History of the Houston Astros

The Houston Astros team was established in 1962 as the Colt .45s. They won their first World Series in 2017. Their best season was 2018, when they had 103 wins and 59 losses.

1962-1969

The Colt .45s, along with the New York Mets, joined the National League in 1962 as an expansion team. They had a poor first year, but they started their second year with some good young talent, including future Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan. However, the new players did not help the team enough and the Colt .45s finished with a 66-96 record and one spot away from the bottom of the National League. They played their first three seasons in Colt Stadium.

In 1965, the Colt .45s had two changes. Their name was changed to the Houston Astros and they started playing in major league baseball's first domed stadium, the Astrodome. Even a new name and a new stadium with artificial turf did not, however, help the team and the new Astros finished the 1965 season once again in ninth place and the 1966 season in eighth place. The next two years were even worse as the Astros played their way to the very bottom of the National League. Then, in 1969, the Astros improved and they had their first season with a .500 or better win percentage, finishing in the middle of the National League.

The Astros had four managers in their first eight seasons. Harry Craft was the first, leading the team from 1962 through most of 1964. Lum Harris took over in 1964, managing the team in thirteen games. He continued as their manager through the 1965 season. Next came Grady Hatton, who led the team from 1966 through part of 1968. Harry Walker became manager in 1968 and he stayed with the Astros through the early part of their next decade.

During the 1960s, the Astros had a pitcher, Don Wilson, who pitched two no-hitters for them. The first one was on June 18, 1967, and the second one was two years later, on May 1, 1969. He played with them until his tragic death from carbon monoxide poisoning in January, 1975, at the age of just 29.

1970-1979

The Astros played better ball in the 1970s, finishing five years with a win percentage of .500 or better but they couldn't advance past third place in the National League West division. In 1972, under the leadership of Leo Durocher, the Astros had a good season, finishing third in the National League West division. They had an 84-69 record but they dropped the following year to fourth place with an 82-80 record.

The next few years of the 1970s were inconsistent ones for the Astros as they fell to sixth place in their division in 1975, moved back up to third place for two years, and dropped to fifth place in 1978. They bounced back up in 1979, ending the decade in second place with a .549 win percentage and an 89-73 record, their best record for that decade.

Durocher managed the team for just two seasons. Preston Gomez succeeded him and he led the Astros in 1974 and part of 1975. He was replaced by Bill Virdon in 1975. Virdon continued as the team's manager through part of the 1982 season.

A key player for the Astros in the 1970s was pitcher Larry Dierker. On July 9, 1976, he pitched a no-hitter. He returned to the Astros as their manager 21 years later.

1980-1989

The 1980s brought a change to the Astros' fortunes and they won their first National League West division title in 1980, finishing the season with a .571 win percentage and a 93-70 record. They lost, however, the National League Championship Series to the Philadelphia Phillies. Players on the Astros at that time included Future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and knuckleball pitcher Joe Niekro. Joe Morgan returned to the team in 1980 after a successful stint with the Cincinnati Reds' "Big Red Machine."

In the 1981 strike shortened season the Astros fared well enough to make the playoffs again. Due to the strike, there were division series and the Astros lost the NL series in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In 1982, the Astros were back in fifth place in the National League West division, with a 77-85 record. They started moving upward again the following year and they had winning seasons in 1983 and 1985, although they didn't make it to the postseason. In 1986, they finished in first place in the NL West division with a 96-66 record. They lost the National League Championship series that year to the New York Mets in a tense, 16-inning sixth game.

The Astros had a losing season in 1987, but they had winning seasons again in 1988 and 1989. Nolan Ryan's last season with them was 1988, but that was also the first season that future Hall of Famer Craig Biggio joined them. He would play with the Astros through the 2007 season.

In the 1980s, the Astros again changed managers four times, replacing Bill Virdon in 1982 with Bob Lillis, who then managed the team through the 1985 season. Hal Lanier was next, and in 1986, he became the Astros' first Manager of the Year. He continued to lead the team through the 1988 season. From 1989 through 1993, the Astros' played under the leadership of Art Howe.

1990-1999

The Astros were sold in 1993 to Drayton McLane. By the mid-1990s, they were a team capable of winning. Their main competition in the National League, however, was the all-powerful Atlanta Braves team.

