eddie Mathews rips a three-run homer off Juan Marichal, the 500th of his major league career . It helps the Astros topple the Giants, 8-6. Mathews had a similar chance two innings before when a mouse dashed from the Candlestick grandstands and scurried until Willie Mays shooed it under the outfield fence. Mathews fanned but Norm Miller followed with a three-run shot. Dave Giusti picks up the win and gets the game-winning hit.
1998 - Billy Wagner is KO'd when Arizona's Kelly Stinnett swats a line drive off the pitcher's head . After Houston climbed back from a 7-1 deficit to take an 8-7 lead, a stunned Jay Powell must replace Wagner and gives up a game-tying double. Mike Magnante surrenders the game-winner in a 9-8, eleven-inning loss. Wagner would not return to action until August 9th.
1997 - Bill Spiers drills a pinch-hit three-run ninth-inning homer off Mel Rojas to stun the Cubs, 5-3. Darryl Kile wins his 12th of the season. The win puts Houston back at .500, a game behind Pittsburgh in the Central Division race.
1986 - The Astrodome hosts its second and last All-Star Game, a 3-2 American League victory. Houston fans could cheer hometown stars Glenn Davis, Kevin Bass, Mike Scott and Dave Smith . They could also cheer Boston's Roger Clemens, another Texas legend, who is the winning pitcher and the game's Most Valuable Player.
1984 - Alan Ashby singles home Jose Cruz in the 16th inning to outlast the Phillies, 3-2. Houston leaves 20 runners on base and ties a league record by drawing seven intentional walks, all after the 11th frame. A two-run blast by Mark Bailey provided the other runs.
1969 - Astros erase a five-run deficit en route to a 10-7 triumph over Los Angeles. Norm Miller drives in three. Doug Rader has two RBI singles. Jim Wynn walks during the five-run fourth, breaking a league mark with his 11th straight game with a base on balls. Ex-teammate Eddie Mathews set the record in 1954.
2001 - Vinny Castilla drives in four as Houston scores five times in the eighth to grab a 10-8 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The Astros greet John Rocker for four of those runs. Ron Villone grabs the win in relief.
1987 - In his first major-league game, Ken Caminiti homers and triples, scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth for a 2-1 triumph over Philadelphia. Another rookie, Gerald Young, singles off Mike Jackson with the bases loaded to send the fans home happy. Danny Darwin goes the distance on a four-hitter.
1980 - Despite speculation that his problems are psychological, J.R. Richard is placed on the 21-day disabled list after complaining of a "dead arm". He took himself out during the fourth inning of a 2-0 loss to Atlanta two days before, although he got one of the two Houston hits in what would be his final major league at-bat.
1971 - Astros turn the first triple play in their history during a 9-4 victory over Nolan Ryan and the Mets . Shortstop Roger Metzger takes a tap by Cleon Jones and steps on second, forcing Tommie Agee. His toss to first beats Jones to the bag. First baseman Denis Menke sees Ken Boswell make a belated dash to third so he fires across the diamond where Doug Rader completes the trifecta.
1967 - Houston sweeps a twinbill against the Dodgers for the first time. Ron Davis bashes two run-scoring doubles while Don Wilson tosses seven shutout innings in the 4-1 opener. Eddie Mathews and Jim Wynn belt homers to lead the 8-2 nightcap win at Dodger Stadium.
1999 - Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell launch solo homers in the eighth to tie Detroit, 2-2. Derek Bell draws a bases-loaded walk off Todd Jones in the tenth for a 3-2 victory. Biggio, who contributes three hits, scores the game-winner.
1994 - A grand slam by Steve Finley highlights an eight-run third inning during a 9-0 whitewash in Pittsburgh. Orlando Miller adds three hits and two RBIs. Shane Reynolds takes over for Doug Drabek in the third and tosses seven innings of five-hit ball for the victory.
1984 - Mark Bailey overcomes two questionable ninth-inning calls to lead a 3-2 triumph over the Mets. Jobbed by a bad call at the plate that gave New York a 2-1 lead in top of the ninth, Bailey gets revenge with a two-run blast off Doug Sisk that caps an emotional night where fines are passed out to players on both squads.
1982 - Harry Spilman launches a tenth-inning bomb off Kent Tekulve to stab the Pirates, 4-3, at the Dome. Joe Niekro, for whom Spilman was pinch-hitting, goes the distance for the victory. Dickie Thon also homers.
1977 - Mark Lemongello snaps a personal losing skid with a 3-1 victory over the Reds. Bob Watson and Enos Cabell swat solo homers for the winning margin. Joe Niekro hurls three innings in relief for the save.
2001 - Jeff Bagwell hits for the cycle during a 17-11 slugfest over St. Louis at Enron Field. Bagwell's three-run homer is the crowning blow in an eight-run fifth after the Cardinals tallied six in the top half of the frame. Bagwell also doubles in the inning and triples in the seventh for the milestone. Moises Alou, Brad Ausmus and Craig Biggio leave the yard as well.
1994 - Down 11-0 to the Cardinals, Houston explodes for eleven runs in the sixth inning to take a 15-12 shocker at the Dome. After chipping away at Allen Watson with two in the fourth and two in the fifth, the Astros erupt for five more before Mike Felder's two-run triple ties it. Kevin Bass gets his second hit in the frame to put Houston ahead to stay.
1976 - Ed Herrmann goes 7-for-10 with a homer and seven RBIs in a twinbill sweep of the Expos, 7-6 and 10-1. Herrmann is a perfect 5-for-5 in the ten-inning opener. Greg Gross gets four hits to pace a 22-hit assault in the nightcap. Dan Larson tosses a complete game victory in his major league debut.
1972 - A two-run inside-the-park homer by Cesar Cedeno highlights an 11-3 triumph over St. Louis . The young phenom raises his average to .351 with three hits. Jim Wynn drives in three while Jerry Reuss spins a four-hitter and adds two hits of his own.
1969 - Back for the first time in over a month after an on-field collision with teammate Hector Torres put him in a hospital, Jesus Alou starts a four-run ninth-inning rally that topples the Reds, 7-4. Alou scores the tying run on a double by Sandy Valdespino then Joe Morgan plates Johnny Edwards with a squeeze bunt for the game-winner.
2006 - Roger Clemens moves into eighth place on the all-time wins list with a 4-2 victory over Greg Maddux and the Cubs. He tosses six shutout innings to notch his 343rd career win. Craig Biggio leads off the game with a home run and Preston Wilson, on his 32nd birthday, smacks two key doubles to spearhead the offense..
2003 - Lance Berkman, Richard Hidalgo and Morgan Ensberg spank back-to-back-to-back home runs off Jimmy Haynes in Cincinnati then hold on for a 9-8 triumph. Berkman has two homers and five RBIs. Ron Villone watches a 9-1 lead evaporate in the final two innings before Octavio Dotel fans the final two batters for the save.
1988 - Glenn Davis belts a blooper pitch from Pascual Perez into the left field seats at Olympic Stadium in a 4-3 victory over the Expos . The 40-mph floater doesn't phase Davis who played slow-pitch softball as a youth. It is his 70th RBI of the season to lead the National League.
1986 - Rick Aguilera, Ron Darling, Bob Ojeda and Tim Teufel are arrested in Houston after an early-morning fight with off-duty police officers. All are released in time for their scheduled game that evening. Mike Scott takes a two-hitter into the ninth but New York rallies to tie behind homers from Len Dykstra and Darryl Strawberry. With two out in the ninth, Craig Reynolds drills a Roger McDowell fastball into the right field seats to send the crowd home happy.
1966 - Dick Farrell does it all during an 8-2 triumph over Philadelphia. He bangs three hits, including a three-run homer, while scattering eight hits in the complete-game victory. Jim Wynn is also 3-for-4 with a three-run bomb. This is the first game played on an all-Astroturf field.
2003 - Jeff Bagwell smashes two home runs, including the 400th of his career, as the Astros sweep the Reds, 6-3 . . Bagwell also provides a sacrifice fly to give him four RBIs. He becomes the 35th player in Major League history to reach the 400-HR mark, while extending his own franchise record.
1998 - Doug Henry blows the save, allowing a two-run ninth-inning blast to Dante Bichette, but comes out the winner when Tim Bogar singles home Carl Everett for a 10-9 thriller over the Rockies. Everett touches home for the fourth time in the game, notching four hits and driving in three.
1997 - Luis Gonzalez clobbers two home runs, including a grand slam, and drives in six to pace a 9-0 drubbing in Montreal. He completes a series where he goes 9-for-11 at the plate. Darryl Kile gets two hits of his own during a complete game four-hit shutout that drops his ERA to 1.99.
1986 - Astros take three-of-four from New York with a wild 9-8 marathon in 15 innings. Houston's bullpen blows leads of 4-2 and 8-5 late to put the game into overtime. Bill Doran beats Keith Hernandez' throw to the plate for the game-winner. Bob Knepper wins in relief.
1962 - Roman Mejias singles home the winning run in the ninth as Houston nips the Cardinals, 4-3, on "Stan Musial Day" in Houston . Dick Farrell admits the next day during a radio interview that he threw an illegal spitball at Musial, but the St. Louis legend drilled it for an RBI single. Farrell is fined and touches off a debate that mars his 12-strikeout performance.
2005 - In their first game in our nation's capitol, the Astros top the Washington Nationals, 3-2. The team is the former Montreal Expos, still under ownership of Major League Baseball. Roy Oswalt tosses eight innings of shutout ball and plates two runs. Mike Lamb homers. The Astros, at 49-46, have won 34 of their last 50 to climb back into the Wild Card race, four games back of Washington.
1996 - Derek Bell singles home James Mouton with the game-winner for the second straight night as the Astros clip the Braves, 4-3, in ten innings. Greg Maddux was the victim the previous night and Brad Clontz gets deja vu in this one. Mike Simms belts a two-run homer for Houston.
1992 - Juan Guerrero blasts a 12th-inning homer off Roger Mason to stun Pittsburgh, 4-3. It's the only long ball in Guerrero's big-league career. Houston tallies three in the bottom of the ninth to set up the heroics, keyed by two sacrifice flies and a double by Pete Incaviglia.
