Our History

arrow-expand-35502arrow-contract-35503

Following the Civil War, baseball became a way for citizens to transition back into a normal lifestyle. In Houston, the great sport can be traced back to San Jacinto Day 1867, when the Houston Stonewalls beat the Galveston Robert E. Lees 35-2 on a field at the San Jacinto Battleground. Just over twenty years later in 1888, the Texas League was born in Houston.

Houston had a variety of teams, but the most prominent club became the Buffaloes, or Buffs for short. The Houston Buffs fielded future Hall of Famers such as Dizzy Dean, Joe Medwick, Chick Hafey and Tris Speaker along with numerous other major league greats. The Buffs won multiple Texas League and Dixie Series championships and played a key role in the development of a minor league system for Major League Baseball.

Following the success of the Buffs, George Kirksey, a local sportswriter and public relations executive, began the effort to bring Major League Baseball to Houston in the 1950s. Along with local businessman Craig Cullinan (heir to Texaco), Kirksey formed the Houston Sports Association ("HSA") and enlisted Houston businessman and landowner, R.E. "Bob" Smith, to pursue a major league franchise. To do so, Smith welcomed Roy Hofheinz, a former Houston Mayor and Harris County Judge, into the HSA. Known for his knowledge of large civic projects, Hofheinz was working on plans for an indoor, climate-controlled regional shopping center on Houston's expanding west side when Smith approached him. Hofheinz consulted with designer Buckminster Fuller, who would go on to design the geodesic dome, and plans quickly shifted to developing the world's first domed stadium. Following a masterful presentation by Hofheinz to major league owners, Houston was awarded a major league expansion team in the National League on October 17, 1960.

In 1961, the HSA purchased the Buffs, then playing in the American Association, and transitioned into a major league operation the following year. At that time, the Buffs moved to Oklahoma City and became the Triple-A club of the newest major league team - the Houston Colt .45s. Named after the "Gun that won the West," the Colt .45s debuted on April 10, 1962 beating the Chicago Cubs 11-2 at Colt Stadium in the first-ever major league game in the southern United States. The western-themed Colt Stadium was baseball's first temporary stadium as the revolutionary domed stadium would rise a few hundred yards away in southwest Houston.

Ground broke for the Harris County Domed Stadium on January 3, 1962 as the HSA, Harris County Commissioners, and civic leaders fired Colt .45 pistols into the ground. Roman Mejias, Bob Aspromonte, Al Spangler and Bob Lillis emerged as key players for the club as Rusty Staub, Jimmy Wynn and Joe Morgan worked their way onto the roster as home-grown stars. The Colt .45s name was retired after the 1964 season.

On December 1, 1964, in honor of the Houston-based NASA-manned Space Center and the local astronauts, team president Roy Hofheinz declared that the team would be known as the Astros and the domed stadium would become the Astrodome. The Astros and Astrodome were to emulate the space program as cutting edge and lead the way into the future in one of the fastest growing cities in America. The Astros opened the Dome in grand fashion with a 2-1 exhibition game victory against the New York Yankees on April 9, 1965. Three days later twenty-two U.S. astronauts tossed the first pitch to open the Dome's first regular season.

The Astrodome was a revolutionary structure that placed Houston on the international map. The interior was set in a 72-degree environment under an 18-story, 642-foot span dome with theater seating across six levels and home to five restaurants. A four-story, 474-foot wide scoreboard stretched across the outfield where the famous "Home Run Spectacular" would light up after every Astros home run and victory. The Astrodome also featured the first luxury skyboxes and an exclusive five-level Astros VIP suite, where President Lyndon Johnson viewed the first game in 1965. Astroturf, a revolutionary artificial playing surface, debuted at the Astrodome in 1966 and, through the next thirty years, spread throughout almost every major sports stadium. Although built for baseball, the Astrodome was designed to be a multi-purpose facility that also hosted the NFL Houston Oilers, the University of Houston football, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, soccer, auto thrill shows, mini grand prix races, bloodless bullfights, championship boxing, festivals, concerts and numerous other events that brought some of the best talent in their industry. The 1968 and 1986 Major League All-Star Games were also held in the Astrodome.

