01/01 2020 Don Larsen, who pitched a perfect World Series game for the Yankees in 1956, passes away in Idaho at age 90. Larsen was purchsed by Houston in May of 1964 then traded to Baltimore the following April. He went 4-8 with a 2.40 ERA in 31 appearances. For his 14 big league seasons, he compiled an 81-91 record with a 3.78 ERA. 01/01 1988 Dallas Keuchel is born in Tulsa, OK. The lefthander would become the third Astro to win a Cy Young Award, and the first in the American League, after his 20-win season in 2015. In seven seasons as an Astro, he would compile a 76-63 mark with a 3.66 ERA, two All-Star nods and four Gold Gloves before leaving in free agency after the 2018 campaign. 01/01 1954 Joe "Shoes" Pittman is born in Houston, TX. He lives the boyhood dream of playing for the local big league club as an Astros infielder in 1981 and 1982. He bats .281 in 52 games during his strike-shortened rookie campaign then hits .200 in 15 games before being traded to San Diego. 01/02 2001 Houston signs infielder Charlie Hayes to a contract. The veteran hits .200 in 50 at bats but might be best remembered for a chair-throwing incident early in the year. 01/02 1965 Greg Swindell is born in Fort Worth, TX. Signed to a big free agent contract, the lefthander has a disappointing stint in Houston from 1993 to 1996, going 30-34 with a 4.48 ERA. 01/03 2006 Free agent outfielder Preston Wilson signs a one-year deal with the Astros. His time in Houston lasts only through August but he winds up the year celebrating a World's Championship with the St. Louis Cardinals. 01/03 1991 The Astros ink free agent pitchers Dwayne Henry and Jimmy Jones to contracts. Henry would win three games with two saves as a reliever that season while Jones would go 16-14 in two seasons for Houston. 01/03 1962 Ground is broken for the Astrodome. The ceremony includes the firing of pistols into the ground by team, city and county officials. 01/03 1940 Ron Brand is born in Los Angeles, CA. The catcher plays for Houston for four seasons (1965-1968) and was the only Houston catcher to bat leadoff before Craig Biggio arrived twenty years later. 01/04 2007 Infielder Mark Loretta is signed to a one-year contract. He bats .296 with the Astros during two stints (2002, 2007-2008), including ten homers. 01/04 1982 Jason Bourgeois is born in Houston, TX. The fleet outfielder bats .269 with 40 steals with the Astros in 2010 and 2011. 01/04 1967 Houston trades outfielder Lee Maye and a minor leaguer to the Cleveland Indians for outfielder Jim Landis, catcher Doc Edwards and a minor leaguer. Landis hits .252 with one homer in part-time duty before being shipped to Detroit in mid-season. 01/04 1965 Harris County Commissioners vote to restrict visitors from the construction site of the new domed stadium, fearing the constant traffic of onlookers would delay completion of the ballpark. While Judge Hofheinz calls the stadium "95-percent complete", commissioners are concerned that the deadline for the April 9th opener will be approaching soon. 01/05 2024 Michael Brantley announces his retirement. A five-time All-Star (twice with Houston), the outfielder leaves with a .305 average and 42 homers over his five seasons as an Astro. Overall, "Uncle Mike" batted .298 with 129 homers in 15 big league campaigns. 01/05 2011 Jeff Bagwell draws 41.7% of the vote in his first year on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, which sets off a debate about Bagwell's credentials and suspicions of steroid use. Bagwell insists he's never used them and no accuser has comes forward with any proof yet that doesn't seem to be good enough for some writers who declare their opposition. 01/05 1975 Pitcher Don Wilson , at age 29, dies at home from carbon monoxide poisoning after falling asleep in his car. His young son, asleep in a bedroom above the garage, also dies in the tragedy. His number 40 is retired by the Astros the following spring, the second Houston player to be so honored. 01/05 1961 A contest to name the new Houston ballclub is announced. Entries will be accepted through the end of the month by the Houston Sports Association. 01/06 2015 Craig Biggio is elected to the Hall of Fame with 82.7% of BBWAA votes in his third year of eligibility, becoming the first Houston player to be inducted as an Astro. Former Astros hurler Randy Johnson (97.3%) was also elected. Jeff Bagwell misses at 55.7% of the vote. 01/06 2000 Houston signs veteran pitcher and former Cy Young winner Dwight "Doc" Gooden to a free agent contract. He pitches in the debut of Enron Field but gets into only one game during the regular season before he is sent to Tampa Bay. 01/06 1976 The Astros obtain Art Howe from the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete a deal the previous month for infielder Tommy Helms. The versatile Howe is instrumental in Houston's first division title and later manages the team for five seasons. 