Feb 20, 2016 - 11 min - Uploaded by CoachAtaClick - Courtney HudsonMy pitching charts help you go beyond the typical stats and look for the real patterns that will.

• Fastpitch Softball Pitching Chart Template

Charting Pitchers The pitching chart contains more detail than the hitter chart, but still allows for easy input. There is one page for each hitter that the pitcher faces.

Location, pitch type and result can all be tracked on the chart. This chart can be used in a few ways. It can be kept as a cumulative chart for each hitter the pitcher faces or as a cumulative chart for the game, where each 20 pitches is charted on a sheet. Another way to use this chart is to break it up by inning. That way a pitcher could see how he approached a portion of the lineup the last time he pitched to them.

Compact Charts There is a compact version of the pitching and hitting chart. This will allow you to save paper, but will be more difficult to enter information into. Also, there is a lot of information that can be collected on the compact charts. Use only the information that you feel is relevant. The pitching chart will be mirror the score book in that each opposing hitter will be charted in order.

The hitting chart will not mirror the score book in that you want to keep a separate chart for each hitter. Each chart allows you to track pitch type, location, and result. The pitching chart will also allow you to keep a running pitch count. View the charting example page below to see a sample of how the charts are used.

. Front office Owner(s) Manager General Manager President of Baseball Operations Jeff Luhnow The Houston Astros are an American team based in,. The Astros compete in (MLB) as a member club of the (AL) division, having moved to the division in 2013 after spending their first 51 seasons in the (NL). The Astros have played their home games at since.

The Astros were established as the Houston Colt.45s and entered the National League as an expansion team in along with the. The current name—reflecting Houston's role as the control center of the U.S. —was adopted three years later, when they moved into the, the first domed sports stadium.

The Astros played in the NL from 1962 to 2012, first in the Division from 1969 to 1993, followed by the Division from 1994 to 2012. While a member of the NL, the Astros played in one, in, against the, in which they were swept in four games. In 2017, they became the first franchise in MLB history to have won a pennant in both the NL and the AL, when they defeated the in the. They subsequently won the against the, winning four games to three, earning the team, and the state of Texas, its first World Series title. See also: From 1888 until 1961, Houston's professional baseball club was the minor league. Although expansion from the eventually brought an MLB team to Texas in, Houston officials had been making efforts to do so for years prior.

There were four men chiefly responsible for bringing Major League Baseball to Houston: George Kirksey and Craig Cullinan, who had led a futile attempt to purchase the in 1952; R.E. 'Bob' Smith, a prominent oilman and real estate magnate in Houston who was brought in for his financial resources; and Judge, a former Mayor of Houston and Harris County Judge who was recruited for his salesmanship and political style. They formed the Houston Sports Association as their vehicle for attaining a big league franchise for the city of Houston.

Given MLB's refusal to consider expansion, Kirksey, Cullinan, Smith, and Hofheinz joined forces with would-be owners from other cities and announced the formation of a new league to compete with the established National and American Leagues. They called the new league the.

Wanting to protect potential new markets, both existing leagues chose to expand from eight teams to ten. However, plans eventually fell through for the Houston franchise after the Houston Buffaloes owner, could not come to an agreement with the HSA to sell the team. To make matters worse, the Continental League as a whole folded in August 1960. However, on October 17, 1960, the to the Houston Sports Association in which their team could begin play in the 1962 season. According to the, the Houston Sports Association was required to obtain territorial rights from the Houston Buffaloes in order to play in the Houston area, and again negotiations began to purchase the team. Eventually, the Houston Sports Association succeeded in purchasing the Houston Buffaloes, at this point majority-owned by William Hopkins, on January 17, 1961.

The Buffs played one last minor league season as the top farm team of the in 1961 before being succeeded by the city's NL club. The new Houston team was named the Colt.45s after a 'Name The Team' contest was won by William Irving Neder. The was well known as 'the gun that won the west.'

The colors selected were navy and orange. The first team was formed mostly through an after the 1961 season.

The Colt.45s and their expansion cousins, the, took turns choosing players left unprotected by the other National League franchises. Many of those associated with the Houston Buffaloes organization were allowed by the ownership to continue in the major league. Manager, who had joined Houston in 1961, remained in the same position for the team until the end of the. General manager also continued with the organization as business manager, but was later promoted again to the same position with the Astros from 1967 until 1975. Although most players for the major league franchise were obtained through the, Buffs players, and were chosen to continue as major league ball players. Similarly, the radio broadcasting team remained with the new Houston major league franchise. Loel Passe worked alongside as a color commentator until he retired from broadcasting in 1976.

Elston continued with the Astros until 1986. The Colt.45s began their existence playing at, a temporary venue built just north of the construction site of the indoor stadium. 1962–1964: The Colt.45s.

