Why no one has worn 57 for the Astros since 1997

HOUSTON -- Shortly after fireballing closer Billy Wagner was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025, the Astros retired his No. 13 in a ceremony at Daikin Park. His became the 10th number retired by the Astros, including Wagner’s former teammates Craig Biggio (No. 7) and Jeff Bagwell (No. 5) -- also Hall of Famers.

The other retired Astros numbers belong to Jim Umbricht (No. 32), Don Wilson (No. 40), Jose Cruz (No. 25), Mike Scott (No. 33), Nolan Ryan (No. 34), Larry Dierker (No. 49) and Jimmy Wynn (No. 24), each of whom left an indelible mark on the franchise. Then there’s No. 57, which hasn’t been worn by an Astros player since 1997.

Jersey No. 57 isn’t officially retired, but the Astros have chosen to keep it out of circulation in respect to former pitcher Darryl Kile, who wore the number while he pitched for the Astros from 1991-97. Kile died unexpectedly on June 22, 2002, at the age of 33 while he was playing for the Cardinals.

Kile was found dead in his hotel room in Chicago prior to the Cardinals’ game against the Cubs, which was postponed. Bagwell, Biggio and Astros catcher Brad Ausmus were among Kile’s best friends during his days in Houston. They were so distraught the day that Kile died that they didn’t take batting practice prior to the Astros' game that night.

Kile’s No. 57 Astros jersey hung in the Houston dugout as the Astros pulled out a 3-2 win in 12 innings against the Mariners at Minute Maid Park. Bagwell had the game-winning hit, but he wasn’t in much mood for celebration.

“This was a very difficult day. I went back and forth between disbelief and sorrow,’’ Ausmus told reporters after the game. “When you play this game for a long time, you learn to focus on the game and not on outside things, but the gravity of this was a little heavier.’’

Kile was a 30th-round Draft choice by the Astros in 1987. Blessed with a terrific curveball but at times cursed with control problems, Kile reached the Majors in 1991, going 7-11 with a 3.69 ERA in 37 games (22 starts). He had a no-hitter through six innings in his first Major League start on April 24, 1991, but manager Art Howe pulled him to protect his arm.

Kile, though, got another shot at the no-hitter. On Sept. 8, 1993, he threw the ninth no-hitter in Astros history when he beat the Mets in the Astrodome. He won 15 games and made the All-Star team that year. Kile won only 13 games combined the next two seasons before winning 12 in 1996 and going 19-7 with a 2.57 ERA in a career-high 255 2/3 innings in '97.

Kile signed with the Rockies prior to the 1998 season and went 21-30 in two years in the thin air in Colorado before being traded to St. Louis, where things came together. Kile went 20-9 with a 3.91 ERA in 34 starts in 2000. In '02 he had a 3.72 ERA in 14 starts before his death from coronary artery disease shocked the baseball world.

Bagwell was informed of Kile’s death by a phone call from former teammate Moises Alou, who was with the Cubs.

“I said, ‘Homeboy, what are you doing?’” Bagwell said in an MLB Network documentary about Kile’s death. “‘You have a game in 20 minutes.’ Alou said, ‘Darryl’s dead. They found him in his hotel room.’”

Bagwell didn’t speak publicly about Kile’s death until the following day, finally saying, “I am a better person because I knew Darryl Kile.”

The Astros honored Kile with a memorial plaque that hangs along the left-field wall at Daikin Park and was once under the 1997 National League Central championship banner, the last season Kile played for Houston before signing with Colorado. No player has worn his No. 57 since his death.

“You’re talking about one of your best friends in the game,” Biggio said. “A great man, a great family man and great husband. He’s gone way too soon. That was a tough day. That was a tough year. It’s still hard to talk about because he’s such a great person.”