The2000Houston Astros season was the39th season for theMajor League Baseball (MLB) franchise located inHouston,Texas, their 36th as the Astros, 39th in theNational League (NL), seventh in theNL Central division, and first at Enron Field, later christened asMinute Maid Park. The Astros entered the season as three-time defending NL Centralchampions with a 97–65record in their final season at TheAstrodome. However, their season ended in a 3-games-to-1 defeat by theAtlanta Braves in the1999 National League Division Series (NLDS), also the NLpennant winners.

The season commenced for the Astros on April 4 atThree Rivers Stadium, where pitcherShane Reynolds made his fifth of five consecutiveOpening Day starts for the Astros, who defeated thePittsburgh Pirates, 5–2. The Astros hosted thePhiladelphia Phillies on April 7 for the first regular season game played at Enron Field, but lost, 4–1. In theamateur draft, theirfirst round selection was right-handed pitcher Robert Stiehl, at 27th overall, and in the second round, right-handerChad Qualls.

Reynolds also represented the Astros at theMLB All-Star Game and played for the National League, his only career selection. On August 19, first basemanJeff Bagwell connected for his 300thhome run, becoming the 87th major leaguer to reach the milestone.

With a 72–90 finish in fourth place and 23games behind the division-championSt. Louis Cardinals, it ended eight consecutive seasons with a record of .500 or better, and seven consecutive winning seasons, both the longest runs in franchise history. Between1992 and2008, Houston's only other regular season record below .500 occurred in2007.

In spite of the downturn of 25 wins from the season prior, a number franchise records records fell during the inaugural season of Enron Field, including both inruns scored (938) and runs allowed (944), home runs hit (249) and attendance, among others. For the first time in Astros history, fans surpassed 3 million in attendance at 3.056,139, and the team exceeded the 900-run threshold in either category. The 249 home runs hit also established an NL record, which stood until 2019, when it was eclipsed by theLos Angeles Dodgers.

• December 13, 1999:Johan Santana was drafted from the Astros by theFlorida Marlins in the 1999rule 5 draft.^[1]
• December 14, 1999: Traded outfielderCarl Everett to theBoston Red Sox for shortstopAdam Everett (minors).^[2]
• December 23, 1999: Traded outfielderDerek Bell and left-handed pitcherMike Hampton to theNew York Mets for outfielderRoger Cedeño, right-handed pitcherOctavio Dotel, and minor league left-handed pitcher Kyle Kessel.^[3]
• January 6, 2000: Signedfree agent pitcherDwight Gooden.^[4]

International play

For the first time, Major League Baseball expanded their presence of game play into theDominican Republic, showcasing the Astros versus theBoston Red Sox. On March 11, Houston dropped Boston, 4–3, atEstadio Quisqueya inSanto Domingo.Jeff Bagwell scalded twohome runs to pace the Houston victory. The next day, native-born right-handerJosé Lima thrilled his countrymen to lead a 3–2 Astros triumph.^[5]

On March 12, twogunmenrobbed six Astrosminor leaguers at amotel inKissimmee, Florida. One of the perpetrators wasapprehended at the scene while the other jumped out the window from the second storey to flee. One of the players sufferedbite wounds to the neck.^[5]

Exhibition contest at Enron Field

In accordance with the manner that the Astros opened play for the first time at the Astrodome in1965, they hosted the defendingWorld Series-championNew York Yankees in anexhibition contest for the inaugural game at Enron Field on March 30, 2000, with over 40,000fans in attendance. Hall of FamerNolan Ryan threw out theceremonial first pitch, whileDwight Gooden, who made his major league debut at the Astrodome as aNew York Met, was thestarting pitcher for Houston.Roger Clemens, a future Astro, was the starting pitcher for the Yankees. In the bottom of the first inning,Jeff Bagwell singled for the first hit at the stadium. Gooden lasted 5innings for Houston.Ricky Ledee, whopinch hit for Clemens, hit the firsthome run at Enron.^[6] In the eighth inning, Houston scored four to rally for the win, capped byDaryle Ward's home run, the first for an Astros player at Enron.^[5] The Astros won, 6–5, as closerBilly Wagner registered twostrikeouts for thesave.^[6]

Two years later, with the corporationEnron embroiled inlegal controversy, bankruptcy and eventual collapse, the Astros bought out their contract with Enron for $2.1 million.Minute Maid, headquartered in nearbySugar Land, purchased thenaming rights to the stadium during the2002 season.^[6]

