| 2006 Houston Astros | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | National League | |||
| Division | Central | |||
| Ballpark | Minute Maid Park | |||
| City | Houston,Texas | |||
| Record | 82–80 (.506) | |||
| Divisional place | 2nd | |||
| Owners | Drayton McLane, Jr. | |||
| General managers | Tim Purpura | |||
| Managers | Phil Garner | |||
| Television | KNWS-TV FSN Southwest (Bill Brown,Jim Deshaies) | |||
| Radio | KTRH (Milo Hamilton,Dave Raymond,Brett Dolan) KLAT (Francisco Ernesto Ruiz,Alex Treviño) | |||
| Stats | ESPN.com Baseball Reference | |||
| ||||
The2006Houston Astros season was the45th season for theMajor League Baseball (MLB) franchise located inHouston,Texas, their 42nd as the Astros, 45th in theNational League (NL), 13th in theNL Central division, and seventh atMinute Maid Park. They entered the season as the defendingNL pennant winners for the first time, ultimately ending the season with a 4-games-to-0 loss in theWorld Series to theChicago White Sox.
On April 3, pitcherRoy Oswalt made his fourth consecutiveOpening Day start for the Astros, who hostedFlorida Marlins, and won, 1–0. In theamateur draft, the Astros selected catcher Maxwell Sapp in thefirst round (23rd overall), third basemanChris Johnson in the fourth round, and pitcherBud Norris in the sixth round.
Oswalt and first basemanLance Berkman represented the Astros and played for the National League at theMLB All-Star Game.Phil Garner managed the National League. It the fourth career selection for Berkman and second for Oswalt.Gene Elston, who broadcast for the Colt .45s/Astros from1962 to1986, was recognized by theBaseball Hall of Fame with theFord C. Frick Award.
On July 28,Luke Scotthit for the cycle, to become the first Astros rookie to do so, and for the seventh time overall in franchise history.
The 2006 Astros finished in second place in the NL Central with a record of 82–80, 1½ games behind the eventualWorld Series championSt. Louis Cardinals, after losing 3–1 on the road to theAtlanta Braves on the final day of the season. As a result, they missed theplayoffs for the first time since2003. It was their fifth-consecutive finish in second place in the division.
The 2006 season was the final season as members of the NL Central division that the Astros finished as high as second place; in fact, they had placed first or second in 12 of their first 13 seasons in the NL Central. It was also their 13th winning season over the previous 14, with the2000 season being the lone exception in both cases.
Following the season, second basemanCraig Biggio was recognized with his first of two consecutiveHeart & Hustle Awards, catcherBrad Ausmus won the thirdGold Glove Award of his career and shortstopAdam Everett was aFielding Bible Award winner. Meanwhile, Berkman placed third in the NLMost Valuable Player (MVP) Award voting, and Oswalt was fourth for the NLCy Young Award.
