Astros History

On March, 2000, Enron Field was inaugurated. 3,056,139 fans came to see the exhibition game between the New York Yankees and the Astros. Prior to that, the Astros played their home games in the Astrodome, and the new field was totally a new experience. The Astrodome was pitcher friendly, and the Enron Field was homer friendly. Houston finished the season at 72-90 in 4th Place to mark the club's first sub-.500 season since 1991. The most benefited player that season was Jeff Bagwell who set single-season franchise records with 47 homers. By the end of the season, Bagwell registered 310 career homers and went on to become the 87th major leaguer to reach the 300-homer level. In 2001, the Astros clinched their fourth division title in five years against the Cardinals. In the NLDS the Astros were rematched against Atlanta Braves for the 3rd time in 5 years. Jeff Bagwell became the sixth player in MLB history to have 30 homers, 100 RBI and 100 runs scored in six straight seasons.

After having been defeated by the Braves in the NLDS, Manager Larry Dierker who guided the Astros to 4 division titles in 5 years resigned and was replaced by former Red Sox skipper Jimy Williams. The same season, SportsTicker, Topps, Baseball America and Baseball Weekly named the Astros, Organization of the Year. In 2002, the Astros finished the season in 2nd place with an 84-78 record. In May, Lance Berkman represented the Astros at the 2002 All-Star game. The same season, the Astros signed an agreement with the local beverage giant who bought the naming rights of the Enron Field and renamed it Minute Maid Park. In 2003, the Astros rose from an average start to contend in a 3-team race for the NL Central Division Title. Behind young aces Wade Miller and Roy Oswalt and new acquisition Jeff Kent powered the team, but due to the injuries caused, the Astros ended the season in second place, with a record of 87-75. Jeriome Robertson set the franchise record for a rookie with 15 wins, the most of all ML rookies. In 2004, the Astros signed Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. Heading into the season the Astros clinched the National League wild card title by 1 game over the San Francisco Giants with a record of 92-70.

In the Division Series, the Astros faced the Atlanta Braves, beating the Braves in five games behind the pitching of Brandon Backe and solid hitting of Beltran. In the NLCS the Astros faced the St. Louis Cardinals, where they lost to the Cardinals in 7 games. In the off-season, New York Mets signed Carlos Beltran as a free agent, while Jeff Kent left to play with Los Angeles Dodgers. The Houston Colt 45s became a MLB franchise when the National League expanded in 1962. The AL awarded a franchise to a group of investors headed by Judge Roy Hofheinz on October 17th, 1960. The Colt 45s played their first game on April 10, 1962. Three years later the Colt 45s became the Houston Astros and inaugurated the country’s first indoor baseball stadium, Astrodome. Starring on early teams were outfielders Rusty Staub, Joe Morgan and Jim Wynn and pitchers Bob Bruce, Ken Johnson, Mike Cuellar, Don Wilson, Larry Dierker, Dave Giusti, Denny LeMaster. Until 1970, the Astros failed to deliver a winning season as they finish in 4th place with a mediocre 79-83 record. In 1970 19-year old Cedeño joined the team and batted .310 as a rookie. In 1972, Jerry Reuss and Larry Dierker threw back-to-back one hitters against the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets respectively.

The Astros finished their first winning season at 84-69 in 2nd Place. In 1973, the Astros marked their 2nd consecutive winning season with an 82-80 record while finishing in 4th place. 1973 also marked the end of Leo Durrocher's prestigious managerial career. Under new Manger Preston Gomez, the Astros finished the 1994 season in 4th place at 81-81. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Astros became competitive due to an exceptionally good pitching and fine fielding. In 1978 and 1979, pitcher J. R. Richard led the league in strikeouts and went on to become the first right-hander in the NL to strike out more than 300 hitters in one season. In 1980, the Astros bested the Dodgers in a 1-game playoff to claim their first ever Division Title. However, in the NLCS, the Astros ended up losing the series with a heartbreaking 10-inning loss in Game 5. Nolan Ryan joined the team in 1979. In 1981, Nolan Ryan broke Sandy Koufax record by throwing his 5th career No Hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers and in 1983 he broke the career strikeout record of 3,509 set by Walter Johnson. The Astros made the playoffs again in 1986 under first-year manager Hal Lanier, ending in a wild 16-inning loss to the New York Mets. In 1989, Nolan Ryan was signed by the Texas Rangers. In 1994, Mike Scott led the major leagues with a 2.22 earned run average (ERA) and 306 strikeouts, becoming the franchise’s first Cy Young Award winner. The Astros won three consecutive division titles in 1997, 1998, and 1999. The logo of the team has a red five-pointed star with the word "Astros" written in black script with a red outline with an underscore. The mascot of the team is Junction Jack. The team’s nickname is in honor of NASA which has its biggest infrastructure located in Houston