During the regular seasonOpening Day atThree Rivers Stadium on April 4, center fielderRichard Hidalgo connected for the firstgrand slam on an Opening Day in franchise history to cap a 5–2 victory over thePittsburgh Pirates. Hidalgo connected for the historic drive in the seventh off Pittsburgh's Opening Day starter,Jason Schmidt. Astros hitters also coaxed sixbases on balls from Schmidt (0–1) as he surrendered each of the five Astros runs, who were all driven in by Hidalgo. Meanwhile Astros starterShane Reynolds (1–0) tossed seven strong innings to earn thewin in his fifth consecutive Opening Day start.Doug Henry followed and pitched a shutout eighth to earn thehold, and Wagner recorded his first official save of the season with a scoreless ninth.^[10][11] This was the final MLB Opening Day hosted at Three Rivers Stadium, in2001, thePirates moved toPNC Park.^[12]

Craig Biggio extended his club-record 12th opening day start, including the ninth as the second baseman, following his first three as catcher,^[13] also his 1,700th career game in the lineup.^[14] Meanwhile, Reynolds' five Opening Day starts tied him withJ. R. Richard andMike Scott for most by an Astros pitcher,^[15] until the record was broken byRoy Oswalt, who logged eight consecutive (2003—2010).

The following day, April 5, Biggio opened a career-best 16-gamehitting streak.^[13] Heslashed .313 / .429 / .438 /.866 and accrued threestolen bases during that stretch.^[14]

Like the regular season home opener of the Astrodome in 1965 when Houston hosted thePhiladelphia Phillies,^[5] the Astros hostedPhiladelphia on April 7 for the first regular season game at Enron Field and 2000 home opener.Octavio Dotel was the starting pitcher for the Astros, while the Phillies countered withRandy Wolf. Phillies center fielderDoug Glanville collected both of the firstat bat and firsthit in regular season play at Enron Field, whileScott Rolen connected in the top of the seventh off Dotel for the first home run.^[16] Second basemanCraig Biggio led off the bottom half of the first with asingle to center field for the Astros' first regular season base hit in their new stadium, and in the seventh, Hidalgo connected off Wolf for the first Astros home run at Enron. Philadelphia won, 4–1. Wolf (1–0) was thewinning pitcher while Dotel (0–1) took theloss.^[17]

On April 11,Thomas Howard of theSt. Louis Cardinals crushed the first-evergrand slam at Enron.^[18] Hit during the seventh inning offChris Holt, Howard's drive was instrumental in securing a 10–6 win for St. Louis, who exploded for seven runs total in the seventh. It was St. Louis 7th win of 8 games to start the campaign, while the Astros dropped to 3–5.^[19]

On April 14 atQualcomm Stadium, Reynods worked five innings, allowed 10 hits, one walk, three runs and struck out three. He helped out his own cause in the fifth inning with by connecting for his fourth career home run, a solo shot that tied the score at 3–3.^[15]

From April 27—May 14,Moisés Alou was on thedisabled list (DL) with a right calf strain.^[20]

Chris Holt fired a one-hitshutout of theMilwaukee Brewers on April 28, while Bagwell, Hidalgo and Ward all backed him with long balls. A second-inning single byRon Belliard became Milwaukee's only team hit in Holt's brilliant performance.^[5]

For the month of April, Reynolds sported a 4–0 record and 3.35earned run average (ERA) over37+2⁄3innings pitched (IP).^[15]

On May 7,Roger Cedeño's three-run home run capped a seven-run tenth inning that sunk theLos Angeles Dodgers, 14-8. RookieMitch Meluskey connected for five hits whileKen Caminiti and Hidalgo added deep blasts.^[5]

AtCoors Field on May 8, Biggio hit second in thebatting order for the first time since September 29,1996, breaking a string of 497 starts as Houston'sleadoff hitter. The following game, he collected a season-high fourruns batted in (RBI), including a bases-clearingtriple in the sixth inning to lead a 13–8 come-from-behind win over theColorado Rockies.^[13]

On May 27 versus theAtlanta Braves, Reynolds took his first loss of the year, snapping a five-gamewinning streak which had tied a career high. That game also ended a string of 16 IP for Reynolds without having surrendered anybases on balls, starting May 16.^[15]

Enron Field interior, roof open (left), and exterior (right).