Colt.45s logo, 1962–1964 The Colt.45s started their inaugural season on April 10, 1962, against the with as the Colt.45s' manager. Scored the first run for the Colt.45s on an triple in the first inning. They started the season with a three-game sweep of the Cubs but eventually finished eighth among the National League's ten teams. The team's best pitcher, lost 20 games despite an of 3.02. A starter for the Colt.45s, Farrell was primarily a relief pitcher prior to playing for Houston. He was selected to both All-Star Games in 1962. The 1963 season saw more young talent mixed with seasoned veterans., and all made their major league debuts in the.

However, Houston's position in the standings did not improve, as the Colt.45s finished in ninth place with a 66–96 record. The team was still building, trying to find that perfect mix to compete. The 1964 campaign began on a sad note, as relief pitcher died of cancer at the age of 33 on April 8, just before. Umbricht was the only Colt.45s pitcher to post a winning record in Houston's first two seasons. He was so well liked by players and fans that the team retired his jersey number, 32, in 1965. Just on the horizon, the structure of the new domed stadium was more prevalent and it would soon change the way that baseball was watched in Houston and around the league. On December 1, 1964, the team announced the name change from Colt.45s to 'Astros.'

1965–1970: The Great Indoors. Astros logo, 1965–1974 with the Astrodome With Judge now the sole owner of the franchise and the new venue complete, the renamed 'Astros' moved into their new domed stadium, the, in 1965. The name honored Houston's position as the center of the nation's space program; 's new had recently opened southeast of the city. The Astrodome, coined the 'Eighth Wonder of the World', did little to improve the home team's results on the field. While several 'indoor' firsts were accomplished, the team still finished ninth in the standings. The attendance was high not because of the team accomplishments, but because people came from miles around to see the Astrodome.

Just as the excitement was settling down over the Astrodome, the found something new to put the domed stadium in the spotlight once again – the field. Grass would not grow in the new park, since the roof panels had been painted to reduce the glare that was causing players on both the Astros and the visiting teams to miss routine pop flies. A new artificial turf was created called ' and Houston would be involved in yet another change in the way the game was played. With new manager, the Astros started the 1966 season strong. By May they were in second place in the National League and looked like a team that could contend.

Was named as a starter on the. The success did not last as they lost for the season after he crashed into an outfield fence in and Morgan had broken his knee cap. The saw first baseman join the Astros.

The slugger hit his 500th home run while in Houston. He would be traded late in the season and would be promoted to the big leagues. Rookie pitched a no-hitter on June 18. Wynn also provided some enthusiasm in 1967. The 5 ft 9 in Wynn was becoming known not only for how often he hit home runs, but also for how far he hit them. Wynn set club records with 37 home runs, and 107 RBIs.

It was also in 1967 that Wynn hit his famous home run onto in. As the season came to a close, the Astros found themselves again in ninth place and with a winning percentage below.500. The team looked good on paper, but could not make it work on the field. April 15, 1968 saw a pitching duel for the ages. The Astros' and the Mets' faced each other in a battle that lasted six hours.

Seaver went ten innings, allowing no walks and just two hits. Wilson went nine innings, allowing five hits and three walks. After the starters exited, eleven relievers (seven for the Mets and four for the Astros) tried to end the game. The game finally ended in the 24th inning when Aspromonte hit a shot toward Mets shortstop. Weis had been perfect all night at short, but he was not quick enough to make the play. The ball zipped into left field, allowing to score.

With baseball expansion and trades, the Astros had dramatically changed in. Aspromonte was sent to the Braves and Staub was traded to the expansion, in exchange for outfielder and first baseman. However, Clendenon refused to report to Houston, electing to retire and take job with a pen manufacturing company.

The Astros asked Commissioner to void the trade, but he refused. Instead, he awarded and a left-handed relief pitcher to the Astros to complete the trade. Cuellar was traded to the for.

Other new players included catcher, infielder and pitcher. Wilson continued to pitch brilliantly and on May 1 threw the second no-hitter of his career. In that game, he struck out 18 batters, tying what was then the all-time single-game mark. He was just 24 years of age and was second to only for career no-hit wins. Wilson's no-hitter lit the Astros' fire after a miserable month of April, and six days later the team tied a major league record by turning seven double plays in a game. By May's end, the Astros had put together a ten-game winning streak. The Houston infield tandem of Menke and Joe Morgan continued to improve, providing power at the plate and great defense.

Morgan had 15 homers and stole 49 bases while Menke led the Astros with 90 RBIs. The Menke/Morgan punch was beginning to come alive, and the team was responding to Walker's management style. The Astros dominated the season series against their expansion twins, the New York Mets. In one game at New York, Denis Menke and Jimmy Wynn hit in the same inning, against a Mets team that would go on to win the World Series that same year. The Astros finished the 1969 season with a record of 81 wins, 81 losses, marking their first season of.500 ball. In, the Astros were expected to be a serious threat in the National League West. In June, 19-year-old was called up and immediately showed signs of being a superstar.