| 7 | Craig Biggio | 2B |
| 1 | Willy Taveras | CF |
| 17 | Lance Berkman | 1B |
| 14 | Morgan Ensberg | 3B |
| 4 | Preston Wilson | LF |
| 16 | Jason Lane | RF |
| 11 | Brad Ausmus | C |
| 28 | Adam Everett | SS |
| 44 | Roy Oswalt | P |
| Venue: | Minute Maid Park • HOU 1, | FLA 0 |
During the second game of adoubleheader on April 13 atAT&T Park versus theSan Francisco Giants,Morgan Ensberg commenced a personal season-high 10-gamehitting streak, that lasted until April 23. During that time, he posted abatting average of .410, and the Astros went 8–2.[3]
From April 15–21, Ensberg established a club record by homering over six consecutive contests,[a][4][5] during a series at theArizona Diamondbaks, and hosting theMilwaukee Brewers andPittsburgh Pirates. During the streak, Ensberg hit 7 home runs with 13runs batted in (RBI), whileslashing .480batting average (12-for-25) /.536on-base percentage (OBP) / 1.400slugging percentage (SLG) / 1.936on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). After going 1-for-4 (single) with twobases on balls on April 22, he added another home run on April 23, for eight over a span of eight games.[3]
Houston started the season off strong, in club-record fashion, by winning 19 of their first 28 games.[6]
On the verge of losing their sixthconsecutive game on May 28, Houston trailed thePittsburgh Pirates 4–0 heading into the ninth inning. The tied the score thanks in part to two bases-loaded wallsk, and in the 10th inning,Preston Wilson hit the walk-off single to win the game for the Astros.[7]
The Astros and right-handerRoger Clemens agreed to terms on May 31 that brought him back to Houston for the final four months of the season. The total value of the contract amounted to $22 million. Clemens started 19 games and posted a 2.30earned run average (ERA).[8]
On June 25, theChicago White Sox nearly completed a comeback with Houston ahead, 9–2, after eight strong innings fromRoy Oswalt. The Astros won, 10–9 in the 13th inning via an RBI triple fromAdam Everett.Tadahito Iguchi, who belted a three-run home run, started the comeback for Chicago.[9]
Commencing July 27 versus theCincinnati Reds, center fielderWilly Taveras amassed a 30-gamehitting streak to set the Astros' franchise record, which surpassedJeff Kent's 25-game streak accomplished in2004. The streak ended on August 29 when Taveras went 0-for-3, including twicehit by pitch against theMilwaukee Brewers. During the streak, Taveras had a .349batting average, .441on-base percentage (OBP), and .867on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).[10][11]
On July 28, right fielderLuke Scotthit for the cycle, which spanned six at bats and 11 innings in an 8–7 loss to theArizona Diamondbacks. In the fourth inning, Scott homered, then hit atriple ontoTal's Hill in the fifth, anddoubled in the seventh. He grounded out in the ninth inning, but got the single in his final at bat in the 11th inning.[12] Having occurred in the "reverse" order ofextra-base hits,[b] Scott's was a "reverse cycle," the fourth in National League history, and seventh in the major leagues.[13] Scott's cycle was the first-ever by an Astros rookie, and first by a Houston Astro since teammateCraig Biggio did so on April 8,2002. The next Astros player to hit for cycle wasBrandon Barnes on July 19,2013.[12]
From August 2–11,Morgan Ensberg coaxed abase on balls in nine consecutive games, for 11 total.[3]
Clemens, making his 15th start on September 4, faced rookieCole Hamels of thePhiladelphia Phillies atCitizens Bank Park. Through three innings, Clemens had struck four and surrendered just one hit—to the pitcher Hamels. Clemens became uncharacteristically wild in the fourth by issuing a leadoffbase on balls toShane Victorino,hitChase Utley, and walkedRyan Howard to load the bases. Another walk with one out toJeff Conine forced home a run, but adouble play ground ball then ended the frame to avert further damage. Clemens then exit early due to a stained groin, and in the sixth, with his spot due in thelineup, managerPhil Garner chose topinch hit for Clemens with rookieCharlton Jimerson. Jimerson, who had never had a priorplate appearance in the major leagues, had made just one appearance as adefensive substitution for his major league debut nearly one year prior, on September 14,2005. At this point, Hamels was cruising with aperfect game in progress. On a count of two balls and one strike, Jimerson launched the next Hamels offering deep over the center field fence for his first career home run, simultaneously ending the bid for a perfect game,no-hitter, andshutout after5+2⁄3 innings, and tying the contest, 1–1.