Astros Vault: Bagwell reaches 30-30 milestone

March 10th, 2022

MLB.com is digging back into its massive video vault to uncover classic plays that you have loved, forgotten about or, perhaps, are discovering for the very first time. Watch these moments and many, many more on the MLB Vault YouTube page.

Sept. 22, 1997: Bagwell reaches 30-30 milestone
Jeff Bagwell became the first full-time first baseman in Major League history and the first Astros player to have 30 homers and 30 steals in a season when he swiped third base in the first inning of a 6-3 win at Cincinnati. Bagwell finished the season with career highs in RBIs (135) and steals (31) while bashing 43 homers and playing in 162 games. He finished third in National League Most Valuable Player voting that season.

July 16, 1987: Ken Caminiti dazzles in debut
In his Major League debut, Ken Caminiti announced his arrival as a big leaguer with authority by going 2-for-3 with a triple and a homer. Batting sixth and playing third base, Caminiti tripled off Phillies pitcher Kevin Gross in the fifth inning and homered to right field in the seventh, scoring both runs in a 2-1 win in the first game after the All-Star break. Caminiti became the Astros' starter at third in 1989 and remained there until getting traded to the Padres after his '94 All-Star season. He bashed 26 homers in '95 for San Diego and won the MVP Award in '96 after hitting .326 with 40 homers and 130 RBIs. He returned to the Astros in '99 for two injury-plagued seasons -- he hit three homers in the '99 NLDS -- before finishing with the Braves in 2001. He died unexpectedly in 2004.

Sept. 8, 1993: Kile throws a no-hitter
Darryl Kile threw the ninth no-hitter in Astros history -- and first since Mike Scott’s division-clinching no-no in 1986 -- by beating the Mets, 7-1, in the Astrodome. Kile struck out nine batters, walked one and allowed one run. He retired the first 10 batters before allowing that lone unearned run in the fourth inning thanks to a walk and an error.

Sept. 3, 1986: Hatcher homers in Maddux's MLB debut
Astros outfielder Billy Hatcher broke a 7-7 tie in the 18th inning with a solo homer into the bleachers at Wrigley Field. The homer came off future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, who was making his Major League debut in relief for the Cubs. The game, which began a day earlier on Sept. 2, was suspended because of darkness in the 15th inning and resumed on Sept. 3. A few other Hall of Famers appeared that day: Starting pitcher Nolan Ryan for the Astros and pitcher Lee Smith and second baseman Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs, as well as a pair of future World Series-winning managers: Dave Martinez and Terry Francona.

July 18, 2001: Bagwell hits for cycle
Bagwell became the fifth player in club history to hit for the cycle, and the first since Andujar Cedeño in 1992. Bagwell went 4-for-5 with five RBIs against the Cardinals, becoming the first Astros player to hit for the cycle at Minute Maid Park. Bagwell hit a two-run homer in Houston’s eight-run fifth inning which helped the club rally from a 8-6 deficit and win, 17-11.

May 6, 1998: Shane Reynolds and Kerry Wood combine for 30 strikeouts
Kerry Wood tied Roger Clemens’ Major League record by striking out 20 Astros during an afternoon game at Wrigley Field. Overshadowed that day by Wood was Astros starter Shane Reynolds. The veteran threw a complete game, working eight innings and allowing just two runs (one earned) and eight hits, while striking out 10 batters.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Reynolds recalled. “I felt like I threw a pretty good game. I think for a while he and I had the record for combined strikeouts in a game. I don’t know if that’s changed; I hadn’t paid attention to it. It was an all-around really well-pitched, well-played baseball game where he just had stuff that was absolutely unhittable. And we had a whole lot of really good hitters.”

Sept. 23, 1998: Astros reach 100 wins
The Astros reached 100 wins for the first time in franchise history by beating the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-1, at Busch Stadium. Craig Biggio and Richard Hidalgo had three hits each, and Randy Johnson struck out eight batters while allowing only one run in seven innings. Houston finished with a club-record 102 wins, which was later eclipsed by the 2018 (103 wins) and 2019 (107 wins) Astros.

May 29, 1996: Bagwell's upper-deck HR at Three Rivers Stadium
Jeff Bagwell hit a 459-foot home run off Danny Darwin that sailed into the front row of the upper deck of Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. With it, Bagwell joined fellow Hall of Famer Willie Stargell as the only players to homer twice into the stadium's upper deck.

Oct. 15, 1986: Hatcher's foul-pole feat keeps marathon going
With the Astros trailing the Mets by a run during the top of the 14th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 National League Championship Series, outfielder Billy Hatcher hit a dramatic game-tying homer. He swatted a high fly ball down the left-field line that struck the foul pole about halfway up, sending the crowd of 45,718 fans into a frenzy. Hatcher ran backward to first base as he watched the ball sail down the line and over the fence to tie the game -- one of the greatest contests in playoff history.

“It was unreal,” Hatcher said. “Looking back on it, I was running around the bases, and it was so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think. It was that loud. I don’t think my feet hit the ground. It was a special moment.”

Alas, the Mets rallied to win the game and advance to the World Series.

June 18, 1967: Don Wilson throws first no-hitter in Astrodome
Wilson was a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who won double-digit games for the Astros for eight consecutive years (1967-74), including two 16-win seasons. Signed by the Colt .45s in 1964 as an amateur free agent out of Compton, Calif., he made his debut at 21 years old in 1966. Wilson went 104-92 in 266 career games, including 245 starts for Houston. On June 18, 1967, Wilson threw the first no-hitter pitched in a domed stadium when he struck out 15 batters in a 2-0 win against the Atlanta Braves, whiffing Hank Aaron for the final out. He made history again in 1969 when he followed up Cincinnati’s Jim Maloney's no-hitter against the Astros at Crosley Field and no-hit the Reds the next day, winning 4-0.