1975 - Joe Torre sets a National League record, grounding into four double plays as his Mets drop a 6-2 verdict to the Astros. Ken Forsch gets Torre all four times on sliders. Felix Millan is the victim at second base on all four twin-killings. Roger Metzger has a two-run triple and starts three of Torre's recurring nightmares.
1965 - Bob Bruce outduels Bob Gibson as Houston blanks the Cardinals, 2-0. Bruce allows six hits. Gibson surrenders only four but one of them is a two-run double by Bob Lillis for the game's only tallies.
2009 - Houston stuns closer Ryan Franklin with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to clip the Cardinals, 4-3, and sweep the three-game series from the division leaders. The Astros move within a game of first. Miguel Tejada strokes the game-winner after Chris Coste failed twice to lay down a bunt then spanked an RBI double to center. Jose Valverde wins in relief.
1995 - John Cangelosi goes 4-for-4 while Jeff Bagwell drives in five, including a three-run homer, to pace a 7-6 victory over San Francisco. Mike Hampton gets an early cushion but needs help from Dave Veres and Todd Jones for the win.
1986 - A pitcher's duel in the Dome. Nolan Ryan allows one hit in 9-1/3rd innings, striking out 14, but Montreal's Floyd Youmans yields just two hits and fans eight. Glenn Davis breaks the stalemate with a blast off Youmans into the left field seats for a 1-0, ten-inning triumph. Dave Smith gets the win in relief.
1983 - After blowing a 6-2 lead in the eighth inning, the Astros score five in the ninth to topple the Expos, 11-8, in Montreal. Tony Scott and Omar Moreno each deliver two-run singles to reclaim the lead. Bill Dawley nails down the save after Frank DiPino and Dave Smith couldn't seal the deal.
1979 - Houston rallies for a 7-6 victory in St. Louis as Jose Cruz singles home Julio Gonzalez in the ninth for the game-winner. Terry Puhl homers. Enos Cabell and Jeff Leonard chime in with three hits apiece. Joe Sambito tosses two scoreless innings of relief for the win. It's just their second win in their past 14 games, shrinking what was a ten-game division lead two weeks ago down to four games.
2000 - Bill Spiers drills two home runs and drives in six for a 15-7 triumph over St. Louis at Enron Field. His seventh-inning grand slam off Heathcliff Slocumb during a six-run frame puts this one out of reach. Lance Berkman also goes deep twice. Andy Benes is tagged for four Houston homers in the second inning - two-run shots by Spiers and Jeff Bagwell followed by solo blasts from Berkman and Richard Hidalgo.
1998 - Down 6-0 in Los Angeles after the first inning, Houston rallies for five in the eighth to tie the game then tallies twice more in the tenth for an 8-6 comeback win. Moises Alou's two-run homer leads the charge. Ricky Gutierrez draws a bases-loaded walk for the game-winner then Derek Bell singles home an insurance run.
1994 - Jeff Bagwell goes 4-for-4 with four RBIs, including his 30th homer, as the Astros maul the Pirates, 11-0. Bagwell becomes just the third Astro to reach that milestone. Shane Reynolds fires a four-hit shutout and fans eleven to run his season record to 8-4.
1988 - A wild pitch by Bruce Ruffin plates Craig Reynolds with the winning run in the ninth as Houston upends the Phillies, 7-6. Two runs down in the eighth, the Astros rally on a pinch homer by Louie Meadows, a pinch triple by Terry Puhl and a sacrifice fly by Gerald Young. Dave Smith wins in relief.
1967 - Jim Wynn clubs two homers in the 8-5 opener of a doubleheader split in Pittsburgh, including a mammoth three-run bomb that lands on a Little League diamond in back of Forbes Field. Houston has the league leader in each triple crown category (Wynn 25 HRs, 75 RBIs; Rusty Staub .358 BA) but sit, as a team, in last place. The Pirates get revenge in the nightcap, 15-2.
2007 - On the day he announces his retirement effective at the end of the season, Craig Biggio blasts a grand slam homer off Rudy Seanez that breaks up a 3-3 tie and defeats the Dodgers, 7-4. It's the 3016th hit of his career. Jason Jennings wins for just the second time all season, assisted by four relievers.
1994 - Jeff Bagwell bashes two home runs and drives in five during a 13-1 massacre of Pittsburgh at the Dome. Craig Biggio adds a grand slam. Bagwell's shots both come off Ravelo Manzanillo in consecutive innings.
1986 - Kevin Bass has a 5-for-5 night to lead a 9-3 Houston win over the Phillies. The Astros put this one away early with eight runs in the third inning after winning the previous five games in their final at bat. Mike Scott fans 13 Philadelphians to notch his tenth victory.
1984 - Enos Cabell, Phil Garner and Jose Cruz slug back-to-back-to-back homers off Mark Davis to highlight a nine-run inning that dooms the Giants, 10-3, at Candlestick Park. Cruz homers again to ice the cake. Shortstop Bert Pena gets his first two big league RBIs on two separate singles in the fateful fifth inning.
1967 - Mike Cuellar tosses a two-hitter and notches a dozen strikeouts during a 2-1 victory over Philadelphia in eleven innings. Cuellar also scores the game-winner on a single by Jim Wynn. A sacrifice fly by Eddie Mathews plates the other Houston run.
2005 - Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman set a franchise first by blasting back-to-back homers twice in the same game . It happens in the first and third innings against Cory Lidle during a 7-1 victory over Philadelphia. Jason Lane later blasts the fifth Houston homer. Andy Pettitte works seven solid innings for the win.
1995 - Doug Drabek hurls a three-hitter and strikes out nine as he blanks the Dodgers, 4-0. Jeff Bagwell goes deep off Hideo Nomo while Craig Biggio spanks a solo shot off Jose Parra to account for half of Houston's runs.
1990 - Danny Darwin goes the distance on five hits in a 5-1 victory in Atlanta. Eric Yelding goes 4-for-4, swipes two bases and drives home two as the offensive star. But it's Franklin Stubbs who enters the record books, becoming only the 15th major leaguer to play an entire game at first base without making a putout.
1980 - Astros shock Montreal with seven runs in the ninth inning for a 9-8 triumph. Terry Puhl starts the rally with a blast off Steve Rogers then Jose Cruz, Enos Cabell and Alan Ashby each deliver two-run hits to complete the comeback. Ashby's double is his third hit. Frank LaCorte is the surprise winner.
1976 - Bo McLaughlin, in his second big league start, fires a ten-inning six-hit shutout to nip the Giants, 1-0. Houston manages just four hits off Ed Halicki but Greg Gross doesn't need one to chase home pinch-runner Wilbur Howard with a sacrifice fly to send the fans home happy.
2006 - Craig Biggio smacks the 50th leadoff homer of his career in an 8-5 victory over the Reds. Lance Berkman goes deep twice and drives in four. Berkman's 91 RBIs lead the league. However, the floundering Astros sit five games under .500, five games out of the wild card race and with five teams in between Houston and Cincinnati.
1976 - As it ought to be. The 1,000th game in Astrodome history is a 7-0 shutout over San Diego as Larry Dierker spins a two-hitter. Bob Watson paces the offense with a home run and three runs batted in.
1974 - Larry Milbourne scores in the 11th on a fielder's choice to give Houston an 8-7 triumph over Los Angeles. Roger Metzger has three hits and raps into the game-winner when the throw home by Davey Lopes is late. Cesar Cedeno socks two home runs and drives in four. His 79 RBIs lead the league while his 21 home runs are just one shy of ex-teammate Jim Wynn for the top spot in that category.
1968 - Jim Wynn becomes the first player in franchise history to reach 100 homers. He does so with a three-run blast in the eighth inning off Frank Linzy to drop San Francisco, 4-1. The other run is driven in by Dick Simpson who leads the Astros with three hits. Denny Lemaster picks up the win.
1963 - Bob Aspromonte hits another home run for blinded Bill Bradley who is able to watch this grand slam that beats the Mets, 7-3 . After three operations in two years, Bradley's sight is restored, allowing him to see the promised homer and to see his hero point to him as he rounded the bases. The blast capped a seven-run first inning which was all Turk Farrell needed to chalk up the victory.
2008 - Geoff Blum smacks two homers and Brad Ausmus goes 4-for-4 to lead Houston out of the division cellar in an 11-6 win at Milwaukee. Randy Wolf makes his Astros debut but can't last long enough to qualify for the victory. Chris Sampson claims it in relief.
1992 - The Astros begin a 28-day road trip with a 5-1 triumph in Atlanta. The 1,337-mile, eight-city odyssey is made to accomodate the Republican Party which is having their national convention at the Astrodome in August. Eric Anthony belts an 11th-inning grand slam off Alejandro Pena to get the excursion started on a positive note.
1982 - Nolan Ryan notches the 200th win of his career, a five-hitter for a 3-2 victory over Cincinnati. Ryan strikes out 13. Ray Knight scores the winning run when Terry Puhl lines a drive off reliever Jim Kern that forces a wild throw from Ron Oester at second base. Knight hustles past third and beats the throw to the plate.
1965 - The Braves smuggle their own fireworks from Milwaukee through Los Angeles and San Francisco just so they could challenge the Home Run Spectacular at the Astrodome. They get their chance when Joe Torre takes Larry Dierker deep, tossing firecrackers onto the field and lighting sparklers in the dugout. Houston fans applaud the gesture. Milwaukee wins, 7-1.
1959 - Houston becomes major league - sort of. The same Houston group that would one day join the National League becomes one of eight franchises in the Continental League, a third league to rival the two established circuits. Although the league never plays a game, it offers a direct threat to the sport's leaders that expansion is inevitable, opening the door for big league baseball in Texas.
2006 - Luke Scott hits for the cycle but it is not enough as the Astros fall to Arizona, 8-7, in 11 innings. Scott, a call-up earlier in the month from AAA, performs the feat backwards, smacking his first major league homer in the fourth, a triple in the fifth, a double in seventh and a single in the 11th just before the final out was made . Scott drives in five of the runs. Andy Pettitte makes his first relief appearance since 1998 and takes the loss.