[Note 1] The contest ended tied through regulation, 2–2. Astros relieverDave Borkowski assumed the bottom of the tenth with the scored still tied. However, after getting two outs, Utley blasted awalk-off home run to end it, 3–2.[14]
On September 13, 2006,Lance Berkman became just the secondswitch hitter in Major League history to crank 40 or more homers over multiple seasons, withMickey Mantle being the first.[15]
On September 20, Houston, in second place, trailed St. Louis by8+1⁄2 games. The Astros gave a close chase by winning 10 of the final 12 games, including gaining eight games over eight days, to pull within a1⁄2 game with three remaining. However, they lost two of their final three to theAtlanta Braves to arrive at an overall record of 82–80. Houston remained in second place and finished out1+1⁄2 games behind the eventualWorld Series champion Cardinals, narrowly missing theplayoffs for the first time since2003. This represented the sixth consecutive winning season for St. Louis.[6]
The Astros concluded the 2006 season with an 82–80 record, trailing theSt. Louis Cardinals—that year'sWorld Series champion—by1+1⁄2 games.[16] For the third successive campaign, Houston wound up runners-up in the NL Central to the Cardinals.[17][16] Meanwhile, Houston trailed theLos Angeles Dodgers by six games for theWild Card title.[18] Hence, for the second time in four seasons, Houston missed theplayoffs by fewer than 2 games, likewise following the2003 season. This was the first of nine consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs through2014, a streak that lengthy had last occurred from1987 to1996.[16]
In continuation of a long era of regular-season success, since the inception of the NL Central division in1994, Houston had concluded the regular season in either first or second place twelve times in 13 seasons, excluding the2000 campaign. Furthermore, during a span of 17 seasons commencing in1992, the 2006 campaign represented the fourteenth of 15 having posted a .500 winning percentage or higher.[16]
Oswalt won the NLearned run average title (2.98 ERA) to succeed Clemens (1.87 ERA in 2005) as the second-consecutive Astro to lead the league. The duo also joinedMike Scott (2.22 in1986) andNolan Ryan (2.76 in1987) as Astros pitcher who have led the league in ERA in consecutive seasons. The seventh ERA title overall in franchise history, Oswalt was preceded byJ. R. Richard (2.71 in1979), Ryan (twice, first 1.69 in1981), Scott in 1986, Ryan again in 1987, andDanny Darwin in (2.21 in1990).[19] Oswalt also excelled with control, yielding career-bests in ERA-qualified seasons with an NL-leading 4.37strikeout-to-walk ratio (K/BB), while surrendering just 1.5bases on balls per nine innings pitched (BB/9), good for second in the NL.[20]
Berkman led the Astros with 45 home runs and 136runs batted in (RBI) to set the franchise RBI record, which surpassedJeff Bagwell's 135 RBI in1997.[6] Thus, Berkman was recognized as teamMost Valuable Player (MVP) for the fourth time, joiningJosé Cruz and Bagwell (six times)—the latter of whom was a teammate—to win as many times.[21]
ShortstopAdam Everett recorded a .990fielding percentage, the fourth-best in major league history at the position.[6]
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 83 | 78 | .516 | — | 49–31 | 34–47 |
| Houston Astros | 82 | 80 | .506 | 1½ | 44–37 | 38–43 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 80 | 82 | .494 | 3½ | 42–39 | 38–43 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 75 | 87 | .463 | 8½ | 48–33 | 27–54 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 67 | 95 | .414 | 16½ | 43–38 | 24–57 |
