1960
The ownership group from Houston, headed by Judge Roy Hofheinz,
attended the annual Major League Baseball owners meetings
in Chicago. On October 17th, Houston was awarded a franchise
in the ten-team National League.
1962
The Houston Colt .45s play their first major league game on
April 10, defeating the Chicago Cubs 11-2.
1963
Bob Bruce one-hits the Cincinnati Reds on April 26...Don
Nottebart no-hits the Phillies on May 7.
1964
Ken Johnson becomes the first major leaguer to lose a nine-inning
no-hitter on April 23 with a 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
1965
The Houston Colt .45s become the Houston Astros and inaugurate
indoor baseball with a 2-1 exhibition win over the New York
Yankees on April 9 in the Astrodome...rookie Joe Morgan sets
club marks for at-bats, runs, hits and triples.
1966
Mike Cuellar sets a club mark with a 2.22 ERA...home attendance
mark which stood for 22 years set on June 22 as 50,908 watch
Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers down Houston 5-2.
1967
Don Wilson fires a no-hitter vs. the Atlanta Braves, 2-0 on
June 18, striking out Hank Aaron for final out...Jimmy Wynn
sets club recrods with 37 home runs and 107 RBI.
1968
Don Wilson strikes out 18 Cincinnati Reds in 6-1 win on July
14...four Houston hurlers win 10-or-more games: Don Wilson
(13), Larry Dierker (12) Dave Guisti (11) and Denny LeMaster
(10)...the Astros down the Mets 1-0 in 24 innings on April
15.
1969
Cincinnati's Jim Maloney no-hits the Astros on April 30 and
the next night, May 1, Don Wilson returns the favor by no-hitting
the Reds 4-0...Larry Dierker becomes Houston's first 20-game
winner...the club records its first .500 season (81-81).
1970
Fred Gladding appears in 63 games, setting a club
mark...three Astros hit over .300 (Cesar Cedeno, .310; Jesus
Alou, .306; Denis Menke, .304).
1971
Cesar Cedeno leads the league with 40 doubles and
Roger Metzger and Joe Morgan share the league lead with 11
triples each...during the 1971 winter meetings, Houston acquires
Lee May, Tommy Helms and Jimmy Stewart from the Reds for Joe
Morgan, Jack Billingham, Denis Menke, Cesar Geronimo and Ed
Armbrister.
1972
Astros finish in second place with their best record ever
(84-69)...Jerry Reuss and Larry Dierker hurl back-to-back
one hitters on June 18 against Philadelphia and June 19 vs.
New York, respectively...Cesar Cedeno hits for the cycle on
August 2 vs. the Reds.
1973
Cesar Cedeno becomes the first player in history to steal
50 bases and hit 20 home runs in successive seasons...Roger
Metzger leads the league with 14 triples...Lee May hits safely
in a club record 21 straight games.
1974
Rookie Greg Gross leads the club with a .314 average, and
sets club mark with 185 hits...Ken Forsch appears in a then-club
record 70 games...Cliff Johnson has five pinch-hit home runs.
1975
A good year for future Astros management. Former General Manager
Bob Watson leads the Astros with a .324 average, 157 hits
and 85 RBI, while former manager Larry Dierker leads the staff
with 14 wins.
1976
J.R. Richard becomes Houston's second 20-game winner...Cesar
Cedeno sets a club mark with 58 stolen bases and earns his
fifth-straight Gold Glove.
1977
Three Astros steal 40 bases (Cesar Cedeno, 61; Jose Cruz,
44; Enos Cabell, 42)...Watson sets a new club record with
110 RBI.
1978
J.R. Richard strikes out 303 to become the first National
League righthander to strike out 300 batters in a season...Cabell
sets club marks for at-bats (660), games (162) and hits (195).
1979
Houston finishes in second place, just a game-and-a-half behind
the Reds...J.R. Richard improves upon his 1978 strikeout total
by fanning 313...Joe Niekro sets a club mark with 21 wins...Ken
Forsch no-hits the Braves on April 7...Bill Virdon is named
Manager of the Year.
