The 5 best single games by Astros pitchers
HOUSTON -- When your team history includes such names as Nolan Ryan, J.R. Richard, Larry Dierker, Mike Scott, Randy Johnson, Roy Oswalt, Roger Clemens, Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, there figures to be a few legendary pitching performances throughout the years. The Astros’ rich pitching history includes 11 individual no-hitters,
Yankees' Yogi left his mark on Astros, too
HOUSTON -- Yogi Berra is synonymous with the Yankees, the team with which he won 10 World Series titles as a player and three Most Valuable Player Awards en route to the Hall of Fame. He’s one of the greatest Yankees to wear pinstripes and was one of the most
Astros' best single-game hitting displays
HOUSTON -- The Astros, in their long history, have never had a player hit four homers in a game. Perhaps nobody has come closer, though, than Vinny Castilla, who became one of 12 players in club history to slug three homers a game when he did it on July 28,
Heartfelt reason why Biggio's No. 7 has a sun
HOUSTON -- The sun always shines inside Minute Maid Park, whether the roof is open or not. If you’ve spent any time at the ballpark, you have noticed a bright yellow sunshine situated next to the No. 7 hanging in the rafters that represents the retired number of Hall of
Houston's all-time single-season team
HOUSTON -- Jeff Bagwell (1994 in the National League) and Jose Altuve (2017 in the American League) are the only two Astros players to win Most Valuable Player Awards in franchise history, though others have posted seasons that have been MVP-worthy. In 2019, Alex Bregman finished a close second in
Best Astros player to wear each uni number
HOUSTON -- What’s in a number? Well, quite a lot when they’re worn by baseball players. The wearing of a particular jersey number is something most players take very seriously, while some are just glad to have any kind of number below their name on a big league uniform. The
The history behind the Astros' team name
HOUSTON -- A move to the space-age Astrodome meant the local baseball team deserved a space-age nickname, too. Thus the Astros were born, replacing the Colt .45s name that the expansion National League club had used for its first three seasons and ushering in a new chapter in Houston baseball
The 5 best seasons by an Astros pitcher
HOUSTON -- Perhaps no team in the expansion era can brag about top-flight starting pitching as much as the Astros, whose history includes four Cy Young winners -- Mike Scott in 1986, Roger Clemens in 2004, Dallas Keuchel in '15 and Justin Verlander in '19 -- and dominating seasons by
Every Astros Rule 5 Draft pick since 1970
HOUSTON -- The Astros have had their share of Rule 5 Draft successes in the past 50 years, a list that incudes left-handed pitcher Wesley Wright, center fielder Willy Taveras and right-handed pitcher Xavier Hernandez. Those were the outliers. Most of the players the club has taken in the Rule
Astros' Top 5 Winter Meetings moves
HOUSTON -- The Astros haven’t made a huge splash at the Winter Meetings in quite some time, and they will have to wait at least one more year after this year’s Winter Meetings, scheduled to take place in Dallas, were cancelled as an in-person event because of the coronavirus. Still,
H-Town = Hit Town: Astros' best with a bat
HOUSTON -- Two players -- Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell -- are in the Hall of Fame, a third -- Lance Berkman -- probably deserves a longer look based on his credentials, while another -- Jose Altuve -- may be forging a path toward Cooperstown himself. Those four names dominate
Watson made history with MLB's millionth run
HOUSTON -- The late Bob Watson was one of the most feared sluggers of his time. He bashed 184 home runs in his 19-year Major League career, 14 of which were spent wearing an Astros uniform. He was a two-time All-Star for the Astros who hit for the cycle and
Astros’ best players not in Cooperstown
HOUSTON -- It wasn’t until Craig Biggio was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015 that the Astros had their first player enshrined who had an Astros cap on his plaque. Jeff Bagwell followed two years later. Biggio and Bagwell are undoubtedly the greatest two players who
Joe Morgan's most memorable moments
Good teams seemed to follow Joe Morgan around. Need proof? Not until Morgan arrived from the Houston Astros in a five-player trade before the 1972 season did Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine begin firing on all cylinders. Morgan proved integral to the Reds’ World Series triumphs in 1975 and ’76. The
Astros' Top 5 relief pitchers: McTaggart's take
HOUSTON – No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are
Astros' Top 5 lefty starters: McTaggart's take
HOUSTON -- No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are
Astros' Top 5 right-handers: McTaggart's take
HOUSTON -- No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are
Astros' Top 5 DHs: McTaggart's take
No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun
Astros' Top 5 right fielders: McTaggart's take
No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun
Astros' Top 5 center fielders: McTaggart's take
HOUSTON -- No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are
Biggio's 3,000th: Brown shares favorite call
HOUSTON -- Unlike many other broadcasters, Bill Brown never developed a signature call or catchphrase during his career. He preferred to call games organically, watching things play out in real time and letting the description flow from his head and through the airwaves. Brown doesn’t think scripts for milestones work
Astros' Top 5 left fielders: McTaggart's take
No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun
A lot better than you remember: Moises Alou
While we’re waiting for baseball to come back, we are making do. So once a week, inspired by the late Deadspin’s “Let’s Remember Some Guys” series, we will take a look at one player in baseball history, why he was great, why he mattered, why we should hang on to
Astros' Top 5 shortstops: McTaggart's take
No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun
Astros' Top 5 third basemen: McTaggart's take
HOUSTON -- No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are