| 1965 Houston Astros | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | National League | |||
| Ballpark | Harris County Domed Stadium | |||
| City | Houston,Texas | |||
| Record | 65–97 (.401) | |||
| League place | 9th | |||
| Owners | Roy Hofheinz | |||
| General managers | Paul Richards | |||
| Managers | Lum Harris | |||
| Television | KTRK-TV | |||
| Radio | KPRC (AM) (Gene Elston,Loel Passe,Harry Kalas) | |||
| ||||
The1965Houston Astros season was thefourth season for theMajor League Baseball (MLB) franchise located inHouston,Texas, a member of theNational League (NL). Now rebranded as theAstros and having relocated to TheAstrodome, the club were known for their first three season as theColt .45s and were based atColt Stadium.[Note 1] The Astros entered the 1965 season with a 66–96record, having finished the previous year in ninth place and 27games behind the NLpennant andWorld Series-winningSt. Louis Cardinals.
The 1965 season was the first and only full season forLum Harris as manager, the second in franchise history, having replacedHarry Craft late during the previous year. On April 12,Bob Bruce made the Astros'Opening Day starter, who hosted thePhiladelphia Phillies, but were defeated, 2–0.
In the first-everMLB amateur draft, the Astros'first round selection was shortstop Alex Barrett at fourth overall. Rookie second basemanJoe Morgan established club records on July 8 with sixhits—tying the major league record—and 13total bases for a single game, during a 9–8 defeat to theMilwaukee Braves over 12innings. PitcherTurk Farrell represented the Astros at theMLB All-Star Game, his fifth career selection.
The Astros concluded the season with a record of 65–97, a third consecutive in ninth place and 32 games behind the NL pennant and eventualWorld Series-championLos Angeles Dodgers. The 97 losses represented a franchise-worst record for Houston at the time, which was one more than the 96 losses the club had for each of their first three seasons of existence. It later matched by the1975 and1991 teams, and exceeded in2011 with 106 losses.
Following the season, Morgan was chosen asThe Sporting News NL Rookie Player of the Year[a]—the first Astro be so recognized—and for theTopps All-Star Rookie Team. Hence, Morgan also became the first Astro to be recognized for a full-season award not specific to one position.
On December 1, The Houston club changed its nickname from Colt .45s to Astros. The move resulted from objections by theColt Firearms Company to the club's sales of novelties bearing the old nickname.[citation needed] Despite the trademark issues, the "Astros" nickname matched the futuristic ambiance of the revolutionary domed stadium. The nickname was also appropriate since Houston was, by then, the home ofNASA'sastronaut program. The scoreboard retained subliminal references to the old nickname, as it featured electronically animated cowboys firing pistols, with the "bullets" ricocheting around the scoreboard, when an Astros player would hit a home run. Early on, the groundskeepers also wore astronaut spacesuits to promote that futuristic image.
On April 9, the former Houston Colt .45s took the field and officially became the Houston Astros. They inaugurated indoor baseball in theAstrodome with a 2–1exhibition win over theNew York Yankees. Hall of FamerMickey Mantle recorded the stadium's firsthit andhome run.[1]
The stadium was designed as a defense against the oppressive heat and humidity of the Houston summer. Loosely based on the classicRoman Colosseum, the Astrodome was dubbed theEighth Wonder of the World. As with many stadiums of that era, such asRFK Stadium andShea Stadium, the Astrodome was amulti-purpose stadium, designed for bothfootball as well as baseball.
Besides its roof, the Astrodome was revolutionary for a number of other reasons. It was one of the first stadiums to have individual, theatre-type seats for every seat in the venue. Additionally, it was one of the first stadiums to have luxury seats and club seating, at the time a relatively new concept in sports venues. It also had an "exploding scoreboard", which would show various animations after a home run or a win, as well as messages and advertising.