The Astros hit fivehome runs on June 14 to power an 8–4 win over Colorado, including back-to-back-to-back home runs from Alou, Hidalgo, andTony Eusebio. It was Alou's second of the evening. Meanwhile, Bagwell also homered.^[21]

AtPacific Bell Park on June 16, Biggio registered his 6.630that bat during a contest versus theSan Francisco Giants to most pastJosé Cruz for most in franchise history.^[13]

Wagner was placed on the 15-day DL on June 21 due to a flexor tendon strain in his left elbow and would require season-ending surgery. His velocity notably reduced, Wagner was 2–4 with a 6.18earned run average (ERA) over 28 games. The Astros recalled right-handerJosé Cabrera from the AAANew Orleans Zeyphers.^[22]

On June 26 atArizona Diamondbacks, Biggiosingled for his 1,938th hit to pass Cruz for most in franchise history.^[13]

Starting July 9, Eusebio authored a 24-game hitting streak to set a club record, surpassing the record of 23-games shared byArt Howe in1981 and byLuis Gonzalez in1997.^[23] That July 9 game, Lima halted a 13-game personallosing streak during a 9–6 victory over theKansas City Royals.Lance Berkman homered twice, Alou homered andBill Spiers doubled twice and tripled.^[5]

However, Eusebio's streak was unusual in that, as a backup catcher andpinch hitter it spanned 54 days, ending on August 28. The fifth longest by a catcher since 1900, he batted .409 during the streak, raising hison-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) from .643 to .809. It stood as the Astros' club record until2004 when it was broken byJeff Kent.^[23]

Reynolds, an Astros' five-time Opening Day starter, received his only careerMLB All-Star selection, held atTurner Field, and was also the Astros' lone representative. He had already turned in a number of quality seasons, including 70–53 W–L with a 3.73 ERA over the previous five years while leading the pitching staff on three NL Central division title winners. In 2000, the batting order featured multiple viable candidates with copious offensive output; however, only Reynolds gained selection. As of the All-Star break, he was 6–6 with a 4.59 ERA; meanwhile, the Astros were 30–57 (.345) and 21 games behind in the division.^[24] However, a second Astro missed the opportunity to join Reynolds as an All-Star: After being struck on the head by an errantfastball from Clemens on July 8,Mike Piazza had to forego the contest, and, to replace him, NL managerBobby Cox sought Astros' rookie catcherMitch Meluskey. However, Cox was unable to contact Meluskey, who was vacationing onSouth Padre Island; instead, he chose the Cubs'Joe Girardi to replace Piazza.^[25]

AtJacobs Field on July 18 to deal to theCleveland Indians, Reynolds surrendered a career-high six walks and season-high eightearned runs.^[15]

On July 23, Spiers' signature game powered a 15–7 rout of theSt. Louis Cardinals. He collected six RBI via two of his team's six homers—the first for two runs in the second inning and his third career grand slam in the seventh. The six home runs tied the club record. Cardinals starterAndy Benes, who surrendered four of the longballs, became just the 17th major leaguer to do so one game.^[26] Meanwhile, Reynolds bounced back from a tough start against the Indians to work6+2⁄3 innings and earn the win.^[15]

In a start at Turner Field on July 29, Reynolds completed just one inning versus Atlanta in what would be his final start of the year. He was placed on the DL the following day due to back pain.^[15]

For the month of July, Alou hit .371 with 6 HRs and 20 RBI.^[20]

While attempting to turn adouble play on August 1, Biggio was injured in a collision withPreston Wilson of theFlorida Marlins, leaving the game with a severe knee injury. Imaging later revealed tears of both theanterior cruciate andmedial collateral ligaments of the left knee, which needed surgery and would rule him out for the rest of the season. For Houston,Scott Elarton pitched8+1⁄3 solid innings, and Alou drove in Biggio prior to the injury, and Bagwell, for the game-winning RBIs and 4–3 final.^[27] This was the first time in his major league career that Biggio had landed on the DL, spanning 13 seasons and 1,800 games played.^[13]

From August 2–20, Bagwell constructed an 18-game hitting steak, which tied his career high set in1994.^{[Note 1][28]}

On August 13 at Philadelphia, Bagwell homered twice and tied a club record with seven RBI in a 14–7 win,^{[Note 2]} Alou also homered twice, and Hidalgo andChris Truby also went deep for Houston, who matched the club record with six home runs. This was also the third time of the season the Astros had six home runs in one game.^[29]

On August 14 at Pittsburgh, Alou cranked a second successive mutlti-home run game to tie a club record. Over the two games, he was 6-for-9 with 8 RBI.^[20]

