William Lance Berkman...he and his wife, Cara have 4 daughters: Hannah Leigh (5/17/01), Carly Anne (8/24/03), Katie Mae (6/10/06), and Abigail Primm (6/22/09)...makes his home in Houston during the off-season...learned to switch-hit off a tire hanging from a tree in his backyard as a youngster...won the Astros 2006 Darryl Kile Good Guy Award...has been very active in the community during his career...with the Astros was involved with Berkman's Bunch, providing game tickets and promotional items as well as making personal appearances to area underprivileged youth...participated in the 2013 Rangers Winter Caravan...nicknamed himself in jest the "Big Puma" while on a local talk show in Houston before the 2006 season.
2012
Appeared in a major league low 32 games with St. Louis,
starting 22 times at 1st base, due to 3 stints on the disabled list
and 2 knee surgeries...posted a .979 (4 E/187 TC) fielding percentage in 23 total games at 1B...was 1-for-6 as a pinch-hitter
with 2nd career HR on May 18 at LAD...only other homer came
on July 27 at CHI...was 3-for-17 vs. LHP...drove in his 1200th
career run with that blast...BATTING: Hit safely in the season's 1st 7 games at .348 (8-23)
before 1st trip to DL on April 19...was activated on May 12 and
was 6-for-19 (.316) in 6 games before return to DL on May 20...
extended his hitting streak to 9 games to begin year before going
hitless on May 16 at SF...returned to active roster on July 13 and hit .182 (6-33) over 15 games before disabled on August 3...was
activated on Sept. 1 and was 1-for-5 in 3 games before 2nd knee
surgery of season...returned to ground out as a pinch-hitter in
regular season finale on Oct. 3 vs. CIN...reached base safely
via a hit or walk in 36 straight home games over 2 seasons, July
3, 2011-Sept. 3, 2012...INJURIES: Missed 21 games with a left calf strain, April 20-
May 13...was playing in just 6th game after being activated
when injuring his right knee making a play at 1B on May 19 at
LAD...underwent arthroscopic surgery on May 26 to repair torn
cartilage in the knee...was activated on July 14 after missing
47 games...was forced to leave game on July 24 vs. LAD after
being hit by a pitch on his right knee...pinch-hit the next day and
returned to the lineup July 27...continued to be bother by inflammation in his right knee and went back on the DL on August 3...
appeared in 6 games on rehab assignment at Memphis (AAA)
before being activated on Sept. 1...underwent a secondary meniscus surgery on the right knee on Sept. 11 and had just one at
bat the rest of the year.
2011
Named Comeback Player of the Year by both MLB and MLBPA Player's Choice and finished 7th in MVP voting by the
BBWAA after his first year with St. Louis...Finished the season ranked among National League leaders in home runs (31-T9th), RBI (94-T11th), walks (92-4th), SLG
(.547-5th) and OBP (.412-3rd)...Lead the N.L. with his 22 road home runs, the 10th highest single-season total by a Cardinal since 1946...Had 23 doubles, his 12th straight season with 20+ doubles...Completed his sixth career season with 30+ home runs and his eighth season with 90 or more RBI's, first since 2008...Was elected by fans to his sixth All-Star game and made his third career start. Played rightfield and was 1-1...Was voted the 2011 Darryl Kile Award recipient by his teammates...Played 145 games, his most since playing 159 in 2008. Started 107 games in rightfield, 16 in left and made 16 starts at first
base-10 when Albert Pujols was on the disabled list...Tied a career high (3rd time) for putouts in the outfield by recording eight in rightfield on 9/25 vs. CHI. He last had eight putouts
roaming centerfield for the Astros on 4/21/02 vs. SF...Finished the season with 31 home runs, 2nd-most as a switch-hitter in STL history behind Rip Collins (35)...Was a two-time National League Player-of-the-Week in April...HRed in three-straight games 4/11-13 at ARI (four HRs total) and followed that up with two home runs on 4/15 at LA, his 5th &
6th HR of the week - one of those his 6th career grand slam...HRed from both sides of plate twice (4/28 at HOU & 6/30 at BAL). Had four multi-HR games in 2011 & has 29 career...Went 4-5 with two home runs (both sides of plate), driving in five runs 4/28 at HOU. HRed in all three games 6/7-9 at HOU...Was 7-40 (.425) with 5 HR's & 15 RBI against HOU in 2011, with each of the hits, HR's & RBI coming at Minute Maid Park...Hit a walk-off single in the 9th on 5/17 vs. PHI, his 3rd career walk-off hit...Missed 3 games with sprained right wrist 5/19-21 suffered when making a diving catch in rightfield...His 300th lefthanded career home run (29th all-time) came on 6/23 vs. PHI...Went from 6/30-7/19 with every RBI coming via HR...Scored three runs 8/28 vs. PIT without the aid of a hit (3-BBs)...Reached safely in seven-straight plate appearances from 9/9-10 and his longest hitting streak of the year came during the final