01/06 1966 The Astros deal outfielder Johnny Weekly and cash to the Mets for pitcher Gary Kroll. The righthander would see just ten games with Houston. 01/07 2021 Houston reaches an agreement with righthander Ryne Stanek on a one-year, $1.1 million contract. After some promising seasons with Tampa Bay, Stanek comes over from Miami where he struggled during two partial seasons. 01/07 1963 Craig Shipley is born in Parramatta, Australia. The utility infielder bats .263 in 1995, his lone season as an Astro. 01/07 1924 Jim Pendleton is born in St. Charles, MO. The Opening Day left fielder for the first Colt .45 squad, Pendleton hits .246 with eight homers during their inaugural season. 01/08 2005 Hopes of retaining free agent center fielder Carlos Beltran are dashed when the deadline to re-sign him expires. Beltran had rejected a reported seven-year $105 million dollar offer, the richest in club history, before signing with the New York Mets a few days later. 01/08 1977 David Matranga is born in Orange, CA. The injury call-up is 1-for-5 in his big league career but he is only the second Astro to homer in his first major league at bat. 01/08 1960 Julio Solano is born in Agua Blanca, DR. The pitcher would spend his first five big league seasons with the Astros followed by two years in Seattle. 01/08 1934 Gene Freese is born in Wheeling, WV. A former all-star third baseman, Freese bats .091 in 21 games for the Astros in 1966, the final stop in his big league career. 01/08 1927 Jim Busby is born in Kenedy, TX. He bats 2-for-11 as a player/coach in 1962 then continues as a Houston coach for much of the decade. 01/09 2018 Astros kick off a 100-city celebration tour by displaying the Worlds Series trophy at the State Capitol in Austin with Gov. Greg Abbott on hand. 01/09 2009 Lefthander Dave Roberts dies of lung cancer in Morgantown, WV at age 64. Roberts pitched for four seasons (1972-1975) with the Astros as part of a 13-year big league career. His best season with Houston is 1973 when he tosses a 17-11 record with a 2.85 ERA. 01/09 1998 Houston inks a pair of free agent hurlers. One of them is lefty Pete Schourek, who has a history of arm problems and demands to only be used as a starter. He goes 7-6 in 15 starts before being sold to Boston in mid-season. 01/09 1994 Johnny Temple dies at age 66 in White Rock, SC. A five-time all-star in Cincinnati, he has a .263 average over two seasons with the Colt .45s as a reserve then comes back to Houston as a sportscaster for KHOU-TV. 01/09 1972 Jay Powell is born in Meridian, MS. As a reliever, he wins eleven games and loses ten over four seasons as an Astro, saving eight games and closing the pennant clincher on the last day of the 1999 regular season. 01/10 1991 First baseman Glenn Davis is traded to Baltimore for outfielder Steve Finley and pitchers Curt Schilling and Pete Harnisch. Davis would suffer a spring injury and never play effectively for the Orioles. All three players Houston acquired would later become stars although not so much for what they did while wearing Astro stars and stripes. 01/10 1989 The Astros acquire veteran righthander Rick Rhoden from the Yankees for three minor leaguers. Rhoden starts 20 games and wins just two during his final season in a 15-year career. 01/10 1985 Sammy Gervacio is born in Sabana de la Mar, DR. In his debut season (2009), Gervacio posted a 1-1 record and an impressive 2.14 ERA in 29 games from the bullpen but injuries limit him to just six games in 2010. 01/11 2010 News leaks out that an investment group headed by former US Olympic Committee chief Harvey Schiller is interested in buying the Astros from Drayton McLane, Jr. McLane has given them a 30-day window to exclusively negotiate a deal but no offer materializes. 01/11 1973 Houston owner Judge Roy Hofheinz votes along with the rest of the National League to allow the American League to conduct a three-year experiment using the Designated Hitter. It will be the first time since the A.L. was formed in 1901 that the two major leagues would have a different set of rules. The gimmick has survived ever since and is now used by National League teams when involved in interleague play. 01/12 2010 Brett Myers, a former first-round pick of the Phillies, signs a one-year deal with an option for 2011. The 29-year-old righthander spent time as ace and closer with the Phils but is coming off hip surgery. He winds up leading the Astros with 14 wins and is rewarded with an extension through 2013. 