1989 Houston Astros season
| 1989 Houston Astros | ||
|---|---|---|
| League | National League | |
| Division | West | |
| Ballpark | The Astrodome | |
| City | Houston, Texas | |
| Record | 86–76 (.531) | |
| Divisional place | 3rd | |
| Owners | John McMullen | |
| General managers | Bill Wood | |
| Managers | Art Howe | |
| Television | KTXH HSE | |
| Radio | KTRH (Bill Brown, Milo Hamilton, Larry Dierker, Bruce Gietzen, Bill Worrell, Enos Cabell) KXYZ (Orlando Sánchez-Diago, Rolando Becerra) | |
| ||
The 1989 Houston Astros season was the 28th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 25th as the Astros, 28th in the National League (NL), 21st in the NL West division, and 25th at The Astrodome. The Astros entered the season having completed an 82–80 record, in fifth place and 12+1⁄2 games behind the division-champion and World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers.
On April 8, pitcher Mike Scott made his third consecutive Opening Day start for Houston, who hosted the Atlanta Braves and won, 10–3. The season was best remembered for the Astros winning 16 of 17 games in late May through mid June. During the amateur draft, the Astros selected pitcher Jeff Juden at 12th overall and Todd Jones (27th) in the first round, outfielder Brian Hunter in the second round, and pitcher Shane Reynolds in the third round.
Scott and first baseman Glenn Davis were selected to the MLB All-Star Game and played for the National League, the second career selection for both.
The Astros concluded the season with an 86–76 record, in third place and six games behind the division champion and NL pennant-winning San Francisco Giants. Scott led the NL in wins (20), while, following the season, catcher Craig Biggio received his first career Silver Slugger Award.
Offseason
- December 4, 1988: The Astros traded a player to be named later to the Minnesota Twins for Mark Portugal. The Astros completed the deal by sending Todd McClure (minors) to the Twins on December 7.[1]
- December 21, 1988: Bob Forsch was signed as a free agent by the Astros.[2]
- January 10, 1989: John Fishel, Mike Hook (minors), and Pedro DeLeon (minors) were traded by the Astros to the New York Yankees for Rick Rhoden.[3]
- January 30, 1989: Dan Schatzeder was signed as a free agent by the Astros.[4]
- February 16, 1989: Roger Mason was signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros.[5]
- March 31, 1989: Dave Johnson and Victor Hithe (minors) were traded by the Astros to the Baltimore Orioles for Carl Nichols.[6]
Regular season
Summary
On May 27, Houston trailed heading into the bottom of the ninth, until infielder Glenn Davis connected for a two-out, two-run game-tying home run to take the game in extra innings. In the 12th, the Astros won on a walk-off when Rafael Ramírez singled home Davis.[7]
The final two games of four-game set on June 3 and 4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers took so many extra innings that by themselves the lasted a span of four games. A 22-inning marathon unfolded at The Astrodone on June 3, taking seven hours and 14 minutes. This ended with a 5–4 Astros win when Ramírez' single grazed the glove of left-hander Fernando Valenzuela, who was filling in at first base, for the game-winning RBI,[8] which was the longest game in major league history. The ninth consecutive win for the Astros, they pulled to 1+1⁄2 games behind the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants, while concluding at 2:50 AM. First pitch for the series finale was just 10 hours later at 1 PM. For the first time at the Astrodome, two grand slams were hit, including one by the Dodgers' Mike Scioscia in top of the first inning, while the Astros' Louie Meadows answered in the fifth, also his first home of the season. The game remained tied,[9] and in the top of the 13th, Astros ace Mike Scott, who made his first relief appearance since 1985, tossed a scoreless inning. In the bottom of the 13th inning, Scott hit for himself and drove in Ramírez on sacrifice fly for the walk-off run, securing a 7–6 win and four-game sweep of the Dodgers.[10]