month, a 12-game stretch from 9/12-24 (17-42, .405, 3B, HR, 5 RBI)...Signed a one-year contract extension for the 2012 season on 9/22...2011 POSTSEASON: Hit .313 with11 RBI during the 18 games leading to the team's 11th World Championship...during the
Division Series vs. PHI, hit a 3-run homer in the 1st inning of Game 1 and singled and scored the Cards' first run in Game 2 win...his
RBI double gave Cards their first run in Game 4 win...hit .300 with six hits, four runs and two RBI in five starts, one pinch-hit AB (single)
of the League Championship Series vs. MIL...hit .423 during the World Series against Texas with one home run and 5 RBI, reaching
base in each game via either hit or walk...one of the biggest hits of the series came off his bat in Game 6 when he drove in the tying
run (9-9) in the 10th inning with a two-out single...had three hits, including a two-run HR, 3RBI and scored four times during Game
6...drove in two with a single in WS Game 1, 3-2 win...had two hits and reached base in three-straight at-bats (walk), scoring twice
in Game 3 win..was the only Cards player to get hits in Game 4 loss (double, single)...walked twice and scored once in Game 5 loss.
2010
Split his season with the Astros and Yankees in 2010. Hit .267 (86-for-322) with 13 HR as a left-handed batter and .171 (14- for-82) with one homer from the right side...Averaged 6.25 plate apperances per walk, ranking third in the Majors (min. 450 PA)...Played entirely at first base while with Houston, committing just one error in 769 total chances. Combined he played in 122 games, making 91 starts at first and 21 as DH...Opened the season on the 15-day disabled list, recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee performed on 3/13. Made two rehab appearances at Triple-A Round Rock...Collected five RBI in the Astros 6/1 win vs. WSH, providing the walk-off two-run single in the bottom of the ninth, his most RBI since 6/10/08 vs. MIL. Also committed his first and only error in that game, snapping a 90-game errorless streak that dated back to his last miscue on 7/7/09 vs. Pittsburgh...Homered and tripled in 7/4 loss at San Diego, the fifth time in his career he accomplished the feat. The home run came as a right-handed batter, his only such homer in 2010...Acquired by the Yankees on 7/31 after playing 1,592 games for the Astros and made his Yankees debut 7/31 at TB (0-for-4)...Was placed on the 15-day disabled list on 8/19 (retroactive to 8/16) with a sprained right ankle. Suffered the injury in the fifth inning 8/15 at KC when he attempted to beat a throw at first base. Rehabbed at Double-A Trenton in two games (2-for-8)...Returned from rehab and reinstated from the 15-day D.L. on 9/1. Batted .299 (20-for-67) in 25 games following his return from the D.L., hitting safely in 11 of his 17 starts over the remainder of the season.
2010 POSTSEASON: Was 2-4 with a double and HR in Game 2 at MIN as the DH in a 5-2 NY win...was his only appearance in the Division Series...made appearances in four American League Championship games vs. Texas, going 3-12.
2009
Hit .274 (126x460) with 31 doubles, 25 home runs and 80 RBI in 136 games with Houston...missed 18 team games while
on the Disabled List from July 23-Aug. 12 with a left calf strain...marked his second career DL stint...became the second of three
Astros players in 2009 to reach the 300-home run mark by homering on June 13 at ARI (RHP Jon Garland)...C Ivan Rodriguez
and LF Carlos Lee teamed up with Berkman to become the first trio of teammates in MLB history to reach 300 career home
runs in the same season...walked 97 times, surpassing the 90-walk mark for the ninth consecutive season since 2001...finished
the season averaging one walk every 5.80 plate appearances, a mark that ranked fourth in the Majors...tied his career high by
hitting seven home runs as a right-handed batter...for the second season in a row and only the second of his career, played
only first base, without making an appearance in the outfield...finished the season on an upswing, hitting .310 (70x226) in his
last 69 games after June 25...on that date, he was hitting .239 and was able to raise his season average to .274...had a 32-game
homerless streak that lasted from July 10-Sept. 9...went one game shy of tying his career-long 33-game stretch from July 1-Aug.