2005 - Brad Ausmus doubles home Orlando Palmeiro in the bottom of the ninth to nip the Mets, 3-2. Rookie Ezequiel Astacio battles Pedro Martinez to a draw, helped by a solo homer from Adam Everett and an RBI squeeze bunt by Ausmus. The win puts Houston into a tie with Washington for the wild card slot after starting the season with a 15-30 mark. All the excitement overshadows the return of 2004 postseason hero Carlos Beltran who then rebuffed the Astros and signed with New York. Beltran is booed relentlessly by the sellout crowd as he struggles through an oh-for-four night.
2001 - A grand slam by Brian Giles off Billy Wagner caps a seven-run ninth as the Astros waste a three-homer performance by Vinny Castilla in a 9-8 loss to Pittsburgh at PNC Park. They make sure not to blow a similar lead in the nightcap of the twinbill, scoring four times in the ninth to seal a 12-3 victory.
1985 - Craig Reynolds bangs out four hits as Houston bombs the Mets, 12-4. Mark Bailey and Jose Cruz contribute three hits each in the 19-hit effort. The New Yorkers are gracious hosts, giving the Astros four errors to work with. They ought to be since the Astros giftwrapped 16 unearned runs in a doubleheader fiasco the day before.
1979 - Ken Forsch twirls a three-hitter as the Astros top the Dodgers, 5-2, but the talk is about a brawl that clears the benches. Cesar Cedeno spikes Steve Yeager during a play at the plate. Yeager later tosses a ball out to Cedeno at first who fires it back into the L.A. bench. Ken Brett then hits Enos Cabell with a pitch and away they go. Tommy Lasorda beat the rush, getting tossed three innings earlier.
1996 - Pinch-hitter Bill Spiers blasts a solo shot off Mark Portugal in the eighth to tie the Reds. Derrick May then walks and eventually scores on a Jeff Bagwell single for a 2-1 Houston win. Mike Hampton allows just four hits and gets help from Xavier Hernandez and Billy Wagner for the victory.
1992 - Jeff Bagwell hits only the seventh Club Level home run in the history of Atlanta-Fulton Country stadium, a 440-foot blast off of Tom Glavine. It comes in a 5-3 loss to the Braves. Jimmy Jones is unable to hold an early 2-0 edge.
1989 - Craig Biggio becomes the first Houston catcher to bat leadoff in over twenty years and it seems to work out. He homers and singles in an 8-1 victory at San Francisco. Another blast is the first big league bomb for Eric Anthony. Glenn Davis and Ken Caminiti also go yard. Mark Portugal hurls a three-hit complete game, just his second win as an Astro.
1970 - Disgruntled first baseman Joe Pepitone, who suddenly "retired" rather than play in Houston, is sold to the Cubs. He had belted 14 home runs during his four months in Texas. Bob Watson takes over at first as Larry Dierker is roughed up during a 9-2 loss at Wrigley Field.
1967 - Bob Aspromonte drives in four as the Astros storm back to overcome the Pirates, 6-5, completing a four-game sweep. Julio Gotay, pinch-running for Aspro after his two-run double in the eighth, scores on a single by Bob Lillis for the game-winner. Larry Sherry shuts the door for winning pitcher Dave Eilers.
2002 - Geoff Blum and Brad Ausmus combine for eight hits, two homers and nine RBIs to pace a 16-3 shelling of the Mets. Unlike the similar massacre at Shea in 1969, the Astros strike early and often, capped by a seven-run fifth inning. Blum comes up one base shy of a cycle. Kirk Saarloos is the easy victor.
1980 - J.R. Richard collapses from a stroke while working out at the Astrodome. He is rushed to Methodist Hospital where surgery saves his life. His distracted teammates lose in Philadelphia, 6-4. Richard would never regain the coordination needed to resume his career.
1975 - The first Houston player to homer in his first major league at bat is...reliever Jose Sosa. The blast comes at the Astrodome, a three-run shot off Danny Frisella during an 8-4 victory over San Diego. And to top it off, Sosa also earns his first big league save. The other five runs come on a three-run homer by Jose Cruz and a two-run shot by Doug Rader, who is celebrating his 31st birthday.
1974 - Don Wilson collects his 100th victory as an Astro, toppling the Reds, 8-4 . The righthander fans nine in eight innings of work. Lee May drives in three while Cesar Cedeno and Cliff Johnson support with solo homers.
1969 - Denis Menke and Jim Wynn launch grand slams in the same inning as the Astros crush the Mets, 16-3 and 11-5 in a twinbill at Shea Stadium . The double slam was the first National League occurance in 79 years. So hot were Houston's bats that Larry Dierker took Nolan Ryan deep in the nightcap and Fred Gladding broke an oh-for-the-decade slump with a bloop single for the only hit in his career.
1999 - Jeff Bagwell and rookie Lance Berkman swat two home runs apiece as the Astros club the Padres, 8-5. Berkman has three hits and steals a base. Derek Bell accounts for the other two runs with a double. Doug Henry gets the win in relief.
1998 - Prospects John Halama, Freddy Garcia and Carlos Guillen are traded to Seattle for pitcher Randy Johnson in the most celebrated mid-season trade in team history. Before the midnight deal, the Astros upend the Pirates, 7-4, to take their record to 65-44 on the season, 3-1/2 games ahead of the Cubs in the Central Division.
1983 - Astros explode for seven runs in the seventh inning to tattoo the Reds, 9-2. A double by Omar Moreno gets the rally started while a two-run triple by Jose Cruz provides the key hit.
1972 - Houston edges San Diego, 3-2, on a gift run in the bottom of the ninth inning. It starts when Cesar Cedeno swings at a Steve Arlin pitch in the dirt for strike three. The catcher can't hang on and Cedeno is safe at first. Next, Cesar steals second and moves to third when the throw sails into center field. Two outs and two intentional walks later, Johnny Edwards takes ball four to bring Cedeno home.
1967 - Bo Belinsky tosses eight innings of one-hit ball before running out of gas in a 3-2 triumph over the Mets. Larry Sherry notches the save. Ron Davis homers while Doug Rader gets an infield single in his first big league at bat . Bob Lillis singles home Bob Aspromonte with the deciding run.
2008 - Mark Loretta drills a grand slam off Aaron Heilman in the eighth to give the Astros a 7-3 victory over the Mets. Solo homers by Kaz Matsui, Brandon Backe and Carlos Lee supply the other three tallies. Doug Brocail picks up the win in relief.
1977 - Jose Cruz blasts an 11th-inning bomb off Rich "Goose" Gossage to sink the Pirates, 4-3. Mark Lemongello goes the distance for the victory in spite of 14 Pittsburgh hits, four walks and four Houston errors, escaping bases-loaded jams in the ninth and tenth innings.
1973 - In a foreshadowing of coming years, J.R. Richard's first major league shutout is against the Dodgers . It's a five-hit performance with nine strikeouts and five walks. Jim Wynn breaks out of a long slump with an RBI double that sparks the 5-0 victory.
1966 - Jim Wynn swats a drive over the left field roof at Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium, clearing a 15-foot sign rising above it. Later, Bob Aspromonte belts a three-run shot to tie the Phils at 5-5. In the top of the tenth, Wynn tries to steal home and is called out despite howls of protest from the Houston bench. In the bottom half, Wynn dives for a deep drive by Richie Allen, misses and crashes into the center field iron fence. Allen dashes around the bases with the winning run while Wynn's season is over after x-rays reveal multiple fractures.
1962 - Losing takes its toll on the expansion Colt .45s, blanked by Milwaukee, 3-0. With a chance to tie in the eighth, Norm Larker is rung up on strikes then tossed out when he argues with umpire Augie Donatelli. Al Spangler gets the heave ho as well. Larker returns to the dugout and tosses 18 bats onto the field in a tirade. The league fines him $75 and he retorts it was worth every penny.
2008 - Mark Loretta and Hunter Pence crash into New York catcher Ramon Castro at almost the same time, scoring the tying runs in the bottom of the ninth. Geoff Blum has the single off ex-Astro Billy Wagner that brought the runs home . In the tenth, Darin Erstad's liner to left allows Lance Berkman to tag up and score the winning run in a 5-4 thriller.
2001 - Orlando Merced cracks a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth to tie the Mets then Moises Alou finishes the job in the tenth with an infield hit that scores Craig Biggio for a 4-3 triumph. Mike Williams, newly acquired from Pittsburgh, takes the win in relief.
1998 - Randy Johnson makes his first start as an Astro during a 6-2 victory in Pittsburgh . Johnson trails, 2-1, in the eighth when Ricky Gutierrez slaps a two-run double to put Houston ahead. A double by Tony Eusebio adds another run. Scott Elarton gets the save.
1972 - Cesar Cedeno becomes the first Astro to hit for the cycle during a 10-1 whipping of the Reds . Cesar doubles in the first then smacks a two-run shot off Gary Nolan into the seats. Cedeno adds a run-scoring single in the fifth then triples off Pedro Borbon in the eighth to cap a four-RBI night. His average jumps to a league-leading .353 and Houston trails the Reds by six for the division lead.
1971 - Don Wilson fires a two-hitter to outduel Ferguson Jenkins and Chicago, 2-1. Denis Menke doubles home Doug Rader then scores on a single by Jesus Alou. Houston fans boo Joe Pepitone in each of four hitless trips to the plate.
1997 - Luis Gonzalez draws a ninth-inning bases-loaded walk from Steve McMichael to drop the Mets, 3-2. Craig Biggio's two-run blast accounts for the other Houston tallies. Tom Martin gets the victory.
1990 - Mike Scott spins a three-hit shutout of Atlanta, besting John Smoltz. Scott fans six and walks two. Bill Doran and Ken Oberkfell deliver rare back-to-back triples for the final Houston run. Oberkfell's two-run single plated the other two.
1989 - Cincinnati explodes for 14 runs in the first inning en route to an 18-2 massacre of the Astros. The Reds set three major league records and tie two more. Jim Clancy and Bob Forsch each allow seven tallies in the opening frame. Forsch surrenders a club-record 18 hits in his seven innings, including nine consecutive hits in the first inning. Houston hurlers surrender a team-record 26 hits.