| Chicago Cubs | 66 | 96 | .407 | 17½ | 36–45 | 30–51 |
Source:MLB Standings Grid – 2006 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | AZ | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MIL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | WAS | AL |
| Arizona | — | 6–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 12–7 | 2–4 | 4–5 | 8–10 | 3–3 | 1–6 | 1–5 | 5–1 | 9–10 | 8–11 | 4–3 | 1–5 | 4–11 |
| Atlanta | 1–6 | — | 6–1 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 11–8 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 3–3 | 7–2 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 10–8 | 5–10 |
| Chicago | 2–4 | 1–6 | — | 10–9 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 7–8 | 4–2 | 8–8 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 6–9 | 0–7 | 2–4 | 11–8 | 2–4 | 4–11 |
| Cincinnati | 2–4 | 3–4 | 9–10 | — | 5–1 | 4–2 | 10–5 | 0–6 | 9–10 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 9–7 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 9–6 | 5–1 | 6-9 |
| Colorado | 7–12 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 1–5 | — | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–15 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 10–9 | 10–8 | 2–7 | 8–0 | 11–4 |
| Florida | 4–2 | 8–11 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 3–3 | — | 3–4 | 1–5 | 7–0 | 8–11 | 6–13 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 11–7 | 9–9 |
| Houston | 5–4 | 4–3 | 8–7 | 5–10 | 2–4 | 4-3 | — | 3–3 | 10–5 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 13–3 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 9–7 | 4–4 | 7–11 |
| Los Angeles | 10–8 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 6–0 | 15–4 | 5–1 | 3–3 | — | 4–2 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 6–4 | 5–13 | 13–6 | 0–7 | 4–2 | 5–10 |
| Milwaukee | 3–3 | 4–2 | 8–8 | 10–9 | 4–2 | 0–7 | 5–10 | 2–4 | — | 3–3 | 5–1 | 7–9 | 4–3 | 6–3 | 7–9 | 1–5 | 6–9 |
| New York | 6–1 | 11–7 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 5–1 | 11–8 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 3–3 | — | 11–8 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 12–6 | 6–9 |
| Philadelphia | 5-1 | 11–7 | 5–2 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 13–6 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 8–11 | — | 3–3 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 9–10 | 5–13 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–5 | 3–3 | 9–6 | 7–9 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 3–13 | 4–6 | 9–7 | 4–5 | 3–3 | — | 1–5 | 6–1 | 6–9 | 3–3 | 3–12 |
| San Diego | 10–9 | 2–7 | 7–0 | 4–2 | 9–10 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 13–5 | 3–4 | 2–5 | 4–2 | 5–1 | — | 7–12 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 7–8 |
| San Francisco | 11–8 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 5–2 | 8–10 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 6–13 | 3–6 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 1–6 | 12–7 | — | 1–4 | 1–5 | 8–7 |
| St. Louis | 3–4 | 2–4 | 8–11 | 6–9 | 7–2 | 5-1 | 7–9 | 7–0 | 9–7 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 9–6 | 2–4 | 4–1 | — | 4–3 | 5–10 |
| Washington | 5–1 | 8–10 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 0–8 | 7-11 | 4–4 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 6–12 | 10–9 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 5–1 | 3–4 | — | 7–11 |
| 2006 Houston Astros | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders
Other batters | Manager Coaches
| ||||||
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases; BB = Walks; AVG = Batting average; SLG = Slugging percentage
| Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | AVG | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Biggio | 145 | 548 | 79 | 135 | 33 | 0 | 21 | 62 | 3 | 40 | .246 | .422 |
| Lance Berkman | 152 | 536 | 95 | 169 | 29 | 0 | 45 | 136 | 3 | 98 | .315 | .621 |
| Willy Taveras | 149 | 529 | 83 | 147 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 30 | 33 | 34 | .278 | .338 |
