1986 Houston Astros season

April—May

The Astros hosted the San Francisco Giants for Opening Day on April 8, as power pitcher Nolan Ryan made his third Opening Day start for Houston.^[10] Top prospect Will Clark, a 1984 Olympian and Golden Spikes Award winner, made his major league debut for the Giants at first base on Opening Day. During his first plate appearance, Clark deposited the first offering from Ryan, a shoulder-high fastball, 420 feet (130 m) into the center field bleachers for his first major league home run. The Astros rebounded in the bottom of the first. With Bill Doran aboard, Glenn Davis launched a home run off Giants right-hander Mike Krukow. In the second, Kevin Bass tripled and scored on Dickie Thon's squeeze bunt. Ryan recouped some vengeance on Clark in the third via a called third strike. Jeffrey Leonard took Ryan deep for a solo home run in the fourth, and during the following frame, San Francisco tied the score when Robby Thompson—also making his major-league debut—singled in José Uribe. Astros manager Hal Lanier, another debutante in his role, pulled Ryan after loading the bases in the top of the seventh, replacing him with Jeff Calhoun. Candy Maldonado greeted Calhoun with a bases-clearing triple, putting the Giants ahead to stay, 6–3. They scored twice more for an easy 8–3 triumph over Houston. Ryan took the loss with six runs surrendered over 6+1⁄3 frames, while Krukow claimed the victory.^[11]

Craig Reynolds golfed his third career grand slam on April 12, and his only grand slam in capacity as a pinch hitter. The drive came in bottom of the sixth with the Astros trailing the Atlanta Braves, 2–0.^[12] The blast supplied all the scoring to pave the way for a 4–3 Astros win and Nolan Ryan's (1–1) first victory of the season. Ryan tossed seven innings with two runs, one earned, surrendered.^[13]

On his way to a 4–0 start to the season, on May 2, Bob Knepper led the club to a 6–1 victory over the Montreal Expos,^[14] with six innings of one-run ball. Kevin Bass doubled, Reynolds tripled, and José Cruz collected two hits and two runs batted in (RBI). The Astros improved to 15–6.^[15]

After seven starts through May 4, starter Mike Scott had turned in a 3–2 win–loss record (W–L record) with a 4.03 earned run average (ERA). On the cusp of one of the most dramatic career transformations and dominant pitching performances of the season, Scott, in his next start, surrendered just one earned run over seven innings to the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[16] This outing initiated an Astros-record 20 consecutive quality starts,^[17] which surpassed the 15 set by Don Wilson in 1971, and remained until passed by Framber Valdez on August 24, 2022.^[18][19]

Mike Scott struck out 10 on May 25, his first career contest yielding double-figures in strikeouts.^[e][20] Having surrendered six hits and four walks, Scott departed after eight frames with Houston and the Chicago Cubs tied, 1–1. In the top of the 11th, catcher Mark Bailey doubled home Phil Garner and Craig Reynolds off Lee Smith (2–4) for the game-winning run. Charlie Kerfeld (4–1) retired the Cubs in order in each of the ninth and tenth innings to earn the win, while Dave Smith tossed a perfect 11th for the save (11).^[21]

June—early July

Phil Garner connected for both his 100th career home run and third grand slam on the same play on June 14,^[22] to lead a 7–3 win over the San Francisco Giants. Garner hit the grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning off Jeff Robinson and also drew two walks. Jim Deshaies (3–2) tossed five innings to earn the win for Houston, Larry Andersen (3) earned a hold, and Aurelio López finished the game with one run over three innings to convert the save (2).^[23] This was Garner's first grand slam since September 15, 1978,^[22] when he had become the first National League player since 1901 and just the seventh major leaguer to hit two over consecutive games.^[24] Moreover, Garner joined teammate José Cruz as one of 36 Major Leaguers through 1986 to have recorded at least 100 home runs and 200 stolen bases during his career.^[f][25]

On June 23, Glenn Davis hit a two-run, walk-off home run to complete a 7–6 comeback versus the Cincinnati Reds in the bottom of the ninth inning. In the top of the ninth, Larry Andersen by proxy was the winning pitcher without a single batter faced; rather, on a wild pitch, the runner on third base sprinted home. Andersen tagged the runner out for the final out of the Reds' 9th inning at bat.^[26] The walk-off blast was the first of Davis' career.^[27]