1983 - Nolan Ryan hurls a one-hitter at San Diego, 1-0. A roller by Tim Flannery in the third is the lone blemish. Terry Puhl reaches on an infield hit in the first and scores on a triple by Dickie Thon. Ryan makes that stand up while striking out ten.
1962 - Carl Warwick 's four hits pace the Colts past St. Louis, 8-3. He cracks a two-run double off Bob Gibson in the first then adds a two-run bomb in the third. Ken Johnson earns the victory, supported by 15 Houston hits.
1995 - Houston sweeps a twinbill at Pittsburgh, 6-5 and 5-4. James Mouton singles home Orlando Miller in the ninth to win the opener while Derek Bell caps a 5-for-9 day with a home run and a double to pace the Astros in the nightcap.
1991 - Craig Biggio singles home Gerald Young in the tenth for a 2-1 triumph over Los Angeles, sweeping the series and winning their seventh straight. The last-place Astros also turn their second triple play of the season when Mike Simms snares a fly to right by Alfredo Griffin and guns down Mike Sharperson who tried to advance to third. Ken Caminiti fires to Andujar Cedeno to get Stan Javier who was trailing the play.
1979 - Houston sweeps the Braves, 4-3 and 6-2, to move five games ahead of second-place Cincinnati. Atlanta knuckleballer Phil Niekro ties major league marks with four wild pitches in one inning and six for the game. The Astros also set a team record for a nine-inning game by stranding 16 runners in the opener.
1972 - Lee May tags Juan Marichal for two solo homers while Johnny Edwards adds another during a 6-0 whitewash at San Francisco. Jerry Reuss and Fred Gladding share shutout honors with Gladding contributing a sacrifice fly for the game's final run as well as earning the save.
1965 - The rift between owners Roy Hofheinz and R.E. "Bob" Smith reaches its climax when Hofheinz buys out Smith's remaining shares of the Houston Sports Association. Smith dared the Judge to do it, thinking he couldn't come up with the funds but Hofheinz put the money together, breaking Smith's heart. On the field, the road-weary Astros lose in St. Louis, 9-4.
2006 - A day after celebrating his 44th birthday, Roger Clemens notches his 344th career victory, a 9-3 triumph at Arizona. Brad Ausmus belts a grand slam while Luke Scott punches four hits, including a two-run homer. Craig Biggio legs out an infield single to become the 34th player to achieve 2,900 hits in a career.
1999 - Shane Reynolds blanks the Dodgers on five hits, 7-0. A six-run seventh snaps a scoreless tie with Matt Mieske's two-run pinch-hit double the key blow. Russ Johnson homers and doubles in a three-hit performance.
1994 - Jeff Bagwell re-writes the Astros record book with his 38th home run, 112th RBI and 69th extra base hit in a 12-4 thumping of the Giants. Jeff has five RBIs to lead the attack, breaking Bob Watson's season mark. Jim Wynn held the other two records. Bagwell's .370 average also threatens Rusty Staub's club record. A broken hand and a players strike would soon cut short the best season any Astro has ever had.
1986 - Trailing the Dodgers, 2-1, Houston explodes for four runs in the eighth and five more in the ninth for a 10-2 triumph. Denny Walling drills two home runs among his four hits. Billy Hatcher belts a grand slam and Enos Cabell also goes deep. The Astros notch their 60th win, holding a five-game lead in the NL West.
1974 - Greg Gross raps five singles to lead the Astros over San Francisco, 7-2. In fact, it might have been Singles Night since 18 of Houston's 19 hits are the one-base variety. Pitcher Don Wilson has the double and two singles to help himself. Milt May drives in three.
2000 - Chris Truby belts a grand slam and drives in six to lead an 8-1 pounding of Montreal. Jeff Bagwell adds four hits. Scott Elarton scatters four hits to pick up his 12th win of the season.
1999 - Carl Everett comes off the disabled list with a 4-for-5 performance, a homer and five RBIs to lead the Astros over the Cubs, 6-1, in the opener of a twinbill at Wrigley Field. Jose Lima wins his 15th of the season. Everett sits out the nightcap which Houston loses, 6-0, to rookie Andy Lorraine.
1990 - Joe Morgan becomes the first player inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame who has had a significant part of his career with the Houston Astros (1963-1971). His MVPs and World Series triumphs came while with Cincinnati and he chooses to be inducted as a Red. No player yet has worn an Astros cap upon induction.
1974 - Bob Watson homers, triples and drives in four to pace a 13-4 clubbing in San Francisco. Besides Watson, Greg Gross, Milt May and Doug Rader notch three hits apiece. Mike Cosgrove pitches 4-1/3rd innings of relief for the win.
1971 - Nickel Beer Night at the Dome ends, appropriately, with a Miller. Bob Miller of San Diego tosses a 1-2-3 ninth to seal a 4-3 Houston loss. After the game, drunken fans spill onto the field, looting the Padre dugout and pantomiming pitching and baserunning until police restore order.
1999 - Russ Johnson drives in six and Carl Everett blasts two solo home runs as Houston rips Chicago, 10-4. Johnson has four hits. Scott Elarton pitches seven solid innings for the victory.
1998 - Randy Johnson makes his Astro home debut a triumphant one, blanking the Phillies, 9-0, on a five-hitter. He fans eight and walks just one. Jeff Bagwell provides the run support with two homers and five RBIs. Moises Alou also goes deep.
1988 - Two run-scoring balks help Houston edge Los Angeles, 4-2. Tim Leary is nailed with the first, letting Billy Hatcher score. Two innings later, Brian Holton makes the same mistake, allowing Bob Knepper to walk home. Knepper wins his 12th of the year with a save from Juan Agosto.
1975 - Tal Smith is named General Manager, replacing "Spec" Richardson. The Astros are in last place, 35 games behind Cincinnati at the time. Dave Roberts takes the first small steps to recovery with a 6-1 victory over Pittsburgh.
1968 - A hard slide by Doug Rader into third base on a triple knocks out New York third baseman Kevin Collins and ignites a brawl. Houston police enter the fray. The donnybrook climaxes hostility that began when Mets outfielder Tommy Agee spiked Joe Morgan while sliding into second base. Amazingly, Rader stays in the contest and scores the eventual game-winner on a sacrifice fly by Dick Simpson. Larry Dierker bests Tom Seaver in the 4-3 victory.
2008 - Carlos Lee picks up his league-leading 100th RBI and the 1,000th RBI of his career with a two-run double that defeats the Reds in ten innings, 9-5. Lee has four hits, including a solo homer. Kaz Matsui, Humberto Quintero and Hunter Pence also go deep. Chris Sampson gets the win with three innings of relief work. The next day, Lee's season would end when he is plunked by Bronson Arroyo, breaking his pinkie finger.
1988 - Mike Scott blanks the Dodgers, 10-0, to pull within 1-1/2 games of the division lead. Scott excels despite a black eye caused when a weighted doughnut flew off Denny Walling's bat in warmups and hit Scott in the face. His teammates score four times in the first and six in the eighth to ease his pain.
1986 - Jose Cruz celebrates his 39th birthday with his 1,000th career RBI during a 5-0 blanking of San Diego. His two-run single caps a four-run sixth inning. Mike Scott goes the distance for his third shutout of the season. Scott leads the league in ERA (2.16) and strikeouts (217).
1979 - J.R. Richard fans 12 and delivers the game-winning hit during a 4-1 victory over Los Angeles. Terry Puhl opens the scoring with a first-inning blast off Burt Hooton. Richard's two-run single in the fifth ends the stalemate. It is J.R.'s tenth straight win over the Dodgers.
1972 - Eddie Mathews gets his first managerial win, 8-4, over Houston behind the pitching of Denny McLain. It's Harry Walker, however, that acts like a rookie manager, listing Johnny Edwards twice in the batting order and leaving out Jesus Alou.
2006 - Aubrey Huff swats two homers and a bases-loaded double to drive in six during a 14-1 rout of the Pirates. Roy Oswalt adds his first career home run. Craig Biggio, Luke Scott and Jason Lane also go deep. Phil Garner gets his 900th career managerial win.
1982 - Alan Ashby cracks two solo shots off John Montefusco to lift the Astros to a 4-3 victory in San Diego. Dickie Thon figures in both of the other tallies. Don Sutton wins his 11th of the season.
1976 - Cesar Cedeno hits for his second career cycle during a 13-4 thrashing of the Cardinals. He triples of Bob Forsch in the first, then belts his 16th homer before drilling a double. His single comes in a seven-run eighth that caps a five-RBI night. Winning pitcher Dan Larson chips in two hits of his own.
1966 - John Bateman notices his catcher's mitt is gone from Wrigley Field. Bob Aspromonte and Nate Colbert have also had their gloves stolen. Bateman gets his revenge by smashing two home runs in an 8-5 triumph. Dave Giusti surrenders four home runs but Houston rallies with five runs in the ninth. Carroll Sembera gets his first big league win.
1965 - Robin Roberts, nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career, makes a memorable Astro debut. Before a cheering Astrodome throng, Roberts twirls a four-hit shutout against his old Philadelphia team, 8-0 . It is his 277th career win. The Phillies had let Roberts go back in 1961 because he was considered washed up. The Astros inked Robin after Baltimore released him. Roberts would finish the year 5-2 (1.89 ERA) in Houston.
1994 - For the second year in a row, Jeff Bagwell's left hand is broken by a pitch, this time by the Padres' Andy Benes just two days before the players strike finishes their season. Bagwell ends with 39 homers, 116 RBIS and a .368 average (all club records at the time) in 400 at bats. Houston wins, 3-1, but loses the next day to finish 1/2 game behind Cincinnati in the first Central Division race.
1982 - Bill Virdon is fired as manager. Bob Lillis replaces him, becoming the first ex-Astro to skipper the team. Virdon leaves as Houston's winningest manager (544-522). Lillis' debut is a 4-1 victory over San Diego. Phil Garner's three-run homer is the difference.
