1965 Houston Astros season

Inaugural exhibition game at the Astrodome

On April 9, the former Houston Colt .45s took the field and officially became the Houston Astros. They inaugurated indoor baseball in the Astrodome with a 2–1 exhibition win over the New York Yankees. President Lyndon B. Johnson, one of 47,876 total guests in attendance, became the seventh U.S. president to have attended the inaugural game for a stadium. Texas governor John Connally, flanked by National League president Warren Giles and Tamaulipas governor Praxedis Balboa, tossed the ceremonial first pitch.^[4]

The Astros' Turk Farrell threw the game's official first pitch and baseball indoors was underway.^[4] Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle recorded each of the stadium's first hit, home run,^[5] and run scored.^[6] During the third inning, catcher Ron Brand smoked a triple for the home team's first hit in their new stadium.^[4] Player-coach Nellie Fox, another future Hall of Famer, furnished the first walk-off hit at the Astrodome to settle the contest outright in the bottom of the 12th inning.^[6]

Opening Day

During a pre-game ceremony on Opening Day and at the regular-season opening ceremony of the Astrodome, April 12, 1965, the Astros officially retired jersey number 32 in honor of former Colt .45s pitcher Jim Umbricht. Umbricht had died on April 8, 1964, following a battle with cancer and having returned to play for Houston the season earlier, in 1963. Aged 33 years old, his jersey number was the first to be retired by the team.^[10]

The Astrodome hosted a standing-room-only attendance of 48,546. Distinguished guests included Commissioner Ford Frick, National League President Warren Giles (also at the first exhibition game), and a contingent of NASA personnel, who witnessed baseball's tribute to the Space Age through the Astrodome. There, the Houston Astros hosted the Philadelphia Phillies. Twenty-two of the 24 NASA astronauts were in attendance, and, for the ceremonial first pitch, each simultaneously tossed to one of 22 members of the Astros.^[11]

The Philadelphia Phillies won the Astrodome’s regular-season opener, 2–0, behind a shutout by starter Chris Short. He held the Houston Astros to four hits and recorded 11 strikeouts, finishing with a game score of 88. Tony Taylor hit a leadoff double for the first regular-season hit in an indoor Major League game. For Houston, Bob Bruce pitched seven innings and allowed two runs. In the third inning, Dick Allen hit a two-run home run to give Philadelphia the lead, while Joe Morgan recorded Houston’s first regular-season hit in the fourth.^[12]

Rest of April

On April 15, Jimmy Wynn became involved in two first-time batting events for the Astros as they faced the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. During the bottom of the second inning, Walt Bond and Bob Aspromonte each started with a single, and Bond advanced to third on Aspromonte's hit. Next, Wynn flied out to right fielder Johnny Lewis, who threw out Bond racing home, and catcher Chris Cannizzaro fired to shortstop Roy McMillan, who tagged out Aspromonte and convert the triple play.^[13] This was both the first triple play turned against Houston. and first in which they were involved.^[b][14] During the top of the ninth, Wynn drilled the first home run for Houston known as the Astros, a two-run game-tying blast in the top of the ninth off Jack Fisher.^[15] However, in the bottom of the tenth inning, Bobby Klaus cranked a Claude Raymond offering for a walk-off home run deep to left field and decide a 5–4 the Mets victory.^[13]

Rusty Staub christened the first regular-season walk-off safety at the Astrodome on April 23, singling home Al Spangler in the bottom of the twelfth inning, icing a 4–3 decision over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dave Giusti plugged the final two frames in relief to secure the victory. Bruce, the Astros starter, logged his first double of the season during the third off his mound opponent, Bob Veale (the National League's reigning strikeout leader), to score John Bateman. Bruce surrendered two runs over 7+1⁄3 innings pitched.^[16]

Bob Aspromonte blasted the home team's first home run at the Astrodome on April 24 during the bottom of the sixth off Vern Law of the Pirates. The next inning, Wynn also took Law deep.^[15] As a result, a home run event by the home team cued "The Home Spectacular," an animated visual graphics display that quantified 474 feet (144 m) on the center field wall.^[17]

May

On May 1, the Astros swept a doubleheader of the Chicago Cubs, extending a winning streak to ten games for a club record. Though Houston would tie this record over a number of occasions, it remained the record until 1999.^[18]