| Adam Everett | 150 | 514 | 52 | 123 | 28 | 6 | 6 | 59 | 9 | 34 | .239 | .352 |
| Brad Ausmus | 139 | 439 | 37 | 101 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 39 | 3 | 45 | .230 | .285 |
| Preston Wilson | 102 | 390 | 40 | 105 | 22 | 2 | 9 | 55 | 6 | 22 | .269 | .405 |
| Morgan Ensberg | 127 | 387 | 67 | 91 | 17 | 1 | 23 | 58 | 1 | 101 | .235 | .463 |
| Mike Lamb | 126 | 381 | 70 | 117 | 22 | 3 | 12 | 45 | 2 | 35 | .307 | .475 |
| Chris Burke | 123 | 366 | 58 | 101 | 23 | 1 | 9 | 40 | 11 | 27 | .276 | .418 |
| Jason Lane | 112 | 288 | 44 | 58 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 45 | 1 | 49 | .201 | .392 |
| Aubrey Huff | 68 | 224 | 31 | 56 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 38 | 0 | 26 | .250 | .478 |
| Luke Scott | 65 | 214 | 31 | 72 | 19 | 6 | 10 | 37 | 2 | 30 | .336 | .621 |
| Eric Munson | 53 | 141 | 10 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 0 | 11 | .199 | .348 |
| Eric Bruntlett | 73 | 119 | 11 | 33 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 13 | .277 | .345 |
| Orlando Palmeiro | 103 | 119 | 12 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 6 | .252 | .319 |
| Humberto Quintero | 11 | 21 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .429 |
| J.R. House | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Charlton Jimerson | 17 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | .833 |
| Joe McEwing | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Héctor Giménez | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Pitcher Totals | 162 | 282 | 11 | 32 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 13 | .113 | .152 |
| Team Totals | 162 | 5521 | 735 | 1407 | 275 | 27 | 174 | 708 | 79 | 585 | .255 | .409 |
Source:[1]
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Oswalt | 15 | 8 | 2.98 | 33 | 32 | 0 | 220.2 | 220 | 76 | 73 | 38 | 166 |
| Andy Pettitte | 14 | 13 | 4.20 | 36 | 35 | 0 | 214.1 | 238 | 114 | 100 | 70 | 178 |
| Wandy Rodríguez | 9 | 10 | 5.64 | 30 | 24 | 0 | 135.2 | 154 | 96 | 85 | 63 | 98 |
| Roger Clemens | 7 | 6 | 2.30 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 113.1 | 89 | 34 | 29 | 29 | 102 |
| Taylor Buchholz | 6 | 10 | 5.89 | 22 | 19 | 0 | 113.0 | 107 | 80 | 74 | 34 | 77 |
| Fernando Nieve | 3 | 3 | 4.20 | 40 | 11 | 0 | 96.1 | 87 | 46 | 45 | 41 | 70 |
| Chad Qualls | 7 | 3 | 3.76 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 88.2 | 76 | 38 | 37 | 28 | 56 |
| Brad Lidge | 1 | 5 | 5.28 | 78 | 0 | 32 | 75.0 | 69 | 47 | 44 | 36 | 104 |
| Dan Wheeler | 3 | 5 | 2.52 | 75 | 0 | 9 | 71.1 | 58 | 22 | 20 | 24 | 68 |
| Dave Borkowski | 3 | 2 | 4.69 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 71.0 | 70 | 38 | 37 | 23 | 52 |
| Russ Springer | 1 | 1 | 3.47 | 72 | 0 | 0 | 59.2 | 46 | 23 | 23 | 16 | 46 |
| Trever Miller | 2 | 3 | 3.02 | 70 | 0 | 1 | 50.2 | 42 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 56 |
| Jason Hirsh | 3 | 4 | 6.04 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 44.2 | 48 | 32 | 30 | 22 | 29 |
| Brandon Backe | 3 | 2 | 3.77 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 43.0 | 43 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 |
| Chris Sampson | 2 | 1 | 2.12 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 34.0 | 25 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 15 |
| Mike Gallo | 1 | 2 | 6.06 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 16.1 | 28 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 7 |
| Matt Albers | 0 | 2 | 6.00 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 15.0 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 11 |
| Ezequiel Astacio | 2 | 0 | 11.12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Philip Barzilla | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 82 | 80 | 4.08 | 162 | 162 | 42 | 1468.2 | 1425 | 719 | 666 | 480 | 1160 |
Source:[2]
| Broadcaster | Start | Finish | HOF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gene Elston | Biography | 1962 | 1986 | 2006 |
| See also:Ford C. Frick Award •Ref: | ||||
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LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Corpus Christi