1981 - Baseball's "second season" begins after a two-month strike interrupts play. Denny Walling is the hero with a two-run pinch-hit double off Al Holland in the ninth for a 6-5 triumph in San Francisco. Joe "Shoes" Pittman rescues Frank Lacorte when he makes a diving stab of Larry Herndon's liner with two men aboard for the final out.
1975 - The woeful "Lastros" sweep a four-game series from division-leading Pittsburgh, 5-3. J.R. Richard walks nine in six innings but allows just one hit for the win. Jerry DaVanon beats George Brett by eight years when his sixth-inning single is overturned after his bat is found with too much pine tar. DaVanon accidentally rubbed pine tar on the wrong end of his bat while in the on-deck circle and Pirate catcher Manny Sanguillen alertly handed the bat to the plate umpire.
1968 - Doug Rader goes 5-for-5 and Norm Miller drives in five as Houston crushes Pittsburgh, 16-3, in the opener of a twinbill at Forbes Field. Rader smashes a two-run homer in the nightcap for his seventh straight hit and sixth RBI of the day but the Bucs rally to take the nightcap, 7-4.
2000 - Houston snaps a 2-2 tie with five runs in the ninth to flog the Phillies, 7-2, at Veterans Stadium. Lance Berkman doubles twice and drives in four. Moises Alou adds three hits, including a homer.
1986 - In a nationally-televised game marred by several fielding and baserunning gaffes, the Astros rally to nip the Dodgers, 7-6. Alan Ashby's bases-loaded double in the ninth off Ken Howell is the game-winner. Jose Cruz ignites a two-run eighth with a solo shot off Tom Niedenfuer.
1982 - Nolan Ryan tosses a one-hitter in silencing the Padres, 3-0. A rolling single by Terry Kennedy in the fifth is the lone hit. Terry Puhl leads the offense with three hits and Dickie Thon extends his hitting streak to 20 games.
1975 - Cliff Johnson pounds four hits while Cesar Cedeno and Jerry DaVanon collect three each in a 7-2 victory over St. Louis. Larry Dierker tosses a complete game for his tenth win of the year.
1966 - Lee Maye goes 5-for-5 and Bob Aspromonte belts a grand slam but it's not enough to stop the Cubs, 9-8, in eleven. Darkness suspends the second game of the twinbill with Houston up, 8-5. Maye gets his sixth straight hit in the nightcap. The Cubs agree to finish the game during an upcoming trip to Houston.
2009 - Hunter Pence launches a pair of three-run homers to pace a 14-6 thrashing of the Marlins. Lance Berkman comes off the disabled list to drill a pair of RBI doubles. Carlos Lee adds three hits and three RBIs. Rookie Bud Norris lasts five inning to up his record to 3-0 since a midseason call-up.
2001 - Homers from Lance Berkman, Jeff Bagwell, Daryle Ward and Vinny Castilla pace a 10-5 clubbing of Florida. Dave Mlicki allows three long balls but still coasts to the win. Houston moves within 1/2 game of division-leading Chicago.
1998 - Randy Johnson fans 13 on his way to a five-hit, 3-0, whitewash of Milwaukee. It's Johnson's second straight shutout. In three starts since his trade from Seattle, Johnson is 3-0 with a 0.72 ERA. Craig Biggio supports him with three hits, including his 13th homer.
1997 - The little guys bulk up as Chuckie Carr and Tim Bogar go deep in a 13-2 drilling of the Marlins. Carr adds a double to his three hits. Mike Hampton picks up the victory.
1969 - Curt Blefary's three-run bomb off Jerry Koosman leads Houston to an 8-7 victory over the Mets. Blefary drives in four while Doug Rader has a hand in four different rallies. Joe Morgan steals home for the game-winner which was actually a botched suicide squeeze play.
2000 - Jeff Bagwell drives in seven to tie a club record as Houston smashes the Phillies, 14-7. Bagwell and Moises Alou both homer twice. Chris Truby and Richard Hidalgo also go deep. Bagwell has a four-hit afternoon to pace a 19-hit assault.
1991 - Rebounding from a 9-2 deficit, Houston gets off the mat for a 12-9 triumph in San Diego to snap a five-game losing streak. Luis Gonzalez launches a three-run bomb and drives in four. Andujar Cedeno also homers.The Astro bullpen fires five innings of one-hit ball. Ryan Bowen claims the victory and Al Osuna gets the save.
1990 - Franklin Stubbs belts two homers and drives in four to pace a 7-2 triumph in Chicago. Mark Portugal goes the distance and drives in two runs himself.
1966 - Dave Giusti allows a second-inning single to Cap Peterson and nothing more as he outduels San Francisco's ace Juan Marichal, 3-0 . Giusti walks none and strikes out four while facing 28 batters. Ron Davis rips his first big league homer while Sonny Jackson swipes his 37th base, setting a new NL rookie mark.
1965 - Rusty Staub singles home the game-winner in the ninth to slip past New York, 3-2. In the typical fashion of those early Met teams, they couldn't stand a 2-0 lead and let the winning run on base when two Mets collide under Joe Morgan's pop fly. Don Nottebart tosses a complete-game six-hitter.
2000 - Moises Alou slams two home runs and drives in five during a 16-2 bombardment of Pittsburgh. Tony Eusebio and Tim Bogar both have four-hit nights. Chris Holt scatters five hits in a complete-game effort.
1993 - Pete Harnisch strikes out a dozen while tossing a three-hit shutout over the Rockies, 9-0. Steve Finley picks up three hits and drives in three. Eric Anthony homers.
1986 - Houston rallies for three in the eighth to stun Fernando Valenzuela and the Dodgers, 3-2. Valenzuela had held the Astros to two hits in seven frames before the uprising. Glenn Davis singles home Billy Hatcher with the game-winner.
1985 - Pinch-hitter Dickie Thon blasts a three-run shot off Mark Davis to key a 7-5 victory over San Francisco. He drives in an insurance run to give him four RBIs. Jeff Heathcock wins as Nolan Ryan leaves after three innings.
1979 - Montreal's noted flake, Bill "Spaceman" Lee, surrenders a two-run inside-the-park homer to Houston's noted flake, Joaquin Andujar, that stands up for a 2-1 Astros victory. Andujar had warned Lee not to throw him a fastball and Joaquin belted one high off the centerfield fence when he did. Andujar goes the distance with a four-hitter for his 12th win.
2009 - Kazuo Matsui beats out an infield single in Milwaukee for his 2,000th career hit combined from his career as a star shortstop in the Japanese majors as well as his six years in the National League. Play is stopped as Japanese officials recognize Matsui's automatic induction into Japan's Meikyukai, similar to our Hall of Fame. The event gets live television coverage back in his homeland. The Astros, however, fall in a 6-2 defeat.
2004 - Down 4-2 in the ninth, the Astros rally for three runs to nip the Expos, 5-4. Jason Lane and Orlando Palmeiro deliver RBI singles. Carlos Beltran delivers a two-run homer in the first. With a record of 57-60, Houston is 19-1/2 games in back of St. Louis and six games behind wild card leaders Chicago and San Francisco. The ninth-inning rally sparks a two-month run unmatched in franchise history.
1980 - In the 20th inning, the Padres play good hosts, giftwrapping a rally so Houston can celebrate a 3-1 victory. An error by Ozzie Smith puts Luis Pujols aboard, a late throw to second moves him up then Jerry Mumphrey muffs a fly ball from Terry Puhl to bring in the winning runs. Rookie Dave Smith, a San Diego product, pitches the final four innings for the win, ending the 6-1/2 hour marathon.
1977 - Art Howe's first-inning grand slam keys a six-run first inning on Houston's way to a 15-3 laugher in Atlanta. Rob Sperring and J.R. Richard also launch bombs before the Astros wait through a rain delay with a 15-0 lead. Sperring gets four hits. Dan Larson tosses four innings of relief for the "save".
1970 - Don Wilson hurls a 16-hitter during a 7-3 victory in Montreal. That's no typo. Wilson caps a five-run first inning with an RBI single and this lead lets him stay in the game as he dodges Montreal's bullets all day. Fred Gladding is summoned to get the final out after Wilson allows three straight hits with two out in the ninth.
2000 - Six different Astros belt home runs and they'll need all of them to outlast Pittsburgh, 11-10. Lance Berkman, Jeff Bagwell, Chris Truby, Moises Alou, Tim Bogar and Julio Lugo play long ball to build an 11-2 lead but no lead is safe at Enron Field. The Bucs storm back with eight runs in the last two frames before Octavio Dotel can coax the final out.
1983 - John Mizerock doubles, homers and drives in four to pace an 8-5 triumph over the Reds. Ray Knight also goes deep. Mike Scott runs out of gas, turning it over to Bill Dawley who collects the save.
1981 - Joe Niekro and Dave Smith combine on a two-hitter to blank San Diego, 3-0. Niekro and Steve Mura trade goose eggs for seven innings until Tony Scott drives home Joe Pittman in the eighth. Gary Woods then delivers Scott. In the ninth, Scott again plates Pittman with an insurance run. The shutout caps a seven-game road trip to open the "second season", with the Astros winning five of them.
1974 - Doug Rader raps four hits and drives in four to lead Houston over the Expos, 8-3. Lee May contributes three hits. Tom Griffin wins his 12th of the season, equalling the number of wins he had in the previous four seasons combined.
1968 - Jim Wynn homers off Tom Seaver with two outs in the ninth to tie New York, 1-1. Bob Aspromonte's two-run opposite-field double in the 12th wins it for Houston. Tom Dukes, who fanned two with the bases full of Mets in the 11th, picks up the 3-1 victory.
2002 - Jose Vizcaino smacks a leadoff homer on his way to a 5-for-5 night during a 6-1 victory in Cincinnati. Roy Oswalt wins his 15th but must wait until the ninth when Houston explodes for five runs to get the victory. They remain four games behind St. Louis in the Central Division chase.
1987 - Billy Hatcher smacks four hits and swipes two bases to pace an 11-2 triumph over Atlanta. Hatcher goes deep off Joe Boever in the eighth to cap his night. Bill Doran adds three hits. Mike Scott strikes out ten over eight innings for the win.