With the breakup of the leagues into three divisions in 1994, the Astros became serious contenders in the Central division, finishing in second place in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Then, in 1997, the Astros started a three-year winning streak, winning the Central division title all three years. In 1998, they had their best record, winning 102 games for a .630 win percentage. Even though the Astros won the Central division titles, they lost the National League division series to the San Diego Padres in 1998 and to the Braves in 1997 and 1999.

In 1994, Terry Collins replaced Art Howe as manager. He led the team through the 1996 season. Under Larry Dierker, the Astros became a winning team, and in 1998, he became the team's second Manager of the Year. He continued to manage the team through the 2001 season.

In addition to having Craig Biggio, the Astros added another future Hall of Famer, Jeff Bagwell, to their lineup in 1991. Bagwell, like Biggio, stayed with the Astros for a long stretch of time (1991-2005, 2010).

2000-2009

The Astros left the Astrodome in 2000 to move to their new home in Minute Maid Park. The new park brought them good luck - they had seven winning seasons from 2000-2009, and they went to the postseason three times (2001, 2004, 2005). Although they fell to fourth place in the National League Central division in 2000, they bounced back in 2001 to win their fourth Central division title. They once again lost the NLDS to the Braves.

The Astros played well for the next two years, finishing with a .519 win percentage and 84-78 record in 2002 and a .537 win percentage and 87-75 record in 2003. However, both seasons resulted in second place finishes in the division.

Even though the Astros had acquired pitchers Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens and power hitter Lance Berkman, they could not finish higher than second place in 2004, 2005 and 2006. However, they were able to secure the National League Wild Card spot in both 2004 and 2005. They finally defeated the Braves in the NLDS in 2004 but they lost the National League Championship series to the St. Louis Cardinals.

In 2005, the Astros finally won their first National League pennant, defeating the Braves in the National League division series and the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship series. They then went on to their first World Series, but they were swept in four games by the Chicago White Sox.

The Astros had four managers from 2000 to 2009. After Larry Dierker, they hired Jimy Williams to manage from 2002 through part of 2004. He was followed by Phil Garner, who led the team through part of 2007. Cecil Cooper led the team through the last three years of the decade.

2010-2018

The Astros struggled in the early years of the current decade, but things began to change for them after they were moved to the American League West division in 2013. In their last two years in the National League they were managed by Brad Mills (2010-2012) and Tony De Francesco (41 games in 2012). When they moved to the American League, they started with a new manager, Bo Porter. They struggled their first year in the division, finishing with a miserable 51-111, fifth place finish. The next year they improved to a fourth place finish, with 70 wins and 92 losses.

Dramatic changes occurred for the Astros in 2015, when A.J. Hinch was hired as their new manager. In his first season with the Astros, he led them to a second place finish in the AL West division, with 86 wins and 76 losses. They won a Wild Card spot and defeated the New York Yankees in the Wild Card game. They then went to the ALDS and lost to the Kansas City Royals. The following season, they again had a winning record, with 84 wins and 78 losses, but it wasn't enough to get them to the postseason.

In 2017, the Astros were an unbeatable team from the start of the season straight to the end. They were in first place in the AL West division for the entire season and they finished with 101 wins and 61 losses. They played hard in the postseason and won the ALDS over the Boston Red Sox in four games, defeated the Yankees in seven games in the ALCS and then went on to win the World Series over the Dodgers in a hard fought seven game series.

Key to the Astros' success in the last few years has been the addition of strong, young players. Second baseman Jose Altuve came up in 2011 and by 2014, he was hitting over .300 with over 200 hits each season. Outfielder George Springer arrived in 2014, followed by shortstop Carlos Correa in 2015 and third baseman Alex Bregman in 2016. They also added some veterans, including Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, who was one of the keys to their success in the 2017 postseason.

The Astros had another outstanding season in 2018, again winning the American League West division title with 103 wins to 59 losses. They then went on to the ALCS to face the Boston Red Sox, but they were no match for that team. They lost the series in five games.

Source for Information
Wikipedia - Houston Astros
Baseball Reference - Houston Astros