Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The team is in the Central Division of the National League.

Beginnings: The 1960s
Subsequent to the Giants and Dodgers leaving for California, an abortive attempt was made to start a third Major League. It was to be called the Continental League. Though the league never got off the ground, it nonetheless established the demand for Major League baseball in other markets.
The driving force behind the effort to obtain a franchise for Houston was oilman Craig F. Cullinan, Jr. and Marco A. Perez who had been involved with the Continental League and who was chairman of the Houston Sports Association executive committee, a syndicate of local businessmen dedicated to bringing a pro baseball team to southeastern Texas. Cullinan's group consisted of George Kirksey, Judge Roy Hofheinz, Robert E. "Bob" Smith, and Kenneth S. "Bud" Adams. On October 17, 1960, Houston was awarded a franchise in the ten-team National League and was to play in the west division. The team was to be named the Houston Colt .45s,in honor of The Gun That Won the West, with Craig F. Cullinan, Jr. the team's first president. In addition to the Houston Colt .45s, the New York Mets would also join the NL in 1962, a year after the 1961 expansion of the American League, which resulted in new AL teams in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Angels) and Washington, D.C. (a new Washington Senators franchise to replace the team that had left D.C. to become the Minnesota Twins the same year).
The "Colts" began play on April 10 1962, defeating the Chicago Cubs 11-2, and for the next three years, the team would play in Colt Stadium.
On Sunday, September 29, 1963, the final day of the regular season, Colt 45's outfielder John Paciorek would have a career day, going 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs, 2 walks and 4 runs scored as the team beat the Mets 13-4. Because of chronic injuries, the game would mark Paciorek's only Major League appearance. Through 2006, Paciorek still holds the record of having a perfect 1.000 average with the most at-bats. September 29, 1963 would also mark the last Major League game for the winning pitcher of that game, Astros pitcher Jim Umbricht. Stricken with cancer, Umbricht would pass away on April 8, 1964. His number 32 was the first jersey number retired by the Astros.
Ken Johnson became the first Major Leaguer to lose a nine-inning no-hitter on April 23, 1964 with a 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
The franchise's first decade displayed some great hitters (for example, Joe Morgan, Jimmy Wynn) and many good pitchers (for example, Bob Bruce, Ken Johnson, Mike Cuellar, Don Wilson, Larry Dierker, Dave Giusti, and Denny LeMaster.

New venue, new name
On April 9, 1965, the Houston Colt .45s became the Houston Astros, to show support for the space program based in Houston, and inaugurated indoor baseball in the Astrodome 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. The Sporting News Official Baseball Guide for 1965 had this to say about why the team was renamed: "Late in the year 1964 the Harris County Domed Stadium was officially named the Astrodome after the Houston club changed its nickname, December 1, from Colt .45s to Astros. The move resulted from objections by the Colt Firearms Company to the club's sales of novelties bearing the old nickname."
Regardless of trademark issues, "Astros" was a good fit for the futuristic ambiance of the revolutionary domed stadium and also since Houston was by then the home of NASA's astronaut program. The scoreboard retained subliminal references to the old nickname, as it featured electronically animated cowboys firing pistols, with the "bullets" ricocheting around the scoreboard, when an Astros player would hit a home run. Early on, the groundskeepers also wore astronaut spacesuits to promote that futuristic image.
As a condition of their entry in the National League, the Astros committed to building a new domed stadium, designed as a defense against the oppressive heat and humidity of the Houston summer. The result was the Astrodome.
Loosely based on the old Roman Colosseum, the Astrodome was like no venue that had come before it, and it was dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World. As with many stadiums of that era, such as RFK Stadium and Shea Stadium, the Astrodome was a multi-purpose stadium, designed for both football as well as baseball. However, because it was enclosed, it could also be used for events traditionally held in indoor arenas, such as basketball, concerts and political conventions, allowing outdoor-sized crowds in an indoor venue.
Besides its roof, the Astrodome was revolutionary for a number of other reasons. It was one of the first stadiums to have individual, theatre-type seats for every seat in the venue. Additionally, it was one of the first stadiums to have luxury seats and club seating, at the time a relatively new concept in sports venues. It also had an "exploding scoreboard", which would show various animations after a home run or a win, as well as messages and advertising.
The Astrodome was also one of the first stadiums in the country to use an artificial playing surface. The creation of an artificial surface came across based on necessity. Originally the Astrodome had a grass field and a transparent roof. However, during the 1965 season, players complained about the glare on the field which made tracking fly balls difficult. As a result, the transparent Lucite roof panels were painted with a translucent white paint. This solved the glare problem but killed off the grass. As a solution the Astros deployed a product from Monsanto Corporation called AstroTurf, a surface that could be used in any condition, and a surface that was, compared to grass, low maintenance.
The surface did prove resilient to routine game play and was relatively safe, resulting in a number of colleges and pro teams switching to artificial surface fields. Additionally, AstroTurf made possible a number of other domed stadiums, such as the Louisiana Superdome, the Carrier Dome, and the Pontiac Silverdome.
In 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.
IN 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 records with 37 home runs and 107 RBI.
In 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.
In 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).