1984 - Jim Pankovits bloops a two-run double in the tenth to key a 7-4 comeback win over the Pirates. A wild pitch by Pittsburgh's Don Robinson had plated the tying run in the ninth. Enos Cabell leads the assault with three hits, including a home run.
1972 - Lee May belts four hits, a three-run blast among them, and drives in five to lead a 17-5 slaughter in Montreal. Cesar Cedeno homers and drives in four. The Expos take such a beating that Gene Mauch sends in former Astro shortstop Hector Torres to pitch the ninth. It is Torres' first pitching performance since the Mexican Little Leagues. He surrenders six straight hits before getting the last two outs.
1967 - Dave Giusti twirls an eight-hit shutout over the Dodgers, 4-0. A bases-loaded double by Ron Davis is the key blow. Houston deals first baseman Eddie Mathews to Detroit, eventually receiving reliever Fred Gladding and cash (not Norm) in return.
2001 - Carlos Hernandez fires a masterful two-hit shutout over seven innings in his big league debut to snuff the Pirates, 3-0. Hernandez strikes out seven. Octavio Dotel tosses two perfect innings for the save. Moises Alou and Richard Hidalgo drive in runs while Jeff Bagwell steals home in the first inning.
1990 - Franklin Stubbs is the offense as Houston trips the Cardinals in 11 innings, 3-2. Stubbs doubles home Eric Yelding in the first inning, smashes a solo shot off Lee Smith in the ninth, then singles off Frank DiPino in the 11th. He steals second then scores on a base hit by Mark Davidson. Stubbs' four hits account for half of the Astros' output.
1989 - Rafael Ramirez gets a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Cubs, 6-5. Glenn Davis scores after doubling home Bill Doran. Davis had homered the inning before. Dave Smith is the surprise winner. Billy Hatcher is traded to Pittsburgh for outfielder Glenn Wilson.
1983 - For nearly twenty years, engineers had debated how well the Astrodome would hold up in a hurricane. With 95-mph winds, Hurricane Alicia passes through Houston and the Dome suffers hardly a scratch. The Astros, on the road in St. Louis, lose as many worry about their families and property back home.
1973 - Bob Watson guns down two Phillies from the outfield in a 3-2 win at the Dome. He also doubles home Roger Metzger for the first Houston run just before Lee May bashes a two-run shot for the game-winner. Jim Ray gets the win after Dave Roberts left in the first inning. Ken Forsch works the final four frames for the save.
2004 - First the Astros turn a triple play then turn around a huge deficit in a 12-10 triumph in Philadelphia. The trifecta goes 5-4-3 off the bat of Todd Pratt in the fifth with Morgan Ensberg touching third, tossing to Jeff Kent at second for the force and Kent relaying to Mike Lamb at first to end the inning . But the Phils led 7-2. Next came a three-homer Houston assault in the seventh with Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman launching two-run shots before Eric Bruntlett topped them with a three-run blast for a 10-7 lead. A two-run double from Kent is needed to survive the final rally, giving Chad Qualls his first major league win. Lamb also steals home.
2003 - Jeff Kent smashes a home run and drives in six to pace a 12-8 slugfest over the Chicago Cubs in Houston. His shot off Matt Clement snaps a 5-5 tie. Lance Berkman also delivers three hits. The victory keeps Houston a game in front of St. Louis for the division lead while the Cubs lurk just 1-1/2 games behind.
1982 - On most nights, handing Philly's Steve Carlton six runs is like giving Tiger Woods a ten handicap but Houston rallies to tie this one, 6-6, to go into extra innings. Danny Heep slides past Bo Diaz with the winning run in the 11th on Denny Walling's single.
1975 - Bill Virdon replaces Preston Gomez as Houston manager. Bob Lillis fills out the lineup card while Virdon settles in. The Mets topple the Astros, 6-3, but not before Cliff Johnson and Cesar Cedeno go deep in the ninth inning to show the team still has some life.
1964 - Nellie Fox delivers his third hit, a single off Barney Schultz, scoring Al Spangler for an 8-7, ten-inning triumph over St. Louis. Bob Aspromonte drives in four, including a game-tying hit with two out in the ninth to push the game into overtime.
1999 - Ken Caminiti slams his second homer of the night to end a 6-4, 16-inning marathon against the Marlins. Jeff Bagwell draws six bases on balls, two intentionally, as part of an NL-record 17 free passes from Florida. The Astros return the favor by striking out 21 times.
1989 - After Ryne Sandberg ties the game in the ninth with his second solo homer, Kevin Bass responds with his second long ball of the night, a grand slam off Mitch Williams for an 8-4 triumph over the Cubs. Danny Darwin gets the win after blowing the save.
1985 - Houston bloodies the Redbirds, 17-2, at the Dome before fans watch a screening of "Jaws" on the new Diamondvision scoreboard. Mark Bailey belts a grand slam while Dickie Thon homers and drives in four to lead the 19-hit attack. Bailey, Glenn Davis and Terry Puhl each deliver three of those hits.
1976 - Dan Larson does it all. The young righty tosses a five-hitter to beat Philadelphia, 8-3. At the plate, he gets three hits and drives in four. His three-run triple in the fourth breaks the game open. Wilbur Howard also contributes three hits.
1973 - J.R. Richard tosses a two-hitter as Houston bombs the Pirates, 10-2. Al Oliver breaks up his no-hit bid in the seventh. By then, Lee May had launched a three-run shot and Bob Watson had belted a grand slam.
1999 - Astros leave no runners on base in a 5-4 victory over Florida. Jeff Bagwell's solo shot in the ninth wins it after Bill Spiers, Glen Barker and Carl Everett went deep for the other four runs. Doug Henry wins in relief of Jose Lima.
1997 - Six Astros have two-hit nights in a 10-4 rout of Colorado. One of them is pitcher Chris Holt who also drives in a run. Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell homer in the 15-hit assault.
1980 - Terry Puhl has a four-hit night to lead Houston past Pittsburgh, 12-5. The Astros pound 18 hits but none more exciting than a roller to centerfield that skips under the glove of Omar Moreno. Alan Ashby puffs around all four bags on what is ruled a three-base error.
1979 - A bizarre ending comes to Pete Falcone's 5-0 shutout of Houston. Jeff Leonard gets three turns at bat. He flies out to right for the final out but an umpire had called time before the pitch. Three pitches later, Leonard singles while Met first baseman Ed Kranepool is sitting in the clubhouse. Finally, with Kranepool back on the field, Leonard flies out again. Houston wins the protest but Jose Cruz finishes it the next day, grounding out with Leonard on first.
1966 - Little boys dream of a day like Dave Giusti has. Giusti slaps two bases-loaded doubles, as well as hurling a six-hit shutout, in blanking the Reds, 11-0. The pitcher's six RBIs stand as a club record for 23 years. The win completes a four-game sweep of Cincinnati.
1998 - Moises Alou goes 4-for-5 with a home run to lead Houston past the Cubs, 8-3. Bill Spiers and Craig Biggio also go deep. Randy Johnson fans nine over seven innings to get his fourth win in three weeks.
1997 - Darryl Kile improves his record to 17-3 with a 9-1 victory over the Rockies. His ERA shrinks to 2.28. Kile adds a run-scoring single to a six-run sixth inning. Tim Bogar's two-run triple and Derek Bell's two-run double also highlight the frame. In the ninth, Mike Magnante ties a major-league record by striking out the side on nine pitches. He's the third Astro to accomplish this feat.
1988 - In the Astros' first night game at Wrigley Field, Craig Biggio blasts a tenth-inning homer off Rich "Goose" Gossage for a 9-7 triumph over the Cubs. This comes after Rafael Ramirez plates two in the ninth to tie it. Juan Agosto notches his tenth straight win.
1984 - Jose Cruz rips a grand slam in a seven-run second inning as Houston coasts to an 8-3 triumph over the Cubs. Phil Garner also homers. Nolan Ryan scatters five hits and strikes out 12 as he goes the distance.
1969 - Every player in the lineup gets a hit for the Astros in an 8-2 victory in Chicago. Houston worked eight walks to go with 14 hits - all singles. Doug Rader gets three base hits. Jesus Alou drives in three. Larry Dierker tosses a four-hit complete game for his 16th win.
1998 - Craig Biggio and Brad Ausmus team up to massacre the Cubs, 13-3. Biggio blasts a pair of three-run homers for six RBIs while Ausmus drives in five on a 4-for-4 afternoon at Wrigley. Jose Lima is the beneficiary in an easy win.
1992 - Jimmy Jones and three relievers outpitch Curt Schilling, 3-1, completing a three-game sweep over the Phillies and ending a 26-game road trip. Houston is 12-14 on the marathon tour. They manage just four hits off Schilling but two of them are RBI singles by Luis Gonzalez and Jeff Bagwell to give Jones all the runs he needs.
1980 - Joe Niekro comes on in relief to start the 16th inning of a scoreless tie with the Cubs at the Dome. He wins it himself an inning later when he drives home Enos Cabell for a 1-0 triumph in 17 frames. Houston pitchers allow just seven hits to increase their lead in the NL West to three games over Los Angeles.
1967 - Jim Wynn cracks his 30th home run of the season during a 9-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Clay Carroll is the victim. Wynn is the first Houston player to reach that plateau and no other Astro would join him until Glenn Davis in 1986.
1964 - Don Larsen, of World Series no-hit fame, tosses a five-hitter in the Texas heat to best Warren Spahn and the Milwaukee Braves, 7-1. It is Larsen's first complete game in five years. Bob Aspromonte and Walt Bond launch solo bombs to pace the Colts. Rookie catcher Jerry Grote adds two hits, including a two-run double.
1998 - Carl Everett launches a three-run bomb to cap a five-RBI performance as Houston slaps the Cubs, 12-3 to sweep the series. The victory pushes the Astros lead in the NL Central to 10-1/2 games over Chicago. Craig Biggio and Moises Alou join Everett in the home run derby. Shane Reynolds picks up his 16th win.
1996 - Orlando Miller belts a two-run homer off Todd Stottlemyre in the bottom of the ninth to stun St. Louis, 3-1 . Shane Reynolds gets the win with a complete-game five-hitter.