1980
Houston claims its first title as the Astros win the NL West
with a 93-70 record, defeating Los Angeles in a one-game playoff...Niekro
wins 20 games again...Joe Morgan returns to Houston to add
leadership in the Astros pennant drive.
1981
Houston gets off to a slow start, but takes advantage
of the split season created by the player's strike to win
the "second season" with a 33-20 mark, earning a
spot in the playoffs...Nolan Ryan hurls his major league record
fifth no-hitter, blanking the Dodgers on September 26...Ryan
also leads the league with a 1.69 ERA...Art Howe establishes
a club record with a 23-game hitting streak.
1982
Ray Knight, an off-season acquisition from Cincinnati for
Cesar Cedeno, remains among the league leaders in hitting
for most of the season, finishing with a .294 mark...Bob Lillis
takes over as interim manager on August 10 and Astros finish
28-23 under Lillis.
1983
After struggling to an 0-9 start, the Astros rebound with
one of their finest seasons...Houston finishes at 85-77, the
third-highest win total in club history...Jose Cruz battles
for NL batting title to last day and finishes third...Nolan
Ryan surpasses Walter Johnson's all-time strikeout mark.
1984
The Astros bounce back from another slow start, finishing
second in the NL West...1983 All-Star Dickie Thon is lost
for the season in the fifth game after being hit in the head
by a pitch from the Mets' Mike Torrez...Cruz repeats as the
club MVP by posting a .312 average and a career-high 95 RBI.
1985
The Astros celebrate the Astrodome's 20th Anniversary
with a 2-1 opening day victory over the Dodgers in front of
42,876 fans...Niekro becomes Houston's all-time winningest
pitcher with his 5-0 shutout of San Francisco on June 9th...Ryan
becomes first player to record 4,000 strikeouts in a career
when he fans Danny Heep on July 11 at the Astrodome...Cruz
reaches the 2,000 hit plateau on September 15.
1986
A Silver Anniversary season turn golden as the Astros win
their second NL West title...Rookie skipper Hal Lanier guides
the team to a club-record 96 regular season wins...Lanier
earns Manager of the Year notice from four different press
associations after the season...righthander Mike Scott becomes
Houston's first ever Cy Young award winner, leading the league
in ERA (2.22) and strikeouts (306), and winning 18 games for
the second straight year.
1987
Houston finishes the season with the third-highest attendance
total in baseball (1,909,902)...Nolan Ryan leads the majors
in strikeouts with 270 and ties for the lead in ERA with a
2.76 mark...Mike Scott is named the NL starter for the All-Star
game and throws two scoreless innings.
1988
Houston wins its 2,000th game 6-3 over San Diego on opening
night...Mike Scott comes within one out of his second career
no-hitter on June 12 vs. Atlanta...Bob Knepper tosses a one-hitter
on September 21 vs. the Braves.
1989
Mike Scott becomes the fourth Houston pitcher to
win 20 games and wins his second Astros MVP award...the Astros
win 10 straight on the road from May 7-31 to set a club record...their
10-game winning streak from May 26 to June 4 tied another
club mark...Glenn Davis hits a career-high 34 homers.
1990
Danny Darwin had a league-leading 2.21 ERA, becoming the third
Houston pitcher in five years to lead the NL in ERA...Franklin
Stubbs sets a club mark for lefthanders with 23 home runs...Houston
ties a league record by playing in 27 extra-inning games...on
May 17, Eric Anthony becomes the first Astros batter to hit
an upper deck home run since 1970.
1991
Jeff Bagwell becomes the Astros' first BBWAA Rookie of the
Year after hitting .294 with 15 homers and club rookie record
of 82 RBI...Craig Biggio leads the club in hitting for the
second straight year (.295) and joins Pete Harnisch on the
NL All-Star team.
1992
Despite a grueling 26-day road trip made necessary
when the Astrodome played host to the Republican National
Convention, the Astros rallied in the second half to post
the club's first non-losing season since 1989...Craig Biggio
became the first player ever to make the All-Star team at
both catcher (1991) and second base (1992)...Doug Jones was
also named to the All-Star team and set the club single-season
record with 36 saves.
1993
The Astros established franchise records in several offensive
categories, including batting average (.267), home runs (138)
and doubles (288)...paced by Craig Biggio's career-high 21
round-trippers, seven Houston players totaled double figures
in homers for the first time in club history...Mark Portugal
set a club record by winning his final 12 decisions...Darryl
Kile posted a nine-game win streak, and tosses the ninth no-hitter
in Astros history on September 8 against New York.
1994
Jeff Bagwell became the first Houston player ever
to win the NL Most Valuable Player award...Bagwell was a unanimous
selection for only the third time in league history after
batting .368 and setting club records with 73 extra base hits,
39 homers and 116 RBI...Bagwell earns All-Star honors along
with Craig Biggio, Ken Caminiti, Doug Drabek and rookie John
Hudek...Rookie skipper Terry Collins guided the club to a
66-49 mark, one-half game behind Cincinnati, before a players'
strike ended the season on August 12.
1995
The Astros took the chase for the NL's first-ever
Wild Card playoff berth to the final day of the season before
finishing one game behind Colorado...Craig Biggio was voted
the league's starting second baseman in the All-Star Game
and slugged a solo home run...he later was voted team MVP
and picks up his second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
1996
A two-and-a-half game lead at the end of August slipped away
and denied Houston a shot at the NL Central title...the Astros
suffered through an 8-17 September, which included a nine-game
losing streak, to fall out of the playoff chase...Jeff Bagwell
slugged 31 homers and set single season record with 48 doubles
and 120 RBI...Derek Bell knocked in 113 runs, marking the
first time ever the club had two, 100-plus RBI players in
the same season...Craig Biggio collected his third consecutive
Rawlings Gold Glove Award...Shane Reynolds won 16 games, while
he and Darryl Kile each topped the 200-mark in strikeouts.
1997
The Astros captured their first-ever NL Central title and
their first division title in 11 years...Jeff Bagwell banged
43 homers and swiped 31 bases to become Houston's first "30-30"
man...Bagwell set new single-season club records in homers
(43), RBI (135), total bases (335) and extra-base hits (85)...Craig
Biggio became the first player in major league history to
have not grounded into a double play in a 162-game season...fans
selected Bagwell and Biggio to represent the Astros in the
1997 All-Star Game, marking the first time that two Astros
position players were selected to start in the Mid-Summer
classic...Darryl Kile won a team-high 19 games and was also
selected to the All-Star Team...Larry Dierker became one of
only six skippers in major league history who won a division
title in his first year as manager.
1998
The Astros won their second consecutive NL Central title en
route to a franchise-best 102-win season...the club drew a
record 2.45 million fans and drew ten crowds of 50,000 or
more ...Larry Dierker was voted NL Manager of the Year by
the BBWAA and Baseball America...General Manager Gerry Hunsicker
was voted The Sporting News Executive of the Year...Craig
Biggio joined Tris Speaker as the only two players in the
century who have hit 50 doubles and stolen 50 bases in the
same season...Biggio and Moises Alou were selected to represent
the Astros in the 1998 All-Star Game in Denver...Biggio broke
Cesar Cedeno's record for the most runs scored by an Astro...he
and Alou each received Silver Slugger Awards for their offensive
contributions and both finished in the top five in NL MVP
voting...five Astros starting pitchers, including Randy Johnson
who was acquired just minutes before the July 31 non-waiver
trading deadline, finished the season with double-figures
in wins.
1999
The Astros bid adieu to the Astrodome in dramatic fashion,
clinching their third straight NL Central title on the final
day of the regular season before a sold out crowd... standing-room
only crowds were commonplace during the last year of baseball
in the Dome as a record 2.7 million fans flocked to the Eighth
Wonder of the World...despite an injury-riddled year that
landed 14 players on the DL and sidelined three members of
the coaching staff for significant periods of time, Houston
won 97 games, only five victories fewer than its record-setting
102-win season of 1998...the pitching staff produced two 20-game
winners for the first time in club history in Mike Hampton
(22-4) and Jose Lima (21-10)...Hampton and Jeff Bagwell were
recognized as the best offensive players at their respective
positions as each was a recipient of the Silver Slugger Award...four
Astros were selected to represent the National League in the
70th annual All-Star Game (Bagwell, Hampton, Lima, Billy Wagner)...Wagner
was the recipient of the 1999 Rolaids Relief Man Award.
2000
History was made as the doors of sparkling-new Enron Field
opened for the first time on March 30 before an exhibition
game with the New York Yankees...a record 3,056,139 fans passed
through the turnstiles during the Astros' inaugural season
at their new ballpark...Houston finished the season at 72-90
to mark the club's first sub-.500 season since 1991...Jeff
Bagwell set single-season franchise records with 47 homers
and 152 runs scored...Bagwell ended the 2000 season having
logged 310 career homers and became only the 87th major leaguer
to reach the 300-homer plateau...the Astros set franchise
records with 249 homers, 900 RBI and 938 runs scored...Tony
Eusebio set a franchise record with a 24-game hitting streak
that lasted nearly two months...Shane Reynolds was named to
the All-Star team, marking his first career selection to the
Mid-Summer Classic.
2001
The 2001 season went right down to the wire as the Astros
clinched their fourth division title in five years with a
9-2 win over the Cardinals on October 7 in St. Louis...Craig
Biggio became the first player in franchise history to log
2,000 hits and enters the 2002 season with 2,149 hits during
his 14-year career...after toiling around the .500 mark with
a 33-33 record on June 17, went on to finish the year at a
59-36 (.621) clip to edge the Cardinals for the division title...Major
League Baseball announced that the Astros were awarded the
2004 All-Star Game...Moises Alou, Billy Wagner and Lance Berkman
represented the Astros at the 72nd Mid-Summer Classic...Jeff
Bagwell became the sixth player in MLB history to have 30
homers, 100 RBI and 100 runs scored in six straight seasons...after
being swept by Atlanta in the NLDS, manager Larry Dierker
resigned and was replaced by former Red Sox skipper Jimy Williams...upon
the conclusion of the season, utility infielder Bill Spiers
announced his retirement...the Astros were named Organization
of the Year by SportsTicker, Topps, Baseball America and Baseball
Weekly...Brad Ausmus received a Gold Glove award for defensive
excellence at his position.
2000
History was made as the doors of sparkling-new Enron Field
opened for the first time on March 30 before an exhibition
game with the New York Yankees...a record 3,056,139 fans passed
through the turnstiles during the Astros' inaugural season
at their new ballpark...Houston finished the season at 72-90
to mark the club's first sub-.500 season since 1991...Jeff
Bagwell set single-season franchise records with 47 homers
and 152 runs scored...Bagwell ended the 2000 season having
logged 310 career homers and became only the 87th major leaguer
to reach the 300-homer plateau...the Astros set franchise
records with 249 homers, 900 RBI and 938 runs scored...Tony
Eusebio set a franchise record with a 24-game hitting streak
that lasted nearly two months...Shane Reynolds was named to
the All-Star team, marking his first career selection to the
Mid-Summer Classic.
2001
The
2001 season went right down to the wire as the Astros clinched
their fourth division title in five years with a 9-2 win over
the Cardinals on October 7 in St. Louis...Craig Biggio became
the first player in franchise history to log 2,000 hits and
enters the 2002 season with 2,149 hits during his 14-year
career...after toiling around the .500 mark with a 33-33 record
on June 17, went on to finish the year at a 59-36 (.621) clip
to edge the Cardinals for the division title...Major League
Baseball announced that the Astros were awarded the 2004 All-Star
Game...Moises Alou, Billy Wagner and Lance Berkman represented
the Astros at the 72nd Mid-Summer Classic...Jeff Bagwell became
the sixth player in MLB history to have 30 homers, 100 RBI
and 100 runs scored in six straight seasons...after being
swept by Atlanta in the NLDS, manager Larry Dierker resigned
and was replaced by former Red Sox skipper Jimy Williams...upon
the conclusion of the season, utility infielder Bill Spiers
announced his retirement...the Astros were named Organization
of the Year by SportsTicker, Topps, Baseball America and Baseball
Weekly...Brad Ausmus received a Gold Glove award for defensive
excellence at his position.
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