Two prominent Astros obtained milestone firsts on May 8 at Wrigley Field. Joe Morgan connected for his first major league home run to deep right field. The blast occurred in the top of the sixth inning off Lindy McDaniel of Chicago, extending the Astros' lead to 8–5.^[19] Meanwhile, right-hander Larry Dierker procured his first Major League victory through finishing off the final 4+1⁄3 innings^[c][20] of relief of Don Nottebart. Seven of the Astros starting nine collected multi-hit games as Rusty Staub and Jimmy Wynn also went deep for an 11–6 Houston triumph. Wynn doubled and led the Astros with 3 RBI.^[21]

For the first time, on May 22, ABC's broadcast of the Major League Baseball Game of the Week featured the Astrodome. Viewers were thrilled by a massive Willie Mays home run that propelled the San Francisco Giants over the Astros to win the contest, 10–1.^[22] On May 23, the Giants, able to leverage a three-run, inside-the-park home run—a result of the ball getting caught in the roof of the Astrodome—won, 5–2, over Houston. This was the final game as a Houston Astro for starter Ken Johnson, who received news after the contest that had been traded to the Milwaukee Braves for outfielder Lee Maye.^[23]

Due to pop flies routinely misjudged as induced by the glare through the roof of the Astrodone, clear glass panes costing about $20,000 were installed on May 24. Consequently, these conditions created inadequate lighting to sustain the grass, which led to the installation of AstroTurf the following season.^[24]

Bpb Bruce struck out a then-club record 13 on May 26, tying Turk Farrell's effort on May 10, 1963.^[d][25] Bruce surrendered five hits and three runs in a complete game as the Astros triumphed over the Cincinnati Reds, 8–3. Jimmy Wynn homered and tripled, wound up just a double short of hitting for the cycle, and knocked in four runners.^[26] This record remained until June 25, 1966, when Mike Cuellar fanned 15.^[25]

June

With the scored tied 2–2 on June 4 going into the ninth inning, Houston Astros catcher Ron Brand connected for a three-run homer into the left field bleachers off Bob Gibson for the decisive runs in an Astros' 5–2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.^[27] After 140 relief appearances, on June 6, Claude Raymond made the first of seven starts over his major league career. He tossed a complete game against the Cardinals. holding them to just seven hits and one run as the Houston won, 10–1.^[28]

From June 8 to 9, the inaugural MLB amateur entry draft was conducted in New York City.^[29] The Astros received the fourth overall pick and chose shortstop Alex Barrett from Atwater High School in Atwater, California.^[30] Barrett played seven seasons professionally through 1971, reaching as high as Triple-A with the Oklahoma City 89ers, first in 1968.^[31] English native Keith Lampard, an outfielder at the University of Oregon whom the Astros chose as their second pick, would become their earliest draft pick to reach the major leagues.^[30] Lampard debuted with the Astros on September 15, 1969.^[32] Danny Walton, selected in the tenth round,^[30] was the position player among this year's draft class for Houston who would appear in the most games in the major leagues (297),^[33] while right-hander Tom Murphy, selected in the 18th round,^[30] would pitch the most games (439).^[34] Murphy did not sign with Houston. Eleven of the 71 players chosen by the Astros this year reached the major leagues.^[30]

The Astros passed the one-million mark in attendance for the first time on June 25,^[6] surpassing the prior year's total^[35] in under half a season.^[36] Eighteen-year-old Larry Dierker outdueled an ageless Warren Spahn—a quarter-century Dierker's senior—to lead the Astros to a 6–1 triumph over New York. Joe Morgan ignited the scoring with a two-run triple.^[6]

Joe Morgan's six-hit game

On July 8, rookie second baseman Joe Morgan established clubs records with six hits and 13 total bases, including two home runs, and also collected three RBI and four runs scored at Milwaukee County Stadium. The six hits tied the major league record for one game. His feats carried through Astros through an eventual 12-inning, 9–8 loss to the Milwaukee Braves.^{[Note 2][Note 3][37]} This was the first multi-home run game of Morgan's career, with both drives courtesty of Tony Cloninger offerings.^[19]

Early July

Morgan scored his second career multi-home run game just two days after his record performance. On July 10, took Galen Cisco deep in the top of the fourth inning at Shea Stadium, and in the top of the ninth, Tug McGraw. His performance was instrumental in a 9–1 clobbering of the New York Mets.^[19]