9, 2008...during this season's streak, did not hit a homer throughout August, marking only the second full-calendar homerless
month of his career, also July 2008...surpassed Jose Cruz (2,846 TB) for sole possession of third place in Astros history in total
bases on Aug. 12 at FLA...would record his 350th career double on Aug. 13 at FLA...recorded his 1,000th career RBI on June 25
vs. KC...also surpassed Cruz (335 doubles) for sole possession of fourth place on the franchise's all-time doubles list by hitting
his 336th career double on June 4 vs. COL...would later pass 3rd-place Cesar Cedeno (343 doubles) on July 4 at SF...on May 21 vs.
MIL, was ejected from the game after arguing a play at the plate with home plate umpire Delfin Colon...marked his sixth career
ejection and his first since June 8, 2007 at CWS (Sam Holbrook)...hit just .162 (12x74) in April with five homers and 10 RBI...moved past Craig Biggio (291 HR) and into sole possession of second place on the Astros all-time home run list on April 22 vs.
LAD...scored his 900th career run on April 18 vs. CIN...made his ninth consecutive Opening-Day start for the club and his fourth
in a row at first base (2006-09) on April 6 vs. CHC.
2008
Hit .312 (173x554) with 46 doubles, 29 homers and 106 RBI in 159 games with Houston in 2008...tied for the National League
lead with 46 doubles, the sixth-highest single-season total in franchise history...hit a league-leading .345 (49x142) with runners
in scoring position...scored a career-high 114 runs, besting his previous high of 110 runs scored in 2001 and 2003...set a career
high with seven home runs as a right-handed hitter; previous high was five, set in the 2006 and 2007 seasons...finished the
season among the top 10 in the National League in multiple categories, including runs (4th-114), hitting (5th-.312), total bases
(T9th-314), doubles (T1st-46), extra-base hits (4th-79), walks (4th-99), on-base percentage (3rd-.420) and slugging percentage
(4th-.567)..appeared in 152 games defensively at first base, marking the first season in which he played
no games in the outfield...posted more than 100 RBI and runs scored for the fourth time in his career
(2001-02, 2004, 2008)...the last Astro, other than Berkman, to accomplish the feat was Jeff Bagwell
in 2003 (100 RBI, 109 R)...named the Astros recipient of the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award, which is
given annually to an MLB player who combines outstanding skills on the baseball field with
devoted work in the community...one of 30 Major League club nominees for the national
2008 Roberto Clemente Award...named the National League Player of the Month for May
after hitting .471 (49x104) with nine home runs and 22 RBI...set franchise records in
May for batting average (.471), on-base percentage (.553), slugging (.856), total bases
(89), hits (49) and runs (31)...recorded his 900th career RBI and 300th career double on
May 22 vs. PHI...scored at least one run in 15 consecutive games from April 26 to May
12, tying the club record held by Carlos Beltran (Aug. 23-Sept. 7, 2004)...recorded
31 hits in a 50-at-bat span from the 5th inning on May 3 through the 6th inning
on May 17...is only the second player since 1957 to record a 31x50 streak (Pete
Rose, PHI, 1979)...went seven games in a row (May 3-10) without recording an
out in consecutive at-bats...reached in 35 of 50 plate appearances (May 3-15),
the most since Ryan Howard in 2006 (36)...one of only six players since World
War II to record 29 hits and seven home runs in any 13-game stretch...there
have been 10 instances since 1957 of players recording 21 hits in 30 at-bats...
he recorded six of these 10 in an 11-day span from May 2-13...a 26x40 stretch
tied for the most hits in a 40-AB span during the Expansion era in that frame
(Elias Sports)...named NL Player of the Week twice in 3 weeks (May 5-11;
April 21-27)...had 19 hits in a 25 at-bat span, one of two players in the
last 50 seasons to accomplish this (A. Pujols, 5/30-6/7/03)...became the
fourth player since 1957 with 16 hits in a 20-at-bat span...set a team
record with 18 hits in a six-game span from May 3-9...tied franchise
record with eight consecutive hits from 12th inning on May 4 to
the fourth inning on May 7...hit a solo home run on May 2 vs.
MIL, which was part of three consecutive home runs by Astros
batters (Tejada, Berkman, Lee) on May 2 vs. MIL...went 5x5
with four runs scored on May 6 vs. WSH, setting a new
career-high for hits and runs...tied his previous career
high the game before by going 4x5 on May 4 vs. MIL...
became the first Astro in club history to collect nine hits over a two-game span...five hits also tied a franchise record for a nine-inning game, accomplished 19 previous times...
