| 2004 Houston Astros | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National League Wild Card winners | ||||
| League | National League | |||
| Division | Central | |||
| Ballpark | Minute Maid Park | |||
| City | Houston,Texas | |||
| Record | 92–70 (.568) | |||
| Divisional place | 2nd | |||
| Owners | Drayton McLane, Jr. | |||
| General managers | Gerry Hunsicker | |||
| Managers | Jimy Williams – 44–44 (.500) Phil Garner – 48–26 (.649) | |||
| Television | KNWS-TV FSN Southwest (Bill Brown,Larry Dierker,Jim Deshaies,Greg Lucas, Bill Worrell) | |||
| Radio | KTRH (Milo Hamilton,Alan Ashby) KLAT (Francisco Ernesto Ruiz,Alex Treviño) | |||
| Stats | ESPN.com Baseball Reference | |||
| ||||
The2004Houston Astros season was the43rd season for theMajor League Baseball (MLB) franchise located inHouston,Texas, their 40th as the Astros, 43rd in theNational League (NL), 11th in theNL Central division, and fifth atMinute Maid Park. The Astros entered the season with an 87–75record, in second place and onegame behind the division-championChicago Cubs. In the NLWild Card race, the Astros also finished second, four games behind theWorld Series-championFlorida Marlins.
On April 5, pitcherRoy Oswalt made his secondOpening Day starts for the Astros, who hosted theSan Francisco Giants, but were defeated, 5–4. On May 6,Roger Clemens moved into second place all-time instrikeouts, increasing his total to 4,140, while on May 8,Craig Biggio became the first Astro to reach 2,500 careerhits.
The Astros hosted theMLB All-Star Game at Minute Maid Park, which was the first held in Houston since1986. OutfieldersCarlos Beltrán andLance Berkman, second basemanJeff Kent, and Clemens each represented the Astros as All-Stars, and Clemens was selected as thestarting pitcher for the National League.
Having limped into the All-Star break with a 44–44 record,Phil Garner was namedmanager, the 16th in franchise history, replacingJimy Williams. On September 18,Jeff Bagwell scored both the 1,500thrun andrun batted in (RBI) of his career to become the 29th major leaguer and first Astro to reach both milestones. The Astros won 36 of their final 46 games: 36–10 (.783).
Having completed the regular season with a 92–70 record, Houston ranked second in the NL Central, finishing 13 games behind the division-championSt. Louis Cardinals. However, the Astros captured the NL Wild Card title for the first time, finishing just one game ahead of theSan Francisco Giants. It was the eighthplayoff qualification overall for Houston.
In theNational League Division Series (NLDS), the Astros defeated theAtlanta Braves 3-games-to-2 by scoring an NLDS-record 36 runs. Hence, the Astros won a playoff series for the first time in franchise history, while also defeating Atlanta in a playoff series on their fourth attempt. They advanced to the thirdNational League Championship Series (NLCS) in franchise history and first since1986 to face the Cardinals. Beltrán, who connected for eighthome runs between the NLDS and NLCS, tiedBarry Bonds' record for one postseason in2002.[a] However, the Astros were eliminated in 7 games, ending their season as St. Louis claimed the NLpennant.
Clemens won the NLCy Young Award, becoming the fourth pitcher to win the award in both leagues,[1] the only one with seven overall,[2] and joinedMike Scott in1986 as the second Astro to be selected.