01/12 2004 Less than three months since retiring, pitcher Roger Clemens returns to sign a $5 million-dollar, one-year contract with the Astros. The 41-year-old holds a record six Cy Young awards. Clemens cites his Houston home and his friendship with Yankee-turned-Astro teammate Andy Pettitte among his reasons for pitching another season. The deal includes a ten-year personal services contract to remain with the organization once he retires for good. Clemens winds up giving the Astros a season to remember. 01/12 1977 Houston trades catcher Alfred Henry "Skip" Jutze to Seattle for a minor leaguer and cash. After being brought to Houston with high expectations in 1973, Jutze finds himself unable to hold the job and is quietly dispatched to an expansion team in the other league. He ends with a .215 career average. 01/12 1961 Casey Candaele is born in Lompoc, CA. The 5-9 utilityman plays five seasons in Houston (1988-1993) and, despite his small stature, bashed nine homers as an Astro. He credits his mother for his baseball skills. 01/13 2020 Major League Baseball hands down its punishment to the Astros for the sign-stealing scandal of 2017. General Manager Jeff Luhnow and Manager A.J. Hinch were suspended a year without pay. The team was fined $5 million and the club forfeited their top two draft picks for 2020 and 2021. After the report was released, owner Jim Crane fired both Luhnow and Hinch. While not active participants in the scandal, the report said both had the responsibility to stop it and that neither did. 01/13 2018 Astros trade Joe Musgrove, Colin Moran, Michael Feliz and a minor leaguer to Pittsburgh for pitcher Gerrit Cole. He is billed as the "third ace" to team with Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel in hopes of defending their Worlds Championship. 01/13 2009 Preston Gomez, the Astros' first minority manager, dies in Fullerton, CA at age 85. The Cuban native had been in failing health since being hit by a pickup truck while walking across the street nine months before. Gomez spent less than two years at the helm of the Astros, leading them to an 81-81 record in 1974 and a 47-80 record in 1975 before he was replaced by Bill Virdon. Gomez also managed the Padres and Cubs then served over 20 years as an assistant with the Angels. 01/13 1969 Orlando Miller is born in Changuinola, Panama. The shortstop would break out in 1994 with a .325 average and two homers during an injury call-up, hit .266 as the strarter the following year and bats .256 with 15 homers in 1996 before being traded to Detroit. 01/13 1950 Bob Forsch is born in Sacramento, CA. He pitches for the Astros in 1988 and 1989, compiling a 5-9 record. His older brother, Ken, pitched eleven seasons for Houston. Bob passed away from an aneurysm on November 3rd, 2011 at age 61 - within a week of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of Game 7 of the World Series. 01/14 2019 Mel Stottlemyre Sr., the Astros' pitching coach from 1994-95, passes away from cancer at age 77. In an 11-year career with the Yankees, the righthander won 164 games and was a five-time All-Star. He owned another footnote in Houston history as the opposing starting pitcher for the first game in the Astrodome. 01/14 2015 Houston acquires slugger Evan Gattis, along with reliever James Hoyt, from Atlanta for pitcher Mike Foltynewicz and two minor leaguers. Gattis would go on to lead the Astros in home runs (27) and RBIs (88) that season. 01/14 1999 The Astros swap catcher Brad Ausmus and pitcher C.J. Nitkowski to Detroit for five players including catcher Paul Bako and pitcher Brian Powell. Ironically, both players Houston traded away would return to the Astros organization. 01/14 1998 Houston deals outfielder James Mouton to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Sean Bergman. Bergman contributes a 16-15 record on two division-winning Astros clubs. 01/14 1939 Hilario "Sandy" Valdespino is born in San Jose de las Lajas, Cuba. The reserve outfielder bats .244 for the Astros during the first five months of the 1969 season before being traded. He had been in the 1965 World Series during his rookie season with the Minnesota Twins. 01/15 2008 During congressional hearings about the use of performance enhancing drugs, an order is issued for the FBI to investigate statements from shortstop Miguel Tejada for possible perjury charges. Tejada, acquired the month before in a trade, is in the Dominican Republic and unavailable for comment. 01/15 1943 Mike Marshall is born in Adrian, MI. He pitches in only four games as an Astro in 1970 before he is sent to Montreal. As a Dodger in 1974, Marshall wins the Cy Young Award by winning 15 and saving 21 while appearing in a remarkable 106 games in relief. 01/16 2001 Jim Deshaies, former Astro lefthander and broadcaster, receives one vote in the Hall of Fame balloting. It comes from local sportswriter John Lopez. Deshaies receives notoriety for a humorous website openly promoting his candidacy for Cooperstown. 01/16 1970 Ron Villone is born in Bergenfield, NJ. The much-travelled lefty posts an 11-13 record in two stints with Houston (2001, 2003). 01/16 1934 Jim "Bear" Owens is born in Gifford, PA. Owens would compile an 18-20 record in four seasons of relief in Houston (1964-1967) with 16 saves and later became the Astros' pitching coach. 01/17 1973 The Astros sign catcher Luis Pujols as a free agent. He would be a reserve for the Astros for seven seasons, hitting above .200 only twice. 01/17 1964 Jeff Tabaka is born in Barberton, OH. The southpaw reliever compiles a 1-2 record with one save over the 1995 and 1996 seasons as an Astro. 01/17 1961 The Houston Sports Association buys the minor league Houston Buffs, a team affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals for decades. The HSA runs the team for the rest of the season while building a transition to National League play the following year. 01/17 1915 Chalmer Luman Harris is born in New Castle, AL. He would become the first manager of an indoor baseball team when the Colt .45s move into the Astrodome and become the Houston Astros in 1965. 01/18 2017 First baseman Jeff Bagwell is voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame with 86.2% of the vote, along with catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who played briefly with the Astros, and outfielder Tim Raines. It was Bagwell's seventh year on the ballot. 01/18 1979 Wandy Rodriguez is born in Santiago, D.R. The lefthander had an 80-84 record with a 4.04 ERA in eight seasons (2005-2012) as an Astro. 01/18 1961 Harris County officials and members of the Houston Sports Association stump for votes in favor of the upcoming bond election to be held on January 31st. The bonds would allow the County to begin building the first indoor baseball arena, a condition National League owners gave Judge Hofheinz while approving Houston for an expansion franchise. 01/19 2015 Astros deal outfielder Dexter Fowler to the Cubs for infielder Luis Valbuena and pitcher Dan Straily. Valbuena belts 25 homers while splitting time between third base and first base that season. 01/19 1993 Houston inks pitchers Mark Grant and Eric Bell to contracts. Neither wins a game for the Astros, appearing in just 16 games between them. 01/19 1971 Two former Houston first round draft choices are born on this day. Infielder Phil Nevin is born in Fullerton, CA. The first pick overall in the 1992 June draft, Nevin tries management's patience before being traded to Detroit. Pitcher Jeff Juden is born in Salem, MA. The 6-8 righthander is the 12th overall pick in the 1989 draft but would record just a 0-3 record before being dealt. 01/19 1969 Orlando Palmeiro s born in Hoboken, NJ. The free agent pickup bats .258 as a reserve outfielder over four seasons with Houston (2004-2007) with six homers. 01/19 1965 Bob Aspromonte is the first recipient of the Jim Umbricht Award, given to the team's most valuable player for the previous season. The honor was renamed after Umbricht's death from cancer the previous April. 01/20 2015 Houston signs free agent outfielder Colby Rasmus to a one-year deal. After smashing 25 home runs and starring in the postseason, Rasmus opted to return for the 2016 season. 01/20 1983 Matt Albers is born in Houston, TX. The righthanded prospect compiles a 4-13 record playing for his hometown team over parts of two seasons (2006,2007) before being dealt to Baltimore. 01/20 1964 Looking to solve their shortstop woes, the Colts trade two pitchers, Jim Dickson and Wally Wolf, and cash to Cincinnati for Eddie Kasko. Kasko hits .244 in two seasons with Houston before being traded to Boston. Dickson had two saves in 13 appearances for the Colts in 1963. 01/21 2005 Roger Clemens forestalls retirement yet again, signing the richest salary ever for a pitcher as he agrees to return to the Astros for an $18 million dollar paycheck. 01/21 1999 Houston signs four players to minor league deals but all will see action with the Astros. Pitchers Brian Williams and Jeff McCurry come to terms along with outfielders Alex Diaz and Ryan Thompson. Williams, in his second tour as an Astro, plays the biggest role going 2-1 in 50 games out of the bullpen. For McCurry, it was a nice 29th birthday present, having been born in Tokyo, Japan on this day in 1970. 