matched his career high twice in 2008 by recording two stolen bases on May 6 vs. WSH and on July 9 at PIT...set a new career
high in steals for a single season with 18...previous high was nine, accomplished in 2004...was one of 10 players in the Majors
this season with at least 25 HR and 15 SB...18 steals are the most by an Astros first baseman in a single season since Jeff Bagwell
stole 30 in 1999...hit his fourth career grand slam on Aug. 12 vs. SF off Giants pitcher Jack Taschner...hit his first career walk-off
home run on Aug. 29 vs. STL...according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Berkman had hit more home runs (285) than any other
player in baseball history without recording a walk-off homer...Alex Rodriguez formerly held that distinction by hitting 275
career homers before his first walk-off homer on July 27, 2002...ranks fifth in franchise history with 1,449 hits and passed Bob
Watson (1,448) for sole possession of fifth place on Sept. 26 vs. ATL...went a career-long 0x27 between parts of 10 games from
Sept. 9-20...ranks third in franchise history with 896 runs scored and passed Cesar Cedeno (890) for sole possession of third
place on Sept. 9 vs. PIT...went all of July without hitting a home run, marking the only homerless calendar month of his career...
did not hit a homer in 33 games from July 1 to Aug. 9, the longest homerless drought of his career...was issued four walks on
July 8 vs. PIT, which ties a franchise record for a nine-inning game...selected to the 2008 National League All-Star team as the
starting first baseman...marked his fifth appearance in a Midsummer Classic and his first by way of fan voting...went 0x2 with
a sacrifice fly during the game...also participated in the Home Run Derby and finished with 14 homers, which tied him for third
in the competition with Ryan Braun (MIL)...named NL Player of the Week for the week of April 21-27 after hitting .455 (10x22)
during the week and leading the NL in RBI (12)...hit two home runs on April 26 vs. STL, his 23rd career multi-homer game...made
his eighth consecutive Opening Day start and his third consecutive at first base on March 31 at SD.
2007
Played in 153 games in 2007, the most since a career-high 160 games in 2004...started a career-high 122 games at first base and also started 27 games in right field...hit .278 (156x561) with 34 home runs and 102 RBI...tied for fifth in the NL in home runs with 34...was part of 30-homer duo for the third time in his career (2007, '02, '01)...hit his 34th home run on Sept. 29 vs. ATL...recorded more than 20 doubles for the ninth consecutive season...two triples were his most in a season since three in 2004 (career-high six in 2003)...scored 95 runs for the second consecutive year and sixth year overall...stole at least seven bases for the fourth time in his career...tied for seventh in the NL with 94 walks...homered twice and went 4x5 with four RBI on Sept. 26 at CIN...was his second multi-home run game of 2007 (22nd career)...also hit two homers on Aug. 17...tied for fifth in the NL with 19 second-half home runs...his 17 career homers at Great American Ball Park are the most of any opponent at the ballpark and the most for him at any visiting park...homered on Sept. 21...was his seventh consecutive year in which he homered on Sept. 21, tying Lou Gehrig's MLB record for consecutive years homering on the same date (seven consec. June 8 home runs from 1932-38)...has consecutive 30-HR seasons for the first time since 2001-02...led all MLB switch-hitters in home runs in '07...is the ninth switch-hitter all-time with 250 homers...homered in four consecutive games (July 29-Aug. 2), matching his career-high home run streak (3x, last, Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 2004)...hit .345 with nine HR and 20 RBI in August...did not start in three games (bruised right hand) from July 20-22...recorded his 1,200th career hit on July 15 at CHI...2x3 with his 14th home run and four RBI on July 1 vs. COL...the homer was his first as a right-handed batter in 2007...drove in a season-high four runs in three games during the season (June 24 at TEX, July 1 vs. COL, Sept. 26 at CIN)...homered in three consecutive games from June 27-29 (also from May 7-9)...did not play on June 23 (bruised right hand)...was his first game missed in the Lone Star Series after being the only player from either team to appear in each of the first 40 games...hit .370 (17x46) during an 11-game hitting streak from June 9-24...also had a 10-game streak from May 1-10 (.406, 13x32)...suspended for two games (served June 12-13) by MLB on June 8 for his actions that led to an ejection on June 5 at COL...also ejected on June 8 at CWS while appealing his suspension...moved into eighth place, ahead of Bill Doran (1,139), on the Astros all-time hits list on April 28.