| 7 | Craig Biggio | CF |
| 28 | Adam Everett | SS |
| 5 | Jeff Bagwell | 1B |
| 12 | Jeff Kent | 2B |
| 15 | Richard Hidalgo | RF |
| 17 | Lance Berkman | LF |
| 14 | Morgan Ensberg | 3B |
| 11 | Brad Ausmus | C |
| 44 | Roy Oswalt | P |
| Venue: | Minute Maid Park • SFG 5, | HOU 4 |
On April 7, a 41-year-oldRoger Clemens, also known as "The Rocket," made his Houston Astros debut, to deal to theSan Francisco Giants. A memorable debut, Clemens blanked San Francisco for just one hit over seven innings to earn his 311th career victory and lead a 10-1 rout.Home runs byRichard Hidalgo,Jeff Bagwell andJeff Kent bolstered Houston's scoring output. Clemens also struck out nine, including sluggerBarry Bonds twice. At the plate, Clemenssingled in his first at-bat as a National Leaguer.[10]
When he hit his sixth careergrand slam against theMilwaukee Brewers on April 9, first basemanJeff Bagwell tied a club record.[11]
On the strength of a 5–0win–loss record (W–L), 1.95earned run average (ERA), 32strikeouts and 14bases on balls in32+1⁄3 innings pitched, Clemens was named NLPitcher of the Month for April. In just one start did Clemens allow more than one run.[12]
Clemens passedSteve Carlton to move into then-second place behindNolan Ryan on theall-time strikeout list on May 6 against thePittsburgh Pirates in a 6–2 victory while striking out nine and bringing his career total to 4,140. In the fifth inning, Clemens whiffedRaúl Mondesí swinging for the milestone;[13] howoever, he would be displaced back into ranking third just a few years later byRandy Johnson.[14]
Starting things off May 8, Biggio stroked a leadoff single for the 2,500th hit of his career to become the first player in franchise history to reach the mark, all with the Astros. Biggio added two solo home runs to round out a 3-for-4 day. However, the Astros'bullpen was unable to clutch the lead, as theAtlanta Braves rallied for a 5–4 win in 10 innings.[15]
From May 14 to June 11, second basemanJeff Kent recorded a 25-gamehitting streak to eclipseTony Eusebio's streak of 24 for longest in franchise history, which he accomplished in2000. Kent raised hisbatting average from .284 to .315 while stroking 17extra-base hits to also raise hison-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) from .837 to .902. His achievement stood as the franchise leader until2006, whenWilly Taveras hit in 30 straight.[16]
In May, outfielderLance Berkman produced a .785slugging percentage with 24runs batted in (RBI), winning his first career National LeaguePlayer of the Month honors.[17]
TheMilwaukee Brewers recorded animmaculate inning versus the Astros on June 13. However, in the Brewers' next at bat, relieverBrad Lidge recorded four strikeouts.[18]
In a three-team deal on June 28 involving theKansas City Royals andOakland Athletics, the Astros acquired center fielderCarlos Beltrán. The Royals sent Beltrán to Houston for minor league catcherJohn Buck and cash. The A's sent minor leaguers pitcherMike Wood and first basemanMark Teahen to the Royals. The Astros sentrelief pitcherOctavio Dotel to the A's. Dotel, the Astros'closer, had a 0–4 W–L with a 3.12 ERA in34+1⁄3 innings pitched, 50 strikeouts and 14saves in 17 opportunities. He had replacedBilly Wagner in that role following his trade to Philadelphia in the previous off-season.[19]
The Astros firedmanagerJimy Williams and replaced him withPhil Garner at theAll-Star break. With a 44–44 record, the team had been slumping after spending the first month and a half of the season in first place in theNational League Central division. That was considered a disappointment due to hopes of reaching theWorld Series after signing free agent starting pitchers Clemens and Pettitte, and acquiring Beltrán weeks earlier.[20]
The2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 75th playing of the midseason exhibitionbaseball game between theall-stars of theAmerican League (AL) andNational League (NL). The game was held on July 13, 2004, atMinute Maid Park inHouston, Texas, the Houston Astros' homestadium. The previous All-Star Game held inHouston was in1986 in theAstrodome. In theHome Run Derby,Miguel Tejada of theBaltimore Orioles defeated Berkman in the final round, 5–4. Tejada established records of both 27 home runs overall, and 15 in a single round, while Berkman hit the longest home run of the competition at 497 feet (151 m).[21]
For the first time in franchise history, three Astros manned the starting lineup;Roger Clemens, the MVP of the 1986 Classic, was the starting pitcher,Jeff Kent started at second base, while Berkman started in center field. Clemens was the Astros' first starting pitcher in the Midsummer Classic sinceMike Scott in1987, Kent was the first since Biggio in1998, while Berkman joinedCésar Cedeño in1973 at center field.Seven years earlier, Bagwell and Biggio comprised the Astros core as two starters for the National League for the first time.[22]
Beltrán, first named to theAmerican League team before the trade, was added to the National League team as a reserve. The game had an attendance of 41,886 and boxing legendMuhammad Ali threw the ceremonial first pitch of the game. The final result was the American League defeating the National League 9–4, thus awarding an AL team (which would eventually be theBoston Red Sox)home-field advantage in theWorld Series.