MLB All-Star Game

Turk Farrell made the MLB All-Star Game, hosted at Metropolitan Stadium. His fourth selection as an Astro, this extended his own club record. Outfielder César Cedeño was chosen to four All-Star Game to match Farrell for the club record in the 1976 edition.^[e] This stood as club record until Craig Biggio would receive his fifth selection in the 1996 All-Star Game^[38]

Later July—August

On July 25, Nellie Fox made his final major league appearance as a player, against the Cincinnati Reds,^[39] having ceded the starting second base job to fellow future Hall-of-Famer Joe Morgan. Fox had appeared in 21 games for Houston, batting .268.^[40] Fox remained on-field in his coaching role for the Astros for the remainder of the season and two more afterward.^[41]

During a span of eight outings initiated July 26, right-hander Dave Giusti retired 27 consecutive batters faced until August 14 to establish a club record. It remained as the club record 44 years until 2019 when surpassed by starting pitcher Justin Verlander, who accumulated 32. In 2022, Ryan Pressly also reached 32, which usurped Giusti for the club record for relief pitchers.^[42]

Veteran right-hander Robin Roberts made his Houston Astros debut at home on August 9, tossing a four-hit shutout while leading an 8–0 whitewashing of his former club, the Philadelphia Phillies.^[43] The victory was the 277th of Roberts' career.^[6]

On August 16, Roberts hurled his second successive four-hit shutout, this time of the Phillies' rival, the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Astros triumphed, 3 to 0. Roberts issued two base on balls while whiffing seven.^[43]

Roberts tossed another complete game in catenation on August 21, leading a 9–2 triumph over the Cubs. Roberts diffused nine hits and three walks while being charged with both runs as earned.^[43]

September

Hosting the Giants on September 13 at the Astrodome, Willie Mays crushed his 500th home run, and 47th of the season. Mays golfed a Don Nottebart offering deep to centerfield leading off the top of the fourth inning, depicted by Bob Stevens of the San Francisco Chronicle as a “monstrous, 440-foot blast into the centerfield bleachers.” At the time, the only hitters Mays had trailed were Babe Ruth (714), Jimmie Foxx (534), Ted Williams (521), and Mel Ott (511). The Giants scored three more times in the fourth, and behind a complete game effort from Juan Marichal, cruised, 5–1. Houston's only tally arrived via Jimmy Wynn's 21st home run in the bottom of the first inning.^[44]

On September 26, Chuck Harrison belted a walk-off home run—also his first major league home run—to cap a 4–2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Harrison took Billy McCool deep, and the drive scored Lee Maye and Jimmy Wynn.^[45]

Performance overview

The Astros concluded the 1965 epoch with a 65–97 (.401) record, in ninth place of ten National League clubs, and 32 games behind the pennant-winning Los Angeles Dodgers.^[46] In their first year at the Astrodome, Houston smashed attendance records with 2,151,470, nearly tripling the showing of fans from the year prior,^[35] for the second-highest total in the National League.^[f][47] This was the premier campaign in which the Colt .45s/Astros franchise had claimed both of the one-million and two-million thresholds of attendees. The team next reached the 2-million barrier in 1980, during which they claimed their first-ever playoff qualification.^[35]

However, the 97 defeats transformed into the franchise-worst record for Houston at the time, which surmounted the 96 losses the club had tallied in each of their first three seasons of existence. The 1975 and 1991 squads later equaled this record and, in 2011, the team overran the record with 106 losses. The 1965 iteration was the fourth of Houston's first seven campaigns in which they lost 90 or more contests, a franchise record.^[35]

Houston totaled 25 home runs at the Astrodome during their first year in their new stadium, compared with 72 on the road.^[15]

Morgan set club marks for at-bats (601), runs (100), hits (163) and triples (12) over a season.^[48][49] His 14 home runs established the club rookie record.^[g][50] Morgan also became the first Houston Astro to be selected as the NL Rookie Player of the Year by The Sporting News (TSN).^[a][51]

Meanwhile, Jim Wynn became Houston's first 40-stolen base bandit with 43, retaining the club record until Sonny Jackson pilfered 49 the following year.^[h][52]

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
Positional abbreviations: C = Catcher; 1B = First base; 2B = Second base; 3B = Third base; SS = Shortstop; LF = Left field; CF = Center field; RF = Right field

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts