I can't claim to have been a life long baseball fan, much less a life long astros fan. I lived in houston as a kid, and then moved to southeast missouri. In high school i ran the board for KMPL's relays of cardinal's games (loved hearing mike shannon yell at jack buck to "bring him another cold one" during commericals while the pot was turned down). But my first baseball game, and first Astros game, was one April night, in 1968. We left after 18 innings, with the score tied 0-0... http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/excerpts/records_registry12.stm -- TEAMS SCORE ONE RUN IN 24 INNINGS New York Mets (0) at Houston Astros (1) Monday Night, April 15, 1968, Astrodome Only once had more innings been played in a major-league game (see May 1, 1920), but never had fewer runs been scored in a completed contest. In this the longest shutout in baseball history, the Houston Astros finally crossed the plate in the 24th inning to wrench victory from the New York Mets. Tragically, after the six hours and six minutes of combat, the outcome was decided on an error. At the time, this contest also represented the most innings ever played in a night game (since surpassed). Houston and New York, both expansion clubs of 1962, had been perennial bottom dwellers during the first six years of their existence. And, in each season except 1966, one of the two had scored the fewest runs in the league with the other not far off the pace. So it's little wonder that if two teams ever threatened a scoreless infinity, it would be the Astros and Mets. Taking the mound for New York was the previous season's rookie-of-the-year, Tom Seaver. Calling it the best game he'd pitched in his young career, Tom walked no one and allowed just two hits over ten frames. Don Wilson started for Houston, went nine innings, and permitted only five hits and three walks. Following the two starters was a parade of 11 relievers, seven Mets and four Astros. As the innings wore on, pitchers looked more and more like Walter Johnson, and it became apparent that short of a negotiated truce, the only way this contest would end was through a mistake. There were plenty of baserunners as the two teams combined for 22 hits and 12 walks. But when it counted, no one could deliver the coup de grace as each club squandered multiple scoring opportunities: # With one out in the second, Houston's Hal King doubled to left and was wild-pitched to third. On Bob Aspromonte's grounder to second King tried to score, but the throw beat him to the plate. The 200-pound baserunner crashed into Mets catcher Jerry Grote who emerged from a cloud of dust holding the ball for the putout. # New York's Ed Kranepool led off the seventh with a single and was sacrificed to second by Ed Charles. Grote flied out and Seaver walked, but Al Weis ended the frame by grounding out to first. # In the ninth, the Mets put runners on first and second with two outs, but Seaver tapped back to the pitcher. # After Charles struck out to open the 12th, the Mets loaded the bases when Grote singled (pinch hitter Phil Lintz popped out to second) and Weis and Ken Boswell also singled. But Tommie Agee grounded out, second to first. # Houston also threatened in the 12th. After singling, Ron Davis was sacrificed to second. Jimmy Wynn was intentionally passed, but Rusty Staub fouled out to Grote, and King struck out. # Again in the 13th the Astros put two on with one out. Pinch hitter Ivan Murrell flied to right, and Davis popped out to second. # Charles opened the New York 17th with a double and was sacrificed to third by Grote. Pinch hitter Bud Harrelson then failed to execute a suicide squeeze by fouling off three bunt attempts. Weis ended the threat by grounding out to short. # Davis and Norm Miller fanned to open the Houston 19th. Wynn and Staub then singled, but King flied out to right. # The Mets also threatened in the 19th. Leading off, Cleon Jones singled and was sacrificed to second. After Charles was intentionally passed, both runners pulled a double steal. Jim Ray then retired the next two hitters, Grote and Danny Frisella, on swinging third strikes. # In the 22nd, New York got Grote to second with two outs, but Weis grounded out third to first. # The Astros also threatened in their half of the 22nd. Wynn struck out and Staub walked. King's grounder to short enabled Staub to reach second, but after Aspromonte was intentionally passed, Julio Gotay fanned. The marathon of impotence finally ended in the last of the 24th. Norm Miller, unsuccessful in seven official at-bats, led off with a single and was balked to second by Les Rohr. After Jimmy Wynn (1 for 8) was intentionally walked, Rusty Staub advanced the runners by grounding out to second. John Bateman, pinch hit for Hal King and was purposely passed, loading the bases. Next, Bob Aspromonte