2006
National League MVP candidate Lance Berkman hit .315 with a career-high 45 home runs and 136 RBI in 2006...his 136 RBI were a franchise record, eclipsing the 135 RBI by Jeff Bagwell in 1997...the 136 RBI were also tied for the second-most by a switch-hitter all-time and tied with George Davis (136, 1897 New York Giants) for the National League record by a switch-hitter...the all-time mark is held by Mark Teixeira (144 in 2005 for Texas)...Berkman's home run total ranked second in franchise history, trailing only Bagwell's 47 in 2000...he has 225 career home runs and ranks third on the franchise career list...with the second 40-homer season of his career in 2006, Berkman joins Mickey Mantle as the only switch-hitters in Major League history to hit 40 home runs at least twice (source: Elias Sports Bureau)...Mantle accomplished the feat four times in his Hall of Fame career (54, 1961; 52, 1956; 42, 1958; 40, 1960)...Berkman's 2006 season also marks the 11th time in MLB history that a switch-hitter has reached the 40-homer mark in a single season...his 45 homers were tied for the third-highest total by a switch-hitter in MLB history and are the most in a season by a switch-hitter since Chipper Jones hit 45 in 1999...Berkman's 45 HR ranks fourth in the NL and his 136 RBI ranked third in the circuit.
2005
Hit .293 (137x468) with 24 home runs and 82 RBI in 132 games for Houston in 2005...ranked tied for eight in the National League with 91 walks...second in the Majors during the second half with 57 walks...started 84 games at first base, 34 in left field, and 10 in right field...2x4 on 9/21 at PIT with his 20th homer of the season and a season-high five RBI...became the third Astro in club history with six consecutive 20-HR seasons (Bagwell 12, Glenn Davis 6)...hit his 24th home run of the year on 9/30 vs. CHI...was his 11th HR in September, tying Richard Hidalgo's franchise record during the month (11 in 2000)...11 HR is his career-best for a single month...homered in three consecutive games from 9/28-30...homered in three of his last five and five of his last 11 games...hit his 23rd homer of the year on 9/29 vs. CHI...hit his 22nd on 9/28 vs. STL...hit .319 (30x94) with 11 HR and 27 RBI in September...27 RBI was tied for the fourth-highest total in club history during the month and ranked tied for 5th in MLB...ranks fourth on the Houston career list with 180 home runs...has the most career homers of any active Major League player without a walkoff...ranks seventh with 617 RBI and 6th in walks with 592...is the franchise's career leader in slugging (.558).....hit only one HR during a 28-game stretch from 7/30-8/31...tied for the MLB lead during September with 25 walks, two away from the club record during the month (Jimmy Wynn, Sept. 1969)...25 walks also tied his career-best total for a single month (25, June 2004)...walks per plate appearance finished at 6.23...drew at least one walk in 69 games (club was 43-26)...the Astros were 14-5 this season when he homered...5th in the NL with a .411 on-base pct...ranks 9th in the NL with a .370 avg. (20x54) in close-and-late situations this season (7th or later, within 3 runs)...hitting .309 lifetime from the 7th inning and later, the best clip in club history...hitting .302 with 25 RBI from the 7th on in 2005...activated from the 15-day DL on 5/6 after missing the first 27 games of the season...underwent surgery on 11/12/04 to reconstruct a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee (Dr. David Lintner)...hit his first homer of the year on 5/ 14 vs. SF (Tomko)
recorded his first multi-homer game of the season on 7/25 vs. PHI (Lidle)...both were part of back-to-back home runs with Craig Biggio...raised his average from .179 to .294 in a 70-game stretch from 5/25-8/14 (club was 46-24 during that stretch)...hit .315 (81x257) with 21 doubles, 11 home run, and 46 RBI...homered in three consecutive games from 9/4-6 for the first time since 8/29-9/1/04, when he homered in a career-best four consecutive games...finished August with 11 doubles, tying the club record during the month (11, Jose Cruz, 1985)...hit .362 (38x105) in July with six HR and 20 RBI...hit safely in 22 of 28 July games and reached base in 25 of 28...recorded his first multi-HR game of the season and the 14th of his career with two home runs on 7/25 vs. PHI (Lidle)...both were part of back-to-back HR (Biggio)...is the only player to appear in all 30 games in Lone Star Series history (Astros-Rangers series)...leads all switch-hitters since 2001 in home runs, RBI, walks, extra-base hits, on-base percentage, and slugging...three-time All-Star is the only Astros OF with three 30-homer seasons...ranks 2nd all-time in career slugging (.558) among Texas-born players (Rogers Hornsby, .577).