In the late 1960s, the Astros saw the emergence of great pitching talent from 20-game winner, Larry Dierker, and two-time no-hit pitcher, Don Wilson. Six no-hitters were tossed in Astrodome history, which, during a 1965 visit, the legendary Satchel Paige once deemed a "pitcher's paradise." Jimmy Wynn, the "Toy Cannon," set most of the original offensive franchise records.

The 1970s saw the arrival of Doug Rader, Bob Watson, Cesar Cedeno and Jose Cruz while pitchers J.R. Richard, Ken Forsch, and Joe Niekro emerged on a team built for speed, pitching and defense. Ownership of the Astros changed in the mid-1970s when financial difficulties forced Roy Hofheinz to relinquish control to team creditors, Ford Motor Credit Company and General Electric Corp. The team was sold in 1979 to a group of investors led by John McMullen, a New Jersey ship builder, who oversaw many renovations and upgrades to the Astrodome in the 1980s.

The Astros of the 1980s featured some of the club's most dominant pitching with a staff anchored by Nolan Ryan and Mike Scott. A nucleus of Craig Reynolds, Alan Ashby, Bill Doran, Phil Garner, and Kevin Bass led the "Orange Force". Glenn Davis, the power hitting "Big Bopper", arrived in the mid-80s. The Astros won the NL West Championship in 1980 and 1986. Craig Biggio's debut in 1988 began a franchise record 20 seasons with Houston and in 2015 became the first Astros player elected to the Hall of Fame. In 1991, Biggio, Ken Caminiti, Jeff Bagwell, Luis Gonzalez, and Steve Finley were part of a rebuilding Astros team which led a string of many winning seasons.

Houston dominated the late 1990s with consecutive NL Central championships from 1997-1999. The 1998 Astros, lead by Bagwell and Biggio, won a franchise-record 102 games with the additions of Moises Alou, Carl Everett, and Derek Bell. The Astros played their final game in the "Eighth Wonder of the World" on October 9, 1999.

Drayton McLane, a grocery distributor from Temple, Texas, bought the Astros from John McMullen in 1992. In the late 1990s, McLane was the driving force behind the "Ballpark at Union Station," which was designed to incorporate and renovate Houston's 1911 Union Station into the Astros front office and a ballpark entrance. As a salute to Houston's roots in the railroad industry, the design came to life with a working 19th century replica locomotive perched upon the left field roof track which celebrates Astros home runs and victories. It also boasts a 9,000-ton retractable roof, shaped in the trajectory of a baseball in flight, which glides over a natural grass surface within 13 minutes. On March 30, 2000, the new ballpark opened as Enron Field with a 6-5 Astros exhibition victory over the New York Yankees.

The Astros entered a naming rights agreement with the Houston-based Minute Maid Company on June 5, 2002. Since the park opened, Minute Maid Park has hosted countless concerts, the 2004 All-Star Game, twenty-two playoff series including the '05, '17, and '19, '21 and '22 World Series, and the 2020 NLDS (due to circumstances of the pandemic), Hall of Famer Craig Biggio's 3,000th hit and a long list of other great Astros moments. The 2000s Astros lineup of stars featured Jeff Bagwell, Lance Berkman, Craig Biggio, Roger Clemens, Jeff Kent, Roy Oswalt, and Andy Pettitte.

On November 22, 2011, a group of investors led by Houston businessman, Jim Crane, completed the purchase of the Astros from Drayton McLane. Crane, a former standout college baseball pitcher at Central Missouri State University, constructed a staff that once again made the Astros into one of the strongest and advanced player development systems in baseball. The emergence of Jose Altuve, George Springer, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman formed a nucleus of some of the best talent in Major League Baseball and in 2017 skyrocketed the Astros to their first World Series Championship in franchise history.

Over the course of the next five seasons, the Astros remained at the top of their game in what became colloquially known as their Golden Era. While players came and went (and came back), the team continued to dominate, securing five American League West Division titles, 6 straight ALCS appearances, and 4 American League Champion pennants over 5 100-win seasons. In 2022, with standout performances from Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pe?a in big spots throughout the Postseason, the Astros won their second World Series title in franchise history besting the Philadelphia Phillies 4 games to 2 at home in front of the best fans in baseball.

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
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
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
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
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