01/21 1955 Reliever Dave Smith is born in Richmond, CA. He would register 199 saves for Houston and was named to the Astros All-Time Team in 1999. He dies on December 17, 2008 at his California home of an apparent heart attack. 01/22 2015 Don Bryant passes away at age 73 in Gainesville, FL. The catcher played in 46 games for the Astros (1969-1970), but one happened to be the game he caught a no-hitter from Don Wilson. 01/22 2001 Tommie Agee dies of a heart attack in New York, NY at age 58. The outfielder, a hero of the 1969 "Miracle Mets", played part of the 1973 season with the Astros before being traded to St. Louis. 01/22 1969 Star outfielder Rusty Staub is traded to Montreal for outfielder Jesus Alou and first baseman Donn Clendenon. This trade would become controversial when Clendenon refuses to report and the Astros are forced to take other compensation while Staub goes on to become the Expos' first marquee player. 01/22 1951 Leon Roberts is born in Vicksburg, MI. The outfielder would bat .267 with seven home runs over parts of two seasons (1976 and 1977) in Houston. 01/23 2005 After signing 30-something veterans Turk Wendell and Dave Burba to spring contracts, the Astros really get "old school", inking 44-year-old lefthander John Franco to a one-year $700,000 deal. The 21-year veteran comes to Houston in second place all-time for career saves (424) and appearances (1,088) but is released with a 0-1 record after 31 games. 01/23 1992 Houston signs outfielder Pete Incaviglia and reliever Doug Jones as free agents. Jones would become the club MVP that season, leading the team with 11 wins and 36 saves with a 1.85 ERA. He either won or saved over half of Houston's victories that year. Incaviglia wasn't too bad either, hitting .266 with 11 homers in part-time duty while tying the club record with seven RBIs in a game against the Giants. 01/23 1976 Brandon Duckworth is born in Salt Lake City, UT. He posts a 1-3 record in spot duty during the 2004 and 2005 campaigns. 01/23 1936 Don Nottebart is born in West Newton, MA. He would toss the first no-hitter in franchise history in 1963. 01/23 1934 Joey Amalfitano is born in San Pedro, CA. He's the Opening Day second baseman for the first Houston Colts in 1962 and bats .237 for the season. He becomes a longtime major league coach and manager. 01/24 1968 Ross Powell is born in Grand Rapids, MI. The lefhander appears in 27 games in relief during 1994 and 1995 but does not record a win, loss or save during that time. 01/24 1965 Comedian Bill Dana is named the first official mascot of the Houston Astros by Judge Hofheinz. The comic, whose signature routine is portraying a dimwitted astronaut, comments about the new ballpark "if they would build a cemetery, you'd never have to leave the place." 01/25 2003 Slugger Daryle Ward is traded to Los Angeles for minor league pitcher Ruddy Lugo, younger brother of infielder Julio Lugo. Ward teases fans with his home run potential but management loses patience after a five-year run where he swats 49 homers and bats .269 in 418 games. 01/25 1979 Philip Barzilla is born in Houston, TX. The lefthander tosses 1/3rd of an inning for the hometown team in 2006, much to the joy of his family, including one proud cousin. 01/25 1951 Vern Ruhle is born in Midland, MI. Ruhle spends seven seasons as an Astro pitcher, best known for taking over a spot in the starting rotation in 1980 when J.R. Richard suffered a stroke and helping Houston win their first division crown. Later, he is a successful pitching coach in Houston under manager Larry Dierker. 01/25 1942 Ernie Fazio is born in Oakland, CA. One of the first Houston bonus babies, he fails to hit over .200 with the Colt .45s in 1962 and 1963. His big league career peaks at age 21. 01/26 2024 Jimy Williams passes away at age 80 in Tarpon Springs, FL. Williams skippered the Astros from 2002-04, crafting a 215-197 record with the Astros and a 910-790 mark in 12 overall big league seasons. 01/26 2001 A new rivalry gets a name. The Astros and the Texas Rangers announce together that their new interleague head-to-head matchup will be called the "Lone Star Series". 01/26 1994 Houston signs first baseman Sid Bream. As a backup to Jeff Bagwell, he contributes mostly as a pinch-hitter, delivering a .344 average in the strike-shortened season. Of course, Bagwell hit .368 in an MVP year so Bream got scant attention for his superb play. After the strike, he never appears again in the majors. 01/26 1990 Astros ink pitcher Terry Clark who had played two seasons with the Angels. The righthander appears in just one game for Houston that season and reemerges six years later to pitch in five games for the Astros in 1996. His career in Houston is forgettable: 0-2 with an ERA over 11.00. 