| 15 | Bob Lillis | SS |
| 18 | Joe Morgan | 2B |
| 24 | Jimmy Wynn | CF |
| 23 | Walt Bond | 1B |
| 14 | Bob Aspromonte | 3B |
| 20 | Jim Beauchamp | LF |
| 28 | Joe Gaines | RF |
| 7 | John Bateman | C |
| 30 | Bob Bruce | P |
| Venue: | Dodger Stadium • LAD 3, | HOU 2 |
During apre-game ceremony onOpening Day and at the regular-seasonopening ceremony of the Astrodome, April 12, 1965, the Astros officially retiredjersey number 32 in honor of former Colt .45s pitcherJim Umbricht. Umbricht had died on April 8, 1964, following a battle with cancer and having returned to play for Houston the season earlier, in1963. Aged 33 years old, his jersey number was the first to be retired by the team.[5]
On May 8,Joe Morgan connected for his first major leaguehome run, to deep right atWrigley Field. The blast occurred in the top of the sixth inning offLindy McDaniel of theChicago Cubs, extending the Astros' lead to 8–5.[6]
For the first time, on May 22,ABC's broadcast of theMajor League Baseball Game of the Week featured the Astrodome. Viewers were thrilled by a massiveWillie Mays home run that propelled theSan Francisco Giants over the Astros to win the contest, 10–1.[7] On May 23, the Giants, able to leverage a three-run,inside-the-park home run—a result of the ball getting caught in the roof of the Astrodome—won, 5–2, over Houston. This was the final game as a Houston Astro for starterKen Johnson, who received news after the contest that had been traded to theMilwaukee Braves for outfielderLee Maye.[8]
Due to pop flies routinely misplaced as induced by the glare through the roof of The Astrodone, clear glass panes costing about $20,000 were installed on May 24. Consequently, these conditions created inadequate lighting to sustain the grass, which led to the installation ofAstroTurf the following season.[9]
With the scored tied 2–2 on June 4 going into the ninth inning, Houston Astros catcherRon Brand connected for a three-run homer into the left field bleachers offBob Gibson for the decisive runs in an Astros' 5–2 win over theSt. Louis Cardinals.[10] After 140relief appearances, on June 6,Claude Raymond made the first of sevenstarts over his major league career. He tossed acomplete game against the Cardinals. holding them to just seven hits and one run as the Houston won, 10–1.[11]
On July 8, rookie second basemanJoe Morgan established clubs records with six hits and 13total bases, including two home runs, and also collected three RBI and four runs scored atMilwaukee County Stadium. The six hits tied the major league record for one game. His feats carried through Astros through an eventual 12-inning, 9–8 loss to theMilwaukee Braves.[Note 2][Note 3][12] This was the first multi-home run game of Morgan's career, with both drives courtesty ofTony Cloninger offerings.[6]
Morgan scored his second career multi-home run game just two days after his record performance. On July 10, tookGalen Cisco deep in the top of the fourth inning atShea Stadium, and in the top of the ninth,Tug McGraw. His performance was instrumental in a 9–1 clobbering of theNew York Mets.[6]
Farrell made theMLB All-Star Game, hosted atMetropolitan Stadium. His fourth selection as an Astro, this extended his own club record. OutfielderCésar Cedeño was chosen to four All-Star Game to match Farrell for the club record in the1976 edition.[b] This stood as club record untilCraig Biggio would receive his fifth selection in the1996 All-Star Game[13]
Hosting the Giants on September 13 at the Astrodome,Willie Mays crushed his500th home run, and 47th of the season. Mays golfed aDon Nottebart offering deep to centerfield leading off the top of the fourth inning, depicted byBob Stevens of theSan Francisco Chronicle as a “monstrous, 440-foot blast into the centerfield bleachers.” At the time, the only hitters Mays had trailed wereBabe Ruth (714),Jimmie Foxx (534),Ted Williams (521), andMel Ott (511). The Giants scored three more times in the fourth, and behind acomplete game effort fromJuan Marichal, cruised, 5–1. Houston's only tally arrived viaJimmy Wynn's 21st home run in the bottom of the first inning.[14]
In their first year at the Astrodome, Houston smashed attendance records with 2,151,470, nearly tripling the showing offans from the year prior, and the first time they had claimed both of either the one-million and two-million threshold of attendees. It would not be until1980 that they reached the 2-million mark again.[15]
Morgan set club marks for at-bats (601),runs (100), hits (163) andtriples (12) over a season.[16][17] He also became the first Houston Astro selected as theNL Rookie Player of the Year byThe Sporting News (TSN).[a][18]
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 97 | 65 | .599 | — | 50–31 | 47–34 |
| San Francisco Giants | 95 | 67 | .586 | 2 | 51–30 | 44–37 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 90 | 72 | .556 | 7 | 49–32 | 41–40 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 89 | 73 | .549 | 8 | 49–32 | 40–41 |
| Milwaukee Braves | 86 | 76 | .531 | 11 | 44–37 | 42–39 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 85 | 76 | .528 | 11½ | 45–35 | 40–41 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 80 | 81 | .497 | 16½ | 42–39 | 38–42 |
| Chicago Cubs | 72 | 90 | .444 | 25 | 40–41 | 32–49 |
| Houston Astros | 65 | 97 | .401 | 32 | 36–45 | 29–52 |
| New York Mets | 50 | 112 | .309 | 47 | 29–52 | 21–60 |
Sources:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MIL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SF | STL | |||
| Chicago | — | 7–11 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 9–9 | 11–7–1 | 8–10 | 5–13 | 6–12 | 10–8–1 | |||
| Cincinnati | 11–7 | — | 12–6 | 6–12 | 12–6 | 11–7 | 13–5 | 8–10 | 6–12 | 10–8 | |||
| Houston | 10–8 | 6–12 | — | 5–13 | 4–14 | 14–4 | 6–12 | 8–10 | 3–15 | 9–9 | |||
| Los Angeles | 10–8 | 12–6 | 13–5 | — | 10–8 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 9–9 | 10–8 | 12–6 | |||