The Dominican outfielder batted.310 after being called up. Not to be outdone, Menke batted.304 and batted.306. The Astros' batting average was up by 19 points compared to the season before. The team looked good, but the Astros' ERA was up. And Wilson had winning records, but the pitching staff as a whole had an off season. Houston finished in fourth place in 1970.

1971–1974: The boys in orange The fashion trends of the 1970s had started taking root in baseball. Long hair and loud colors were starting to appear on team uniforms, including the Astros'.

In 1971 the Astros made some changes to their uniform: they kept the same style they had in previous seasons, but inverted the colors. What was navy was now orange and what was orange was now a lighter shade of blue. The players' last names were added to the back of the jerseys. In 1972, the uniform fabric was also changed to what was at the time revolutionizing the industry – polyester. Belts were replaced by elastic waistbands, and jerseys zipped up instead of having buttons.

The uniforms became popular with fans, but would last only until 1975, when the Astros would shock baseball and the fashion world. The uniforms were about the only thing that did change in 1971. The acquisition of from the in the off-season moved Menke to first base and to the outfield. The Astros got off to a slow start and the pitching and hitting averages were down. Was selected to the All-Star game in 1971, but due to an arm injury he could not make it. Led the club with 81 RBIs and the league with 40 doubles, but batted just.264 and had 102 strikeouts in his second season with the Astros.

Pitcher made his debut in September of the 1971 season against the. The Big Trade. Astros logo, 1975–1993 with the Astrodome With the $38 million deficit of the Astrodome, control of the Astrodomain was passed from Judge to GE Credit and Ford Motor Credit. This included the Astros. The creditors were just interested in preserving asset value of the team, so any money spent had to be found or saved somewhere else. Returned to the Astros from the to find a team that needed a lot of work and did not have a lot of money.

However, there would be some bright spots that would prove to be good investments in the near future. The year started on a sad note. Pitcher Don Wilson was found dead in the passenger seat of his car on January 5, 1975; the cause of death was asphyxiation by carbon monoxide. Wilson was 29 years old. Wilson's number 40 was retired on April 13, 1975. The 1975 season saw the introduction of the Astros' new uniforms. Many teams were going away from the traditional uniform and the Astros were no exception.

The uniforms had multishade stripes of orange, red and yellow in front and in back behind a large dark blue star over the midsection. The same stripes ran down the pant legs. Players numbers not only appeared on the back of the jersey, but also on the pant leg. The bright stripes were meant to appear as a fiery trail like a rocket sweeping across the heavens.

The uniforms were panned by critics, but the public liked them and versions started appearing at the high school and little league level. The uniform was so different from what other teams wore that the Astros wore it both at home and on the road until 1980. Besides the bright new uniforms there were some other changes. Was traded to for much talked about rookie second baseman and utility player. In Baltimore, Cabell was stuck behind third baseman, but he took advantage of his opportunity in Houston and became their everyday third baseman.

Cabell would go on to become a big part of the team's success in later years. With May gone, was able to move to first base and was a bright spot in the line up, batting.324 with 85 RBI. The two biggest moves the Astros made in the offseason were the acquisitions of and. The Astros bought Niekro from the for almost nothing. Niekro had bounced around the big leagues with minimal success.

His older brother had started teaching Joe how to throw his knuckleball and Joe was just starting to use it when he came to the Astros. Niekro won six games, saved four games and had an ERA of 3.07. Was also a steal, in retrospect, from the. Cruz became a fixture in the Astros' outfield for several years and would eventually have his number 25 retired.

Despite high expectations, was among the Astros' worst in franchise history. Their record of 64–97 was far worse than even the expansion Colt.45's and would remain the worst record in franchise history until. It was the worst record in baseball and manager was fired late in the season and replaced. The Astros played.500 ball under Virdon in the last 34 games of the season. With Virdon as the manager the Astros improved greatly in 1976 finishing in third place with an 80–82 record. A healthy was a key reason for the Astros' success in 1976. Continued to show consistency and led the club with a.313 average and 102 RBI.

Became Houston's everyday left fielder and hit.303 with 28 stolen bases. 1976 saw the end of 's playing career as an Astro, but before it was all over he would throw a no-hitter and win the 1,000th game in the Astrodome. The Astros finished in third place again in with a record of 81–81. One of the big problems the Astros had in the late 1970s was that they were unable to compete in the free agent market. Ford Motor Credit Company was still in control of the team and was looking to sell the Astros, but they were not going to spend money on better players.

Most of the talent was either farm grown or bought on the cheap. The would prove to be a big turnaround in Astros history. During the offseason, the Astros made an effort to fix some of their problem areas. They traded to for shortstop and acquired catcher from for pitcher.

