Richard, Cole headline the Astros' top performances in an MLB debut

HOUSTON -- For some, it was the best moment of their brief career. For others, it was the springboard to stardom. From historic swings to lights-out pitching, here are the Top 10 Major League debuts in Astros history.

1. J.R. Richard (Sept. 5, 1971)
One of the most feared strikeout pitchers of the 1970s, Richard began his career by whiffing 15 batters and allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks in a 5-3 complete-game win over the Giants in the second game of a doubleheader in San Francisco. He struck out Hall of Famer Willie Mays three times and finished the game by striking out Dick Dietz, Ken Henderson and Hal Lanier in the ninth.

2. Zach Cole (Sept. 12, 2025)
Cole, who was called up from Triple-A Sugar Land earlier in the day with hopes he could spark a stagnant offense, did just that by belting a tape-measure home run to right field on the first pitch he saw in the big leagues en route to going 3-for-4 with four RBIs to lead the Astros to an 11-3 win in Atlanta. He became the fifth player in club history to homer in his first Major League plate appearance (the first since Mark Saccomanno in 2008). And Cole's four RBIs were a record for an Astros player in his debut, breaking John Paciorek’s mark of three set in 1963.

3. John Paciorek (Sept. 29, 1963)
In the only big league game in which he played, Paciorek went 3-for-3 with four runs scored and three RBIs in the season finale for the Colt .45s, a 13–4 win against the Mets. The older brother of Tom Paciorek (who spent 18 years in the Majors with six teams), John battled injuries and never stepped foot on a big league field again, finishing with a 1.000 career batting average.

4. Ken Caminiti (July 16, 1987)
The switch-hitting third baseman made his mark by going 2-for-3 with a homer, a triple and a walk in a 2-1 win over the Phillies in the Astrodome. Batting left-handed, he hit a stand-up triple off Kevin Gross in the second inning and homered to right field off Gross in the seventh to tie the game. He walked in the ninth and scored the game-winning run on a single by Gerald Young, who had made his debut only eight days earlier.

5. Yordan Alvarez (June 9, 2019)
A deep Astros lineup got a huge boost when the slugging prospect made his Major League debut in a 4-0 win over the Orioles at Minute Maid Park. Alvarez hit a 413-foot two-run homer to left field in his second big-league at-bat, which came in the fourth inning. The ball jumped off Alvarez’s bat at 107.3 mph and never got more than 80 feet off the ground. He wound up hitting seven homers in his first 12 games in big leagues, setting the stage for his career as one of baseball’s premier sluggers.

6. Jarred Cosart (July 12, 2013)
Cosart, pitching for his hometown Astros, took a no-hitter in the seventh inning and wound up throwing eight scoreless innings in a 2-1 win over the Rays in St. Petersburg. Cosart, who became the first pitcher in Astros history to toss eight or more scoreless innings in a Major League debut, allowed two hits and walked one batter in the ninth. He also became the fourth AL pitcher in the Divisional Era (since 1969) to throw least eight scoreless innings with two or fewer hits in his debut.

7. Kent Emanuel (April 24, 2021)
After Astros starter Jake Odorizzi was forced to leave the 16-2 win over the Angels after just five pitches, recording one out, with tightness in his right forearm, Emanuel came out of the bullpen and threw 8 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and five hits, to nail down the victory. Emanuel became the first pitcher since 1974 (John Montefusco) to pitch eight or more innings in relief and get the win in his MLB debut.

8. Hunter Brown (Sept. 5, 2022)
The team’s No. 1-ranked prospect, Brown threw six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out five batters in a 1-0 win over the Rangers in Houston on Labor Day. Brown joined Carlos Hernandez (2001) and Cosart ('13) as the only Astros pitchers to throw at least six scoreless innings in their Major League debut.

9. Carlos Hernández (Aug. 18, 2001)
The lefty threw seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out seven batters in the Astros’ 3-0 win over the Pirates in the Astrodome. A promising prospect, Hernández suffered a partial tear of his left rotator cuff later that season and wound up appearing in only 35 career games (33 starts).

10 (tie). David Matranga (June 27, 2003)
After 5 1/2 seasons in the Minor Leagues, Matranga socked a pinch-hit home run off Rangers starter Joaquin Benoit to become the 86th player -- and second Astros player -- to homer in his first career plate appearance. He played in only seven Major League games, and the home run, which came in a 10-7 loss to Texas, was his only career hit.

10 (tie). Mark Saccomanno (Sept. 8, 2008)
Saccomanno, a Houston native, hit a pinch-hit home run off Pirates pitcher Ian Snell on the first pitch he saw in the big leagues in the Astros' 3-2 win over the Bucs. As he was rounding home plate, television analyst Jim Deshaies said Saccomanno was setting the bar pretty high for his career. And he was right. Saccomanno managed only one more hit in the big leagues in 10 additional plate appearances that season.