On June 13, right fielder Terry Puhl played his 1,403rd game to pass Jack Graney for most all-time in the major leagues among Canadian-born players.[11]
Reliever Dave Smith established an Astros club record by converting each of the first 21 save opportunities to start the season. This record stood until 2025, when Josh Hader extended his streak to 22.[12]
Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Giants | 92 | 70 | .568 | — | 53–28 | 39–42 |
| San Diego Padres | 89 | 73 | .549 | 3 | 46–35 | 43–38 |
| 86 | 76 | .531 | 6 | 47–35 | 39–41 | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 77 | 83 | .481 | 14 | 44–37 | 33–46 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 75 | 87 | .463 | 17 | 38–43 | 37–44 |
| Atlanta Braves | 63 | 97 | .394 | 28 | 33–46 | 30–51 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MTL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | |||||
| Atlanta | — | 5–7 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 6–10 | 6–6 | 2–10 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 3–9 | |||||
| Chicago | 7–5 | — | 7–5 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 10–8 | 10–8 | 12–6 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 11–7 | |||||
| Cincinnati | 10–8 | 5–7 | — | 8–10 | 8–10 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 8–4 | |||||
| 10–8 | 7–5 | 10–8 | — | 10–8 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 7–5 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 7–5 | ||||||
| Los Angeles | 10–6 | 5–7 | 10–8 | 8–10 | — | 7–5 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 6–12 | 10–8 | 3–9 | |||||
| Montreal | 6–6 | 8–10 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 5–7 | — | 9–9 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 5–13 | |||||
| New York | 10–2 | 8–10 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 9–9 | — | 12–6 | 9–9 | 5–7 | 3–9 | 10–8 | |||||
| Philadelphia | 4–8 | 8–10 | 8–4 | 3–9 | 6–6 | 9–9 | 6–12 | — | 10–8 | 2–10 | 4–8 | 7–11 | |||||
| Pittsburgh | 8–4 | 6–12 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 7–11 | 9–9 | 8–10 | — | 3–9 | 5–7 | 13–5 | |||||
| San Diego | 11–7 | 4–8 | 9–9 | 10–8 | 12–6 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 10–2 | 9–3 | — | 8–10 | 2–10 | |||||
| San Francisco | 12–6 | 6–6 | 10–8 | 10–8 | 8–10 | 5–7 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 10–8 | — | 7–5 | |||||
| St. Louis | 9–3 | 7–11 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 9–3 | 13–5 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 5–13 | 10–2 | 5–7 | — | |||||
Notable transactions
- April 5, 1989: Greg Gross was signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros.[13]
- April 6, 1989: Troy Afenir was traded by the Astros to the Oakland Athletics for Matt Sinatro.[14]
- June 5, 1989: Jeff Juden was drafted by the Astros in the 1st round (12th pick) of the 1989 Major League Baseball draft. Player signed June 30, 1989.[15]
Roster
| 1989 Houston Astros | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Craig Biggio | 134 | 443 | 114 | .257 | 13 | 60 |
| 1B | Glenn Davis | 158 | 581 | 156 | .269 | 34 | 89 |
| 2B | Bill Doran | 142 | 507 | 111 | .219 | 8 | 58 |
| 3B | Ken Caminiti | 161 | 585 | 149 | .255 | 10 | 72 |
| SS | Rafael Ramírez | 151 | 537 | 132 | .246 | 6 | 54 |
| LF | Billy Hatcher | 108 | 395 | 90 | .228 | 3 | 44 |
| CF | Gerald Young | 146 | 533 | 124 | .233 | 0 | 38 |
| RF | Terry Puhl | 121 | 354 | 96 | .271 | 0 | 27 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Bass | 87 | 313 | 94 | .300 | 5 | 44 |
| Craig Reynolds | 101 | 189 | 38 | .201 | 2 | 14 |
| Alex Treviño | 59 | 131 | 38 | .290 | 2 | 16 |
| Glenn Wilson | 28 | 102 | 22 | .216 | 2 | 15 |
| Eric Yelding | 70 | 90 | 21 | .233 | 0 | 9 |
