| 1975 Houston Astros | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | National League | |||
| Division | West | |||
| Ballpark | Astrodome | |||
| City | Houston,Texas | |||
| Record | 64–97–1 (.398) | |||
| Divisional place | 6th | |||
| Owners | Roy Hofheinz | |||
| General managers | Spec Richardson John Mullen Tal Smith | |||
| Managers | Preston Gómez: 47–80 Bill Virdon: 17–17–1 | |||
| Television | KPRC-TV | |||
| Radio | KPRC (AM) (Gene Elston,Loel Passe) | |||
| ||||
The1975Houston Astros season was the14th season for theMajor League Baseball (MLB) franchise located inHouston,Texas, their 11th as the Astros, 14th in theNational League (NL), seventh in theNL West division, and 11th at TheAstrodome. The Astros entered the season with a record of 81–81, in fourth place and 21games behind the division-champion and NLpennant-winningLos Angeles Dodgers.
The regular season began on April 7 as the Astros hosted theAtlanta Braves withLarry Dierker making his fourthOpening Day start, which the Astros won, 6–2.
First basemanBob Watson represented the Astros at theMLB All-Star Game and played for the National League, his second career selection. The Astros hiredTal Smith as general manager on August 7. With the Astros struggling to a 47–80 record, the team dismissedPreston Gómez, and replaced him on August 20 withBill Virdon as the eighth manager in franchise history. The club went 17–17–1 the rest of the way.
The Astros finished last in the NL West with a record of 64–97–1,43+1⁄2 games behind the division- andWorld Series-championCincinnati Reds, also the worst record in the National League. The second time the Astros had finished in last place, the 97 losses tied the1965 team for most in team history, was matched in1991, and stood as the record until2011, when they lost at least 100 games for the first time.
Following the season, center fielderCésar Cedeño won his fourth careerGold Glove Award.
This was the first season the Astros donned their now famous rainbow uniforms. The uniforms would make slight alterations throughout the years. In 1975, the numbers on the back of the jersey were inside a white circle but bythe following season, the white circle was eliminated entirely. In1987, the rainbows were relegated to the shoulders of both home and away uniforms (prior to that they were only used on the away uniforms shoulders) and by1994, the rainbow uniforms were retired after 19 years for a more contemporary look.
| 23 | Enos Cabell | LF |
| 11 | Rob Andrews[a] | 2B |
| 28 | César Cedeño | CF |
| 8 | Milt May | C |
| 6 | Cliff Johnson | 1B |
| 25 | José Cruz | RF |
| 12 | Doug Rader | 3B |
| 14 | Roger Metzger | SS |
| 49 | Larry Dierker | P |
| Venue: | Astrodome • HOU 6, | ATL 2 |
OnOpening Day at the Astrodome,José Cruz introduced himself in an Astros uniform with an electric debut, going 3-for-4, swatting a home run and delivering threeruns batted in (RBI) to lead a 6–2 triumph over theAtlanta Braves.[1] Cruz singled during his first Houstonplate appearance in the bottom of the second inning off Braves starterPhil Niekro for his first Astros hit, and in the bottom of the fifth, slugged a three-run home run to chase Niekro. The blast put Houston in the lead, 5–2.[6]Rob Andrews made his major league debut at second base[2] andstruck out against Niekro during his first at bat in the first inning, and the third, singled for his first major league hit. Andrews,Enos Cabell,César Cedeño,Milt May, andDoug Rader each added two hits as Houston totaled 14. Astros starterLarry Dierker went the distance and struck out 7 to pick up his first win of the season.[6] Dierker made his then-club record fourth Opening Day start for Houston, relinquishing a tie with the prior year's starter,Dave Roberts.[Note 1][7]
On April 13, the Astros retired Don Wilson'suniform number 40.[8][9] and commemorated him during the following season with a black circular patch containing his number 40 in white, which was worn on the left sleeve of the Astros "rainbow jerseys."[10]
Bob Watson scored the 1,000,000th run in baseball history on May 4 during the first game of adoubleheader atCandlestick Park. In spite ofMilt May's home run, Watson sprinted around the bases to cross home plate, edging ahead ofDave Concepción of theCincinnati Reds. Meanwhile, the pitching staffs were unusually wild, issuing a record 41bases on balls, including a single game league record of 26 in nightcap. In spite ofJ. R. Richard surrendering a club-record eleven of the free passes, Houston managed to win the second game, 12–8, and obtain a split of the twinbill.[11]
After having fallen behind on May 25 to a 6–0 score, the Astros came back in the bottom of the ninth inning to theMontreal Expos, via a leadoff home run byCésar Cedeño. The Expos retook the lead in the 12th inning, prior to the Astros walking it off in the bottom of the inning, 8–7.[12]
On May 31, the Astros won out over thePhiladelphia Phillies, 15–3. The Astros erupted for a club-record 12 runs in eighth inning, whilepinch hitterCliff Johnson fully leveraged the opportunity, hitting a home run and double that inning.[13]
