HOUSTON, TX - The Houston Astros announced today that former second baseman Bill Doran and former, longtime play-by-play broadcaster Bill Brown have been elected into the Astros Hall of Fame presented by Houston Methodist. Doran and Brown were elected by the Astros Hall of Fame committee, which consists of former Astros players, current front office staff, current media members and baseball historians.

Doran and Brown were officially announced as the Class of 2023 during today Fanfest event at Minute Maid Park.

The two will officially enter the Astros Hall of Fame during the induction ceremony on Saturday, August 12, prior to the Astros 6:10 p.m. game vs. the Angels. Each inductee will receive an Astros Hall of Fame sports coat and customized Hall of Fame plaque.

The Astros Hall of Fame presented by Houston Methodist was created in 2019, and resides in Hall of Fame Alley on the main concourse of Minute Maid Park in left-center field. The Class of 2023 will join the 24 members previously inducted. Doran will become the 21st player inducted while Brown will be the fifth non-player and third broadcaster inducted.

THE 2023 ASTROS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

BILL DORAN (1982-90)

Bill Doran was a fan favorite among Astros players in the 1980’s. He was a tough, hard-nosed player that was admired for both his hustle and ferocity and for his pro­duction on the field. As a player, he was one of the top, all-around second basemen in the National League and one of the best at that position in franchise history.

During the 1980’s, the switch-hitting Doran led all Astros players in runs scored, stolen bases and walks, was second in hits and third in games played. Among all NL second basemen in the 1980’s, he ranked first in walks, second in runs scored and fourth in stolen bases. On the Astros all-time franchise lists, Doran ranks in the top 10 in hits, runs, stolen bases, walks, at-bats and triples. Among switch-hitters, he ranks second only to Lance Berkman in most significant categories in franchise history. Doran was voted as the Team MVP on two occasions (1985, 1987). Defen­sively, he ranks third in franchise history in assists and fourth in double plays turned.

Doran was also one of the top contact hitters in baseball as he tallied more walks than strikeouts eight times in his career. He also finished in the top 10 in the NL in walks four times. An accomplished base-stealer, Doran reached 20 or more stolen bases in a season five times and 30 or more steals twice, including a career-high 42 steals in 1986. He played a pivotal role on the 1986 NL West Champion Astros club, leading the club in runs scored and steals that season.

Doran was also one of the most durable players in baseball as he had just one brief stint on the Disabled List during his nine seasons while in an Astros uniform, appearing in 1,165 games in that span. In 1987, he led the NL by appearing in all 162 games.

He was originally selected by the Astros in the sixth round of the 1979 June Draft and made his MLB debut in September of 1982. The next season, he was the Astros starting second baseman on Opening Day, and would appear in 154 games, hitting .271with a team-best 86 walks. He would finish fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting that season.

BILL BROWN (1987-2016)

For 30 wonderful seasons, Bill Brown served as the primary television voice of the Houston Astros. In that span, he became one of the most popular and well-respected broadcasters in all of baseball. His professionalism and knowledge of the game, along with his powerful voice and relentless preparation, made him one of the top play-by-play men of his generation.

On February 6, 1987, the Astros officially announced that Brown would be the new televison voice for the ballclub. Soon afterward, Brown would quickly become a fix­ture in the homes of Astros fans throughout the Greater Houston area and beyond. Fans grew to appreciate his love and respect for the game and his in-depth knowl­edge of the Astros players as well as their opponent. Nobody was more prepared to broadcast a game than Bill Brown.

Throughout his impressive career, Brown had the opportunity to call some of the most memorable moments in Astros history. Some of those include: Craig Biggio's 3,000th hit; Jeff Bagwell's 400th home run; two no-hitters, including the historic, six-pitcher no-hitter at Yankee Stadium; the final game at the Astrodome. He also was behind the microphone several times for final outs of division-clinching and postseason-clinching victories.

Brown's career covered multiple generations, which included some of the greatest players in franchise history. He was able to call the entire careers of Hall of Famers Biggio and Bagwell and also was in the booth at the start of the careers for players such as Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Lance McCullers, Jr., Carlos Correa and George Springer. Brown also called multiple seasons of Nolan Ryan and Mike Scott's great careers.

Over the years, Brown has received many well-deserved honors in his career. Some of those include induction into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame, induction into the Astros Media Wall of Honor, the National Sportscasters Association Texas Sportscaster of the Year Award and the Fred Hartman Award for Long and Meritorious Service, which is given out annually by the Houston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.