Astros to wear original Colt .45s jersey

Houston Astros Owner and Chairman Jim Crane announced today that the Astros will wear replicas of their original Colt .45s jersey during the April 10 and April 20 games at Minute Maid Park.

The jersey, worn when the ballclub was named the Colt .45s in its first three years of existence (1962-64), included a pistol below the name “Colts” across the chest of the uniform. This week, the Astros heard from thousands of fans who were passionate and virtually unanimous in their support of the authentic Colt .45s jersey.

“We made this decision for a number of reasons,” said Crane. “We listened to our fans, who were almost unanimously in favor of wearing the original jersey. We wanted to honor all of our past uniforms during this special 50th anniversary season, and we felt it was important to be true to the tradition of the franchise.”

As part of the Astros 50th anniversary celebration, the team will wear a different uniform from its past each Friday home game during “Flashback Fridays.” The one exception will be on Opening Day, Friday, April 6, when the club will wear its current uniform. The Astros will wear the Colt .45s uniform for the first time on April 10 vs. Atlanta commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first game in franchise history, which was an 11-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on April 10, 1962. The team will also wear the Colt .45s uniform during the Friday, April 20 game vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Each month, “Flashback Fridays” will feature a different uniform from the team’s past. Several additional promotions recognizing the 50th anniversary are scheduled throughout the 2012 season and a complete listing is available at www.astros.com.