1986 - Jim Pankovits, filling in for an injured Bill Doran, goes 4-for-5 to lead the Astros past St. Louis, 5-1. Dickie Thon drives in two of the runs. Jim Deshaies and Aurelio Lopez team to scatter seven hits and strike out seven.
1975 - Cliff Johnson hits a homer in his fifth straight game as Houston topples the Cubs, 8-4 . Jose Cruz goes deep twice and Bob Watson also plays long ball. Wilbur Howard adds four hits and swipes two bases. Larry Dierker sails to his 12th win.
1974 - Dave Roberts one-hits the Phillies, 1-0, in the quickest game in club history . Bob Boone's leadoff single in the sixth is all that separates Roberts from perfection in a game that takes only one hour and 26 minutes to complete. Roberts needs just 86 pitches. Roger Metzger singles off Steve Carlton, plating Larry Milbourne in the eighth for the only tally.
1992 - Shortstop Andujar Cedeno, recalled from AAA earlier in day, hits for the cycle but Houston still loses to St. Louis, 5-3, in 13 innings. It's the fourth time in club history an Astro has accomplished the feat and the third time by a player named Cedeno.
1978 - Local Houstonians replace striking umpires during a 7-5 victory over Pittsburgh. Murray Strey, a superintendent for Entex, rings up Dave Parker on strikes with the bases loaded in the ninth to kill the last Pirate chance. Parker later admits the last pitch could have been a strike. The union umps are back the next day.
1975 - For a few hours, Cliff Johnson ties a league record by hitting a home run in his sixth consecutive game. It comes in the 11th inning in St. Louis to snap a 3-3 tie but a downpour stops the game in the bottom half of the inning. Play never resumes and the game goes into the books as a ten-inning tie without Johnson's mark.
1974 - Don Wilson and Mike Cosgrove blank the Phillies, 5-0, scattering six hits. It's Houston's third straight shutout. Before the game, Janice Graham Johnson is hit in the face by a batting practice home run leading to a lawsuit against HSA, the Astros and the Phillies. It's settled five years later and is the reason game tickets now warns fans to stay alert to balls flying into the crowd.
1972 - In second place and desperate to catch up with the blazing Cincinnati Reds, the Astros fire manager Harry Walker, naming 67-year-old Leo "The Lip" Durocher as his replacement. Walker has a 355-353 record in Houston. In his final game with the Astros, Houston drops a 4-3 decision to the Montreal, featuring the 200th homer of Jim Wynn's career . Coach Salty Parker is interim manager for one game before Leo takes the reigns. Durocher, who had earlier left the Cubs in mid-season, skippers a 16-15 finish to the season.
2007 - In what would be his last game as Astros manager, Phil Garner sees Houston rally for a 5-4 victory over the Pirates. It pulls the Astros .001 out of the division basement at 58-73. Ty Wigginton's two-run homer in the eighth is the difference. The next day, Garner and General Manager Tim Purpura are fired. Garner finishes his Houston tenure with a 277-252 record that includes two LCS appearances and one National League pennant. Before the game, the Astros retire Jeff Bagwell's number 5 in an emotional ceremony.
2003 - Jeff Kent homers and drives in five to pace an 18-4 explosion over the Dodgers. Brad Ausmus plates four. Jeff Bagwell also goes deep. Ron Villone wins his sixth of the year.
1979 - Cesar Cedeno goes five-for-five to lead a 4-1 victory over Philadelphia. His eighth-inning triple off Kevin Saucier starts a tie-breaking rally. Craig Reynolds singles him home. Pete Ladd gets his first big-league win while Joe Sambito notches his 17th save.
1966 - Angry Cub Manager Leo Durocher rips the dugout phone off the wall and throws it onto the Astrodome field. Bob Aspromonte deepens Leo's misery with a grand slam home run that sparks a 7-4 comeback victory. Southwestern Bell replaces the phone the next day and the Astros hand Durocher the repair bill.
1962 - Snapping a nine-game losing skid, the Colts sweep a twinbill from the Reds, 2-1 and 6-4. Lefty George Brunet scatters five hits in the opener, outdueling Jim Maloney. In the nightcap, Johnny Temple, a former All-Star in Cincy, singles home the winning runs in the ninth inning before Jim Umbricht strikes out the side to finish the sweep. Jim Campbell adds a two-run homer for Houston.
2006 - Willy Taveras becomes the first Astro to achieve a 30-game hitting streak with a leadoff single that begins a 13-1 bombing at Pittsburgh . Taveras bats .349 during the streak, raising his average to .284. Lance Berkman drives in four while Jason Hirsh gets his second big league win. Taveras' run ends two nights later.
2004 - Carlos Beltran's two home runs lead a five-dinger barrage as Houston clubs the Cubs, 15-7. Jeff Bagwell, Jeff Kent and Lance Berkman also supply the long ball. Roy Oswalt wins his 15th despite harassment from Chicago's Michael Barrett who is still upset over being hit by Oswalt the previous weekend in Houston. Oswalt is plunked by Kent Mercker but nobody is tossed despite the war of words.
1997 - Jeff Bagwell's two-run bomb off Paul Byrd finishes a wild 6-4, 13-inning triumph in Atlanta. A ninth-inning triple by Bill Spiers and a homer by Chuckie Carr off Mark Wohlers send the game to overtime. The teams trade tallies in the 11th before Bagwell settles the issue. Jose Lima gets the save.
1986 - Nolan Ryan wins his 250th career game, a 7-1 victory over the Cubs. He allows just one hit over six innings before turning it over to Charley Kerfeld. Phil Garner notches four hits. Houston steals six bases in the victory.
1965 - Pittsburgh's Roberto Clemente demonstrates his greatness with one of the defensive gems of the century. The Pirates misjudge a bunt from Bob Lillis that rolls casually into shallow left. Clemente dashes in from right field to grab it and throw out Walt Bond at third. His hustle is rewarded when the Bucs rally to overcome Houston, 10-9, in eleven innings.
2000 - With a second-inning double off Glendon Rusch, Tony Eusebio sets a team-record 24-game hitting streak that began on July 9th. The reserve catcher goes 2-for-4 but the New York Mets come away with a 4-2 verdict. Houston's runs are on homers from Roger Cedeno and Richard Hidalgo.
1998 - Randy Johnson fans 16 as he blanks the Pirates, 2-0. Astro-killer Francisco Cordova is the victim of a balk and two errors as Brad Ausmus scores the game's only tallies. Johnson's month helps Houston increase their division lead over Chicago to seven games.
1991 - Ken Caminiti and Charlie Hayes trade five-RBI nights from the third base spot and Al Osuna is handed a two-run lead in the bottom of the tenth, 10-8. But he can't hold it as the Phillies score three to win it, 11-10. Rafael Ramirez has four hits in a losing effort.
1984 - Ray Knight is traded to the Mets for Gerald Young and two other prospects. Houston stages a three-run rally in the eighth to nip the Pirates, 3-2. Terry Puhl's suicide squeeze scores Jose Cruz after Jerry Mumphrey tied it with a two-run single. The Astros move into second place, nine games behind San Diego.
1974 - Cliff Johnson slams his fifth pinch-hit homer of the year, a tenth-inning shot off Jerry Cram that sinks the Mets, 3-2 . The blast puts Johnson one shy of the big league record. Mike Cosgrove gets the win after blowing a ninth-inning save attempt.
2007 - - It's a milestone day for the Astros as Roy Oswalt celebrates his 30th birthday by blanking the Cardinals, 7-0. It's also the first win for new manager Cecil Cooper, replacing the fired Phil Garner. Lance Berkman cracks three hits to pace the offense, including the 250th homer of his career, becoming the third Astro to reach that mark. Luke Scott also goes deep. Craig Biggio ties George Brett for fifth all-time with his 655th career double, his 3,042nd hit.
1995 - Tony Eusebio's 13th-inning blast stuns the Braves, 11-9, snapping a team-record eleven-game losing streak. Brian Hunter, Derrick May, Derek Bell and Mike Simms also homer. Once behind, 6-0, Houston rallies but blows a 9-7 lead in the ninth. Greg Swindell wins his 100th game with two relief innings.
1989 - Rafael Ramirez has a career day with a grand slam and a club-record seven RBIs but the Astros waste it and a 9-0 lead to lose to the Cubs, 10-9, in ten innings. Dwight Smith singles off Dave Smith for the game-winner. Houston falls five games behind San Francisco in the NL West race.
1980 - A head-first slide by Enos Cabell into first beats the throw of Ivan DeJesus allowing Rafael Landestoy to score the game-winner in a 6-5 triumph over the Cubs. Frank LaCorte comes in to fan Dave Kingman and nail down the save. Cesar Cedeno has two hits and two RBIs to pace the Houston attack.
1961 - 494 acres of land on the south end of Houston are bought by R.E. "Bob" Smith and Judge Roy Hofheinz. 180 acres are sold to Harris County as the site where the new domed stadium will be built.
2001 - Rookie Roy Oswalt tosses a complete-game three-hitter to subdue the Reds, 6-1. It's his 12th win. Jeff Bagwell and Richard Hidalgo drive in a pair of runs each to support the cause. Houston stays four games ahead of Chicago in the NL Central chase.
1999 - New York's Edgardo Alfonzo goes six-for-six with three home runs as the Mets destroy Shane Reynolds and the Astros, 17-1. Alfonzo drives in five. Houston's division lead over Cinicnnati shrinks to a half-game.
1996 - Sean Berry drives in six as Houston blanks the Pirates, 10-0. Berry also steals a pair of bases. Jeff Bagwell goes 4-for-5. Donne Wall scatters seven hits in a complete-game shutout.
1970 - Jim Wynn launches two homers off Nolan Ryan to pace a 9-5 thrashing of the Mets. Wynn totals four hits and drives in five. Denis Menke also goes deep twice. Don Wilson survives an early 3-0 deficit to gain the victory. Wynn tells the press that Ryan's fastball is no match for his bat and backs it up.
1969 - Larry Dierker becomes the first Astro to record 17 wins in a 2-1 triumph over the Pirates. Dierker fans 14 while scattering seven hits. Houston manages just three of their own but are helped by nine free passes. The Astros are in uncharted waters, seven games over .500, four games out of first and yet in fifth place in the NL West.