On June 23, the Astros took a 6-run lead over theLos Angeles Dodgers.Wayne Granger pitched the final2+2⁄3 innings; it was Granger'spickoff that ended the contest and secured a 6–5 win for the Astros.[14]
From June 25 until August 18,Greg Gross reached base in 52 games consecutively to tieJimmy Wynn for the franchise record. During the streak, Gross produced a .345batting average, .427on-base percentage (OBP) and .414slugging percentage (SLG), garnering 70hits and 30bases on balls (BB). Wynn first set the record from June 4–August 3,1969. Gross' and Wynn's streak trailed the NL record by 6 games, held byDuke Snider, who reached base at least once each game from May 13–July 11, 1954, for theBrooklyn Dodgers.[15][16]
Rookie relief pitcherJosé Sosa had a memorable first game at the plate on July 30 at the Astrodome. Taking first his major leagueat bat in the eighth inning, Sosa homered offDanny Frisella of theSan Diego Padres, a three-run blast to lead an 8–4 Astros win. Sosa become both the first Dominican pitcher and first Houston Astro to accomplish this feat. Prior to him,José Cruz andDoug Rader also homered in the sixth inning, and Sosa closed out the final1+2⁄3 innings with a scoreless effort and two strikeouts to covert his first major leaguesave.[17][18] The next Astros player to hit a home run in his first at bat wasDave Matranga on June 27,2003, who made apinch hit appearance versus theTexas Rangers.[19]
During the nightcap of adoubleheader on August 3,José Cruz collected his first career four-hit contest. He added a pair ofdoubles and a pair ofruns batted in (RBI).[20] CatcherMilt May homered, tripled and had five RBI. The Astros withstood a three-runSan Francisco rally in the bottom of the eighth inning to hold on for a 10–9 triumph.Jim Crawford hurled6+1⁄3 innings of relief for the win, while José Sosa earned his firsthold.[21]
On August 10, though he yielded 10 walks to thePittsburgh Pirates, J. R. Richard navigated six innings with just one hit and two runs surrendered to lead a 5–3 Astros win. With two hits, a double, run scored, and a stolen base,César Cedeño led the way for Houston's offense.[22]
Houston had played to a major-league worst 47–80 (.370) showing, on August 19, the Astros replaced incumbent skipperPreston Gómez withBill Virdon. Less than three weeks earlier, on August 1, Virdon himself had been terminated by theNew York Yankees as they sought out the potential of installingBilly Martin. During each of Virdon's first five contests as manager,Cliff Johnson launched a home run to lead to victories in three. Anexhibition game on August 21 opposing their Triple-A affiliate, theIowa Oaks, featured another Johnson home run.[23]
José Cruz recorded his first career multi-home run game on August 24, going 3-for-5 with two home runs, one double, and five RBI.[20]
The Astros a series on August 25 atBusch Memorial Stadium against the second-placeSt. Louis Cardinals 69–59 (.539).Roger Metzger scored the tying run in the ninth inning, sending the game toextra innings. The teams exchanged runs in the tenth inning to repeat the tie, 3–3. With rain falling in the top of the 11th,Bob Gibson was inserted for St. Louis. Johnson pounced for a shot to left, going deep for the sixth consecutive game, and a 4–3 Astros lead. However, with two out in the bottom of the inning, the downpour grew too heavy to continue. The game was called, and due to the rules of the day, all activity of that inning was erased—including Johnson's home run that would have been second in NL history toDale Long's eight consecutive games. Thus, the final outcome of the contest remained 3–3 in 10 innings, accounting for Houston's lone tie score of the campaign.[23]
Under Virdon, the Astros closed out the season with 17–17–1 (.500) performance.[23]
The Astros concluded the 1975 season in last place the NL West with a record of 64–97–1,43+1⁄2 games behind the division- andWorld Series-championCincinnati Reds, and turned in the worst record in the National League.[24] The second time in franchise that the Astros had finished in last place, the 97 losses tied the1965 team for most in team history, was equaled in1991, and stood as the club record until2011, when they lost 100 games for the first time. The Astros' .398winning percentage established in 1975 a franchise-worst, and remained so until 2011. Having trailed the Reds by43+1⁄2 games, this mark exceeded the36+1⁄2 games behind theSan Francisco Giants, the inaugural season of1962. In2013, they finished 45 games back.[25]
Future Astros management turned in excellent seasons. Former general manager Bob Watson hit for a team-leading .324 average, 157 hits and 85 RBI, while former manager Larry Dierker was the pitching staff leader with 14 wins.[26]
For the fourth consecutive campaign, center fielderCésar Cedeño became aGold Glove Award recipient. He and teammateDoug Rader, having won five times at third base from1970–1974, were thus far Houston's only multiple winners. Also indicated was that this was the first campaign since1971 the duo had failed to win the award together.[27]