World Series
The Astros' opponent in their first ever World Series was the Chicago White Sox. Games 1 and 2 were held at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, while Games 3 and 4 were played at Minute Maid Park. Game 3 also marked the first Fall Classic game to be played in the state of Texas, and was the longest game in World Series history, lasting 14 innings. Early conventional wisdom held that the White Sox were a slight favorite, but that Houston would be an even match. However, the Astros' situational hitting continued to plague them throughout the World Series. The White Sox swept the Astros in the best-of-seven series with a run differential of only six.

2006 season
After losing the World Series, the Astros prepared for the offseason. They signed Preston Wilson and moved Lance Berkman to first base, ending the long tenure by Jeff Bagwell due to injuries and a degenerative arthritic shoulder. The Astros resigned pitcher Roger Clemens on June 22, 2006. For their first pick in the 2006 draft, the Astros drafted high school catcher Maxwell Sapp, who ranked second among all high school catchers. On July 12, 2006, Houston traded two minor league prospects to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for left-handed hitter Aubrey Huff and cash. In August of 2006, Preston Wilson said that he wasn't getting enough playing time since Luke Scott returned from AAA ball with the Round Rock Express. In response to Preston Wilson not getting enough playing time, the Astros released Preston, and the division rival Cardinals signed him for the rest of the season. After a dramatic last two weeks of the season, including a four game sweep of the Cardinals, the Astros did not get to the playoffs losing their last game to the Braves, 3-1. The Astros had managed to win 10 of their last 12 games of the season, and all but erased what had been an 8 1/2 game lead by the front running St. Louis Cardinals. The Astros were within a 1/2 game of the Cardinals on Thursday September 28, but that is as close as the 2005 NL Champions would get.
On October 1, (despite the fact that five out of the 22 teams that failed to reach the postseason in Major League Baseball had a better record than the Astros), the Astros were the last remaining team that still had a chance to reach the 2006 postseason; consequently they were the final MLB team to be officially eliminated from playoff contention.
On October 31, the Astros declined option on Jeff Bagwell's contract for 2007, subsequently ending his 15-year tenure as an Astro. Bagwell left his name well-known in the Astros history books. On November 11, Bagwell files for free agency. Finally to end his amazing career, Bagwell announced his retirement on December 15.
On November 6, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte filed for free agency on Monday, five days before the Nov. 11 deadline.
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, November 10, the Astros made a one-year deal with Craig Biggio worth $5.15 million to continue his march into the history books as he eyes 70 more hits to reach 3,000. This will mark Biggio's 20th season as an Astro.
On November 24, the Astros Signed outfielder Carlos Lee to a 6-year contract for $100 million, a franchise record. They also signed pitcher Woody Williams.
On December 8, Andy Pettitte, who signed with the Astros in 2003, announced that he will be returning to the Yankees accepting a 1 year $16 million contract with player option year also worth $16 million if picked up. "It shocked me that [the Astros] would not continue to go up, when the Yankees continued to push and push and pursue and they [the Astros] really didn't do much," Pettitte said. "It was a full-court press by the Yankees. I've talked to the guys, and obviously they wanted me to come back up there." The Astros reportedly offered 1 year $12 million contract but would not offer a player option for another year.
On December 8, frustrated by the Pettitte negotiations, the Astros were on the verge of acquiring right-hander Jon Garland from the Chicago White Sox in return for Willy Taveras, Taylor Buchholz, and Jason Hirsh but the deal was nixed by the White Sox because right-hander Taylor Buchholz reportedly failed a physical that he never took.
On December 12, the Astros traded 3 for 2 when they traded Willy Taveras, Taylor Buchholz, and Jason Hirsh to the Colorado Rockies for Rockies pitchers Jason Jennings and Miguel Asencio. This trade turned out terribly for the Astros by the end of the 2007 season, as Taveras continued to develop, Hirsh had a strong rookie campaign, and Jennings was oft-injured and generally ineffective.