2004
Led the the Astros in batting (.316), games (160), total bases (308), home runs (30), walks (127), intentional walks (14), slugging percentage (.566), on-base percentage (.450), and tied for the lead in runs (104)...ranked 10th in the National League in average, tied for second in walks, tied for fourth in intentional walks, third in on-base percentage, fourth in night batting average (.324), tied for sixth vs. right-handers (.329), and tied for sixth in outfield assists (11)...started 88 games in right field, 68 games in left field, and one game in center field...named team MVP by the Houston chapter of the BBWAA for a third time (also 2001, 02)...underwent surgery on Nov. 12, 2004, to reconstruct a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee (Dr. David Lintner)...collected 106 RBI, allowing him to tie the club record for most 100-RBI seasons by an outfielder with three (Moises Alou)... ranks sixth on the franchise career list with 156 home runs...14 of his 156 career home runs were hit from the right side...leads switch-hitters since 2001 in homers, RBI, games, doubles, and walks...notched a career-high nine stolen bases...is the franchise career leader in hitting (.303) and slugging (.563)...posted his fourth consecutive 25-homer season, and has five seasons in a row with 20 or more...collected a career-high 127 walks, eclipsing career-high totals in 2002 and '03...ranked second in MLB in unintentional walks (113)...is tied for fourth-highest walk total in club history...became the first outfielder to have three 30-home run seasons with Houston...hit his 30th homer of 2004 on Sept. 26 at Milwaukee...reached base safely in 11 of 12 postseason games and had seven multi-hit games...ranked sixth in MLB with 12 runs during the 2004 postseason...hit three home runs in the NLCS, including a 2x2 outing wtih three RBI in Game 4 vs. St. Louis...posted four multi-hit games in the NLDS vs. Atlanta and batted .409 with one home run and three RBI...went 2x4 with two runs in Game 5 of the NLDS...hit the go-ahead home run on Sept. 23 at San Francisco, a three-run shot to right in the ninth...reached base in 37 consecutive games from July 30-Sept. 8...was the longest streak of his career and the longest for the club since Jeff Bagwell in 1999 (44)...reached base in 69 of the last 75 games and in 54 of 58...hit nine home runs vs. Cincinnati during the season, tying the club record for the most homers vs. an opponent in one year in club history...homered in four consecutive games from Aug. 29-Sept. 1...named a National League All-Star for the third time (also 2001, 02)...started in center field and went 0x2...participated in the home run derby and advanced to the final round, where he finished runner-up to Miguel Tejada...hit .400 (30x75) with nine home runs and 21 RBI in 21 games from May 11-June 2...reached base in 33 consecutive games from April 28-June 2, including every game in May...the 33-game streak was the longest since Richard Hidalgo reached base in 35 consecutive games from 2000-2001 and the longest single-season streak since Jeff Bagwell reached in 33 consecutive in 1999...blasted his third career grand slam, his first right-handed, on April 11 at Milwaukee (Davis)...homered in nine of 13 games from May 18-31...tied for second for the MLB lead with nine home runs in May (Finley, Ramirez), trailing only Ken Griffey, Jr. (10)...named NL Player of the Month for May, his first monthly award...homered seven times in nine games from May 18-26...homered in three consecutive games twice in a seven-game span, from May 18-20 and May 24-26.
2003
Collected his 500th Major League hit on 4/24 with a
home run at NY (Cerda)...homered on 5/1 vs. ATL, passing Ken
Caminiti as the franchise leader for home runs by a switch-hitter...
posted a team-high 18-game hitting streak from 5/24 to 6/12...was
ejected on April 29 for the second time in his career...ejected
for a second time for arguing balls and strikes 5/17 vs. PHI
(Iassogna).
2002
In just his second full big league season, led the National League with 128 RBI...first Houston player since Jeff Bagwell to lead the NL in RBI (116, 1994)...voted team MVP for the second consecutive year by the Houston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America...named to his second consecutive National League All-Star team...finished third in NL MVP voting.
- tied for third in the NL with 42 home runs...only the third Houston player (Jeff Bagwell, 1997, 1999, 2000; Richard Hidalgo, 2000) and just the fifth Major League switch-hitter to hit the 40-homer mark for a season.
- also among the NL leaders in runs (T6th-106), total bases (3rd-334), walks (T4th-107), on-base percentage (9th-.405), slugging percentage (6th-.578) and extra-base hits (T3rd-79).
- his .320 batting average at Minute Maid Park ranked ninth among home batting averages in the NL...hit .361 with runners in scoring position, which was fifth in the league...drew 20 intentional walks to rank seventh.
- has two consecutive 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons, only the third Houston player with multiple "30-100" seasons.
- had 48 multi-hit games, including three with a career-high tying four...tied his career best with four hits (eighth time) on Sept. 15 vs. St. Louis (4x5)...was 4x4 on Sept. 11 vs. the Rockies...went 4x5 on July 24 vs. Milwaukee.
- hit his 100th home run on Sept. 15, moving his average to .300 for the first time since May 5...hit his 40th homer of the season on Sept. 10 en route to a season-high tying five RBI vs. Colorado...also had five RBI (3x5) on Aug. 20 vs. Chicago.