Reynolds and Ashby were both solid in their positions and gave Houston some much needed consistency. The season started with a boost from pitcher, who threw a the the second game of the season. In May 1979, New Jersey shipping tycoon Dr. Had agreed to buy the Astros. Now with an investor in charge, the Astros would be more likely to compete in the free agent market. The Astros were playing great baseball throughout the season.

And both stole 30 bases. Had a great year with 21 wins and 3.00 ERA. Won 18 games and set a new personal strikeout record at 313.

Came into his own with 22 saves as the Astros closer. Things were going as they should for a team that could win the west. The Astros and Reds battled the final month of the season. The Reds pulled ahead of the Astros by a game and a half. Later that month they split a pair and the Reds kept the lead.

That would be how it would end. The Astros finished with their best record to that point at 89–73 and 1½ games behind the NL winner Reds. McMullen as sole owner of the Astros, the team would now benefit in ways a corporation could not give them. The rumors of the Astros moving out of Houston started to crumble and the Astros were now able to compete in the free-agent market.

McMullen showed the city of Houston that he too wanted a winning team, signing nearby native to the first million-dollar-a-year deal. Ryan had four career no-hitters already and had struck out 383 in one season. 1980–1985: On the Brink returned in 1980.

Now back in Houston with two MVP awards and two, Morgan wanted to help make the Astros a pennant winner. The 1980 pitching staff was one of the best Houston ever had, with the fastball of Ryan, the knuckleball of and the terrifying 6 ft 8 in frame of. Teams felt lucky to face, who was a double-digit winner in the previous two seasons. Richard became the first Astros pitcher to start an All-Star game.

After a medical examination three days later, Richard was told to rest his arm and he collapsed during a July 30 workout. He had suffered a stroke after a blood clot in the arm apparently moved to his neck and cut off blood flow to the brain. Surgery was done to save his life, but the Astros had lost their ace pitcher after a 10–4 start with a stingy 1.89 ERA.

Richard attempted a comeback, but would never again pitch a big league game. After the loss of Richard and some offensive struggles, the Astros slipped to third place in the division behind the Dodgers and the Reds. They bounced back to first with a ten-game winning streak, but the Dodgers had regained a two-game lead when they arrived in Houston on September 9.

The Astros won the first two games of that series and the two teams were tied for the division lead. The Astros held a three-game lead over the Dodgers with three games left in the season against the Dodgers. The Dodgers swept the series games, forcing a one-game playoff the next day. The Astros would however win the one-game playoff 7–1, and advance to their first post-season.

The team would face the in the. The Phillies sent out in game one of the NLCS after a six-hour flight the night before. The Phillies would win the opener after the Astros got out to a 1–0 third-inning lead. Ken Forsch pitched particularly strong fourth and fifth innings, but hit a sixth-inning two-run bomb to the 300 level seats of.

The Phillies added an insurance run on the way to a 3–1 win. Houston bounced back to win games two and three. Game four went into extra innings, with the Phillies taking the lead and the win in the tenth inning.

Started a rally with a one-out single, then Luzinski doubled off the left field wall and Rose bowled over catcher Bruce Bochy to score the go-ahead run. The Phillies got an insurance run on the way to tying the series. Rookie Phillies pitcher was sent out by Philadelphia manager to face veteran in Game Five. The rookie gave up a run in the first inning, then held the Astros at bay until the sixth inning. An Astros lead was lost when hit a two-out single in the second, but the Astros tied the game in the sixth with an single scoring.

Houston took a 5–2 lead in the seventh, however the Phillies came back with five runs in the inning. The Astros came back against with four singles and two two-out runs. Now in extra innings, doubled in with one out to give the Phillies an 8–7 lead. The Astros failed to score in the bottom of the tenth. Astros starting pitcher in 1983 A 1981 player strike ran between June 12 and August 10.

Ultimately, the strike would help the Astros get into the playoffs. And picked up steam in the second half of the season. Ryan threw his fifth no-hitter on September 26 and finished the season with a 1.69 ERA. Knepper finished with an ERA of 2.18. In the wake of the strike, Major League Baseball took the winners of each 'half' season and set up a best-of-five divisional playoff. The won more games than any other team in the National League, but they won neither half of the strike-divided season. The finished 61–49 overall, which would have been third in the division behind the Reds and the.

Advancing to the playoffs as winners of the second half, Houston beat Los Angeles in their first two playoff games at home, but the Dodgers took the next three in Los Angeles to advance to the. By, only four players and three starting pitchers remained from the 1980 squad. The Astros were out of pennant contention by August and began rebuilding for the near future. Was fired as manager and replaced by original Colt.45. Asked to be traded and was sent to the for cash and the team gained three new prospects, including. Minor league player was called up in September. Bass also got a look in the outfield.