2007 season
On April 28, the Astros purchased the contract of Hunter Pence, the organization's top prospect from Triple-A affiliate, and made his debut that night where he got his first career hit and run scored.
By May 2007, the Astros had suffered one of their worst losing streaks since the 1995 season with 10 losses in a row, losing 4-3 to the Cincinnati Reds on May 30. The Astros were just one loss shy of tying their worst skid in franchise history, before snapping that streak the next day, also against the Reds.
On June 12, the Astros beat the Oakland Athletics for the first time in team history.
On June 28, second baseman Craig Biggio became the 27th player to accrue 3000 career hits. On the same night in the bottom of the 11th inning Carlos Lee hit a towering walk-off grand slam to win the game for the Astros.
On July 24, Craig Biggio announced that he would be retiring at the end of the 2007 season, his 20th season with the club (and a franchise record). He hit a grand slam in that night's game which broke a 3-3 tie and led to an Astros win.
On July 28, the Astros traded RHP Dan Wheeler to Tampa Bay for right-handed slugger 3B Ty Wigginton and cash considerations. He is now signed through 2009. On July 29, long time and former All-Star third baseman Morgan Ensberg was designated for assignment to make room for newly acquired Wigginton.
On August 26, former first baseman Jeff Bagwell's number 5 was officially retired after a 15 year career with the Astros.
On August 27, manager Phil Garner and General Manager Tim Purpura were relieved of their duties. Cecil Cooper and Tal Smith were named as interim replacements, respectively.
On September 17, in a 6-0 loss to the Brewers the Astros were officially eliminated from the 2007 playoffs.
On September 20, Ed Wade was named as the new General Manager of the Astros. He made his first move as GM by trading Jason Lane to the Padres on September 24.
On September 30, Craig Biggio retired, ending a 20-year career with the Astros.
On November 7, the Astros traded RHP Brad Lidge,and SS Eric Bruntlett to the Philadelphia Phillies for OF Michael Bourn, RHP Geoff Geary, and minor leaguer Mike Costanzo. Also UTIL Mark Loretta accepts Houston's salary arbitration.
On November 30, the Astros and 2B Kazuo Matsui finalized a $16.5 million, three-year contract.
On December 12, the Astros trade OF Luke Scott, RHP Matt Albers, RHP Dennis Sarfate, LHP Troy Patton, and minor-league 3B Mike Costanzo, to the Baltimore Orioles for SS Miguel Tejada.
On December 14, the Astros trade INF Chris Burke, RHP Juan Gutierrez, RHP Chad Qualls to the Arizona Diamondbacks for RHP Jose Valverde.
On December 27, the Astros came to terms on a deal with All-star, Gold Glove winner Darin Erstad.

2008 Season
On January 11, the Astros started off 2008 by signing Brandon Backe to a one-year deal. During the rest of the month they also signed Ty Wigginton and Dave Borkowski to one-year deals.
In February the Astros signed Shawn Chacon to a one-year contract.
The Astros started off their Spring Training campaign with a loss to Cleveland on the 28th.

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