took two balls, fouled one off and then sent a sharp grounder toward Mets shortstop Al Weis. Weis had played brilliantly all night but wasn't quite the man he'd been six hours earlier. Al didn't bend quickly enough for the grounder, and it zipped through his legs into left field enabling Miller to trot home with the game winning tally. It was Houston's first run after 35 consecutive scoreless frames and the first run Mets pitchers had allowed after 38 consecutive scoreless innings. "I just plain blew it," was all Weis could say of the missed potential double-play ball. Al had been substituting for a sore-armed Bud Harrelson. Aspromonte, the equally exhausted "batting hero," later said: "The bat felt like it weighed eight and a half pounds when I carried it to the plate."* (*John Wilson, "Astros Defeat Mets in 24th," Houston Chronicle, 16 April 1968, Section 4, p. 1, col. 7.) The frustrating night was shared by all the Mets but especially Ron Swoboda and Tommie Agee. Swoboda went down swinging five times; Agee struck out swinging three times and was called out once. Each went 0 for 10, narrowly avoiding an ignominious addition to the record books. Seven players previously had accumulated an 0 for 11 in extra-inning games. Swoboda was also involved in some unusual strategy in the 16th inning. Houston's Hector Torres led off with a bunt single. With a sacrifice in order, Mets manager Gil Hodges ordered left fielder Swoboda into the infield. Astros pitcher Jim Ray negated the strategy when he tried to bunt three times and struck out. Swoboda then returned to his outfield position as Ron Davis also struck out and Norm Miller flied out. Displays of tenacity and stamina could be found both on the field and in the stands. Not only did opposing catchers Grote and King both catch all 24 innings during the six hour marathon, but about 5,000 fans were still present at the 1:37 A.M. conclusion. An hour earlier, as they stood before Houston came to bat, the scoreboard flashed: "21st Inning Stretch."
One of my favorites not mentioned was Eric Anthony's blast in the Astrodome. That shot made Pujolos' homer look like a grounder.
Kile's no hitter. The 20 inning game against LA, with Fernando playing first and actually registering a put out.
basso! I was at that game with my Dad. We watched the whole thing, and my Mom was worried sick about what had happened to us. Games like that are hell if you lose and glory if you win. Thanks to Bob Aspromonte, we won. I've always had a place in my heart for the guy. He was a hell of a good ballplayer. And Don Wilson. Damn! The Astros have always had good pitching. Who knows... maybe we bumped into each other. A good memory for me.
Wow. Way too many to post here. Anybody remember the Astro Buddies? You got a form at the Dome filled it out mailed it in along with $10 (I think) and they would send you an Astros Button, Astro Buddies T-Shirt, A membership card with a picture of your designated favorite player and best of all a book of 10 tickets to Astros games. Some of the tickets were Free admission and some were for 50% off. Anyway, every year they set aside an Astros Buddies day where you got to go on the field and pick a position to go to and there would be an Astro player at each position to answer questions and basically show you how to play the position. It was awesome! The first year I went to the pitchers mound and got to meet Larry Dierker. The next year 1st base and Bob Watson. I remember one of those Astro Buddy games was when Jerry Reuss (1972) took a no-hitter into the 9th inning against the Phillies. We were all going nuts, our first ever no-hitter. Then that b*stard Larry Bowa lined a single into left field. When I got home I tore up every Larry Bowa baseball card I had.
could be- i remember (through the haze of nearly 40 years) the dome was barely half full at the beginning of the game, and by the time we left there were only a couple of thousand fans left. my old man took me too- probably his first baseball game as well (he was european, a soccer fan, although we did go to Rice football games). i think he was on call the next morning- game ended well after 1AM
I have no idea the year anymore but my dad and I actually took my mom along to a game. John Denny of the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead into the ninth innning. My mom was bored out of her mind and couldn't believe she had come out to watch the game. With one out in the bottom of the ninth I believe it was Craig Reynolds who got a single. With a 1-0 count on Jose Cruz, Ted Simmons calls time and goes out to tell Denny something. Cruz sent Denny's next pitch high up into the right field mezzanine seats for a walk off homer. Only Astros game I have ever been to that end with a walk off homer, and I have been to a bunch. Astros Buddies and all.