The Astros finished fourth in the west, but new talent was starting to appear. Before the, the Astros traded to the Mets for pitcher, a 28-year-old who had struggled with New York. Sat out the 1983 season with an injury, forcing to third and to first. Doran took over at second, becoming the everyday second baseman for the next seven seasons.

The Astros finished third in the National League West. The started off badly when shortstop was hit in the head by a pitch and was lost for the season. In September, the Astros called up rookie after he posted impressive numbers in AAA. The Astros finished in second place. In, learned a new pitch, the split-finger fastball. Scott, who was coming off of a 5–11 season, had found his new pitch and would become one of Houston's most celebrated hurlers. In June, Davis made the starting lineup at first base, adding power to the team.

In September, was traded to the Yankees for two minor league pitchers and lefty. The Astros finished in fourth place in 1985. 1986–1990: Lighting a Fire After finishing fourth in 1985, the Astros fired general manager and manager.

The former was supplanted by, the man whose defeated the Astros to win the 1979 NL West title. The latter was replaced by who, like his manager mentor in St. Louis, had a hard-nosed approach to managing and espoused a playing style that focused on pitching, defense, and speed rather than home runs to win games.

This style of baseball, known as, took advantage of stadiums with deep fences and artificial turf, both of which were characteristics of the Astrodome. Lanier's style of baseball took Houston by storm. Before Lanier took over, fans were accustomed to Houston's occasional slow starts, but with Lanier leading the way, Houston got off to a hot start, winning 13 of their first 19 contests. Prior to the start of the season the Astros acquired outfielder from the Cubs for. Lainer also made a change in the pitching staff, going with a three-man rotation to start the season. This allowed Lanier to keep his three starters (, and ) sharp and to slowly work in rookie hurler.

And held down the right side of the field but Lainer rotated the left side. And faced the right-handed pitchers while and batted against left-handers. Lainer knew the Astros had talent and he put it to work. The Astrodome was host to the in which Astros, and represented the host field. The Astros kept pace with the NL West after the All-Star break.

They went on a streak of five straight come-from-behind wins. Houston swept a key 3-game series over the in late September to clinch the division title. Took the mound in the final game of the series and pitched a no-hitter – the only time in MLB history that any division was clinched via a no-hitter. Scott would finish the season with an 18–10 record and a. The against the was noted for great drama and is considered one of the best postseason series ever.

In Game 3, the Astros were ahead at, 5–4, in the bottom of the 9th when closer gave up a two-run home run to, giving the Mets a dramatic 6–5 win. However, the signature game of the series was Game 6. Needing a win to get to Mike Scott (who had been dominant in the series) in Game 7, the Astros jumped off to a 3–0 lead in the first inning but neither team would score again until the 9th inning. In the 9th, starting pitcher would give up two runs, and once again the Astros would look to Dave Smith to close it out. However, Smith would walk and, giving up a sacrifice fly to, tying the game.

Despite having the go-ahead runs on base, Smith was able to escape the inning without any further damage. There was no scoring until the 14th inning when the Mets would take the lead on a single and an error by left fielder. The Astros would get the run back in the bottom of the 14th when Hatcher (in a classic goat-to-hero-conversion-moment) hit one of the most dramatic home runs in history, off the left field foul pole. In the 16th inning, Darryl Strawberry doubled to lead off the inning and Ray Knight drove him home in the next at-bat. The Mets would score a total of three runs in the inning to take what appeared an insurmountable 7–4 lead. With their season on the line, the Astros would nonetheless rally for two runs to come to within 7–6.

Kevin Bass came up with the tying and winning runs on base; however would strike him out, ending the game. At the time the 16-inning game held the record for the longest in MLB postseason history. The Mets won the series, 4–2.

After the 1986 season, the team had difficulty finding success again. Several changes occurred.

The 'rainbow' uniforms were phased out, the team electing to keep a five-stripe 'rainbow' design on the sleeves. From 1987 to 1993, the Astros wore the same uniform for both home and away games; the only team in Major League Baseball to do so during that period. Its favorites and moved on and the team entered a rebuilding phase. Debuted in June 1988, joining new prospects and.

Biggio would become the everyday catcher by 1990. A trade acquiring in exchange for would become one of the biggest deals in Astros history. Glenn Davis was traded to for, and in 1990. 1991–1999: Fine tuning The early 1990s were marked by the Astros' growing discontent with their home, the Astrodome. After the Astrodome was renovated for the primary benefit of the 's (who shared the Astrodome with the Astros since the 1960s), the Astros began to grow increasingly disenchanted with the facility. Faced with declining attendance at the Astrodome and the inability of management to obtain a new stadium, in the off-season Astros management announced its intention to sell the team and move the franchise to the Washington, D.C.