Bagwell again homered twice on August 19 against the Brewers for the 299th and 300th of his career; the second home run broke an eighth-inning tie to give Houston a 10–8 win. He joinedHank Aaron,Joe DiMaggio,Frank Robinson andTed Williams as the fifth player in major league history to record 300 home runs, 1,000 RBI and 1,000 runs scored within his first ten seasons.^[30] Bagwell became the 87th player to reach the 300-home run plateau.^[31]

In August, Alou hit .385 with 9 home runs and 26 RBI.^[20]

In each contest from September 3–12, Hidalgo connected for anextra-base hit, resulting in 10 consecutive to establish a franchise record. He hit 9doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs and 17 RBI, with aslash line of .512 / .511 / 1.146 / 1.657.^[32] During a 13–10 win over theChicago Cubs on September 8,Julio Lugo set a club record by going 5-for-5 at the plate over 9 innings.^[33] The following game, on September 9 also atWrigley Field, the Astros launched seven home runs against Cubs pitching to set the franchise record, surpassing the 6 they had hit in two separate games just earlier in the season.^[34]Tim Bogar collected four hits and five RBI to lead a trio of hitters who each blasted two home runs—including Hidalgo andLance Berkman—and power a 14–4 rout of the Cubs.Daryle Ward hit the other home run. Lugo, Bagwell,Chris Truby andFrank Charles each doubled as the Astros piled on 19 hits.^[35] This date corresponded to another occasion in2019 in which Houston again erupted for seven home runs against theOakland Athletics to tie the franchise record.^[34]

For the week ended September 10, Hidalgo and Lugo were recognized with co-NLPlayer of the Week Awards.^[36] Over 7 games, Lugo batted .563 / .588 / 1.000, including 18-for-32, three doubles, three home runs, and 8 RBI. He scored 12 runs and stroked 6 multi-hit games to lead Houston on a season-high 6-gamewinning streak. Hidalgo batted .483, 14-for-29, five doubles, four home runs and 11 runs scored.^[33]

Hidalgo's franchise-record extra-base hit streak of 10 games was later matched on August 10,2017, byAlex Bregman.^[37][38] Just days after the streak ended, starting September 15, Hidalgo began another similar streak which lasted 7 consecutive games, with 2 doubles and 6 home runs, slashing .586 / .625 / 1.276 / 1.901.^[32] Also on September 15,Chris Truby went a single short ofhitting for the cycle and plated five runs while Alou drove home four to lead a 16–7 lambasting of Pittsburgh. Right-handerBrian Powell etched the win in relief.^[5]

On September 19, Hidalgo blasted his 40th home run of the season off Cardinals starterPat Hentgen.^[39]

Hidalgo concluded the season carrying a 14-game hitting streak, during which he hit .509, 27-for-53, with six homers and 13 RBI. He capped a breakout season with an outstanding September, including hitting safely in 28 of 29 games during the month and logging 102total bases. Other totals included batting .476 (49-for-103) with 11 homers and 31 RBI. He led the NL with 49 hits, a .971 slugging percentage, .533 on-base percentage, 36 runs scored and 14 doubles.^[39] Further, his batting average ranked among the very highest over any calendar month in major league history and established the Astros franchise record, which stood untilJose Altuve (.485) surpassed this in July 2017.^[40] Hence, Hidalgo was recognized with his first career NLPlayer of the Month Award.^[39]

Alou maintained his strong production in the month of September, hitting .330 with 5 home runs and 32 RBI. Over the final three months, he totaled 78 RBI.^[20]

The Astros improved their results following the All-Star break, with a record of 42–33 (.560).^[41]

Bagwell hit 47 home runs and scored 152runs to establish Astros club records,^[31] both most recently set in1997.^{[Note 3]} Bagwell hit twenty-eight of the home runs at home to break the club record.^{[Note 4][28]}{ Also leading the major leagues in runs scored, it was the highest total in a season sinceLou Gehrig in1936,^[42] and with 295 runs total from1999–2000 established a National League two-season record.^[43]

At the time, Hidalgo had joined Bagwell as the only players in franchise history to have hit 40 home runs in a single season, and thirdVenezuelan-born player to reach this milestone, followingTony Armas Sr., andAndrés Galarraga. Hidalgo also became the fourth player in franchise history who posted a single season of at least each of 30 homers, 100 runs scored, and 100 RBI.^[39]

Alou posted a .355 batting average, second-highest all-time in franchise history, trailing only Bagwell's .368 average in1994.^[44]

OutfielderLance Berkman broke the club record for home runs by rookie with 21, overtakingGlenn Davis, who slugged 20 in1985.^[a][45][46]