Atriple play and a seven-run seventh inning on August 19 against Philadelphia highlighted an Astros 12–10 win. With the Phillies leading 7–2,Todd Pratt grounded into a bases-loaded triple play in the fifth inning, Houston's first in 13 years. Berkman,Craig Biggio, andEric Bruntlett each homered in the seventh inning.[23]
Bagwell recorded his 200th careerstolen base on August 30 against theCincinnati Reds to become the tenth player in MLB history to reach that plateau while hitting 400 home runs. On September 18, Bagwell collected his 1,500th career RBI with a single in the third inning against the Brewers. Two innings later, hehomered for his 1,500thrun scored, becoming just 29th player in MLB history and first Astro to reach both milestones. Bagwell finished with 27 home runs, stopping a streak of eight consecutive seasons with at least 30 but extending a streak of 12 with at least 20.[11]
On October 2,Jeff Kent hit the 278th home run of his career to surpassRyne Sandberg for most all-time among second basemen.
The Astros won 36 of their final 46 games to capture the National LeagueWild Card.[24] The NL Central division championSt. Louis Cardinals steamrolled their way to a major league-best 105–57 record, leaving Houston 13 games behind. Meanwhile, the Astros finished just a game ahead of theSan Francisco Giants[25] to take their first playoff berth since2001.[26]
The Astros reached the 89-win threshold for the seventh time in franchise history, while qualifying for their eighthplayoff appearance, via their first-everWild Card title. Since the inception of the NL Central division in1994, Houston had concluded the regular season in either first or second place ten times in 11 seasons, excluding the2000 campaign. Furthermore, during a span of 17 seasons commencing in1992, the 2004 campaign signified the twelfth of 15 having completed with a .500 winning percentage or above.[26]
After the Astros acquired Beltrán from the Royals, he played 90 games batting .258 with 23 home runs, 53 RBI, and 28 stolen bases. His combined totals in 2004 included 159 games with a .267 batting average, 38 home runs, 104 RBI, 42 stolen bases, and 121 runs scored. Thus, he entered the 30 home runs—30 stolen bases club,[b] joining Bagwell (twice,1997 and1999) as the second Astro to accomplish this feat.[27]
Clemens won the NLCy Young Award to joinMike Scott in1986 as the second Astro to win this award. The seventh such award for Clemens, he extended his major league record for this award, and became just the fourth hurler to win the award in both leagues.[28] Meanwhile, Oswalt became the fourth Astros pitcher to lead the league in wins (20), followingJoe Niekro in (21 in1979), Scott (20 in1989), andMike Hampton (22 in1999).[29]
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 105 | 57 | .648 | — | 53–28 | 52–29 |
| Houston Astros | 92 | 70 | .568 | 13 | 48–33 | 44–37 |
| Chicago Cubs | 89 | 73 | .549 | 16 | 45–37 | 44–36 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 76 | 86 | .469 | 29 | 40–41 | 36–45 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 72 | 89 | .447 | 32½ | 39–41 | 33–48 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 67 | 94 | .416 | 37½ | 36–45 | 31–49 |
Source:MLB Standings Grid – 2004 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | AZ | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MIL | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | AL |
| Arizona | — | 2–4 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 6–13 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 3–16 | 3–3 | 0–6 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 7–12 | 5–14 | 1–5 | 6–12 |
| Atlanta | 4–2 | — | 3–3 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 14–5 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 15–4 | 12–7 | 10–9 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 8–10 |
| Chicago | 2–4 | 3–3 | — | 9–8 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 10–9 | 2–4 | 10–7 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 13–5 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 8–11 | 8–4 |