Jeeeeebezus....that makes three of us! I was at that game with my whole family. We were sitting about 20 rows behind the visitors dugout. We stayed until about the 16th inning because us kids started whining. My Dad almost caught a foul ball in that game. I was 7 years old. I was an Astro buddy too....Cesar Cedeno. My favorite Astro memories involved foamers...I got to drink beer underage thanks to the Astros!
Another favorite Astro memory.....from 1986 or 1987. I moved to Los Angeles in 1986. During either the '86 or '87 season, a buddy of mine got four PRIMO tickets to see the Astros play the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. It was a businessman's special, and our seats were two rows behind the Astros dugout on the first base side. All four of us who went grew up in Houston together. We downed a 12 pack before the game and drank Dodger stadium beer like water when we got there. As we got drunker, we started yelling pro-Astro, anti-Dodger stuff from our seats. The people around us got pissed off and yelled "move back to Texas". Mike Scott pitched, the Astros won (I think it was 2-1) and Eric Anthony tossed me his sweat bands after the game. I still have one of them.
This is why i love the internet! i was sitting in the same area, maybe a little farther up. hard to believe that out of the few people who actually saw that game, three of us are members of cc.net all these years later. now, if only we could figure out where you and deck went wrong...
I have not seen this posted yet. Apparently Oswalt read the top 10 on Letterman: TOP 10 PERKS OF GETTING INTO THE WORLD SERIES The list presented by Roy Oswalt on the Late Show With David Letterman on Thursday night: • 10. Another two weeks of wearing a cup and showering with the guys. • 9. Get to visit exotic, far-off destinations like Illinois. • 8. More time to discuss with the team doctor if Cialis is right for me. • 7. With the discount, beer is only 18 bucks. • 6. It's fine and all, but the good news is, I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. • 5. Certificate good for one free groin pull. • 4. I get to appear on my favorite late night program — The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. • 3. World Series MVP gets to throw switch on Saddam's execution. • 2. Clemens used his AARP card to get us cheap hotel rooms. • 1. If Steinbrenner wants me next year, my price is now a billion dollars.
My favorite Stros memory is the three games that the Stros clinched the '86 Penant. Deshais throws a 2 hitter one night, Ryan throws a 1 hitter the next night and Scott throws a no hitter for the Clincher!
Just sitting in the cheap Pavilion seats as a small kid in the mid to late '70s. Tickets for kids were 50 cents then, lol. We would bring a cooler with our own drinks and food. My favorite player was Bob Watson. It was fun to yell "Ccrrruuuuuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzzz". The scoreboard was so great after Home runs and wins. My dad and I met JR Richard in the parking lot after a game once. I got my photo taken with Joe Sambitio when I was 10. I remember batting glove night and bat night being very special. I skipped school with a friend in '86 to witness Mike Scott's no hitter, I was 16 and just got my driver's license. I thought it was so cool that I was driving to the Astrodome. Plus I went a playoff game that year but not the 16 inning one. I also went to the All-Star game that year.
Coming home and being pissed that Channel 26 preempted Scooby Doo and Tom & Jerry for the Astros. First game ever: Pirates beat the Astros 7-1 at the 'Dome back in '80 or '81. Listening to the last game of '83 (or maybe '82), well after the Astros were eliminated, breathing every last minute of Gene Elston's play-by-play and thinking how much I was going to miss it until next April. Jeff Heathcock ptiched a CG for the Astros and they beat the Reds 2-1. I taped the game and still have it in my garage. In the late '80s, in the 12th inning or so, my Dad and I were sitting in the Mezzanine (sp?) on the front row. Rafael Ramirez was batting for us, and I said to Dad, "Raffy needs to send this one out of here and send us home." The next pitch landed about 40-60 feet to our left. I got lost in the parking lot that night. Keeping scorecards of every game from July through October of '86. Lost those somewhere. Listening to the Mike Scott no-hitter on the radio. Milo's call of that error was so confusing that for two innings I thought the Giants actually had a hit in the game. I remember watching Glenn Davis getting a "cup of coffee" late in '84 and telling my Dad, "this guy's going to be special." The "Young Guns of the West" poster where Billy D had that ridiculous huge glove. Listening to Kool & the Gang after every half-inning on Fox. In '82 or '83, I listened in the car on a family trip as Don Sutton shut out the Freaking Dodgers. Awesome. We got to family's house, but I stayed in the car for half an hour until the game was over. Noone's probably still reading this; I think I'm enjoying it all just for my benefit. Heckling Orlando Miller as he dropped more f-bombs on the crowd after one of his many, many, many K's. Loser. Coneheads. Oh, and, Charley Kerfeld was fat. Back in '85 or '86, the Astros participated in the annual "Hall of Fame Game" (do they still do that?) and beat the Red Sox. Nice. Watched in on my grandmother's black-and-white TV. "Baseball can be summed up with one word: juneberno." -- Joaquin Andujar The late '90s were awesome. My new top memory--The Moment: Bagwell and Biggio standing next to one another and realizing the last out had been recorded.
Reminds me of when the clock hit 0:00 at the Summit for Game 7 against the Knicks in 1994. The whole Summit, myself included, paused for a second as if in stunned realization that, yes a Houston team had just won a championship. Sweet memories!
One thing I miss about the Stros in the Dome, and something that I think Minute Maid Park lacks is.... ....Lefty's Pub. I used to love to hang out there, get drunk, and berate the opposing left fielder.
OK, apologies in advance for my self-indulgence, but all I can think of at work today is baseball, so this list is kind of long. Getting out of school early to watch the Stros’ one game playoff against the Dodgers Seeing Nolan Ryan whiff Danny Heep for his 4,000th strikeout (no big deal now, but he was the first to get there and it was a big deal then) Going to Nolan’s one-hitter in 86 hoping to see the Stros clinch and going straight to the box office to get tickets to Scott’s game the next day – even though we had school; hearing Nolan’s grunts all the way up in the Mezzanine when he unloaded a fastball My dad picking me and a friend up from school so we could play hooky and attend the Mike Scott no-no in 86; finding my face and orange-colored Stros hat in the newspaper photos after Scott’s no-no Glenn Davis’ HR off of Doc in Game 1 of the NLCS in 86 and knowing it was all the offense we needed with Scotty on the mound Kerfeld snagging Gary Carter’s shot up the middle behind his back and then showing the ball to Carter in the NLCS Game 6 of the NLCS starting during school, continuing during basketball practice, and still being on TV when I got home; Hatcher’s dramatic HR in Game 6 when all hope seemed lost Glenn Davis hitting a HR on an eephus pitch from some Expos pitcher – AFTER Davis had taken a step forward in his swing (he stepped back in mid swing and somehow had enough power to hit it out – like he was offended the guy would throw that junk to him) Billy Doran’s hard-nosed GOLD GLOVE play at second base (Billy D was my favorite player growing up) Ken Caminiti cannon arm throwing out baserunners he had no business getting out Biggio as a terror on the basepaths the year he stole 50 bases The summer of 94 when Bagwell seemed to be getting extra base hits every single day My buddy waking me up at midnight to tell me that the Stros had traded for Big Unit; being in Cooperstown the next day wearing a Stros cap and having strangers come up and congratulate me Bill Spiers’ game winning hit in the playoffs Watching Octavio Dotel’s fastball explode when he was probably the best (and most unhittable) reliever in baseball Lance Berkman’s outburst in the HR derby at MMP Watching unhittable pitch after unhittable pitch from Lidge in the 2004 playoffs Beltran hitting a HR on his shoelaces that prompted Tavarez to break his hand punching a phone (what an idiot) Jeff Kent’s HR in Game 6
Make it 4. We were there with my great-uncles from Detroit. It was their first visit to the dome and they were really wanting to see that scoreboard go off. Unfortunately, they didn't get to see it because we left after 22 innings. Also, that game led to a change in the groundskeeping rules. It was a bad hopper that eventually won the game and the Mets' complaint was that the field had not been raked since the 5th innings. They now rake the fields every 5 innings.