Dotel, who began the season in Houston'sstarting rotation, shifted to thebullpen to help replace the injured Wagner. With these assignments, Dotel made 15 starts and converted 16 saves, which was first season by an NL hurler to accumulate 15 of both in the same season.^[47] This achievement had occurred twice previously in theAmerican League (AL).^{[Note 5][48]}

The Astros concluded the regular season at 72–90, in fourth place in the NL Central and 23 games behind the division-champion St. Louis. It was the Astros' first losing season and furthest behind first place that they had finished since1991, at 29 games behind, ending eight consecutive seasons with a record of .500 or better, and seven consecutive winning seasons. Both of those streaks were the longest runs in franchise history. Prior to 2000, Houston had also finished in first or second place in the NL Central division each year since 1994, its inaugural season, also a franchise record. Between1992 and2008, Houston's only other regular season record below .500 occurred in2007, marking one of the most successful periods in franchise history.^[49]

Despite finishing 18 games below .500, the Astros also set club records with 249 home runs, 938 runs scored, and 944 runs allowed. In their first season at Enron Field, the Astros drew 3 millionfans for the first time in franchise history, with a total of 3.056,139.^[31] They also set the all-time NL record for most home runs hit by one team during the regular season,^[50] which stood until September 4, 2019, when surpassed by theLos Angeles Dodgers.^[51] One week after the Dodgers broke the NL home run record, the Astros' franchise record fell whenGeorge Springer connected for the team's 250th drive of the 2019 season.^[52] The 2000 season was also the first time in franchise history that the club had crossed the 900-run threshold, accomplished by both the pitching staff and offense.^[49]

• March 31, 2000:Tony Mounce was released by the Astros.^[53]
• April 13, 2000: Dwight Gooden was purchased from the Astros by theTampa Bay Devil Rays.^[4]

Houston Astros 2000 MLB draft selections^[55]

• Round 1 – no. 27: Rob Stiehl – RHP •El Camino College,Torrance, California • Signed •Career
• Round 2 – no. 67:Chad Qualls – RHP •University of Nevada, Reno,Reno, Nevada • Signed •Career
• Round 3 – no. 97: Tony Pluta – RHP •Las Vegas High School,Sunrise Manor, Nevada • Signed •Career
• Round 4 – no. 127: Eric Keefner – 3B •De La Salle Institute,Chicago,Illinois • Not signed^{[Note 6]} •Career
• Round 5 – no. 157: Jake Whitesides – OF •Hickman High School,Columbia, Missouri • Signed •Career
• Round 6 – no. 187: Tony Whiteman – SS •Oklahoma,Norman, Oklahoma • Signed •Career
• Round 7 – no. 217: Joey Lydic – 3B •Pittsburgh,Pittsburgh, PA • Signed •Career
• Round 8 – no. 247:Cory Doyne –RHP •Land O' Lakes High School,Land O' Lakes, Florida • Signed •Career
• Round 9 – no. 277:Eric Bruntlett – SS •Stanford •2000,Stanford, California • Signed •Career
  • Round 10 – no. 307: Nate Nelson– 3B •Louisiana •Lafayette, Louisiana • Signed •Career
• Round 19 – no. 577:Michael Bourn – OF •Nimitz High School,Houston, TX • Not signed^{[Note 7]} •Career

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Dotel was team leader in saves with 16.

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Career honors

• Radio Hall of Fame inductee—2000:^[56]Milo Hamilton

NL records established

Other achievements

• Bagwell: 152 runs scored—4th highest in NL history, 10th all-time^{[Note 8][28]}
  • First NL player—45 HR / 100 RBI / 150 runs scored season^{[Note 9][28]}

Awards

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Round Rock, Michigan

Awards

Minor league award winners

Name of award			Recipient	Ref
Baseball America Minor League All-Stars	First Team	Second baseman	Keith Ginter	[61]
		Starting pitcher	Roy Oswalt
Double-A All-Stars		Second baseman	Keith Ginter	[62]
		Pitcher	Roy Oswalt
Houston Astros Minor League Player of the Year			Roy Oswalt	[63]
Olympic Games • Sydney[b]		United States	Adam Everett	[64] [65]
			Roy Oswalt
Texas League All-Star		Second baseman	Keith Ginter	[66]
Texas League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP)			Keith Ginter	[67]

• List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
• List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason streaks
• List of Olympic medalists in baseball

Footnotes

Sources

• 2000 Houston Astros season at Baseball Reference

• Houston Astros seasons
• 2000 Major League Baseball season
• 2000 in sports in Texas
• 2000 in Houston

• Use mdy dates from November 2013
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images
• Articles with hCards