During the month of June, Bass collected 37 hits, 5 doubles, 7 home runs, 15 RBI, 5 SB, 12 BB, and 20 runs scored for a slash line of .378 / .460 / .663 / 1.123.^[28] Hence, Bass was recognized as NL Player of the Month, with the most recent Astro being teammate José Cruz in July 1984.^[29]

Kevin Bass cranked his first career grand slam on July 7 in the top of the ninth at Olympic Stadium,^[30] which all but erased an inning-ending, botched steal of home in the top of the second. Earlier in the frame, José Cruz doubled home Glenn Davis for the first run, and tripled and scored in the sixth. It was all Astros from there, as they went on to win 12–1 over the Montreal Expos. Davis swatted two home runs off Dennis Martinez, first a tie-breaking two-run blast in the third, and another for three runs in the fifth.^[31] It was Davis' second multi-home run game of the year and third total.^[27] Mike Scott cruised over seven smooth frames for the victory, his ninth of the year.^[31]

MLB All-Star Game at the Astrodome

The 1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 57th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 15, 1986, at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, the home of the Astros. The game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 3–2. AL starting pitcher and Boston Red Sox ace Roger Clemens, who later pitched for Houston from 2004 to 2006, was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award winner.^[32]

Four Astros were selected to the All-Star Game, including first baseman Glenn Davis, right fielder Kevin Bass, and pitchers Mike Scott and Dave Smith. The quartet matched the 1979 squad for most Astros selected to an All-Star Game, and in 1994, five players went to break the club record.^[33] Both Davis and Bass went hitless in pinch hit appearances. Meanwhile, Scott pitched in relief in the seventh inning and fanned his first two hitters swinging, Cal Ripken Jr., and Jesse Barfield, prior to yielding a home run to Frank White. Smith did not enter the game.^[34]

Later July—August

Having just made his first All-Star appearance, Kevin Bass opened a 20-game hitting streak starting July 22 and ending August 13. On July 24, Bass achieved his first career five-hit game. On August 5 and 11, he also realized 3-hit games. Bass hit safely in 31 of 81 at bats for a .383 batting average.^[35]

On July 22, one of the great pitching duels of Nolan Ryan's career transpired at the Astrodome. Ryan and Floyd Youmans (10–6) traded nine-inning shutout masterpieces prior to transitioning to extra innings. Ryan struck out 14 Montreal Expos through nine, and led off of the tenth by issuing a base on balls to Tim Wallach. Next, he induced a fly ball from Wayne Krenchicki to center field. However, Ryan surrendered another walk to Mike Fitzgerald. After 9+1⁄3 innings, Ryan had surrendered one hit with four bases on balls for a game score of 95. Dave Smith (3–6) was summonsed and got the final two outs, retiring Vance Law via the 15th punchout from Houston pitching. Leading off the bottom of the tenth, Davis crushed a Youmans offering (still in the game) for his second walk-off home run of the season as Houston triumphed, 1–0.^[27][36] Also, during his career, Ryan pitched more contests to a game score of 90 or higher than any major leaguer, at 31. The next closest achievers were Walter Johnson and Randy Johnson at 20 each.^[37]

On August 8, José Cruz celebrated his 39th birthday by driving in his 1,000th career run, while Mike Scott tossed a shutout to lead a 5–0 blanking of the San Diego Padres. Cruz' two-run single capped a four-run sixth inning, while Scott tossed his third shutout of the season and ended the day leading the league in earned run average (2.16 ERA) and strikeouts (217).^[38]

During his August 13 start, Scott yielded 5 earned runs on 7 hits over 5 innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing, 5–3. This problematic outing interrupted a then-club record of 20 successive quality starts. His performance was rated with a game score of 36, the lowest since May 4, which had received a score of 28. That May 4 start had also been his most recent non-quality start. In those 20 starts, Scott registered a 1.62 ERA over 155+2⁄3 innings pitched, yielding a 1.74 fielding independent pitching (FIP) rate, 9 home runs, 36 bases on balls and 174 strikeouts.^[17]