| Milwaukee | 9–9 | 6–12 | 14–4 | 8–10 | — | 13–5 | 6–12 | 9–9 | 10–8 | 11–7 | |||
| New York | 7–11–1 | 7–11 | 4–14 | 6–12 | 5–13 | — | 7–11–1 | 4–14 | 5–13 | 5–13 | |||
| Philadelphia | 10–8 | 5–13 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 12–6 | 11–7–1 | — | 8–10 | 8–10 | 10–7 | |||
| Pittsburgh | 13–5 | 10–8 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 9–9 | 14–4 | 10–8 | — | 11–7–1 | 4–14 | |||
| San Francisco | 12–6 | 12–6 | 15–3 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 13–5 | 10–8 | 7–11–1 | — | 10–8 | |||
| St. Louis | 8–10–1 | 8–10 | 9–9 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 13–5 | 7–10 | 14–4 | 8–10 | — | |||
| 1965 Houston Astros | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers Infielders | Outfielders Other batters | Manager Coaches
| ||||||
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
Positional abbreviations: C = Catcher; 1B = First base; 2B = Second base; 3B = Third base; SS = Shortstop; LF = Left field; CF = Center field; RF = Right field
| Pos | Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Ron Brand | 117 | 391 | 27 | 92 | 6 | 3 | .235 | 2 | 37 | 10 |
| 1B | Walt Bond | 117 | 407 | 46 | 107 | 17 | 2 | .263 | 7 | 47 | 2 |
| 2B | Joe Morgan | 157 | 601 | 100 | 163 | 22 | 12 | .271 | 14 | 40 | 20 |
| 3B | Bob Aspromonte | 152 | 578 | 53 | 152 | 15 | 2 | .263 | 5 | 52 | 2 |
| SS | Bob Lillis | 124 | 408 | 34 | 90 | 12 | 1 | .221 | 1 | 38 | 2 |
| LF | Lee Maye | 108 | 415 | 38 | 104 | 17 | 7 | .251 | 3 | 36 | 1 |
| CF | Jim Wynn | 157 | 564 | 90 | 155 | 30 | 7 | .275 | 22 | 73 | 43 |
| RF | Rusty Staub | 131 | 410 | 43 | 105 | 20 | 1 | .256 | 14 | 63 | 3 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
| Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Gaines | 100 | 229 | 21 | 52 | 8 | 1 | .227 | 6 | 31 | 4 |
| Jim Gentile | 81 | 227 | 22 | 55 | 11 | 1 | .242 | 7 | 31 | 0 |
| Eddie Kasko | 68 | 215 | 18 | 53 | 7 | 1 | .247 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
| John Bateman | 45 | 142 | 15 | 28 | 3 | 1 | .197 | 7 | 14 | 4 |
| Al Spangler | 38 | 112 | 18 | 24 | 1 | 1 | .214 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Gus Triandos | 24 | 72 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 0 | .181 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Frank Thomas | 23 | 58 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 0 | .172 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| Jim Beauchamp | 24 | 53 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 0 | .189 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Chuck Harrison | 15 | 45 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Nellie Fox | 21 | 41 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0 | .268 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dave Adlesh | 15 | 34 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | .147 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Sonny Jackson | 10 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .130 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Norm Miller | 11 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .200 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mike White | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Hoffman | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jim Mahoney | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gene Ratliff | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
| Player | G | GS | IP | W | L | ERA | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Bruce | 35 | 34 | 229.2 | 9 | 18 | 3.72 | 107 | 95 | 38 | 145 |
| Turk Farrell | 33 | 29 | 208.1 | 11 | 11 | 3.50 | 94 | 81 | 35 | 122 |
| Don Nottebart | 29 | 25 | 158.0 | 4 | 15 | 4.67 | 99 | 82 | 55 | 77 |
| Larry Dierker | 26 | 19 | 146.2 | 7 | 8 | 3.50 | 69 | 57 | 37 | 109 |
| Robin Roberts | 10 | 10 | 76.0 | 5 | 2 | 1.89 | 22 | 16 | 10 | 34 |
| Ken Johnson | 8 | 8 | 51.2 | 3 | 2 | 4.18 | 25 | 24 | 11 | 28 |
| Don Arlich | 1 | 1 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Don Larsen | 1 | 1 | 5.1 | 0 | 0 | 5.06 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
| Player | G | GS | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Giusti | 38 | 13 | 131.1 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4.32 | 67 | 63 | 46 | 92 |
| Claude Raymond | 33 | 7 | 96.1 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2.90 | 35 | 31 | 16 | 79 |
| Jack Lamabe | 3 | 2 | 12.2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.26 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| Chris Zachary | 4 | 2 | 10.2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.22 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Jim Ray | 3 | 2 | 7.2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10.57 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 7 |
| Carroll Sembera | 2 | 1 | 7.1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.68 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Owens | 50 | 71.1 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 3.28 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 53 |
| Ron Taylor | 32 | 57.2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 6.40 | 42 | 41 | 16 | 37 |
| Mike Cuellar | 25 | 56.0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3.54 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 46 |
| Danny Coombs | 26 | 47.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.79 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 35 |
| Ken MacKenzie | 21 | 37.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.89 | 22 | 16 | 6 | 26 |
| Hal Woodeshick | 27 | 32.1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3.06 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 22 |
| Don Lee | 7 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.38 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Bruce Von Hoff | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Gordon Jones | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Oklahoma City, FRL Astros