| Cincinnati | 3–3 | 4–2 | 8–9 | — | 3–3 | 4–2 | 6–11 | 4–2 | 10–8 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 9–10 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 5–14 | 5-7 |
| Colorado | 13–6 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 3–3 | — | 1–5 | 1–5 | 8–11 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 5–3 | 2–4 | 10–9 | 8–11 | 1–5 | 8–10 |
| Florida | 4–3 | 5–14 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 5–1 | — | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 11–8 | 15–4 | 12–7 | 1–5 | 4–2 | 2–5 | 2–4 | 7–11 |
| Houston | 4–2 | 3–3 | 9–10 | 11–6 | 5–1 | 3-3 | — | 1–5 | 13–6 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 6–0 | 12–5 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 10–8 | 7–5 |
| Los Angeles | 16–3 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 11–8 | 3–3 | 5–1 | — | 3–3 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 6–0 | 10–9 | 10–9 | 2–4 | 10–8 |
| Milwaukee | 3–3 | 2–4 | 7–10 | 8–10 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 6–13 | 3–3 | — | 5–1 | 2–4 | 0–6 | 6–12 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 8–9 | 8–4 |
| Montreal | 6–0 | 4–15 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 8-11 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 1–5 | — | 9–10 | 7–12 | 4–2 | 1–6 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 7–11 |
| New York | 4–3 | 7–12 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 4–15 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 10–9 | — | 8–11 | 1–5 | 1–6 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 10–8 |
| Philadelphia | 5-1 | 9–10 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–5 | 7–12 | 0–6 | 5–1 | 6–0 | 12–7 | 11–8 | — | 3–3 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 9–9 |
| Pittsburgh | 4–2 | 2–4 | 5–13 | 10–9 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 5–12 | 0–6 | 12–6 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 3–3 | — | 3–3 | 5–1 | 5–12 | 2–10 |
| San Diego | 12–7 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 9–10 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 9–10 | 4–2 | 6–1 | 6–1 | 1–5 | 3–3 | — | 12–7 | 2–4 | 8–10 |
| San Francisco | 14–5 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 11–8 | 5–2 | 4–2 | 9–10 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 7–12 | — | 3–3 | 11–7 |
| St. Louis | 5–1 | 4–2 | 11–8 | 14–5 | 5–1 | 4-2 | 8–10 | 4–2 | 9–8 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 12–5 | 4–2 | 3–3 | — | 11–1 |
| 2004 Houston Astros | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers Infielders | Outfielders | 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 | Brad Ausmus | 129 | 403 | 100 | .248 | 5 | 31 |
| 1B | Jeff Bagwell | 156 | 572 | 152 | .266 | 27 | 89 |
| 2B | Jeff Kent | 145 | 540 | 156 | .289 | 27 | 107 |
| SS | Adam Everett | 104 | 384 | 105 | .273 | 8 | 31 |
| 3B | Morgan Ensberg | 131 | 411 | 113 | .275 | 10 | 66 |
| LF | Craig Biggio | 156 | 633 | 178 | .281 | 24 | 63 |
| CF | Carlos Beltrán | 90 | 333 | 86 | .258 | 23 | 53 |
| RF | Lance Berkman | 160 | 544 | 172 | .316 | 30 | 106 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Vizcaíno | 138 | 358 | 98 | .274 | 3 | 33 |
| Mike Lamb | 112 | 278 | 80 | .288 | 14 | 58 |
| Richard Hidalgo | 58 | 199 | 51 | .256 | 4 | 30 |
| Raúl Chávez | 64 | 162 | 34 | .210 | 0 | 23 |
| Jason Lane | 107 | 136 | 37 | .272 | 4 | 19 |
| Orlando Palmeiro | 102 | 133 | 32 | .241 | 3 | 12 |
| Eric Bruntlett | 45 | 52 | 13 | .250 | 4 | 8 |
| Chris Burke | 17 | 17 | 1 | .059 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Alfaro | 7 | 11 | 2 | .182 | 0 | 0 |
| Willy Taveras | 10 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Tremie | 1 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Oswalt | 36 | 237.0 | 20 | 10 | 3.49 | 206 |
| Roger Clemens | 33 | 214.1 | 18 | 4 | 2.98 | 218 |
| Pete Munro | 21 | 99.2 | 4 | 7 | 5.15 | 63 |
| Wade Miller | 15 | 88.2 | 7 | 7 | 3.35 | 74 |
| Andy Pettitte | 15 | 83.0 | 6 | 4 | 3.90 | 79 |
| Carlos Hernández | 9 | 42.0 | 1 | 3 | 6.43 | 26 |