Nolan Ryan's 250th win

On August 27, Nolan Ryan (9–8) suppressed the Cubs for one hit over six shutout innings to earn his 250th career win via a 7–1 score, prior to turning it over to Charlie Kerfeld. Phil Garner collected four hits while the Astros stole six bases.^[38] It was the second four-hit game of Garner's career,^[39] who scored a run and had two RBI. Though the Astros did not manage any extra-base hits, they totaled 11 hits, and every starting batter other than Ryan contributed either a hit or an RBI. Moreover, the team coaxed five bases on balls while striking out just three times.^[40] Kerfeldt's three-inning effort yielded the Cubs' only run of the contest and five strikeouts for his sixth save. With Ryan's five punchouts, Astros pitching tallied 10 on the day.^[40] Taking the loss for the Cubs was rookie Jamie Moyer—the fourth of his career^[40]—who like Ryan, would become famous for his longevity.^{[Note 2][41]}

September

At Wrigley Field on September 3, Mike Scott (15–9) whiffed four Cubs batters during the fifth inning an 8–2 win, among 12 strikeouts total. The four batters struck out in the same inning tied the major league record. He became the first Houston Astro to strike out more three batters in one inning, just the 12th National League pitcher and 18th major leaguer overall.^[g][42]

José Cruz blasted his sixth career walk-off home run on September 6, during the bottom of the ninth to stun Todd Worrell and the St. Louis Cardinals. It was also the third such type of longball against his former club.^[h][43] Cruz also doubled. Glenn Davis slugged his 28th home run and collected three hits while Charlie Kerfeld (9–2) obtained the victory with a scoreless ninth.^[44]

Billy Hatcher's two-run single on September 12 proved to be the game-winning hit in an Astros uprising over Padres, 5–3, capping a three-run ninth. Terry Puhl coaxed a bases-loaded walk from Goose Gossage that effected the tying run. Finally, Dave Smith converted his 30th save, the first Houston pitcher to attain this milestone.^[38] Seventeen years earlier in 1969, Fred Gladding amassed 29.^[45]

From September 23 to 25, the Astros' starting rotation put on display one of the great three-day pitching masterpieces in major league history. On September 23, Jim Deshaies set a major league record by commencing the game with 8 consecutive strikeouts of the Dodgers, which led a 4–0 shutout.^{[Note 3][47]} The following day, Nolan Ryan silenced the bats of the San Francisco Giants via six innings of no-hit ball until a Mike Aldrete single halted the bid. Charlie Kerfeld took over for the ninth, and surrendered just one hit to polish off a second consecutive two-hit shutout to succeed Deshaies. Ryan hurled eight shutout innings with 12 strikeouts to lead the Astros' 6–0 win and clinch a tie of the NL West division crown. Meanwhile, Glenn Davis launched his 30th home run of the campaign, becoming just the second Astro to realize the milestone, and first since Jimmy Wynn in 1969.^[38]

Mike Scott's no-hitter

During the final contest of the Astros' three-day rotation masterpiece, on September 25, Mike Scott threw a no-hitter against the Giants to lead the Astros, which simultaneously clinched the National League West division title.^[32] The final score was 2–0 and Scott struck out 13 Giants batters. It was the first time in National League history and the second no-hitter thrown overall that clinched a playoff berth.^[48] Scott's effort earned a game score of 98.^[49]

Scott's run support arrived via a solo home run from Denny Walling in the fifth inning, and an RBI single from José Cruz in the seventh inning.^[50]

At one point, Scott had retired 14 in a row. The only hitters to reach for San Francisco were Dan Gladden on a hit by pitch—leading the game off, Chili Davis—leading off the second inning, and Phil Ouellette, with the latter two reaching via bases on balls. Gladden and Davis both stole second base.^[50]

San Francisco's Will Clark grounded out to first baseman Glenn Davis for the final out of the contest.^[50]

Scott's no-hitter was the first to clinch either a division title or pennant outright. Allie Reynolds pitched a no-hitter on September 18, 1951, that clinched a tie for the American League pennant for the New York Yankees during the first game of a doubleheader, leading an 8–0 rout of the Boston Red Sox.^[50]