01/27 2006 The end may be near for Jeff Bagwell's 15-year run in Houston. The Astros announce they have filed an insurance claim to recover $15.6 million of the $24 million remaining on Bagwell's contract, asserting he has not recovered sufficiently from shoulder surgery last year to throw a baseball. Bagwell disputes the allegation and wants to play in spring training which would jeopardize the claim. Bagwell had recently been examined by noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews. 01/27 1992 In a rare spending spree, the Astros sign four free agents, pitchers Joe Boever and Rob Murphy along with infielders Ernest Riles and Denny Walling. It's the end of the line for Walling who spent eleven years previously in Houston, a vital man in two division champions during the eighties. He's forced out with a knee injury after three at bats. None of the others are in Houston the following season. 01/27 1969 Phil Plantier is born in Manchester, NH. The powerful outfielder came to Houston in the mega-trade with San Diego but a broken hand limits him to 22 games as an Astro in 1995 before he is dealt back to the Padres. 01/28 2001 Curt Blefary dies at age 57 in Pompano Beach, FL. He had one season in Houston as the team's regular first baseman in 1969, hitting .253 with 12 homers and 67 RBIs. 01/28 1985 Dequam LaWesley Wright is born in Birmingham, AL. The lefthanded reliever crafts an 8-9 record in his four big league seasons (2008-2011) in Houston. 01/28 1928 Pete Runnels is born in Lufkin, TX. The two-time American League batting champion is dealt to Houston for Roman Mejias but is a disappointment in two seasons with the Colts, losing his first base job to Rusty Staub then Walt Bond. 01/29 2020 Johnnie "Dusty" Baker is hired as the new manager of the Astros, tasked to lead the team both in defense of their American League title and to navigate the club through restoring their image after a scandal involving sign stealing that brought about the firing of his predecessor A.J. Hinch. The 70-year-old Baker agreed to a one-year contract with a club option for 2021. 01/29 2014 Lance Berkman announces his retirement after 15 big league seasons, 11 of those (1999-2010) with the Astros, where he became one of the top hitters in club history. 01/29 1963 Brian Meyer is born in Camden, NJ. In parts of three seasons with the Astros (1988-1990), he notches two saves and sports a 2.84 ERA but his career record is 0-5. 01/29 1962 Manager Harry Craft and General Manager Paul Richards begin the first winter publicity caravan in team history, starting in Victoria. The team has had one every year since then, touring cities throughout Texas and Louisiana. Among the other travelers are infielders Norm Larker, Bob Aspromonte, Don Buddin and Joey Amalfitano and broadcaster Gene Elston. This year's tour also makes a stop in Monterrey, Mexico. 01/30 2007 The City of Houston proclaims Jeff Bagwell Day to celebrate the 15-year career of the Astros slugger. The proclamation coincides with a hitting camp Bagwell is conducting at Minute Maid Park and a pitching camp run by the legendary Nolan Ryan. 01/30 1989 Houston inks a pair of veterans, pitcher Dan Schatzeder and outfielder Greg Gross as free agents. Gross bats .200 in mostly pinch-hit roles during the final campaign of his 15-year career, one that began as an Astro. Schatzeder wins four games in relief. 01/31 2002 Despite a petition drive seeking to honor longtime Astro broadcaster Gene Elston with the Ford C. Frick Award at the Baseball Hall of Fame, the winner is his former broadcast partner Harry Kalas. Kalas worked six seasons (1965-1970) with Elston before becoming the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies and NFL Films. Kalas' signature call while with Houston was to describe their home runs as "Astro orbits". 01/31 1980 Two-time MVP Joe Morgan returns to the Astros as a free agent, signing a one-year contract. Fulfilling his promise to the organization that gave him his start, Morgan is an important cog in the team's first championship. 01/31 1965 18-year-old catcher Bob Watson signs as a free agent. Watson would eventually play left field and first base, becoming one of the best hitters in franchise history. 01/31 1961 Harris County voters approve bonds to build a domed stadium. It is expected to house the new National League team when finished. 01/31 1947 Lynn Nolan Ryan is born in Refugio, TX. He would pitch nine seasons in Houston (1980-1988), winning two ERA titles and tossing a record fifth career no-hitter on his way to the Baseball Hall of Fame.