- his 29 homers at the All-Star break were the most by a switch-hitter since Mickey Mantle in 1961 (Mantle also hit 29 in 1956)...his 29th home run on 7/6 at Pittsburgh (Wells) set the club record for home runs by an Astro in the first half previously held by Jeff Bagwell (28, 1999).
- his 81 RBI were one shy of the club record for most first-half RBI (Bagwell, 82, 1994).
- broke the 24-year-old club record for most consecutive games with an RBI by driving in a run in his 10th consecutive game on July 6 at Pittsburgh...record was previously held by Bob Watson (nine consecutive games, 6/26-7/3/78)...drove in 19 runs during his streak.
- went 1x2 with a two-run single that gave the NL the lead in the seventh inning in the 2002 MLB All-Star Game...also participated in the Home Run Derby.
- hit a 467-foot home run on July 5 at Pittsburgh, the fourth-longest in PNC Park history.
- homered twice and tied season high with five RBI on July 2 at Cincinnati...homered five times in five games from June 27-July 2.
- homered in three consecutive games from June 27-29 (12 at-bats), including go-ahead, three-run homer on June 29 (Powell) in the 8-5 win at Texas...hit 25th homer in the team's 79th game, third-fastest in franchise history.
- cracked the first Astros grand slam in 2002, and the second of his career, on June 20 at Milwaukee (Wright)...tied his season-high with five RBI in the game.
- recorded his first career inside-the-park home run on June 17 at Milwaukee (Cabrera).
- his home run against the Cubs on June 10 was the longest by an Astro in the history of Minute Maid Park (439 feet).
- named NL Player of the Week for April 29-May 5...hit .435 (10x23) with three home runs and a league-leading nine RBI...had three three-hit games that week.
- ejected in the eighth inning on May 8 at Philadelphia for the first time on any level in his career for arguing balls and strikes (Larry Vanover).
- hit two home runs and collected five RBI on May 5 vs. the Mets.
- hit his 10th home run on April 24 at Florida in the team's 20th game, tying him for the 15th-fastest to 10 home runs in a season...joined Mickey Mantle as the only switch-hitters to hit 10 homers in their team's first 20 games.
- hit four home runs over back-to-back games at Cincinnati (4/16-17), tying the franchise record for home runs in consecutive games (seventh time)...hit a two-run blast on April 17 at Cincinnati in the fifth inning (Haynes).
- the first MLB player of the year to hit three homers in a game, tying the single-game franchise record (sixth player, ninth time) on April 16 at Cincinnati...hit all of his career-high three homers left-handed (Jo. Acevedo 2, Rijo)...had five RBI.
- cracked his second right-handed homer on April 8 at Colorado, a two-run shot.
- drew four walks on April 7 vs. St. Louis, the first four-walk game by an Astro since Bill Spiers at Cincinnati on June 4, 1997.
- became only the 20th player in Major League history to homer in the first three games of the season...tied the club record shared by Glenn Davis (1988) and Chris Truby (2001)...fell one shy of the Major League record of four, shared by Willie Mays (1971) and Mark McGwire (1998).
2001
Finished among the league leaders in 13 categories: batting (t3rd, .331),
RBI (t7th, 126), hits (t6th, 191), total bases (8th, 358), doubles (1st, 55), walks
(10th, 92), on-base percentage (5th, .430), slugging percentage (6th, .620),
extra base hits (5th, 94), road batting (3rd, .327), night batting (5th, .334), vs.
righty batting (t4th, .337) and RBI ratio (9th, 4.6)...voted team MVP by the
Houston chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
- selected to the 2001 National League All-Star team and finished fifth
in the NL MVP voting (one first-place vote).
- led the NL with 55 doubles...first switch-hitter in Major League history
(13th all-time) to have 50 doubles and 30 homers in a season.
- tops the all-time Major League lists as a switch-hitter for most doubles in
a season (55), passing Pete Rose (51, 1978) and Jose Vidro (51, 2000), and
for most extra-base hits in a season (94), moving past Ripper Collins (87,
1934) and Chipper Jones (87, 1999).
- fifth Houston player ever with 30 home runs, 100 RBI, and 100 runs
scored (11th time).
- sixth player in club history with 30 HRs and 100 RBI in a season (12th
time).
- went 3x4 with two doubles on October 2 vs. San Francisco, passing
Richard Hidalgo (89, 2000) for most extra-base hits in club history.
- left August 16 game vs. Pittsburgh with patella tendinitis (knee)...missed
four games.
- hit a solo homer on August 15 vs. the Cubs to give him 31 homers and
100 RBI...sixth player in club history with 30 homers and 100 RBI in a
season (12th time).