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds | 108 | 54 | .667 | — | 64–17 | 44–37 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 88 | 74 | .543 | 20 | 49–32 | 39–42 |
| San Francisco Giants | 80 | 81 | .497 | 27½ | 46–35 | 34–46 |
| San Diego Padres | 71 | 91 | .438 | 37 | 38–43 | 33–48 |
| Atlanta Braves | 67 | 94 | .416 | 40½ | 37–43 | 30–51 |
| Houston Astros | 64 | 97 | .398 | 43½ | 37–44 | 27–53 |
Sources:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | |||||
| Atlanta | — | 5–7 | 3–15 | 12–6 | 8–10 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 7–11 | 8–9 | 3–9 | |||||
| Chicago | 7–5 | — | 1–11 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 9–9 | 7–11 | 12–6 | 6–12 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 11–7 | |||||
| Cincinnati | 15–3 | 11–1 | — | 13–5 | 8–10 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 11–7 | 13–5 | 8–4 | |||||
| Houston | 6–12 | 5–7 | 5–13 | — | 6–12 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 6–5 | 9–9 | 5–13 | 4–8–1 | |||||
| Los Angeles | 10–8 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 12–6 | — | 5–7 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 11–7 | 10–8 | 5–7 | |||||
| Montreal | 4–8 | 9–9 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 7–5 | — | 10–8 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 11–7 | |||||
| New York | 8–4 | 11–7 | 4–8 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 8–10 | — | 7–11 | 5–13 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 9–9 | |||||
| Philadelphia | 7-5 | 6–12 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 11–7 | 11–7 | — | 11–7 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 10–8 | |||||
| Pittsburgh | 8–4 | 12–6 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 7–5 | 11–7 | 13–5 | 7–11 | — | 8–4 | 5–7 | 10–8 | |||||
| San Diego | 11–7 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 9–9 | 7–11 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 4–8 | — | 8–10 | 4–8 | |||||
| San Francisco | 9–8 | 7–5 | 5–13 | 13–5 | 8–10 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 10–8 | — | 5–7 | |||||
| St. Louis | 9–3 | 7–11 | 4–8 | 8–4–1 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 8–4 | 7–5 | — | |||||
| 1975 Houston Astros | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders Other batters | Manager Coaches | ||||||
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Milt May | 111 | 386 | 93 | .241 | 4 | 52 |
| 1B | Bob Watson | 132 | 485 | 157 | .324 | 18 | 85 |
| 2B | Rob Andrews | 103 | 277 | 66 | .238 | 0 | 19 |
| SS | Roger Metzger | 127 | 450 | 102 | .227 | 2 | 26 |
| 3B | Doug Rader | 129 | 448 | 100 | .223 | 12 | 48 |
| LF | Greg Gross | 132 | 483 | 142 | .294 | 0 | 41 |
| CF | César Cedeño | 131 | 500 | 144 | .288 | 13 | 63 |
| RF | José Cruz | 120 | 315 | 81 | .257 | 9 | 49 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilbur Howard | 121 | 392 | 111 | .283 | 0 | 21 |
| Enos Cabell | 117 | 348 | 92 | .264 | 2 | 43 |
| Cliff Johnson | 122 | 340 | 94 | .276 | 20 | 65 |
| Ken Boswell | 86 | 178 | 43 | .242 | 0 | 21 |
| Larry Milbourne | 73 | 151 | 32 | .212 | 1 | 9 |
| Tommy Helms | 64 | 135 | 28 | .207 | 0 | 14 |
| Jerry DaVanon | 32 | 97 | 27 | .278 | 1 | 10 |
| Skip Jutze | 51 | 93 | 21 | .226 | 0 | 6 |
| Art Gardner | 13 | 31 | 6 | .194 | 0 | 2 |
| Rafael Batista | 10 | 10 | 3 | .300 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Easler | 5 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Jesús de la Rosa | 3 | 3 | 1 | .333 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Dierker | 34 | 232.0 | 14 | 16 | 4.00 | 127 |
| J.R. Richard | 33 | 203.0 | 12 | 10 | 4.39 | 176 |
| Dave Roberts | 32 | 198.1 | 8 | 14 | 4.27 | 101 |
| Doug Konieczny | 32 | 171.0 | 6 | 13 | 4.47 | 89 |
| Tom Griffin | 17 | 79.1 | 3 | 8 | 5.33 | 56 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Forsch | 34 | 109.0 | 4 | 8 | 3.22 | 54 |
| Jim York | 19 | 46.2 | 4 | 4 | 3.86 | 17 |
| Paul Siebert | 7 | 18.1 | 0 | 2 | 2.95 | 6 |
| Mike Stanton | 7 | 17.1 | 0 | 2 | 7.27 | 16 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Granger | 55 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3.65 | 30 |
| Jim Crawford | 44 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3.63 | 37 |
| Joe Niekro | 40 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3.07 | 54 |
| Mike Cosgrove | 32 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3.03 | 32 |
| José Sosa | 25 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4.02 | 31 |
| Fred Scherman | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4.96 | 13 |
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Iowa Oaks | American Association | Joe Sparks |
| AA | Columbus Astros | Southern League | Jim Beauchamp |
| A | Dubuque Packers | Midwest League | Bob Cluck |
| Rookie | Covington Astros | Appalachian League | Billy Smith |