However, the move was not approved by other National League owners, thus compelling the Astros to remain in Houston. Shortly thereafter, McMullen (who also owned the 's ) sold the team to Texas businessman in 1993, who committed to keeping the team in Houston. Shortly after McLane's arrival, which coincided with the maturation of Bagwell and Biggio, the Astros began to show signs of consistent success. After finishing second in their division in 1994 (in a ), 1995, and 1996, the Astros won consecutive division titles in 1997, 1998, and 1999.

In the 1998 season, the Astros set a team record with 102 victories. However, each of these titles was followed by a first-round playoff elimination, in by the and in and against the. The manager of these title teams was, who had previously been a broadcaster and pitcher for the Astros. During this period, Bagwell, Biggio, and Sean Berry earned the collective nickname 'The Killer Bs'. In later seasons, the name came to include other Astros, especially. Coinciding with the change in ownership, the team switched uniforms and team colors after the season in order to go for a new, more serious image.

The team's trademark rainbow uniforms were retired, and the team's colors changed to midnight blue and metallic gold. The 'Astros' font on the team logo was changed to a more aggressive one, and the team's traditional star logo was changed to a stylized, 'flying' star with an open left end. It marked the first time since the team's inception that orange was not part of the team's colors. Despite general agreement that the rainbow uniforms identified with the team had become tired (and looked too much like a minor league team according to the new owners), the new uniforms and caps were never especially popular with many Astros fans.

Final Astros regular season game in the Astrodome on October 3, 1999 Off the field, in 1994, the Astros hired one of the first general managers, former franchise player. Watson would leave the Astros after the 1995 season to become general manager of the and helped to lead the Yankees to a in 1996.

He would be replaced by, who until 2004 would continue to oversee the building of the Astros into one of the better and most consistent organizations in the Major Leagues. However, in 1996, the Astros again nearly left Houston. By the mid-1990s, McLane (like McMullen before him) wanted his team out of the Astrodome and was asking the city to build the Astros a new stadium.

When things did not progress quickly toward that end, he put the team up for sale. He had nearly finalized a deal to sell the team to businessman William Collins, who planned to move them to.

However, Collins was having difficulty finding a site for a stadium himself, so Major League owners stepped in and forced McLane to give Houston another chance to grant his stadium wish. Houston voters, having already lost the in a similar situation, responded positively via a stadium referendum and the Astros stayed put. 2000–2004: New ballpark. Astros logo, 2000–2012 The 2000 season saw a move to a new stadium. Originally to be named The Ballpark at Union Station due to being located on the site of, it was renamed by the season opening after the naming rights were sold to energy corporation.

The stadium was to feature a retractable roof, a particularly useful feature with unpredictable Houston weather. The ballpark also featured more intimate surroundings than the Astrodome. In 2002, naming rights were purchased by Houston-based, after went bankrupt. The park was built on the grounds of the old.

A locomotive moves across the outfield and whistles after home runs, paying homage to a Houston history which had eleven railroad company lines running through the city by 1860. The ballpark previously contained quirks such as 'Tal's Hill', which was a hill in deep center field on which a flagpole stood, all in fair territory. Tal's Hill was replaced in the 2016–2017 offseason. The wall was moved in to 409 feet, which the team hoped would generate more home runs. A similar feature was located in. Over the years, many highlight reel catches have been made by center fielders running up the hill to make catches. With the change in location also came a change in attire.

Gone were the blue and gold uniforms of the 1990s in favor a more ' look with pinstripes, a traditional baseball font, and the colors of brick red, sand and black. These colors were chosen because ownership originally wanted to rename the team the Houston Diesels. The 'shooting star' logo was modified but still retained its definitive look.

Main article: In 2005, the Astros started poorly and found themselves with a 15–30 record in late May. The had written them off with a tombstone emblazoned with 'RIP 2005 Astros'. However, from that low point until the end of July, Houston went 42–17 and found themselves in the lead for an NL wild card spot. July saw the best single-month record in the club's history at 22-7. Offensive production had increased greatly after a slow start in the first two months. The Astros had also developed an excellent pitching staff, anchored by (20–12, 2.94), (17–9, 2.39), and (13–8 with a league-low ERA of only 1.87). The contributions of the other starters— (10–8, 4.76) and rookie starters (3–6, 5.67) and (10–10, 5.53)—were less remarkable, but enough to push the Astros into position for a playoff run.

The Astros won a wild card berth on the final day of the regular season, becoming the first team since the world champion 1914 Boston Braves to qualify for the postseason after being 15 games under.500. The Astros won the against the, 3–1, with a game four that set postseason records for most innings (18), most players used by a single team (23), and longest game time (5 hours and 50 minutes). Trailing by a score of 6–1, hit an eighth-inning grand slam to narrow the score to 6–5. In the bottom of the ninth, catcher hit a game-tying home run that allowed the game to continue in extra innings. In the bottom of the tenth inning, Luke Scott hit a blast to left field that had home run distance, but was inches foul. This game remained scoreless for the next eight innings.