- put together a career-high 21-game hitting streak (June 17-July 8),
second-longest in the NL this year and tied for fifth longest in club
history...had 14 multi-hit games and 30 RBI during streak, raising his
average from .326 to .365.
- selected as a first-time All-Star went 1x2 in the All-Star Game on July 10
at Seattle.
- named co-NL Player of the Week with Arizona's Luis Gonzalez (June 18-
24).
- had career-high tying four hits (fourth time) with a homer on July 7 at KC.
- hit a career-high two home runs (seventh time) on June 22 vs. the Reds.
- notched his first career grand slam and had a career-best six RBI on
June 14 at Minnesota.
- batted leadoff for the first time in his pro career and drove in all four runs
with a career-high tying two homers on May 27 at Los Angeles.
- had a career-high tying four hits in a 4x5 game with a double and two
RBI on May 20 against Cincinnati.
- missed his first games on May 16 and May 17 at Chicagob
2000
Began the year at Triple A New Orleans ... after two options and two recalls,
joined the major league team for good on May 25 ... Was first recalled on
April 29, but was optioned back on May 14 ... batted .222 (8x36) in 12 games
with the Astros with one homer and four RBI ... During his second stint with
the Astros, he batted .306 (97x317) over 102 games ... Switch-hitting
outfielder batted .215 (17x79) from the right side and .321 (88x274) from the
left ... made 31 starts in left field and 59 starts in right field ... Drove in a
career-high four runs in consecutive games at Colorado from May 30-31 ...
Collected a career-high tying three hits on July 24 at Cincinnati ... it was his
fifth, three-hit game of the year and the sixth of his career ... Notched his first
major league pinch-hit with a double on August 5 vs. Montreal ... hit the first
triple of his pro career three days later on August 8 vs. the Mets ... Scored a
career-high tying three runs (third time) on August 14 vs. the Pirates ... Tied
his career high for the fourth time with two home runs vs. the Cubs at Wrigley
Field on September 9 ... it was his third multi-homer game of the year, having
also slammed two on July 9 vs. Kansas City and on July 23 vs. St. Louis ...
His four RBI on September 9 tied his career high, which he had
accomplished on four previous occasions ... Was a part of four of Houston's
12 back-to-back homer combos ... hit 21 homers on the year to become one
of six Astros to hit 20-or-more longballs in 2000 ... Batted .330 (37x112) in 31
games for the Zephyrs with six homers and 27 RBI.
1999
Saw significant playing time on the major league level as he was called
upon to fill in for an injured Astros outfield ... made two separate stints with
the Astros while anchoring the Triple A New Orleons' lineup for the majority
of the season ... contract was purchased from New Orleans on July 16 when
Carl Everett was placed on the 15-day disabled list ... made his major
league debut that night vs. Detroit as a pinch hitter ... made his first big
league start in left field on July 17 vs. Detroit ... his first major league hit
came on July 20 vs. Cleveland when he singled in the seventh inning ... had
his first big league multi-hit, multi-RBI game (2x4) on July 25 vs. San Diego
... notched his first two RBI on a single in the fourth inning ... hit his first two
major league homers while posting career bests with three hits (3x4) and
three RBI on July 31 at San Diego ... hit his third homer and his first in the
Astrodome on August 29 vs. the Marlins that immediately was followed by a
three-run blast by fellow rookie Daryle Ward ... was optioned to New Orleans
on August 5 when Carl Everett was activated from the DL but was again
recalled on August 13 when Richard Hidalgo went on the DL ... remained
with the Astros until the end of the regular season ... played in just five
games at the start of the Zephyrs' season but then was sidelined for a month
due to a left knee injury ... was hitting .300 with a homer and eight RBI
through the five contests before being sidelined ... returned to the lineup on
May 14 and made immediate impact by hitting safely in nine of his next 10
games (11x32; 334) ... by June 2, he had a .347 average and 21 RBI in his
first 21 games.
1998
Named Team MVP after spending most of the
season at Jackson (AA) in 1998...was promoted to Triple-A New
Orleans 8/21 to finish out the campaign...named to the All-Texas
League team and selected as an Eastern Division All-Star for
Jackson...in the 1998 Triple A World Series was named the
series MVP as he slugged three home runs and collected six RBI
in New Orleans' series clinching 12-6 victory over Buffalo on
9/25.
1997
Was Houston's No. 1 pick in the June 1997 draft...made his
pro debut with Kissimmee (A) on 7/1...hit .354 (23-65) with four
doubles, seven homers and 19 RBI in 16 games 8/4-19 and
was the club's top home run hitter with 12, despite playing in
just 53 games.