| Jeremy Griffiths | 1 | 4.1 | 0 | 0 | 10.38 | 5 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Redding | 27 | 100.2 | 5 | 7 | 5.72 | 56 |
| Brandon Backe | 33 | 67.0 | 5 | 3 | 4.30 | 54 |
| Brandon Duckworth | 19 | 39.1 | 1 | 2 | 6.86 | 23 |
| Darren Oliver | 9 | 14.0 | 1 | 0 | 3.86 | 13 |
| Jared Fernández | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 54.00 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Lidge | 80 | 6 | 5 | 29 | 1.90 | 157 |
| Dan Miceli | 74 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 3.59 | 83 |
| Mike Gallo | 69 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4.74 | 34 |
| Chad Harville | 56 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4.75 | 46 |
| Octavio Dotel | 32 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 3.12 | 50 |
| Kirk Bullinger | 27 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6.16 | 11 |
| David Weathers | 26 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4.78 | 26 |
| Chad Qualls | 25 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3.55 | 24 |
| Ricky Stone | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5.68 | 16 |
| Russ Springer | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.63 | 9 |
| Dan Wheeler | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.51 | 9 |
In Game 2, Bagwell hit his first career postseason home run offMike Hampton in the first inning in a 4–2 extra-inning loss.[34]
After seven failed attempts[35] in 43 years of franchise history to win a playoff series, the Astros defeated theAtlanta Braves in five games for their first.[36] Behind the quartet dubbed the "Killer B's" – composed of Bagwell, Beltrán, Berkman and Biggio – who batted .395 (34-for-86) with eight home runs, 21 RBI and 24 runs scored, the Astros' offense ignited, scoring an NLDS-record 36 runs. Beltrán homered four times in this series.[37]
| Game | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston 9, Atlanta 3 | October 6 |
| 2 | Atlanta 4, Houston 2 (11 innings) | October 7 |
| 3 | Houston 8, Atlanta 5 | October 9 |
| 4 | Atlanta 6, Houston 5 | October 10 |
| 5 | Houston 12, Atlanta 3 | October 11 |
The Astros faced theSt. Louis Cardinals in the playoffs for the first time in 2004 in the National League Championship Series (NLCS). By hitting one home run in each of the first four home runs in the NLCS, including the game-winner in Game 4, Beltrán tiedBarry Bonds' record for home runs in single postseason-record with eight, continuing a strong performance from the NLDS. Counting a two home-run performance in Game 5 of the NLDS, that gave Beltrán at least one home run in a record-setting five consecutive postseason games,[38] later eclipsed byDaniel Murphy's home runs in six consecutive postseason games in2015.[39]
The home run record that Beltrán tied with Bonds was matched in2011 byNelson Cruz of theTexas Rangers, and surpassed in2020 byRandy Arozarena of theTampa Bay Rays.[40]
Cardinals center fielderJim Edmonds hit the game-winning home run offDan Miceli in the 12th inning of Game 6, for a 6–4 final score and forcing a Game 7. It was the third game Miceli lost of the 2004 postseason.[41]
| Game | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis 10,Houston 7 | October 13, 2004 |
| 2 | St. Louis 6,Houston 4 | October 14, 2004 |
| 3 | Houston 5,St. Louis 2 | October 16, 2004 |
| 4 | Houston 6,St. Louis 5 | October 17, 2004 |
| 5 | Houston 3,St. Louis 0 | October 18, 2004 |
| 6 | St. Louis 6,Houston 4 | October 20, 2004 |
| 7 | St. Louis 5,Houston 2 | October 21, 2004 |
| Player | AVG | HR | SB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Beltrán[c] | .267 | 42 | 38 |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Greeneville
In the bottom of the seventh, with one out and the game tied 5–5, Beltran dipped down like agolfer and scooped a 2-and-2 slider from St. Louis righthanderJulián Tavárez into the right-centerfieldbullpen. It was a record fifth straight postseason game in which Beltran hit a home run. 'Theump was reaching back to get another ball,' says Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell, who was watching from theon-deck circle, 'because that [pitch] was in the dirt.'
