10 players you forgot played for the Astros

Who can forget when Pudge Rodriguez broke the Major League record for games caught while playing for the Astros in 2009? How many people can tell you Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews hit his 500th career homer while wearing a Houston uniform in 1967? And did you know that 2018 World Series Most Valuable Player Steve Pearce had a cameo for the Astros in 2012?

Everyone knows about Nolan Ryan, Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell and Jose Altuve, but many other notable players have passed through Houston -- some staying longer than others -- as they headed for stardom elsewhere or wrapped up their careers. In Hall of Famer Joe Morgan's case, he did both, beginning his career with the Colt .45's before becoming a two-time MVP with the Reds in the 1970s, and finally returning to Houston in '80.

From the early days of the Colt .45's to the rainbow uniform teams of the 1980s to the perennial division title contenders from 1997-2001 and beyond, quite a few players rolled through H-town who you might have forgotten were Astros.

Rick Ankiel/Carlos Pena, 2013 Ankiel and Pena are two players, but they pretty much were brought to Houston for the same reason and with similar results. The Astros' rebuilding effort bottomed out in '13, and the club signed Ankiel and Pena -- two veterans at the end of their careers -- to bring some leadership. Ankiel homered on Opening Day against the Rangers but was cut loose after 25 games. Pena lasted 85 games before the Astros and the slugger parted ways.

This browser does not support the video element.

Buddy Bell, 1988 A five-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove winner, mostly with the Texas Rangers in the early 1980s, the veteran was traded to the Astros on June 19, 1988, and played just 74 games with the Astros. He retired after 34 games the following season with the Rangers and spent nine years as a manager with the Tigers, Rockies and Royals.

Aaron Boone, 2009 Best known for his walk-off home run against the Red Sox to clinch the 2003 American League Championship Series for the Yankees -- the team he would later manage -- the son of veteran catcher Bob Boone was signed to bring a veteran presence to the '09 Astros but wound up having open-heart surgery in March. He made a remarkable comeback in September and had 13 at-bats, mostly as a pinch-hitter, before retiring.

Vinny Castilla, 2001
A feared slugger for the Rockies in the 1990s, Castilla was signed by the Astros as a free agent early in the 2001 season and had 23 homers and 82 RBIs in 122 games, adding another homer against the Braves in the playoffs. He even hit three homers in a game on July 28 against the Pirates. Three years after leaving the Astros, he had 131 RBIs for the Rockies, walloping 35 home runs.

Dwight Gooden, 2000
The 1985 NL Cy Young winner, who made his big league debut at 19 years old in 1984 against the Astros in the Astrodome, was signed to a Minor League contract in 2000 and started the first game at Enron Field for the Astros, an exhibition against the Yankees. He pitched in only one regular-season game for the Astros, though, before being traded to his hometown Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was released by Tampa Bay in May and signed with the Yankees in June before making the final 18 appearances of his career and retiring after the season.

Curt Schilling, 1991
Acquired from the Orioles as part of the Glenn Davis trade, Schilling went a pedestrian 3-5 with eight saves and a 3.81 ERA in 56 games in relief for the Astros. He was traded to the Phillies for Jason Grimsley the following April and blossomed into one of the game's best starters, going 101-78 in 226 games with Philadelphia. Schilling was a six-time All-Star and won three World Series, including being named World Series MVP in 2001 with Arizona, making him one of biggest stars the team let slip away.

Don Sutton, 1981-82
Many forget the curly-haired Hall of Famer had a brief stop in Houston. Sutton was an Astros' nemesis for 15 seasons with the Dodgers but signed with Houston as a free agent in 1981. He went 11-9 with a 2.61 ERA in '81, injuring his kneecap when he was hit by a Jerry Reuss pitch while trying to put down a bunt late in the season and missing the playoffs. He was sent to Milwaukee late in 1982 in a trade that netted future All-Star outfielder Kevin Bass.

*John Franco, 2005
*
The veteran lefty appeared in 1,119 career games, third-most by a pitcher in MLB history. The majority of those (695) were with his hometown Mets, but he finished his career with the Astros, posting a 7.20 ERA in 31 games.

Ron Washington, 1989
Before he was nearly a World Series-winning manager with the Rangers, Washington played a decade in the big leagues with five teams, ending his career in Houston in 1989. He played in seven games and had just one hit for Houston, scoring on a Craig Biggio double at Montreal. He managed the Texas Rangers to the World Series in 2010 and '11.

Mitch Williams, 1994
The hard-throwing reliever known as "Wild Thing" might be best known for giving up a walk-off homer to Toronto's Joe Carter that won the 1993 World Series. He was dealt to Houston the following season in exchange for closer Doug Henry and promptly blew a save on Opening Day. That was a sign of things to come. He had a 7.65 ERA in 20 innings for the Astros.

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com