HOUSTON -- Former infielder, coach and manager Phil Garner and long-time catcher and broadcaster Alan Ashby were inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame in an on-field ceremony prior to Saturday’s game against the Mariners at Daikin Park.
Garner, who died April 11 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, was represented by his family, including his wife, Carol, sons Eric and Ty, and daughter, Bethany, as well as six grandchildren.
Garner managed the Astros to their first World Series berth in 2005, when they were in the National League. After making two All-Star teams with Pittsburgh in 1980 and ’81, Garner was acquired by the Astros at the Trade Deadline in ’81 and found a lifelong home in Houston. He spent the next seven seasons playing for the Astros, helping them win the NL West title in 1986 and before later becoming a coach in Houston.
In addition to having one of the most famous mustaches and nicknames -- “Scrap Iron,” which was given to him by Willie Stargell -- the hard-nosed Garner, a World Series hero as an infielder for the Pirates in 1979, served as a coach for the Astros from 1989-91. He managed the Brewers and Tigers before taking over the helm of the Astros during the middle of the 2004 season.
The Astros eventually rallied behind Garner, going 36-10 down the stretch in 2004 to win the NL Wild Card on the final day of the regular season. They beat the Braves for their first playoff series win in franchise history before losing to the Cardinals in the NL Championship Series. They returned to the playoffs in ‘05 and beat the Cardinals in six games in the NLCS before getting swept by the White Sox in the World Series.
Ashby, a switch-hitter, was a mainstay at catcher for a decade and had a front-row seat to many of the greatest moments in club history during the 1980s. He caught three no-hitters, including Nolan Ryan’s record-breaking fifth no-hitter, and hit a walk-off home run in the Astrodome off Dave Stewart to beat the rival Dodgers in Game 1 of the 1981 NLDS.
In addition to being the man replaced at catcher by Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, he was the first Astros player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game.
Following his playing career, Ashby spent 13 seasons as an Astros broadcaster, calling games on both radio and television. From 1998-2006, he was the Astros' color commentator on radio, working alongside Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton. From 2013-16, he called Astros games on television, handling both color and play-by-play duties.