The eighth no-hitter in club history, it reprised the effort by Ryan on September 26, 1981, Houston's most recent. The most recent no-hitter thrown against San Francisco was on May 10, 1981, by Charlie Lea of the Montreal Expos.^[50] Houston next no-hitter occurred on September 8, 1993, by Darryl Kile.^[51]

Alan Ashby, Scott's batterymate, became the first Houston Astro to catch three no-hitters for the club. Ashby previously caught Ken Forsch's magnum opus on April 7, 1979, and Ryan's in 1981. At the time, this also had tied the major league record, previously executed 11 times, most recently by Jeff Torborg in 1973.^[i][52][53] Another of the 11 distinguished former receivers was Yogi Berra, on staff as a coach that year for the Astros.^[52][54]

October

The Astros played the Giants through extra innings on October 2. Despite Mike Scott's seven inning effort with eight strikeouts and just one run allowed, San Francisco maintained a 1–0 advantage. However, in the top of the ninth, Kevin Bass bolted home on a wild pitch to tie the score, 1–1. In the top of the tenth, Bill Doran smacked a solo shot for the go-ahead run, and the lead stood. Matt Keough (5–4) earned the victory, while Dave Smith locked down the 2–1 lead in 10th for his 33rd save.^[55] Their 93rd victory of the season, this Astros edition tied their 1980 counterparts for most wins in a single season in club history.^[56][57]

For the portion of the season ensuing his May 4 start, Scott tossed a 15–8 record with a 1.87 ERA. Encompassing his final five starts, he struck out 55 and issued four bases on balls.^[16]

Performance overview

The Houston Astros concluded the 1986 campaign with a final record of 96–66 (.593), winning the NL West division by 10 games ahead of the division-runners-up Cincinnati Reds. The Astros pitching staff surrendered the fewest runs per game (3.51), tossed the most shutouts (19), strikeouts (1,160), collected the most saves (51), and ranked second in earned run average (3.15 ERA).^[58] The 96 wins set a club record, eclipsing 93 wins by the 1980 squad, and remained until 1998, when the Astros collected 102 victories.^[57]

Closer Dave Smith recorded 33 saves, to establish the club record for one season and first with 30 or more. surpassing Fred Gladding's record of 29 amassed in 1969. This remained the club record until Doug Jones closed out 36 in 1993.^[j][59]

Mike Scott, who led the major leagues in numerous categories, including a 2.22 earned run average (ERA) and 306 strikeouts, became the third Astros pitcher to lead the NL in ERA, following J. R. Richard (2.71 in 1979) and Ryan (1.69 in 1981).^[60] After having ceded 16 earned runs over his first four outings of the season, Scott concluded with 1.94 ERA over his final 33 starts.^[17] Scott also joined Richard as the second Astros pitcher to lead the NL strikeouts (303 in 1978 and 313 in 1979) for the third 300-strikeout season overall by an Astros pitcher.^[61] Hence, following J. R. Richard in 1979, Scott became the second Houston Astro to lead the league in two-thirds of the pitching Triple Crown.^[k][62]

Further, Scott was the major-league leader in hits per nine innings surrendered (5.949 H/9), marking the eighth instance in that an Astros hurler had led the league. He was preceded by Don Wilson (once), J. R. Richard (thrice) and Nolan Ryan (thrice).^[63] Per the Elias Sports Bureau (ESB), Scott became the third hurler since 1950 to lead MLB in strikeouts, ERA, and batting average against, joining Sandy Koufax in 1965 and Richard in 1979.^[64]

First baseman Glenn Davis won his first career Silver Slugger Award, the fourth overall in club history, and the first at the position.^[65]

Following the season, Mike Scott was recognized with the NL Cy Young Award to become the first Houston Astro to win this award.^[66] Moreover, Scott joined Niekro (1979) as the second Astro to be recognized as The Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year.^[a][67]

Lanier won Manager of the Year honors from multiple outlets. He became the first Astro recognized as NL Manager of the Year as voted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA),^[68] the second Astro named by the Associated Press (AP), following Bill Virdon in 1980,^[69] and the second Astro named by The Sporting News,^[c] also following Virdon in 1980.^[70]

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Strikeout club

No-hit game