In the top of the fifteenth inning, Roger Clemens made only his second career relief appearance, pitching three shutout innings, notably striking out, at the time the oldest player in the MLB at 47 years old; Clemens was himself 43. In the bottom of the eighteenth inning, Clemens came to bat again, indicating that he would be pitching in the nineteenth inning, if it came to that. Clemens struck out, but the next batter, hit a home run to left field for the Astros win, 7–6. Oddly enough, a fan in the 'Crawford Boxes' in left field had previously caught Berkman's grand slam and this same fan caught Burke's home run. The featured a rematch of the.

The Astros lost the first game in, but would win the next three games, with Roy Oswalt getting the win. Though the Astros were poised to close out the series in Game Five in Houston, Brad Lidge gave up a monstrous two-out three-run home run to, forcing the series to a sixth game in St. Louis, where the Astros clinched a World Series appearance. Was named NLCS MVP, having gone 2–0 with a 1.29 ERA in the series. Current honorary NL President William Y.

Giles presented the league champion Astros with the Warren C. Giles Trophy. Warren Giles, William's father and President of the National League from to, had awarded an MLB franchise to the city of Houston in 1960.

The Astros faced the in the. Chicago had been considered the slight favorite but would win all four games, the first two at in and the final two in Houston. Game 3 marked the first World Series game held in the state of Texas, and was the longest game in World Series history, lasting 5 hours and 41 minutes. This World Series was marked by a controversy involving the Minute Maid Park roof. MLB & Commissioner Bud Selig insisted that the Astros must play with the roof open, which mitigated the intensity and enthusiasm of the cheering Astros fans. 2006–2010: The decline In the 2006 offseason, the team signed Preston Wilson and moved Berkman to first base, ending the long tenure of Jeff Bagwell.

The Astros renewed the contract with Clemens and traded two minor league prospects to the for left-handed hitter. By August, Preston Wilson complained about his playing time after the return of from AAA Round Rock. The Astros released Wilson and he was signed by St. A dramatic season end included wins in 10 of their last 12 games, but the Astros missed a playoff appearance when they lost the final game of the season to the Atlanta Braves.

On October 31, the Astros declined a contract option on for 2007, ending his 15-year Astros career and leading to his retirement. And filed for free agency. On December 12, the Astros traded, and to the for Rockies pitchers and.

Fastpitch Softball Pitching Chart Template

A trade with the White Sox, involving the same three Astros in exchange for Jon Garland, had been nixed a few days earlier when Buchholz reportedly failed a physical. In the end, Taveras continued to develop and Hirsh had a strong 2007 rookie campaign, while Jennings was often injured and generally ineffective.

Astros second baseman in 2013 In 2012, the Astros were eliminated from the playoffs before September 5. On September 27, the Astros named to be the manager for the 2013 season. On October 3, the Astros ended over 50 years of NL play with a 5–4 loss to the Chicago Cubs and began to look ahead to join the American League. Winning only 20 road games during the entire season, the Astros finished with a 55–107 record, the worst record in all of Major League Baseball for the 2012 season, and surpassing the 2011 season for the worst record in Astros history. On November 2, 2012, the Astros unveiled their new look in preparation for their move to the American League for the 2013 season. The uniform is navy and orange, going back to the original 1960s team colors, as well as debuting a new version of the classic navy hat with a white 'H' over an orange star. On November 6, 2012, the Astros hired former Cleveland Indians director of baseball operations as the team's new assistant general manager.

The Astros would also go on to hire former front office executive as their general manager. The Houston Astros played their first game as an American League team on March 31, 2013, where they were victorious over their in-state division competitor, the, with a score of 8–2. On September 29, the Astros completed their first year in the American League, losing 5–1 in a 14-inning game to the New York Yankees. The Astros finished the season with a 51–111 record (a franchise worst) with a season ending 15-game losing streak, again surpassing their worst record from the previous season.

The team finished 45 games behind the division winner, further adding to their futility. This marked three consecutive years that the Astros had lost more than 100 games in a single season.

They also became the first team to have the first overall pick in the draft three years in a row. They improved on their season in, going 70–92, finishing 28 games back over the division winner, and placing fourth in the AL West over the Texas Rangers. 2015–present: Sudden success and first World Series title. Many buildings in the skyline of participated in cheering for the Astros during the. In 2014, Sports Illustrated predicted the Astros would win the 2017 World Series through their strategic rebuilding process.

As of June 9, the Astros were 41–16, which gave them a 13.5-game lead over the rest of their division, and they had comfortable possession of the best record in the entire league. This was the best start in the Astros' 55-year history. As the games of June 23 concluded, the Astros had an 11.5-game lead over the rest of the division.