2004 - Given up for dead, the Astros win their fifth straight to creep back within three games of the National League wild card lead. The home run bats go to work in an 8-0 triumph over Cincinnati as Jeff Kent goes deep twice while Carlos Beltran, Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman go back-to-back-to-back in the fourth off Aaron Harang. Brandon Backe gets the shutout with help from three relievers. Houston still needs to overtake four other teams in order to get back to the postseason.
1998 - Five straight Houston singles in the top of the ninth tie the Braves, 3-3, then Brad Ausmus delivers Derek Bell with the game-winner for a 4-3 shocker. Jay Powell takes the win in relief while Billy Wagner racks up his 26th save.
1990 - With nobody on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Astros come alive for three runs to stun the Pirates, 3-2. They must be living right. On the same day, they acquire a minor-league third baseman, Jeff Bagwell, from Boston for reliever Larry Andersen.
1982 - Nolan Ryan takes a no-hitter against the Mets into the eighth inning, eventually winning a two-hit shutout, 4-0. He strikes out nine along the way. Ron Hodges breaks up history with a single. Tony Scott drives in two of the four runs.
1965 - Frank Thomas drills two home runs and drives in five during a doubleheader sweep of the Mets, 4-3 and 3-2. He is then traded to Milwaukee for a minor leaguer. Thomas accounts for all four runs in the opener while Robin Roberts wins his fourth game of the month. Bob Bruce spins a four-hitter in the nightcap while Rusty Staub goes deep. But all of Gotham buzzes instead about the sudden retirement of 75-year-old Met skipper Casey Stengel.
2003 - Jeff Kent belts a grand slam and drives in six as Houston bombs Los Angeles, 10-1. Brad Ausmus adds a home run. Wade Miller ups his record to 12-11. The Astros tie St. Louis for the Central Division lead while Chicago lurks just 1-1/2 games behind.
1987 - Billy Hatcher is ejected for using a corked bat during a 3-2 loss to the Cubs. Hatcher claims the offending stick belongs to reliever Dave Smith but it still nets him a ten-game suspension.
1983 - Kevin Bass, pinch-hitting for Nolan Ryan, slugs a bases-loaded triple off the wall in left-center to give Houston a 3-0 victory over Pittsburgh. Kent Tekulve is the victim. Ryan had struck out ten Pirates before Bass plates the winning runs. Frank DiPino works the final two frames for the save.
1976 - Bo McLaughlin blanks the Phillies, 1-0, as the club notches their sixth straight complete-game to tie a team record. McLaughlin surrenders six hits. A solo shot by Cliff Johnson off Jim Kaat provides the game's only tally.
1964 - Colt .45s have trouble leaving their Philadelphia hotel as a local radio station falsely reports that the Beatles are staying there. Teenaged fans swarm the exits, seeking a glimpse of the Fab Four. Battling past the mob, the .45s then lose to the Phils, 4-3, on four solo homers.
2005 - Morgan Ensberg and Brad Ausmus surprise St. Louis closer Jason Isringhausen with homers to extend the game into extra innings. The Cardinals take the lead yet again in the 13th but the Astros rally with two in their half for a 6-5 thriller. Eric Bruntlett delivers the game-winning single to keep the Astros a half-game behind the Phillies in the wild card race.
1998 - Randy Johnson outduels Atlanta's Greg Maddux for a 4-2 triumph. Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Sean Berry take Maddux deep. Billy Wagner closes for his 27th save.
1981 - Bob Knepper hurls a three-hitter as Houston blanks the Mets, 8-0, to take over first place in the second-half standings. Knepper adds a two-run double to his cause. Alan Ashby and Tony Scott deliver four hits each in the 16-hit assault. Their victim? A lad named Mike Scott.
1971 - Trailing 3-2 to Los Angeles, and with the bases full, Cesar Cedeno bloops a pitch off Claude Osteen into shallow right field. Bill Buckner and Jim Lefebvre collide while trying to catch the ball and it trickles into the corner. By the time the ball is retrieved, Cedeno has a 170-ft. inside-the-park grand slam to highlight a 9-3 victory.
1969 - Amazing. It's September and the Astros are actually in a pennant race. They rally to drop the Cardinals in eleven, 7-6, when Jesus Alou's base hit plates Johnny Edwards. Joe Morgan and Doug Rader play long ball to overcome a 6-1 deficit. Houston sits in fifth place but just five games behind the front-running Giants and six games over the .500 mark.
2004 - Roger Clemens claims his 325th career victory, passing Nolan Ryan and Don Sutton, two former Astros, for 12th place on the all-time wins list. He does so in an 8-6 triumph over Pittsburgh. Home runs by Jose Vizcaino, Carlos Beltran, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell stake Clemens to a 7-0 lead but he gives up six runs in the seventh before leaving. Lance Berkman adds an insurance tally while the bullpen quiets the Bucs. It is Clemens' 15th win of the season and Houston's seventh straight as they climb within 2-1/2 games of Chicago for the wild card playoff spot.
1999 - Ken Caminiti smashes two homers, a single and a sacrifice fly to plate six runs as the Astros dump the Expos, 8-1. Mike Hampton works seven strong innings for his 18th win.
1986 - Billy Hatcher homers in the 18th inning for an 8-7 victory in Chicago . The game had been suspended for darkness the previous day at 4-4 after 14 frames. Houston scores three in the 17th only to see the lead erased on a three-run bomb by Keith Moreland. In the regular game, Mike Scott fans twelve in an 8-2 victory, which includes a rare four-strikeout inning. The Astros push their lead to eight games over the Reds.
1964 - Don Larsen tosses a four-hit shutout at Philadelphia, 6-0 . Mike White paces the Colts attack with four hits while Eddie Kasko chips in three.
1962 - Houston loses a twinbill with Philadelphia, 3-2 and 5-3, even though it is "Break The Jinx Night" with fans admitted at half-price for bringing their good luck charms. Bob Bruce is the hero the next day in a 4-1 triumph or the Colts would have become the first big league team ever to be swept in a season series.
2006 - Charlton Jimerson homers in his first major league at-bat - the third time an Astro has accomplished this feat. His pinch-hit blast in the sixth breaks up a no-hit bid by Cole Hamels to tie Philadelphia at 1-1 but Chase Utley gives the Phils their first win over Houston in three years with a solo shot off Dave Borkowski in the tenth for a 3-2 decision. Time's running out on Houston who is four games below .500 yet 4-1/2 games out in the wild card race.
1990 - Down 7-0, the Astros respond for a 10-8 triumph at Dodger Stadium. A three-run pinch-hit bomb by Eric Anthony starts the comeback. An error by Hubie Brooks allows the game-winner. Luis Gonzalez strikes out in his big league debut.
1987 - Nolan Ryan and Juan Agosto combine on a two-hitter for a 2-0 whitewash of the Pirates. Ryan notches his 210th strikeout of the season, most ever by a pitcher aged 40 or older. A two-run single by Bill Doran plates the only runs.
1976 - Joaquin Andujar tosses his fourth two-hitter of the year, a 5-2 triumph over Los Angeles. Bob Watson homers and drives in three.
1974 - Don Wilson is taken out after eight innings of no-hit ball. He is behind, 2-1. Two walks and an error have put Cincinnati ahead. Ironies abound. Wilson is approaching a rare third career no-hitter. The man who hit into the error is Pete Rose, who hit into the run-scoring error that made Ken Johnson a no-hit loser in 1964. The Houston manager is Preston Gomez who similarly yanked Clay Kirby during a no-hit bid while with San Diego. Kirby is watching from the Reds' dugout. Mike Cosgrove gives up a meaningless single in the ninth that breaks up the bid. Houston loses. Gomez hears the boos.
2001 - Vinny Castilla blasts a homer and two doubles to drive in six and give the Reds the blues, 10-3. Daryle Ward and Jose Vizcaino also double twice. Dave Mlicki coasts to the easy victory.
1988 - Bob Forsch, Ken's younger brother who was acquired six days earlier for Denny Walling, strokes a three-run double and scatters five hits in his Houston debut, a 3-0 shutout over Cincinnati. Dave Smith takes over in the ninth for the save.
1971 - J.R. Richard fans Hal Lanier to end a complete-game victory in his big league debut. The 5-3 win caps a doubleheader sweep in San Francisco. Richard's 15 strikeouts ties the record for a major league premiere, which Brooklyn's Karl Spooner set in 1954. Jack Billingham whiffs 11 Giants in the opener, a 1-0 shutout. The combined 26 strikeouts sets a major league mark by one team in a twinbill.
1969 - Denis Menke belts a two-run blast in the ninth off Gaylord Perry for a 2-0 shocker over the Giants. Larry Dierker scatters four hits for his 18th win and fans nine to pass 200 strikeouts for the season.
1962 - Jim Umbricht gets his first major league hit and his first win as a Colt .45. His RBI single scores Johnny Temple to cap a 5-3 victory over Pittsburgh. Jim Pendleton drives home the winning run with a hit off 43-year-old rookie Diomedes Olivo.
2008 - Roy Oswalt spins a one-hitter, blanking the Rockies, 2-0. A single by Brad Hawpe is the only Colorado safety. Oswalt fans six and walks two. Hunter Pence's two-run homer provides the only runs of the game. The Astros are 28-11 since July 26th but remain in fourth place in their division with only faint playoff hopes.
1991 - Pete Harnisch becomes the second Astro to strike out the side on nine pitches. It happens in the seventh inning of a 3-1 triumph over the Phillies. Harnisch scatters four hits while Jeff Bagwell and Andujar Cedeno go deep for all of Houston's runs.
1986 - A two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth by Jose Cruz off Todd Worrell stuns the Cardinals, 7-6. Glenn Davis also homers and drives in three. Charley Kerfeld wins his ninth in relief.
1984 - Craig Reynolds blasts a grand slam and Glenn Davis smashes his first big league homer as Houston crushes the Giants, 14-2. Bob Knepper contributes two hits and three RBIs as well as a seven-hit complete game victory.
1980 -