| Greg Gross | 60 | 75 | 15 | .200 | 0 | 4 |
| Mark Davidson | 33 | 65 | 13 | .200 | 1 | 5 |
| Alan Ashby | 22 | 61 | 10 | .164 | 0 | 3 |
| Eric Anthony | 25 | 61 | 11 | .180 | 4 | 7 |
| Louie Meadows | 31 | 51 | 9 | .176 | 3 | 10 |
| Steve Lombardozzi | 21 | 37 | 8 | .216 | 1 | 3 |
| Harry Spilman | 32 | 36 | 10 | .278 | 0 | 3 |
| Carl Nichols | 8 | 13 | 1 | .077 | 0 | 2 |
| Ron Washington | 7 | 7 | 1 | .143 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Scott | 33 | 229.0 | 20 | 10 | 3.10 | 172 |
| Jim Deshaies | 34 | 225.2 | 15 | 10 | 2.91 | 153 |
| Jim Clancy | 33 | 147.0 | 7 | 14 | 5.08 | 91 |
| Bob Knepper | 22 | 113.0 | 4 | 10 | 5.89 | 45 |
| Mark Portugal | 20 | 108.0 | 7 | 1 | 2.75 | 86 |
| Rick Rhoden | 20 | 96.2 | 2 | 6 | 4.28 | 41 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Forsch | 37 | 108.1 | 4 | 5 | 5.32 | 40 |
| José Canó | 6 | 23.0 | 1 | 1 | 5.09 | 8 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Smith | 52 | 3 | 4 | 25 | 2.64 | 31 |
| Juan Agosto | 71 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2.93 | 46 |
| Danny Darwin | 68 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 2.36 | 104 |
| Larry Andersen | 60 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1.54 | 85 |
| Dan Schatzeder | 36 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4.45 | 46 |
| Brian Meyer | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4.50 | 13 |
| Roger Mason | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.25 | 3 |
| Greg Gross | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.00 | 1 |
| Craig Reynolds | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.00 | 0 |
Awards and achievements
- Awards
- MLB All-Star Game:
- Reserve infielder—Glenn Davis
- Reserve pitcher—Mike Scott
- National League (NL) Pitcher of the Month[17] —May: Mike Scott
- NL Player of the Week[18]
- July 16: Glenn Davis
- August 20: Kevin Bass
- Silver Slugger Award at catcher: Craig Biggio
- NL batting leaders
- Caught stealing: Gerald Young (25—led MLB)
- NL pitching leaders
- Wins: Mike Scott (20)
- NL defensive leaders[19]
- Stolen bases allowed as catcher: Craig Biggio (140)
- Errors as shortstop: Rafael Ramírez (30)
- Outfield assists: Gerald Young (15)
- Putouts as outfielder: Gerald Young (412)
- Double plays turned as outfielder: Gerald Young (5)
- Total zone runs as third baseman: Ken Caminiti (23)
Minor league system
See also
References
- ^ Mark Portugal at Baseball Reference
- ^ Bob Forsch at Baseball Reference
- ^ Rick Rhoden at Baseball Reference
- ^ Dan Schatzeder at Baseball Reference
- ^ "Roger Mason Stats".
- ^ Carl Nichols at Baseball Reference
- ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (May 27, 2025). "Today in Astros history - May 27". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (June 4, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 4". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ Crowe, Jerry (June 5, 1989). "For Dodgers, it's a long lost weekend: In 13 innings, Astros finish 4-game sweep". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ^ Thompson, Joseph (September 25, 2018). "June 4, 1989: 'Don't you ever play nine-inning games?': Astros win again in extras". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (June 13, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 13". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
- ^ Youung, Matt (June 27, 2025). "Astros win fifth straight, clubbing their way past NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ "Greg Gross Stats".
- ^ Troy Afenir at Baseball Reference
- ^ Jeff Juden at Baseball Reference
- ^ "1989 Houston Astros Roster by Baseball Almanac".
- ^ "Major League Baseball Pitchers of the Month". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ^ "MLB Players of the Week Awards". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ^ "1989 National League fielding leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2025.