The Astros entered the All-Star Break with an American League-best 60–29 record and a 16-game lead in the division, although the overall best record in MLB had just barely slipped to the Dodgers shortly before the All-Star Break by just one game. With causing massive flooding throughout Houston and southeast Texas, the Astros' three-game series against the for August 29–31, was relocated to (home of the ), in,. The Astros greatly improved against the Rangers in 2017, going 12–7 against them and winning the season series. At the August 31 waiver-trade deadline GM Jeff Luhnow acquired veteran starting pitcher and Cy Young Award winner to bolster the starting rotation. Verlander won each of his 5 regular season starts with the Astros, yielding only 4 runs over this stretch.

He carried his success into the playoffs, posting a record of 4–1 in his 6 starts, and throwing a complete game in Game 2 of the ALCS. Verlander was named the 2017 ALCS MVP. See also: No. Name Position Date retired 5 1B, Coach August 26, 2007 7 C, OF, 2B August 17, 2008 17 OF, 1B July 31, 2010 24 OF June 25, 2005 25 OF, Coach October 3, 1992 32 P April 12, 1965 33 P October 3, 1992 34 P September 29, 1996 40 P April 13, 1975 49 P, Manager May 19, 2002 57 P June 22, 2002 42 All MLB April 15, 1997 The number 42 is retired by Major League Baseball in honor of. Source: Hall of Fame Baseball Hall of Fame members Houston Astros Hall of Famers Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Houston Colt.45s Houston Astros. Main article: Astros in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame No. Active roster Inactive roster Coaches/Other Pitchers Starting rotation.

45. 60. 50. 35 Bullpen. 36. 31. 54.

41. 59.

55. 29. 38 Closer. 30 Catchers. 11. 15.

12 Infielders. 2. 1. 9. 10. 13 Outfielders. 21.

18. 22.

3 Pitchers. 65. 47.

64. 61.

58. 43. 62 Catchers. 16 Infielders. 27.

28. 23 Outfielders. 6. 4 Manager. 14 Coaches. 46 (assistant hitting). 85 (bullpen catcher).

37 (first base). 20 (bench). 39 (hitting). 8 (third base). 56 (pitching). 55 (bullpen).

See also: Since 2013, the Astros' flagship radio station is, Sportstalk 790 AM (a affiliate). Previously, the team had a partnership with (740 AM) which went from 1999 to 2012 (both stations are owned by ). This change suddenly made it difficult for listeners outside of Houston itself to hear the Astros, as KTRH runs 50 kilowatts of power day and night, and KBME runs only five kilowatts. As a result, KTRH is audible across much of Central, East, and South Texas, whereas KBME can only be heard in Houston, especially after dark., a veteran voice who was on the call for 's 715th career home run in 1974, retired at the end of the 2012 season, after broadcasting play-by-play for the Astros since 1985. And Brett Dolan shared play-by play duty for road games, while Raymond additionally worked as Hamilton's color analyst (while Hamilton called home games only for the past few seasons before his retirement); they were not retained and instead brought in and to begin broadcasting for the 2013 season. Spanish language radio play-by-play is handled by Francisco Romero, and his play-by-play partner is, a former backup catcher for the club. During the 2012 season Astros games on television were announced by and.

In the seven seasons before then, Astros games were broadcast on television by, with select games shown on broadcast TV. As part of a ten-year, $1 billion deal with that includes a majority stake jointly held by the Astros and the, Houston Astros games moved to the new Comcast SportsNet Houston at the beginning of the 2013 season.

On September 27, 2013 CSN Houston filed for and surprising the Astros who own the largest stake. After being brought out of bankruptcy by and, the channel's name was changed to Root Sports Southwest then later. The current television team consists of and. Houston Astros mascot from 1990–1999, 2013–present Orbit is the name given to MLB's Houston Astros mascot, a lime-green outer-space creature wearing an Astros jersey with antennae extending into baseballs.

Orbit was the team's official mascot from the 1990 through the 1999 seasons, where Junction Jack was introduced as the team's mascot with the move from the Astrodome to then Enron Field in 2000. Orbit returned after 13-year hiatus on November 2, 2012 at the unveiling of the Astros new look for their 2013 debut in the American League. The name Orbit pays homage to Houston's association with NASA and nickname Space City. The Astros had been represented by a trio of rabbit mascots named Junction Jack, Jesse and Julie from 2000 through 2012. In April 1977, the Houston Astros introduced their very first mascot, Chester Charge.

Created by Ed Henderson, Chester Charge was a Texas cavalry soldier on a horse. Chester appeared on the field at the beginning of each home game, during the seventh inning stretch and then ran around the bases at the conclusion of each win. At the blast of a bugle, the scoreboard would light up and the audience would yell, 'Charge!' .

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